"If you can't somebody out of your mind, then they are probably supposed to be there!"
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EJ parked his bike near a rock and walked to his usual spot, it was his most preferred spot or we can call it as his treasured place. This place was close to heart as he realized for the first time in life that he had a person to rely upon for the rest of his life- Robert!
EJ could still remember the day when they became buddies for life. EJ moved to DC during his seventh grade and he had no friends. EJ was a introvert and never liked it when people try to be sweet towards him. He hated people pitying him as they called him as a new boy of the town with no friends. Life was so beautiful for EJ till his 6th grade. He was happy with his mom, dad - Paxel Jones but life was different as her step sister Lola Jones disappearance.
Paxel Jones had a credible and dashing personality, he was loving father and a great husband. Paxel married Bruna firstly and after four years, Bruna died of brain fever. Lola was 3 years old at the time of her mother's death. Paxel met Sarah after two years and she was just 16 at the time while Paxel was 25.
Sarah used to work as a babysitter back at that time, she was desperate to make some pocket money through babysitting. One day, Sarah was asked to babysit Lola for a day or two and in the meantime, she started loving Lola with all her heart and Lola was fond of Sarah, who could avoid a charming energetic young teenage girl with the most beautiful smile.
So Sarah paid a visit to Lola often in the next few days and they gradually developed a beautiful bond. While in the meantime, Paxel Jones had a secret crush over Sarah, he kept it to himself but one day he lost control over his thoughts. He kissed her out of the blue and said he loved her. She left the place abruptly.
Sarah liked him for a very long time and her love for Lola made her do anything. She decided to marry him one fine day. But Sarah's parents were totally against it for marrying a man who was much older than her, and they hated the fact that he already had a kid while Sarah was still 17 and not yet graduated.
Sarah married Paxel against her parents will and moved away from her hometown. They began their new life in Connecticut. And when Sarah was 18, she had EJ. Lola was a seven year old kid when she understood that she had a step brother. EJ'S dad had a special love for him and he loved his father a lot than he could express in words.
Lola and EJ haven't been on good terms from the start. But EJ had a special love for her sister that Lola couldn't understand at all. The nexus between EJ and Lola was very poor, as EJ would never spend time with anyone except his father and he can't love anyone other than his father. But Lola wanted some love from his father as well but Paxel never fulfilled her wish. From the beginning, EJ made no friends with anyone at school and his parents would never know why.
Months and years passed away in a blink, EJ and his dad were inseparable, he couldn't imagine a day without his dad. Lola loved his little brother for who he was but hated him due to his father's actions. Paxel never spent time with Lola and Lola hated him for that. Lola started hating Sarah and believed that she was the sole reason behind this.
She spent less time with her family and more time in the bars and all gloomy places. She was unstoppable, she wouldn't listen to any of them. Nor Paxel could put an end to this. Lola started doing drugs while she was 14, lost her virginity to an old drug dealer, got pregnant for about four times while she was 15 and had abortion without her parents knowledge. She was just 15 when she did all bad to herself.
EJ was a eight year old boy when he witnessed her sister destroying herself. When EJ was nine years old, he decided to stop her sister all by himself, the little boy entered Lola's room to find her gulping the bottle of whisky. He fought with her to stop drinking but Lola lost her patience and smashed the bottle on EJ'S head.
The little boy was hospitalized for about? two week, but the injury wasn't any serious. Lola realized how bad she was but she couldn't stop herself from using drugs or quit drinking. She was addicted to the stuffs that was destroying her life little by little. Within a month after the incident, Lola was caught on campus for using drugs and making out with a professor. She was dismissed from the high school.
EJ'S father tired all that he could do to stop Lola but Lola won't listen. She just wanted to take revenge on Paxel for not being a great father all these years. Sarah, the sweet and the softest soul couldn't stand to any of this. She would beg and plead Lola to stop but Lola hated her whole life and she wanted to end it.
After a month, Paxel returned home with a application that changed their lives for bad. It was an application from military academy. Paxel planned to join Lola in the military academy with the thought that she would change.
"No, no I won't and I can't", she shouted making EJ flinch. Sarah witnessed the events with moist eyes.
"No I have decided it already, you are going to that academy no matter what!", announced Paxel leaning against the couch.
"So now, no one wants me here, am I right!", she roared with a frown. Lola was a fighter and the toughest one to convince, she will never listen to anybody or anything.
"Don't mean it like that. I want you to learn some discipline and that's the major reason behind this decision", Paxel affirmed with rage.
"You wouldn't have done this to me if mom was here", she cried making Paxel furious.
"One more word from you and I'll drag you the academy by today", he threatened her but that daring cub feared no one.
"Why should I? You never wanted me here ever since Ethan was born. You never liked me at all. All you wanted was a son to shower all your and a wife to fuck", she huffed and Paxel rushed towards her.
"I said stop, you knew nothing. Shut up and go to your room", he yelled at her and Sarah shed tears on seeing them both. EJ listened to all this with shock.
"I won't because you are the one who was responsible to all this. You never cared about me, you never taught me what was right or wrong, you never bothered about me at all. You never ever took me to a trip for God's sake. Neither you nor Sarah would attend of my pta meetings. You know how it feels to be living a life with no one to care enough for us", she choked but nothing would melt Paxel's cold heart.
"Have you ever wished me on my birthdays?! Have you ever asked me why I come late to home at nights? Have you ever asked me about my grades? Fuck, leave that all aside, do you even know that I'm alive. I'm sure you would have known after I broke your son's head", she smirked.
"You were treating me like a anonymous person ever since mom left us. And it was Sarah mom who showed me what a parents love felt like. But that faded away soon after EJ was born. You know what dad, you have decided to send me to boarding school only just because I broke his head and you fear that I would do something to hurt him in the future. Still you don't care about me and you never will", saying that she walked into her room, banging the door behind.
Paxel realized that he was a bad father to Lola and all her efforts to catch his attention turned her to become a bad person. He thought of making baby steps in building the father daughter relationship. The next day, he made some coffee for them both, Paxel decided they would have a proper chat in the morning about what she really wanted. But it was too late.
He opened the door to find Lola hanging by the fan, she intentionally killed herself. Paxel was shattered on witnessing the sight of his own daughter's suicide and he blamed himself for Lola's suicide. The guilt overtook him and no one could help him at all.
After a year, Paxel Jones decided to end his life as well. He could no longer live with the guilt of ending his daughter's life. Sarah tried the most she could to help him fight against his own mind. Nor even the psychologist could help him. EJ wanted his father to be happy again but he later understood that wasn't going to happen for now.
The next year, Paxel consumed rat poison and ended his life on the same day of Lola's suicide. EJ couldn't endure the continuous loss of people from his life.
The last letter that his father wrote to him was:
Dear son,
? ? ? ? I'm sorry that I have to leave you, not for now but for forever. Dad has been a really bad person for all his life. My ignorance has ended a life already and I don't want my attention towards you to do the same. I know it's hard for me to think about ending my own life but it's hard for me live not just live but to survive. Each day of my life is a battle and I can no longer live with the guilt of ending my own daughter's life when I'm the reason who brought her to the world. Never let anyone take you down and take care of Sarah, she is the only thing I could leave it with you forever.
With love,
Your dad
Paxel Jones.
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At the age of twelve he suffered intense pain both emotionally and mentally. He had no one to talk to about his state of mind. Sarah would be crying the whole day and EJ had no one to listen to.
The tougher the life, the more colder he became. He learned that people leave. Even if they've promised a thousand times that they won't. The only person he ever lost and wanted back was his dad. But he knew that he wasn't coming back and Sarah realized that she had to live for EJ and only for him.
Sarah reached out to her parents after so many years and they were happy about it. She moved to DC along with EJ and she put him into the nearest school. EJ never wanted to make friends and everyone pitied him when they got to know about his past life. He liked to keep things within himself and stayed alone in schools. They poke fun of him for acting so strange and would bully him often but nothing would make him speak at all.
Robert would help him from the boys who used to bully him but EJ would ask him to stay out his own issues and he could make it clear that he never wanted Robert's help. But Robert never listened to him, he used to protect him and save him from all those bully boys during their 8th grade.
Every single time Robert tried to help EJ, he would push him away and yell at him that he never wanted his help out of pity. And one day Robert yelled back, "Hey man, just listen okay! I'm not helping you out of pity. I'm trying to be nice to you because you remind me of my little brother who died a year back due to my ignorance. I'm aware of what happened in your life.
Listen to me, everything will keep changing for good and bad. Sometimes people you thought were going to be there for forever, aren't going to do that and people you never imagined you'd be talking to would become some of your closest friends in the future.
I knew that there would be a problem when you get attached with someone and when they leave, you will be lost. But that doesn't mean everyone will leave you behind, trust me some people will always find a way to get to you and help you".
As years moved on, the bond between Robert and EJ got stronger. Robert was fond of EJ, he would listen to his unsaid words and fulfill his deepest wishes without his knowledge. They spent all their high school days bullying boys and girls, having a great time luring people to make them do work.
Robert was the only friend to EJ and his was grateful to Robert for changing his life after all that he has gone through. EJ never really dated nor loved girls, and he knew people call him gay but he never minded those words. He knew that he never really met the right girl yet. And there came Kathleen- bold, daring, fearless and EJ had no idea if girls could be that tough.
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To be continued! Read more to know about every single character in this story. Everybody has a troubled past.