Falling For The Girl I Bullied
Chapter 183

Violet’s P.O.V.

“I am really happy for you, Kyle. At last, you finally decided the right thing,” I praised Kyle in a loving tone while putting my head on the desk. He smiled and popped his head on his palm near me. “This is because of you, princess. You are the one who made me think clearly,” he said in a loving tone, and I just blushed. “You always flatter me,” I said while shrinking my nose, but blushed harder. He swiped his knuckle over my nose but didn’t say anything else.

We had a free period and we decided to stay inside an empty class and finish our assignments. Ethan and the other boys were also there with some more students. “Alright… enough about me… what about you? You have to start filling out forms for college soon,” he said, and I sighed. I knew that I had to make a decision very soon. People say that life is good after finishing school, but I think that we all have a good and peaceful life till we stay inside the safety of school walls. On the other side of these walls, the world is hard and cruel.

“I am still not clear what I really want, Kyle,” I told him my mind truthfully, and he nodded as if he had already known about my inner turmoil. “As you asked me to think about what I really want to do in my life, I will say the same thing to you again. Don’t go for what your grandma wanted or what others want. It’s your life, and you have the freedom to pursue your dream too,” he persuaded and I took a deep breath while thinking about what exactly I wanted to do.

“It’s very easy to think, Violet…. You are really stressing yourself,” Ethan said in a casual tone, and I moved my head towards him. He and others came near to us, and settled themselves around us. I straightened up my back and looked at him in confusion. “Okay… tell us one thing,” he asked and I signalled him to continue. “Whom do you idolize the most?” he asked in a calm tone, and I pursed my lips into a thin line. “You are an intelligent girl, Violet. You can pursue whatever field you want. So, we can understand your confusion,” David said this time, and somehow I felt that his explanation was reasonable. All my life, I always thought about pursuing my grandma’s dream when I was good at so many other subjects too.

“Think properly and answer me,” Ethan asked again in a calm tone while looking at me with a gaze. I thought about all the people whom I knew and also about the people who are popular and famous in their respective fields. There are so many people around us whom we can idolize because of their work and accomplishments. “Uhhhh…. If we talk about whom I admire the most, then I am sure that I know the answer,” I said with a bit of hesitation, because idolizing someone and admiring someone are two different things.

I looked around and got nervous because everyone was now looking at me curiously. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, which made me relax immediately. “We are all your friends, Violet. You can speak your mind freely in front of us,” Noah said this time in a calm tone. I took a deep breath and smiled while nodding in agreement. “Well…. The two people that I admired the most are Mrs. Parker, and Mrs. Knight,” I told them truthfully, and their eyes widened in shock. It didn’t surprise me at all because I had anticipated this.

“My mom…. But why?” Kyle asked me in a confused tone, and I immediately glared at him. He immediately took a defensive stance in front of me. “I mean to say that I got it why you admire Mrs. Parker…. But my mom????? She hasn’t done anything that can count as exceptional,” Kyle said, still in a confused tone. I jerked my head backward while looking at him in surprise. I was not shocked because of his relationship with his parents. Even if they had done something that could be counted as an achievement, he would never admit that.

“I am talking about her professional achievements in the business world, Kyle. Your mother is the most successful woman in her circle. Although she inherited her family fortune after her father’s death and also got a higher position in Knight’s Enterprises with her own efforts. No one can deny that she is managing both companies, along with your father better than anyone else. She had developed a vast network on her own, and also, she is associated with so many NGOs and some other organizations that deal with environmental issues,” I answered him in a calm tone and took a deep breath in the end.

Not only Kyle but also the others were looking at me as if I had grown two heads at this very instant. I once again looked back at Kyle. “Although your relationship with your parents was not good in the past, but you can’t deny that she always keeps tabs on your activities, and even on your friends. She was now loving by nature, but she was caring in her own ways,” I finished what I wanted to say to him. He was still looking at me with the same gaze. I pursed my lips into a thin line and looked at Ethan this time who had a proud smile on his lips. I blushed and lowered my head.

“Wow…. I can’t believe that Violet is actually right,” Dustin exclaimed this time in a daze, making me look back at Kyle once again. He had a complicated expression in his eyes right now. “Yeah… I totally agreed with Violet on this. Mrs. Knight is actually a capable woman who has her own individual identity in the business world. Also, I can say that she is a strict mother, but she is always attentive towards you,” Noah said this time, and I was relieved that they got exactly what was in my mind.

“So, you want to be a successful woman like Mrs. Parker, and Mrs. Knight, huh?” David asked me, and I immediately shook my head negatively. “No… I don’t want to be like them. I said that I admire them. Both of them are not only managing their personal lives well but also doing well in their professional lives too. I want to do something like this,” I explained my thoughts, and they all immediately nodded in agreement.

“But the question about what she should pursue after school is still there,” Justin grumbled, and I sighed this time. Everyone now looked at each other while pursing their lips. “I guess….I also want to pursue business administration,” I muttered, and everyone looked at me while raising their brows questioningly. “Why are you saying this, huh? It’s not like you have an obligation to take over the family business like us?” Dustin asked me in a confused tone. I smiled and then looked at both Kyle and Ethan.

“Yes… you are right, Dustin. I don’t have any obligation to take over a family business, but I have a family to take care of. Both Ethan and Kyle are smart and capable, and I am sure that after taking retirement from volleyball, Kyle will successfully manage the family business too. As for Ethan, he is already involved with Dad in various business tasks. So, I don’t have any doubt about their abilities and efficiencies,” I said, praising both Kyle and Ethan while looking at them with admiration.

“Still I can think that I can help them with business matters apart from taking care of the family. I can start something on my own in the future, if not helping them,” I finished, and then looked at them. Both Ethan and Kyle were surprised to hear my answer, but David, and Noah chuckled. “I bet that you will be more successful than them,” Noah said in a teasing tone and winked at Ethan. Ethan immediately glared, but Kyle’s grip on my shoulder tightened. I looked at him questioningly.

“Uhhhh… enough for this heavy conversation. Let’s go, guys…. I am hungry,” Matthew grumbled while rubbing his belly, and that was when I felt that I was hungry too. “Let’s go… I am also hungry,” I also said, and looked at Kyle while pouting a little. He smiled and kissed my forehead. I heard some g****s, but it made me giggle. “Don’t be lovey-dovey in front of singles,” Dustin scolded us, but I giggled again. Kyle also smiled while shaking his head, and we all stood up.

“When will you start filling up the forms?” Noah asked me while going towards the exit. “Hey…. Have you decided what you are going to wear to prom?” Dustin asked me this time when I was about to give Noah an answer. “No… not yet,” I answered Dustin while scratching my nose. “What is the theme of this year?” Justin asked this time. “They haven’t announced the theme yet,” Ethan answered him instead of me. I looked at Kyle and raised my brows because he still had a serious expression on his face right now.

It was clear that he was thinking something very hard. I decided to ask him later. We continued chatting about random topics while going towards the cafeteria. I was still holding Kyle’s hand, and the way he was holding my hand, I was sure that something was really serious. Did I say anything that made him upset? At the same time, my phone vibrated one time. Someone had sent me a message but right now, I needed to know what Kyle was thinking. “I need to use the girl’s room first,” I said to Kyle in a low tone. “Okay… let’s go then,” he said, and then I looked at Ethan. “Go ahead,” he ushered, and I nodded.

We parted with the group and walked towards the restroom. “What are you thinking?” I asked him at last, when he didn’t say anything nor did his expression change. He sighed aloud and tightened his grip on my hand. We stopped at one corner a little far from the restroom. There were so many students around us, but I didn’t pay attention to any of them. “Will you marry me, Kyle?” suddenly he asked, and I felt that my heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

I just blinked harder while trying to process what he asked. He sighed and then moved me in front of him while putting his hands on my shoulders. He slightly massaged them and I just stood in front of him while blinking hard like a dumb person. What was that?

“I know th… that is not the proper way to ask, and trust me that I have something else in my mind when I will ask you the same question in the future. For now… I want to know one thing only,” he explained, and I just stared at him, not knowing how to react. We are just teenagers, and in high school. How could we possibly think about marriage right now? “I know that I have startled you, but I want to know,” he continued and paused while looking straight into my eyes. I could see how serious he was right now.

“I don’t think that any other girl will understand me, and my family so well that you understand, love. Ever since we came into a relationship, I only got happiness and love from all the people, including my parents. I …. I was sure that they will never show their love or care for me. Thanks to you, not only are we close to each other now, but they are also doing everything to make me feel loved and content. The way… you described my mother and her efforts…. I… I can say that I neglected so many things in the past. Yes, I agreed that I still thought that they were using me as a commodity back then, and their thoughts towards me changed when they realized I am also important to them as they are important to me,” he paused and took a deep breath.

He took a step towards me, still holding me by my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes. My heart was now pounding hard against my rib cage. “I am not asking to marry me tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I… I know that …. That we have a long way to go…. But…. But,” he stammers hard, and I blew the breath that I was holding till now. He paused and took a deep breath again, before pulling me into his embrace. I didn’t understand why he was trembling right now, but I immediately wrapped my hands around his torso, to make him believe that I was with him right now.

We stayed in the same position, hugging each other. “I don’t think that you are ready for my answer yet, Kyle,” I said in a low tone after some time. He stiffened but I knew he understood what I was implying here. “I will answer when you will propose to me properly, but not now,” I said to him in a mischievous tone, and then patted his back. “Now I really need to use the restroom,” I pleaded to him in a teasing tone. He chuckled and then slowly released me from his embrace. He kissed my forehead before removing his hands from me. “Let’s go,” he said and we both walked towards the other corridor while holding each other’s hands. To be honest, I only want to have some alone time with myself right now.