My Long Lost Crush.

Ana, Ash, Ryan.

Ash placed his hand on her shoulder from behind, "Ana, is there something you want to tell everyone?"
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Ana was in the middle of the hallway, shocked while everyone was waiting for her to say something. She didn't had a clue about what Ash wanted her to say.

She looked back at Ash with a confused look.

"Ana, do you know where Ryan is?", Ash asked.

Ana sighed inwardly. She had thought that Ash was going to tell everyone about the sneaking out episode.

"Ana? Do you know where he is?", Ash asked again.

"How would I know?", Ana answered.

"Ana....remember i once eavesdropped on you and Ryan. You threatened to tell on him and he did the same. When I asked you for what, you told me for lying to grandpa about the winter formal attendance but when I asked you about what you threatened Ryan with, you didn't answer", Ana knew exactly what Ash was doing.

"Ana, Ryan's missing. He is not in the house. So I am asking this again, do you know where Ryan is?", Ash asked.

"No", Ana answered.

"Did you know he sneaked out?", this time it was grandpa.

Ana didn't answered.

"Ana! Grandpa is asking something, answer him!", Ana's mother told her sharply.

"Ana....did you know about Ryan's sneaking out habit?", grandpa asked.

"Yes, I did", Ana looked down.

Suddenly, Ana was yanked out of Ashton's hold. Ana's mother was holding her from her shoulders. She shook Ana, "Why, Ana why!?! I THOGHT I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS!!"

She raised her hand to slap her but grandpa interrupted her just in time and that too calmly, "Nairobi, put your hand down."

Ana's mother's hand stopped midway in air and grandpa called out again, "Put your hand down, Nairobi!"

She placed her hand down and Ash who had tried to cover Ana's face when her mother was about to slap her, pulled her back towards himself, hugging her from behind.

He felt guilty for pushing Ana in that position but he had no choice. Ryan was God knew where and nobody had a clue where he was at except for Ana.

Tears leaked ou of Ana's eyes. Not because her mother was about to slap her for the very first time in her life but because she knew she deserved it.

"Ana, did you help him to sneak out?", grandpa asked.

"No. He used to tell me to open the door for him", Ana answered.

"And that's all?", grandpa asked.

"Yes", Ana sniffed.

"Did you ask for any kind of favour in exchange?", grandpa asked.

"No. I kept his secret and he kept mine", Ana answered.

"Then after you told me about your lie, why didn't you say anything?!", grandpa was losing patience due to anxiety about where Ryan might be then.

"I..I thought it wasn't my.....place to tell", Ana told half of the truth. The other half of it was her fear of Ryan knowing about Alexander.

"That's foolish!!", grandpa exclaimed.

"I thought he should get a chance to tell you all of that yourself like I did", Ana added.

"But it wasn't a small matter, Ana! Why are you so immature!! What if the matter has gotten out of hand, then! Ten what will I do?!  When will you learn!?", grandpa was frustrated at Ana's childishness.

"I'm sorry", Ana apologized looking down.

"Do you know where he is?!", grandpa asked.

"No", Ana answered, still looking down.

"Did you...did he ever came home all wobbly and....did you ever notice anything that indicated that he was...using drugs or something!", Ana's eyes widened at grandpa's question.

Instead of answering, she looked up.

"Is that a yes, Ana?", grandpa asked.

"I once saw him buying drugs from his friends", Ana confessed.

"That's a big blame you're putting o  someone. Do you have proof?", grandpa asked. He had learnt his lesson after the incident where he had blindly put the blame on Belle.

"M-my...phone", Ana answered.

"Here", Ash said, pulling out Ana's phone from his pocket.

Ana opened her phone and clicked the video she had shooted that day but hesitated to go anywhere near grandpa out of fear, so Ash took it from her, handed it to grandpa and walked back to his original position, behind Ana.

Grandpa looked at the clip but didn't say anything. There was silence for whole five minutes in the hall.

Then finally he found his voice and instead of crying over spilt milk, he asked Ana, "Do you still help him come inside the house late at night?"

"No", Ana answered immediately. I told him I won't be helping him anymore.

"And?", grandpa figured out there was more to the story than that by Ana's tone.

"He didn't listened. He thinks I'll help him again", Ana told only the half truth, again. Ryan didn't think that Ana would help him, he knew she would.

"Will he call you to open the door for him?", grandpa asked.

"I guess", Ana answered.

"Then we will wait for him to do that. It's all we can do right now", grandpa looked like a defeated man, who lost everything when he said those words.

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