CHAPTER 28

“Adam, have you talked to Helene?” Lexy asked Adam as soon as they met each other before their first class.

“I think you should talk to Helene,” he told them seriously.

Lexy looked at him. “Why?” she asked, starting to get worried again. She thought Adam could make Helene open up because she believed that the woman likes him. “Did you see her yesterday?”

Adam looked hesitant to answer them. Lexy’s thoughts just got worse, and she doesn’t like it. Helene had changed a lot from when she and Arianne started to lose interest in The Beach Boys. Arianne became busy when her mom left to work abroad, and she was responsible for caring for her younger brother. While she has started to realize that she needs to save her money for a better future. Especially now that she’ll soon have her own family.

“Is she busy again with James?” Arianne asked and sighed. “The Beach Boys is much important to her than us, her real friends…”

“James is Helene’s favorite K-pop idol, right?” Adam asked. “The lead vocalist in The Beach Boys?”

Lexy nodded. “How did you know? Did she tell you about it?” she asked. “She spent a lot of time in watching their music videos than having time with us…”

“Lexy was right,” Arianne agreed. “That was also the reason why she became distant to us.”

Adam’s brows furrowed. “Distant? Why?”

Helene seemed unhappy with their sudden changes to the group they support with all their heart. She became so occupied and obsessed with James Osburn, the lead vocalist of The Beach Boys, that she often forgot about their plans. Because of their different level of interest towards The Beach Boys, Helene became distant. She thinks that she and Arianne have changed a lot, and they don’t want her to be around because they didn’t like The Beach Boys anymore. Because of it, Helene spent a lot of time watching live streaming and seldom talk to them.

Helene’s frequent absence from their bonding or even on their video conferences annoyed Lexy and started to be pissed off her. That’s why every time she talked to them, and she can’t relate to what they’re saying, Lexy’s acting annoyed and taunting her. She knew that she doesn’t have to be so rude to her, but Lexy can’t help it.

“Recently, I found the reason why I am so irritated with Helene, that caused her avoidance to us,” Lexy said and took a deep breath. She looked around the corridor to see if somebody is looking at them. When no one was paying them attention, she continued. “I’m four weeks pregnant…”

Adam didn’t expect what she said, and it was all over his face. “And Helene didn’t know about it?”

Lexy shook her head. “She’d been avoiding us when I found out about it…” Tears stung her eyes. “And, because of my rude attitude towards her, she thought that I’m shunning her away.”

Arianne squeezed her hand. “I’m sure Helene will understan11d…”

“You should talk to her,” Adam told them in a serious tone. “Do you know Malcolm?”

“Malcolm?” Lexy asked in a knotted forehead. “Sounds familiar.”

“I remember, Malcolm is the name of her new neighbor,” Arianne said, then looked at Adam. “Why? Did you saw him when you went into her apartment?”

Adam shook his head. “I haven’t seen him personally, but she’s with Helene often…” he said, then paused. “But I felt something odd with Helene when I went into her apartment yesterday.”

“What is it?” she and Lexy asked.

“I saw Helene going down the stairs, and as we talked, she suddenly stopped then said that Malcolm is calling her,” he said in a knotted forehead. “But I did not hear anything.”

Arianne gasped. “What do you mean?”

“I happened to talk to her landlady when I visited her apartment because she caught me peeking at Helene’s windows. I saw a shadow inside Helene’s house, and I thought that she’s with somebody,” he started. “But the landlady said Helene is living alone on the rooftop, and the apartment next to hers is vacant for a long time.”

“Vacant? How could that happen? Helene told us just a week ago that he saw her neighbor moved in on the door next to hers?” Lexy asked. She’s confused and, at the same starting to get scared at what he’s telling them.

“I knocked on Helene’s door and talked to her. And, she said that she’s with someone, and that is her neighbor,” Adam said, the lines in his forehead deepened in confusion and worries. “I’m trying to ask her more about it, but she’s shunning me away. I think the two of you should find it out too.”

After their class, Lexy and Arianne decided to visit Helene. It was late in the afternoon, and the sky has started to darken. Helene didn’t show up for the whole day, and they don’t know how to contact her because she already disposed of her phone.

“Do you think she will talk to us?” Arianne asked when they reached Helene’s apartment. She was so worried about their friend that she cried after Adam told them about Helene. “Maybe that Malcolm is a bad guy, and he’s luring Helene to something bad?”

“Stop over-thinking, Arianne. Paranoia is the last thing that we need right now,” Lexy said and heaved a deep sigh before knocking on the door. “Pull yourself; I don’t want her to see that we’re thinking something bad against her boyfriend.”

Arianne was already smiling when Helene opened the door. She was surprised to see them standing on her doorstep.

“W-What brought you here?” she asked, smiling.

“We missed you, Helene,” Lexy said and smiled genuinely at her. “Can we come in?”

“Sure,” she said quickly. “But I’m with Malcolm.”

Lexy’s heartbeat raced. “Really? Could you introduce him to us?”

“We wanted to meet the new neighbor that you told us,” Arianne said and peeked behind her door. “Is he there?”

“Yes,” Helene said and widened the door. “Come in.”

By the way, Helene talked. She looked happy, far from the behavior she showed them on her last attendance at school.

“Why you’re not going to school?” Lexy asked as they walked towards her living room. “Our professors are looking for you.”

Helene sat on the couch in front of them; she was smiling from ear to ear. “I don’t want to leave Malcolm.”

Arianne glanced at her. “Where is he? I want to meet him.”

Helene knotted her forehead. Her arm wrapped on the bolster pillow beside her as if hooking on somebody’s arm. “This is Malcolm,” she said and smiled. “Malcolm, they’re my friends, Arianne and Lexy.”

***