Chapter 22

“Huh?”

“You know, sleeping beauty, you and your friend both have a point, but the way you communicated it to each other was incorrect.” I just glanced at the food and didn’t say anything.

I was at loss for words.

“Your friend obviously cares about you a great deal, so I’m sure she was concerned when she saw you vomiting blood. Of course, she panicked. Was she the one who accompanied you when you fled?”

“Yeah.”

“Surely, she didn’t mean what she said, right? You should have realized she was worried before you left your house. For sure, her fear has increased because you left her.”

For a brief moment, I was taken aback. Was that what was I supposed to do? Nonetheless, I became concerned since I believed she would call my mother at any point. Would she actually do that, or was I just being overly paranoid?

“So, do you think I’m completely wrong? What should I do?” She looked at me with a beautiful grin before she shook her head.

“Furthermore, she has done you a disservice by making you feel and think in that manner. She can panic at any time without saying anything that could prompt you to flee once more. She panicked by making you believe that you needed to hide and flee not only from your mother, but also from her. And what is the best action for you to take? Before you come back home, take some time to cool down. If you return home with a disturbed state of mind, it’s possible that you’ll fight again.”

I pondered the situation once more. Iris and I hadn’t gotten to know each other very well yet but I was aware that I was her best friend by far. I was the same way with her; she was the only person I knew I could turn to when I was having difficulties. I had no idea that we would end up in this kind of fight that could end up destroying our relationship. Grandma was right; I needed to calm myself before I returned home, else we might found ourselves communicating incomprehensibly.

For the time being, I’d just hang out here.

“Are you finished?” the old woman asked. I nodded and offered a smile. She was ready to get the used plates when I intervened.

“I’ll take care of it. This is my way of thanking you for providing me with food.” I picked up the tray and brought it to the kitchen without meeting any resistance.

While I was washing the dishes, I could see the rain beginning to fall steadily. Grandma’s kitchen had large windows over the sink, allowing me to observe everything that was happening on outside.

Why was it suddenly raining when the sun had been shining so brightly earlier?

After I finished washing the dishes, I returned to the living room, where the elderly lady was sitting. When I arrived, she was sitting on one of the chesterfield single sofas. She was embroidering something, and I believed it was flowers.

“Would you like to stay here for a while? It’s pouring outside, and you might catch a cold if you go home now.” I approached her and sat on the sofa. The entire home was frigid, but due to the fire from the hearth, the entire area was becoming warm.

“Oh, I’d love to; perhaps I’ll come home later.” I spent the entire night watching her embroidered. I was never bored since she created unique designs.

Time passed till it was 8:00pm. We completed dinner as the rain ceased.

“Thank you for allowing me to stay here; I truly appreciate your advice and vow that I will follow it forever. I’m going home because it’s possible that my friend has been seeking for me for a while,” I stated softly. She smiled and massaged my hands tenderly.

“It’s alright; do you want me to accompany you to the neighborhood’s front gate?” I shook my head and let her sit on the sofa.

“No need. I can still remember the way to the front gate. Just rest.” I was so relieved she didn’t appeal. I expressed my gratitude one more before I left the house. Fortunately, there were numerous light poles nearby, which eliminated the need for a torch to view the road.

I didn’t have my phone with me, I borrowed the elderly lady’s phone to called an uber. It was parked in front of the subdivision’s entrance.

The travel home took an extended period of time due to the distance between the subdivisions I visited previously. I was not sure how I got there without collapsing earlier.

I walked into the house without saying a word after I paid the uber. I came to a halt when I noticed two cars parked in front of our house that were familiar to me.

Was Iris receiving a visitor?

I was about to open the door when I heard voices inside. Iris’ shaking voice took the lead, but the other two recognizable voices remained calm.

“I didn’t intend to say those things, uncle! I was just panicking. Where is she now? What time is it? Perhaps she hasn’t eaten yet!” I simply confirmed who the two individuals Iris was speaking with when I opened the door. They all turned to me, Iris, Dean, and Pierre almost simultaneously.

“Oh my word, where have you been?” Iris asked as she approached and fiercely held me.

“Somewhere, uh, just to get some fresh air,” I answered as she let go of the hug and softly smacked my arm. Her eyes were swollen, as if she hadn’t stopped crying throughout the day.

“I’m sorry for saying such things, Aurie; I swear, I was simply panicking!”

“Yes, I know.” I cast a glance at the dean, who was only looking at us and Pierre, who folded his arms in front of his chest and then looked at me from head to toe.

Suddenly, I felt self-conscious about the clothes I was wearing. I was dressed in the elderly lady’s granddaughter’s clothes because I didn’t shower before I left this house earlier. All of these were brand new; they were even placed in a paper bag earlier; they appeared to have been purchased recently. I didn’t have the same style as the adult granddaughter’s since it was too short and pressed against my body. It was a bodycon dress, which meant my curves were visible.

This was how Iris dressed; she was simply more seductive than I was.

“Uh, I called uncle to help me find you; now that you’re here, they can go home.” I lowered my glance when I met Pierre’s. I turned to the dean and gave him a smile.

“I’m sorry for the disturbance; have you eaten yet?” I asked, he smiled and nodded as a response.

“Ah, yes. We’re also gonna leave as the night grows darker; hopefully, the next time you argue, you’ll do so peacefully.” I felt guilty of what he said. I had no choice but to bite my lip since he was right.

They remained for a few more moments before leaving. Pierre didn’t even say “hello” to me; he simply walked away as if nothing had happened.

That man was really something.

“I’ve already eaten dinner at a fast food restaurant, Iris. Forget about our previous altercation; I’m going to rest.”

“Sure! I’m tired of crying too; I’m ready to sleep!” I laughed as I opened the bedroom door.

When I entered, I immediately fell into bed.

“Ah...” I groaned as I stretched my body. I was not exhausted, but I was drowsy. I’d spent the previous night sitting in the elderly woman’s living room; how could I feel tired?

In relation to that elderly woman, I didn’t get to know her name. My mind was preoccupied with her advise earlier, and hence I never considered asking.

I fell asleep fast due to tiredness.

The following day, I was astounded to discover Iris awoke first. As soon as I stepped out of the room, I was greeted by the aroma of whatever she was making in the kitchen.

“This is the first time you’ve woken up this early, Iris; it’s Sunday, so I’m expecting you to awaken between ten and eleven am. What did you eat and you woke up early today?” I asked as she placed the spoon to my mouth.

“Taste it.” As I dined on the food she had prepared, she fixed her gaze on my face, as if she was waiting to see if I would enjoy it or not.

“It’s fine. Why do you appear to have prepared so much food? Is this a lunch or for breakfast? Or is it both?” I approached the table and took a spoonful of rice from the platter.

“This is for lunchtime. Later today, the student council will have a meeting, and we discussed holding it here rather than at school. Are you okay with that?” I bit on the hotdog and raised my eyes.

“You’re a member of the student council?” I asked. Iris never mentioned being a member of the EastWood student council during our brief time together. Additionally, I didn’t see her roaming the entire university, which led me to believe her role at school was limited to cheering captain.

After all, the student council had a large number of members, but I was only familiar with Pierre.

“Yup. I am a sexytary,” she responded with a giggle. I shook and gulped down the food.

“It’s fine for me. I have nothing else planned.” I didn’t get to attend class last Friday, and hence had no idea whether we had an assignment or not. Additionally, I didn’t have a friend in the room, so I had no one to ask. Oh, speaking of my classmates, Pierre was one of them, and he would undoubtedly be here later. As the president of the student council, his presence was important. I could ask him later.

How many of them would be here later? The thought of Pierre staying here later made me want to spend the entire day in my room. I was not looking forward to seeing him; I was still reeling from his remark about our kiss in the store back then. What if he talked about it? Students at school will grew to despise me even more. Gossips circulated swiftly, even more so when Pierre was involved.

I remained in the living room after I ate. As with yesterday, the weather outside was still shady. It was still quite cold, especially when you opened air conditioning throughout the house.

It was not as chilly as Pierre’s condo, though.

Iris completed everything she was intending to do in a few hours. The foods, as well as the living room, were prepared. If our house was clean previously, she cleaned it much more today. You could use the floor as your mirror, as she had been mopping it thoroughly earlier.

“They’re on their way,” she declared. When I heard it, I began putting my belongings away from the sofa.

“Where are you going?” Iris asked as she saw me leave.

“In my room. I haven’t taken a bath yet, and I don’t want to bother you. You know how I always sing with my airpods on, right? I’m afraid my voice will disrupt your meeting.” She said nothing as I continued to enter my room. I intended to remain here the entire time they were here. Perhaps I’d simply go out for food.

Oh, wait, I should prepare my foods immediately, right? So that I would not be tempted to go out later if I was hungry.

You couldn’t go to the kitchen without passing through the living room, so if I didn’t do it immediately, they might see me later.

I left the room once more and entered the kitchen. I took a few snacks and drinks from the pantry to ensure that I wouldn’t come out later. I even prepared my lunch, I placed it in a plastic container.

Simultaneously when I returned to the room, Iris’s guests arrived. I exhaled a sigh of relief when they failed to see me. I had a lot of food holding, and I didn’t want to hear gossip at school that I was unfed since I ate a lot. I would never let that happen. I piled all the food I’d picked up earlier on the desk.

“Wow, Iris, you live alone?” a woman’s voice said from outside the room. I could hear a variety of sounds, but her voice was the loudest. Probably because she was just nearby my room.

“No, I live with Aurora; I’m sure you’re familiar with her; she’s currently in her room, minding her own business,” Iris responded. I stepped away from the door and went into the washroom. I hadn’t bathed yet, and I was already disgusted with myself.

I didn’t spend much time in the bathroom due to the extreme cold. Even though I used warm water, as it dried on my skin, it made me feel cold. The weather had turned bitterly cold in recent days.

I exited the bathroom wearing only my bath robe to change. I wore a navy blue hoodie and gray loose pants due to the cold. Additionally, I donned dark socks to avoid shivering.

I made no attempt to apply makeup. As if my classmates had never seen me bare-faced. They even bullied me back then due to my paleness.

Until lunch arrived, I did nothing but listen to music and eat various snacks. Even though I ate a lot of junk food, my body still craved for rice.

I took off my airpods and walked up to the desk. I was really upset to see that my prepared meal was no longer hot when I opened the tupperware.

Stupid, Aurie. Your room was quite cold, which meant that the food would most certainly be cold as well.

I needed to leave the room to heat the food. I was not in the mood to venture out, but I also didn’t want my stomach to hurt because of eating cold food. Iris might bring me to the hospital if my stomach began to ache.

I groaned violently as I walked toward the mirror. Although my hair was already dry, it was still unkempt. I literally resembled a white lady with short hair at the moment.

I simply combed my hair before I carefully lifted the container. I inhaled deeply and pushed open the bedroom door. I could hear their laughter in the living room. Except for Iris’s laugh.

I silently prayed that they would ignore me until I reached the kitchen, but I nearly passed out from embarrassment as they simultaneously turned to where I was.

“What’s that?” Iris asked. During those moments, all I could think about was beat her up. She could simply ignore me, right? I came to a halt and glanced at them. They were staring at me as if I was some odd alien. Although they were all strangers to me, I didn’t stare at them in that manner.

“The dish you cooked? It’s cold. I’ll have to reheat it.”

“Why are you eating it in your room? It’ll be cold and also smell. Do you need help?” She rose to her feet, but I shook my head violently. Their meeting would be interrupted because of me.

“I don’t. Iris, continue your meeting. I know to reheat—”

“Hotdogs. You are only capable of reheating hotdogs. There’s another technique to reheat that dish, which I will demonstrate because you may blow our home.”