Henry POV
The project was finished, it just needed to be printed and signed by both of us. I told Maddison I would do it at the library tomorrow.
I left the kitchen and headed to the living room. Maddison's Dad sitting beside Sabrina.
"Uh, thanks Mr. Carter for watching her. I hope she wasn't a handful" I said thankfully.
"Not at all. She was a complete angel and you can call me Derek" looking up at me.
I sat down beside Derek, gathering Sabrina's things.
"So how has it been Henry? You seem quite dedicated and busy. I'm assuming you have a job?" Derek asked me and I nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, I have a job. I'm a hardware store manager. Most people think I'm lying when I say it but I've been working there since I was 14 years old" I said to him and his eyes widened.
"Wow, that's very good. So what's your GPA? Do you manage school and work just fine?" He asked me. I nodded and shrugged.
"I mean I do. I have the um highest GPA at school, 4.3. It fell from 4.5 this year because I've been um, I just have stuff going on but I am planning on doing better this year. I need the school's recognition you know but I also want somewhere close to home because I have my sister to take care of" I admitted. I looked at him and he looked as if he saw a ghost.
"Wow. 4.3 GPA and you're still in high school? You are overqualified" He said to me
"I know. I was asked if I wanted to graduate in sophomore year but that's weird. I was only 16 years old" I explained
"So what about your mom or dad? What do they think?" He asked me and I heaved a sigh.
"My mom Ashley is a drug addict who loves drugs more than anything. She doesn't care about the men she brings around Sabrina while I'm at school. I have been the one supporting my sister and myself since my dad walked out on us. That was over 4 years ago when he found out mom was pregnant with Sabrina" I told him.
It felt good finally being able to tell someone that. Phoebe always thinks that I barely have struggles in life because I never told her anything. Her biggest struggle is boys. That's all she stresses over and it annoys me more than usual. Men will always be there that's for sure.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Henry. What about your father?" Derek asked me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and released a breath.
"My dad Grayson is a General Surgeon at his hospital. His parents signed it over to him or whatever. I haven't spoken to him since 3 years ago. After he left he called occasionally then he just stopped. I never knew why but he did and that was the main reason my mom turned to drugs" I told him
"So why would he just leave you guys like that?" He asked me and I shrugged. I didn't know and I don't think about it.
We fell quiet and he seem to be deep in his thoughts. Sabrina was now sitting on the carpet watching a sing-along cartoon while eating cookies. It's been so long since I've seen my dad and it's still sad but I push through it. I don't want this to hold me back now.
"Would you want help watching Sabrina so she doesn't have to stay home?" Derek asked me. I looked over at him confused.
"You wanna watch her? But you're busy and you have work" I said to him and he nodded.
"Yes but I work from home. You can let her stay here with me and I'll feed her and everything. I promise she will be in safe hands" He told me. The funny thing was, I believed him.
"Okay, I'll think about it. Also, can you not tell Maddison any of this? I know she's your daughter and all but we don't mesh in the same friend group and I don't want them in my business" I stated truthfully.
"No problem. I like you Henry, and your sister is a true angel. I'm sorry you both have to go through that at home" He told me
"It's fine" I muttered
I blew out a breath, I needed to get home. I wanted to forget that I spilled my guts to him. I heard soft steps and turned around, Maddison was looking at us.
I got my things and told Sabrina it was time to go.
"You have a safe ride." Derek patted Sabrina's head before walking off.
—
The Next Day
Maddison's POV
Eva looked at the photo Alex sent last night.
"He's hot, I'm glad you've finally come to your senses." Eva said handing my phone back.
Alex and I had been texting back and forth for a while. It started with a few conversations here and there, then to pictures. It wasn't a mystery he had muscles but to see them without a shirt was a whole different experience.
"You've been dodging Alex since last year, what made you change your mind?" Eva asked.
My eyes trailed off to where Henry was laughing with some girl.
"I don't know, he's been driving me home and to school. He's just been so kind lately." I said smiling uncontrollably.
"Did you tell your dad?" Eva asked as she shut her locker.
I didn't have a chance to tell him, seeing as how he freaked when he dropped me off. So, I just told him practice would run late.
"Yeah, he's fine with it." I lied smiling awkwardly.
"You didn't ask?" Eva asked laughing.
I didn't want to have this conversation, so I turned and walked to class. I heard Eva follow after me.
"My dad hates Alex, if I tell him, he'll think I'm going against him. I'll tell him eventually." I said sternly.
My dad didn't know Alex personally, but here gossip moves fast. Summer break wasn't exactly a secret, and when my dad found out. He wanted me to stay far away from Alex as possible.
I don't talk about it though, I'm not allowed to. It's all gossip anyway. Alex might've been a jerk but he wasn't like that.
Author Note
This chapter is really important to me because now the speed of the book can pick up a bit and everything will get juicy from here on out, it'll still be a slow burn but they'll be some drama to keep y'all fed.
Byeee
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Heart Strings
RomanceHenry was never the type of guy that was like by many people at school. Like most nerds, he didn't really care about what anyone thought of him but what surprised him was the attention he started to receive from the most popular girl in school. Madd...
