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RIAM'S P.O.V.

I feel very guilty. I am very guilty.

No you aren't. You had to do it for him.

I think of her cheerful face, innocent eyes. Were they lying? Was she just another lying to me, right under my nose?

She is, she has been lying all the long.

I can't believe anything without evidence. Even if he says so.

What he says is true.

Who do I believe more, him or her?

JANICE'S P.O.V

My heart is still beating at a fast speed. I gulp, and shake my head, clearing my thoughts. I have to go to school.

I look around me, relieved to find I am not in the jungle.

Wait. Why is no one going to school?

Yesterday was Friday, I remind myself. Before I was kicked out of everywhere.
I have nowhere to stay. Great. Now what do I do?
I need to inspect my wounds first. I can't go anywhere if I can't walk.

My eyes widen at how much it improved when I was sleeping. They are almost healed, with only a little blot of blood. I probe at it, and it is not very pain. I smile, and realize I still have nowhere to go.

** 2 hours later **

I have one friend. She lives around here. I only have been walking for 2 hours, but it's funny when you are desperate how you can feel like you have been walking for days.

Ah! There! I think that's where she stays. "Mel... "I call, knocking on her door.

Melanie Mart isn't a liked person either. Everyone hates her, except for her parents and me. I guess that's what made us friends; everyone in school hated us.

The door creaks open, and a kind face peaks out. She has thick brown - black hair, and it curls down to her shoulders, her lean frame like Melanie's, and her eyes cautious, darting everywhere. She scans me up and down. I open my mouth and croak, "Uh hi, " I clear my throat, and repeat, "Hi, my name is Janice, and I am a good friend of Melanie Mart. I am kicked out of everywhere and I am looking for a place to stay for a while. " that sounded so weird.

She stares at me in a daze. Then she snaps into reality and ushers me in quickly. "Hurry, come in child, you are hurt. I need to give you food, let you bathe, take care of your wounds. "

I gulp, and say, "Um, auntie, do I owe you anything? "

She glances at me, as if confused, then shouts,"Of course not! Any friend of Melanie is welcome to stay! "

I frown, confused, but anyway say, "Thank you, but I'm just going to stay here for the weekend. "

She stares at me, mouth agape. "Why? "She asked, her hands reaching out to me.

Don't touch me. I don't want you to.

I force a smile and say, "I am going to stay somewhere else in the weekdays. " She frowns, dejected. Before I can say anything to comfort her, she starts to talk, like she's telling a story.
"Melanie is my daughter. She's my angel. She's beautiful and everything a parent could ask for. The worst thing that could happen to her was her crying. And that's what she did ever since she entered school. She would sob the whole day and I felt so helpless, being a parent," at this point I saw tears in her eyes. "But ever since she met this girl called 'Janice', her world turned around. She laughed everyday thinking about her, and I felt so happy. And I thought 'If I ever met this girl, I would treat her the best I can. ' "
She turned to me, her eyes sad.

I smile softly and hugged her. "You are already treating me the best that you can. " She smiled, grateful, and whispered, "As you wish. "

For the next two days, I was pampered and treated like a Queen. I didn't want to be treated like that, in fact the opposite, but Melanie's mother continued persisting that these two days that she had to give all her best to.

I felt a little embarrassed but glad to know that Melanie had such a caring mother. And of course, there was Melanie. When she came home on Saturday, she squeaked and was so happy to see me in her room. I felt so good. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel like rubbish or unwanted. I felt like I was actually the light of someone's life.

That weekend was the best I had in months.

Tonight though... it is the time where I have to part with Melanie's cozy house. I have to sneak out tonight. If not Melanie will forever be chasing me.

I take a deep breath, inhaling the house's unique smell for the last time - it smells like an ancient museum - and pack my bag and prepare to leave. I smile at it, and a tear runs down my cheek. I don't know why I'm so sad. I still see her at school.

I leave the house, tears streaming down my face, barely refraining from crying out loud. After I walk a few blocks away, I start sobbing. I know I have to stop crying, but I can't help it. When I'm just a few minutes away from the block, I feel lonely again, and hoping that that girl, the only person that would stop me, would stop me and Bring me back. But she doesn't.

Suddenly I'm praying for her to come, hoping I could seek refuge in her house again, the safety, the care that was give to me.

With no other choice, I have to do the same thing as I did two days before; sleep on the road with some rags.

I drag my tired legs and sleep beside a dustbin, hoping the extra object will provide some shelter from the cold biting wind blowing all around me.

I just do what I can to survive; all I have to do is survive each hour of the day, and I might survive. For now, all I will do is sleep.

Leave the things tomorrow to be planned tomorrow.