Twisting Destiny

Chapter 23

It took half an hour before Rhianne stopped crying. Keith really tried his best to stop her tears. He even made a lot of promises to Rhianne just to calm her down, but it was all futile. In the end, Francis was the one who calmed her down.

Rhianne's face was a total mess. Both of her eyes were swollen. Her cheeks were red and her lips were trembling. Rhianne sometimes let out a hiccup so Francis helped her to sip water using a straw. Whoever can see her appearance will feel pity for her and unconsciously think who bullies this cute, little girl.

This was the situation Carmie first saw when she opened the door. She quickly ran towards her and checked if Rhianne received any injuries aside from the wounds on her knees. When she received a call from a teacher in their school, Carmie quickly canceled all of her appointments for today. Carmie won't feel at ease until she sees her daughter in a good condition.

When Rhianne saw her mother, she had the urge to cry again. Rhianne was still sensitive due to her emotions. She wrapped her arms around her mother's body and buried her head on her mother's shoulders. Carmie thought Rhianne was scared so she tried to soothe her by gently tapping her hand on Rhianne's back and telling her some comforting words.

"What happened?" Carmie asked Francis.

"Well..." Francis looked in the opposite direction and Carmie followed his line of sight.

Carmie was surprised when she saw two more people in the clinic. It was her friend Danica and her son, Keith. Danica had her hand on her son's shoulder while Keith was sitting in the corner and throwing nervous glances towards Rhianne.

Francis told them the story he heard from one of the teachers who stopped the fight. When he finished talking, Danica glanced at her son before letting out a sigh. She combed her long fingers through her son's hair before looking at Carmie with an apologetic smile. She is aware of how much her friend treasures Rhianne and Danica does not want Carmie to have a negative comment towards her son.

"On behalf of my son, I wanted to apologize for what happened today." Danica said with a sincere voice.

"No, it's okay. Keith was not at fault for what happened today. I am not blaming him. What's more important is both of them are safe." Carmie said before looking at Keith. "You look pale. We should bring you to the hospital to check your injuries."

"No, no. It's okay, Auntie. It doesn't hurt much. And brother can also check my wounds later." Keith said in a low voice. "And..."

When Keith attempted to look at Rhianne, he was met with Rhianne's glare. Keith is aware that she is still upset at him, but he can't help but be charmed by her eyes. Rhianne has a pair of beautiful chestnut eyes. Her eyes are currently misty and glossy because of her tears. It gives a charming effect that makes people feel tenderness towards her.

Rhianne ignored Keith and whispered to her mother that she wanted to go home and rest. Naturally, her mother said okay and help her to stand up. Francis volunteered to fix their problem so he needed to stay in the academy. Carmie and Danica exchanged a few words with each other before they separated ways. Until Rhianne gets inside of their car, she totally ignored Keith. She was not in the mood to talk to this young male lead.

Rhianne is aware that Keith is still young and will still be affected by the people around him. But she was really triggered when he was ridiculing himself and said that it was better for him to die young. Rhianne is not really mad at Keith, but she should let him know that what he did was wrong and let him reflect on his own wrongdoings.

Naturally, Keith and his mother also left the academy. Keith was silent during the car trip. He didn't utter a word and kept his lips pursed. Danica kept on glancing at her son. Of course, she's worried about him.

As a mother, she sometimes feels like a failure because she can't help her son to erase his problems. She blames herself for not giving too much attention to her son as he grows up. Danica got too busy with their business that she sometimes neglects her duty as a mother. So when she received the news before that Keith was bullied in school, she quickly made a lot of big changes to her schedule so she can focus more on her own family.

While silently looking at her son, she noticed that Keith was fidgeting with his phone. He will type a set of words, but he will also erase it. And then Danica accidentally saw Rhianne's name on the screen. It seems like Keith was trying to apologize to that girl.

Danica knew Rhianne since she was a small child. She is the precious daughter of the Cartel family. Danica remembered her first impression when she first saw Rhianne. She's too cute and has a bubbly and cheerful personality. It's no wonder why Keith liked to become friends with her before.

She didn't expect to meet Rhianne again in this situation. Danica arrived early at the academy when she received a call that concerns about her son. Before she can open the clinic's door, Danica heard their voices inside. She also heard the things that Rhianne said to Keith.

Danica knows that Keith was insecure with his eyes because of the bullying he experienced when he was still a child. She tried to talk to Keith about it, but she knows that Keith doesn't want them to worry so he never shared his own problems with them.

So she can't explain how surprised she was when Keith spoke about his inner thoughts with Rhianne. What's more surprising was Rhianne who became mad and feels grievance towards his son due to his words. These two children really care for each other, especially her son. Keith has a snobbish attitude sometimes, but Danica saw how soft he was when dealing with Rhianne.

"Keith, I am not telling you that you are the one who is in the wrong here. It is never your fault. But you should have a good talk with Rhianne later. Okay?”

Keith looked at his mother before nodding his head. He knows that Rhianne is mad at him. Keith didn't think that he will make Rhianne cry because of his words. Keith really wanted to say sorry, but he doesn't know how. Until they arrived at their house, all he thinks is how to talk and apologize to his friend.