The Day I Kissed An Older Man

"Why say such hurtful things when Thalia is already vulnerable and sensitive? Besides, she doesn't really think it's your fault. She's just upset," Claudia reasoned. "Even I, her sister, don't hold it against her. You're our father, so you should be even more understanding."

Henry looked at his sensible, understanding elder daughter and patted her hand. "It's all my fault. I not only failed to raise her properly, but she also caused trouble for you. I've made up my mind this time. Don' try to persuade me anymore. It's because we indulged her too much that she became so stubborn and caused all these troubles. We have to let her face some hardships; only then would she know how lucky she was in the past."

"Are you not worried, Dad? Thalia is a girl, and she'll go to her friends. You said so yourself that those delinquents are not to be trusted. What if they take Thalia to some sketchy place? Dad, I can see you're not feeling, so you should rest at home. I'll ask my friends to go with me to look for her," said Claudia.

At the end of the day, no matter how angry Henry was, he was still worried about his daughter's safety. After a brief moment of silence, he finally said, "Then make sure you have several friends with you. And remember, it's not safe for girls to go to those dangerous places alone. Understand? I'll rest at home for a while, and if I feel better, I'll join you in searching."

Claudia reassured her father with a pat on the back of his hand, then used her phone to call her friends to help find Thalia.

Contrary to what they expected, Thalia had not gone to meet the troublemakers she often hung out with at school. Ultimately, she knew deep down why she had not gone to them.

Those people were just not motivated. Besides smoking, drinking, and fooling around, they had no other goals in life. Thalia could not afford to get dragged down by them. Hanging out with them was just a temporary solution.

to get attention from her family. She felt an urge to confront her father, yelling, "You

up slapping her. Henry only

does this make me, then?' thought

with a swollen

Ever since she started studying, she had always hurriedly shuttled between school and home with her head down. She had never taken the time to appreciate the scenery around

her sister, who always seemed to excel effortlessly in her studies. Even with very little time, Claudia could achieve excellent grades. Thalia knew she was a bit behind her sister; she was slower

enough for her to achieve good grades, let alone get into a prestigious high school. Thalia felt life was so unfair. They were twins, yet why was there such a big gap between them? Not only was she not as good-looking as her sister, but she also could not

her in academics.

in everything when they had come from the same womb. In fact, when she found out they would not be attending the same high school, she actually felt