Chapter 27 Hidden shadows
Chapter 27: Hidden Shadows
The night was lively, rich with tradition, fireworks, and the warmth of family.
For the first time, Golden saw Alex surrounded by love. Real, chaotic, loud love.
They had gone out to watch a dragon dance performance and were walking back home.
Golden asked quietly:
“ Your family is fun, why don’t you talk about them much?”
Alex’s smile faded.
“After I lost my mum at six, I moved to Bejing with my father.
It wasn’t… fun,” she said. “Kids can be cruel. I got bullied a lot. I was too southern for them.
I look like my mum you know. Even though I have Asian features, I am mixed. Some even called me a mongrel.
My Nana didn't know how to help me. My dad was wallowing in my mother's death and didn't notice I was drowning too.
No one knew how to help me, so I learned to fight for myself. I had to.
… I watched a friend break under pressure.”
“Break?”
Alex took a shaky breath.
“She was overweight. They called her names every day. She tried to laugh it off. Until she didn’t. She… jumped off the school roof.”
Golden froze.
“Alex… oh Alex, I’m so sorry.”
Alex shrugged, but her eyes glistened.
“That’s why I don’t tolerate bullies. Or toxic people. Not even slightly.”
Golden touched her shoulder.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Don’t get soft on me,” Alex sniffed. “You’re ruining my brand.”
Golden laughed.
But deep inside, she held Alex a little tighter after that.
The weekend flew away fast like it never happened. Everyone was back to school to face the dreaded exams.
Exams were brutal. Students looked like walking corpses. And Allan looked worse.
He showed up only on exam days, hoodie on, eyes dull, barely present. He walked in, wrote the paper, and vanished before the ink dried.
Golden tried to finish writing her paper fast. She wanted to get a grip of Allan before he disappeared again.
“Allan, hey, wait…”
He didn’t even slow down. “Not today,” he muttered, brushing past her like she was made of fog.
Each time it happened, something cracked inside her. He’s just being Allan, everyone said. He’s always like that.
But Golden knew better. She saw the weight in his eyes, the exhaustion. The pain he thought he was hiding.
When exams ended, everyone dispersed for the three-week break. The campus emptied. Golden expected to rest. But the universe had its own plot twist...
Alex had gone to Bejing for the holiday and Golden seemed lost without her.
Alex had slowly become Golden's emotional support and Golden was grateful because she was slowly learning to stand up for herself.
Golden had just gotten off the phone with Alex and decided to take a stroll to the back garden.
She was casually reading a mystery novel she had been meaning to read for a while but was just getting the time to read it.
Not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped into a solid chest.
She stumbled and almost fell, but a hand grabbed and steadied her.
“Allan...” she whispered.
He looked tired. Shadow-eyed. Hollow. The weight of the world in one hoodie.
Golden froze. “What are you doing...”
“Mr Varney gave my mom two weeks off but she can't resume just yet so I am here to cover her till she can come back to work. Look, I have to go okay. See you around.” Allan turned around and left after that.
Golden went back into the house in search of Varney.
Something just wasn't right. Varney had told her about Florence needing some time off but she just brushed it off because so much was going on at the time.
Seeing Allan at the garden, the feeling of unease awakened again.
“Hey V, are you busy?” Golden entered Varney's room and went to sit on his bed.
“What's up baby girl? Let me guess, you want to go to Bejing cos you miss Alex?” Varney tickled Golden until she gave in and bursted into an uncontrollable giggle.
“Very funny V, but that's not why I am here.” Golden turned to Varney with a serious expression.
“Why did Florence really ask for time off?”
Varney seeing Golden was serious responded. “Her son collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. He has been on admission for the past two weeks.
I gave her the time off so she can be with her family.
Golden was shocked. Allan had a brother? They had been classmates for years now and Golden was just realizing that she knew next to nothing about Allan.
“Florence has another son?” Golden asked with a whisper.
“Actually she has three children. The youngest are twins, a boy and a girl.
The boy twin was born with a birth defect and has been sickly since his birth.
He collapsed two weeks ago...”
Everything finally made sense. The call Allan received that day. His absence from school. His hollowed out expression. The constant fatigue.
Golden had sensed that something wasn't right. She had a gut feeling, but everyone said Allan was just being Allan.
He was going through a lot, but everyone dismissed it.
Golden suddenly felt her chest tighten.
“Are you okay Gigi?” Varney asked concerned when she saw her zoned out.
“I'm fine V. I just feel bad for Florence, she must be going through a lot right now.”
Golden watched Allan in the garden from her window.
She noticed the way he rubbed his eyes like he’d been awake for days. How he winced when he stretched. How he checked his phone every thirty minutes.
She walked into the mini-lounge and found him asleep on the couch. Head bowed. Shoulders slumped. Completely, utterly exhausted.
She stepped closer, then stopped when he stirred. His eyes opened slowly. They were dark. Sad.
“Golden… what are you doing here?”
She swallowed. “What’s going on with you, Allan?”
He looked away. “Nothing that concerns you.”
“It does concern me,” she said quietly.
His jaw tightened. “Gigi, don’t do this.”
“No. You can’t shut me out. Not anymore.”
The silence was thick.
Finally he whispered. “My brother is in the hospital.”
Golden’s breath hitched.
He continued, voice breaking around the edges.
“He collapsed. Infection. It’s a whole mess. I’m working double shifts. I haven’t slept. I can’t… I just… can’t lose him, Gigi.”
Golden stepped closer. Without thinking, she touched his hand. He didn’t pull away. For the first time in weeks, the wall between them cracked.
His voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”
Golden whispered back. “You’re doing everything you can. And you’re not alone.”
Their hands stayed together. Their breathing synced.