Chapter 3: Melodies of faith

As school ended, Dorah's driver had already arrived to pick her up. They headed to her grandma's house. Well, not exactly her biological grandma, but her mom had always told her the woman was like a mother to her. So, whenever her mom wasn't around, Dorah stayed there. 'Grandma, I'm home!" Dorah shouted, dropping her bag on the couch beside her. 'Welcome, baby. I'm in the kitchen," Grandma called out. 'So, how was school today?" she asked as Dorah walked into the kitchen. 'It was fine—apart from when a friend of mine picked a fight with me," Dorah replied, smiling dreamily as she recalled Ronald carrying her. 'Ohhh, my baby is blushing. Quickly, tell me what happened," Grandma said as Dorah hopped onto the counter. 'Grandma, remember the guy I always talk about? The one who's my senior?" Dorah asked. 'Yeah, Ronald, right?" 'Wow, you still remember his name?" 'Why wouldn't I, when you always mention it?" Grandma said, smiling. 'Well, he and I talked today. He even took me to his favorite spot in school," Dorah said, smiling as the memories played in her head. 'Hey, stop daydreaming. You're not allowed to get into any relationship—you're still young, okay?" 'Okay, Grandma," Dorah muttered, getting off the counter. 'Good. Now go change." 'Okay, Mum," Dorah said playfully as she walked to her room. --- Meanwhile, Ronald, Max, Jason, and their manager Mr. Alfred were at the basketball court. Mr. Alfred sat on the bench while the boys played. 'You know you're selfish," Max said to Ronald. 'In what way?" Ronald asked, dribbling past Max and Jason before dunking the ball. 'Dorah," Max replied. 'How does that make me selfish? And please don't tell me you're still on about her joining the group," Ronald said as he sat beside Mr. Alfred, grabbed a bottle of water, and gulped half of it before tossing it to Jason, who caught it. 'What else? You know I'm not backing down," Max said, sitting beside him. 'Then you should," Ronald said. 'And you should shut up. What's wrong with you? Everything I'm doing is for us—for the school! Since you're not willing to help, just shut the hell up," Max snapped, already pissed. 'Am I supposed to force her? She said she wasn't interested. Did you expect me to drag her into it?" Ronald said. 'Ronald, we all know you never really tried talking to her," Mr. Alfred said calmly. 'Fine, I'll talk to her." 'Thank you," Max said sarcastically. 'Well, here's a piece of advice. Be careful with how you relate with her—Madison mustn't find out," Max added. 'You mean?" Ronald raised a brow. 'I mean Maddy mustn't see you with her." 'Such a jealous bitch," Ronald muttered. 'But seriously, how did you even get tangled with her?" Mr. Alfred asked. 'She's my dad's friend's daughter. My dad thinks she's good for me... so..." Ronald trailed off. 'Wait, are you saying she's been betrothed to you?" Jason asked. 'Exactly. And I just can't disobey my dad—especially my mum. Her health matters to me. I don't want to go against her wishes," Ronald said, leaning back in his seat. 'Sorry, man. That's rough," Max said, patting his shoulder. 'And the worst part? She's clingy. So boring, no matter what she does," Ronald scoffed. 'Sorry for your loss," Jason said. Just then, Ronald's phone rang. His ringtone was the song he and Dorah sang together in the garden. He picked it up immediately. 'Mum," he answered. 'I won't be late, bye," he added and hung up. 'You sang that with who?" Max asked, curious. 'Sang what?" Ronald looked confused. 'It's melodious. I recognized your voice instantly, even in my sleep. But I can't figure out who the other voice was," Jason said. 'Well... it was Dorah." 'Oh, so you can sing with her but not convince her to join the group?" Max raised his brows. 'I didn't ask her to. She was down that day. I just sang to comfort her. She joined in on her own—it surprised me too," Ronald explained. 'Okay," Jason said. 'Still, be careful. Madison mustn't hear about it." 'Fine, I get it," Ronald replied, rolling his eyes. His phone rang again. 'Speak of the devil. Ugh," Ronald muttered when he saw the caller ID. He tossed the phone to Max. 'What do you expect me to do?" Max said, throwing it to Jason, who quickly passed it back. 'I don't deal with devils, especially not the devil's little sister," Jason laughed. 'What's up, Maddy?" Max said as he finally picked the call. 'He's with our manager... yeah, he's busy. Might not call back or even pick up today. Okay, later," he said and ended the call. 'I knew you were up for the job," Ronald said, giving Max a high-five. 'You should compliment me better," Max replied, winking. 'Oh, spare me," Jason said, rolling his eyes. 'I'm giving you nothing," Ronald teased. 'Believe me, I'll call Madison back and tell her you're ignoring her on purpose," Max said, standing. 'You won't dare!" Ronald said, lunging for his phone. 'Catch me if you can!" Max yelled, running. 'Dude, give me back my phone! I don't want another one of her sermons!" Ronald shouted, chasing after him as Max stuck out his tongue and laughed.