Breaking Free • TFC 2.0 • l.t. au

Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty One

After lunch, all of us took a walk to the International Date Line that's situated on top of a hill. The walk up was exhausting, Holly stopping every 10 steps. Clearly this girl is in no shape for physical activities at the moment.

Mum and Rick walk together infront of us, Karen and Em way ahead while I walk with Holly to make sure she's still breathing. Occasionally she'd grasp my arm or the railing begging for me to stop.

"You weakling, we're nearly there." I tell her. She pants and slaps my arm.

"This is why I don't play football... At all." She says, hooking her arm to mine. "I'm very... Unfit."

"football alone won't let you play, hon." I say making her laugh. "Any plans for university now?" I ask her. She shrugs but she had mentioned a few university choices all situated in London.

"TUA is nice, if you really do make up your mind. But if you're aiming for cute boys, QIU is the place for you. It's just across the street." I tell her. She laughs and holds my arm tighter as we reach the top of the hill, sort of.

"Your boyfriend's very hot right now, not gonna lie." She says. I chuckle and put my hands in my pockets.

"Ah, all thanks to 12 hours in the gym every weekend. And he's from QIU. You know where I'm going here?" I ask her and she narrows her eyes at me but fights the smirk.

"Actually, no, enlighten me."

This is all we did. Talk talk talk until we circled the whole park. Holly went with Karen and Em while mum pulled me to the side so we can talk. I'm not sure what or how I'm going to talk to her properly after not speaking to each other for nearly 5 years.

Mum and I sat on the green grass. I hold my knees to my chest while mum sat cross legged. For a moment I look at my own mother, something I haven't done in a long time other than snaring and glaring at her. Her blonde hair that I've acquired cut short just above her shoulders. She squints at the bright sunlight, watching Emily kick the ball. Her eyes are brown and bright unlike my blue ones. I didn't realize how much I looked like her. We have the same bone structure and hair color only that the eye shape and color's different.

"You really look like your father sometimes." That's just the exact opposite of what I was just thinking but it's true. There are moment i look like a true Gastrell, there's no doubt. What's the trademark? The eyes. The bright blue ones that I got from my careless father and the 'legendary' football skills.

He's the man I thought I'd respect. As a child, I saw how he love my mother so much that it led me to imagining fairytales of my own that someday, someone will treat like the way he did to my mother. He was a respectable man. He knew his morals, he knew what's right and wrong and he knew his priorities. I always looked up to him like little boys look up to their superheroes. But superheroes only exist in comic books. But no matter how much I hate him, disown him, push him away or ignore him, I'll always be a Gastrell, he'll always be a part of me.

The thing is, Gastrell's aren't like my father. Gastrell's aren't weak, they aren't careless and they're not stupid. They're strong, brave, wise and respectable. My grandfather was a respectable man till his deathbed. My aunt Cecile is a lovely woman who took me under her wing and even save my little sister from the horrible life she didn't deserve.

My father's just a man carrying a respectable name but not living it out. I told my mum everything that went through my head and she agrees, surprisingly.

"It's that woman who changed your father. You remember how incredibly loyal he was only that woman brainwashed him along with the values his own father taught him. Just promise me you won't be like that, Megan. Don't ruin the name just because your father did." She says.