NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

After that, they started eating while talking about normal, routine and non-heavy stuff.

After all, if one was to talk seriously even while eating, it might cause heartburn.

Of course, that wasn't true but Kyle simply wanted the atmosphere to be lighter after the slightly 'heavy' talk with Ali. The rest had kept quiet but it didn't feel awkward or strange. It simply was two people talking while the rest were listening while not really appearing to be intrusive.

Ali smiled at all of this, cherishing the moments they shared together.

It was true that he was starting to feel slightly neglected though he didn't show it. It wasn't apparent at first, but as Kyle got busier, the moments they interacted were even less. It was as if Kyle was the glue that held them together, and when he was gone, things were rather mundane.

It all started when Kyle ventured into acting.

So, he was away but he also took Sam. After that, Xing Han disappeared with him. Then, naturally, Kay would as well. Soon, before he realised what happened, he was the only one left out?

Though granted, everything that had happened, wasn't something planned to exclude him. Yet, it didn't mean that he didn't feel a little bit ... sad about it all. True, he had Sophia with him and that was the main reason why he didn't go into some sort of depression but it still affected him.

He knew that he was being irrational.

The Elite Five couldn't stay together forever. Not to say that he thought they'd 'break-up', so to speak, but rather, that they would soon go their separate ways. Each of them bore responsibilities that couldn't be ignored. Worse, they didn't live next to each other.

Knowing it, and accepting it, however, were two different things.

Ali was disappointed in himself, actually.

Why, you may ask?

He felt that he had let his sense of insecurities overshadow common sense and all the teachings that he had been brought up with? What had he been doing?

All his life, whenever he was faced with adversities, or things that brought him down, the thing that brought him back up was his unwavering faith in God. By placing his life in God's hands, believing whole-heartedly in God's plans for him, he would attain a sense of peace.

Peace, that also gave him the strength to carry on.

Those who didn't understand, would often mock him for it. Stating that he was weak. To them, the one to rely on, is oneself.

But really, is that true?

Do you really just rely on yourself and no one else?

Do you not gain strength from family, from loved ones and so forth?

Just because you get that from God, as well, did it mean that you're weak?

So right now, the reason why Ali was upset with himself is that he seemed to have lost his way a bit.

He had been so focused on Sophia. On how the Elite Five seemed to be 'different'. On how he seemed to be 'excluded' ... that he had sort of neglected another part of himself. His faith. It was time to revisit himself, and go back to his roots. Roots of his faith, that is.

Kyle was right about the fact that Kyle couldn't help much.

What Ali needed was to have a proper talk with someone of his own faith, about his struggles. He couldn't turn to his parents for he feared they would think Sophia was the cause of his confusion. And in turn, something 'bad' may happen.

"You said that there were two things," Ali pointed out as they were waiting for dessert.

"Yup," Kyle replied, leaning back on the chair.

Kyle took a deep breath and let it out very slowly.

The others suddenly sat up straight.

This was Kyle's habit whenever he had something really serious to bring up. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. The deeper the intake of breath was, the more serious it was.

And this one was serious.

Kyle licked his suddenly dry lips, started rubbing the back of his head then leaned forward on the table.

Kyle was super nervous at what he was going to say, not because it was that drastic an announcement (well, okay, maybe it was) but more for the fact that he hadn't even told Kay about it. She was sure to be both sad and pissed.

The first part of the news would make her sad as he didn't even consult her like he normally would have. The second part of the news would get her pissed ... because he didn't consult her. Yes, two different reactions for the same reason: he didn't share.

He was going to be in SO much trouble.