Chapter 14

OLIVIA

"I DIDN'T realize you were already here," I said as I approached her bed. Yes, I'm talking to Zoey, who is lying down on her bed with her back to me. I stormed into her room without even knocking. We were used to it. "I was expecting you, but I was so tired that I didn't realize I had already fallen asleep. Zola, are you sleeping right now?"

I kept walking near her and lying down beside her. I hugged her behind her back. Zola's back is extremely comfortable. And she appears to be sleeping, which is why she isn't responding.

She might be exhausted as well. Zola is also very busy these days. She mentioned the Local Inter-School Quiz Bee competition to me a few days ago, and I believe that's what's keeping her busy these days.

I came here to explain what she had seen earlier. Yeah, about Will and me. She was upset earlier, but I'm not sure if it was because of me or my friends. Anyway, I'd like to check in on her, too, because she clearly wasn't in the mood earlier. We were all taken aback when she knocked Camila away.

Zoey was known for her patience, and she had a lot of it. But that wasn't the Zoey I knew earlier. It was as if she had transformed into someone else. That's a scary one. Or was I just overthinking it because it was the first time I saw her so upset?

Regardless of the answer, I want to explain that Will was only there for a show. That guy asked me to date him in front of my friends and classmates. He ambushed me in front of everyone so that I couldn't say no to him. He was being shrewd. He knows how much I value my popularity at school, and he's using it against me. If I decline his "offer," his followers will try to spread false rumors. I don't want my spotless reputation to be tarnished. Everything will be fine in a year. I must hang in there.

I was thinking about other things and did not notice I was drifting to sleep. Zoey's back is really comfortable.

~*~

I WOKE UP ALONE IN MY BED. After removing some morning eye boogers from my eyes, I tried to search the room again. Zoey was nowhere to be found.

I checked the time on the digital watch on the table, and it was only seven o'clock in the morning. Zoey is probably in the kitchen. I jumped out of bed and went downstairs with that thought in mind.

"Zola!" I called her from the stairs as I walked down to the kitchen. "What are you cooking for—- she's not here. Hmm... Could she have an early meeting with her quiz bee team? Yeah. Could be. Instead, I'll text her." I was talking to myself.

"Today is my day off. I have the freedom to do whatever I want today. So, let's start with breakfast, and then I'll ask Zoey to come home first for lunch. Yes, I'll do that."

Having said that, I cooked my breakfast and texted Zoey. I was watching a Korean drama on Netflix while eating.

After two hours, Zoey replied that she couldn't go home for lunch. I guess she's swamped. I can just be a couch potato today and enjoy the weekend. I was exhausted from doing paperwork in SC and practicing cheerleading.

Will was bombarding me with messages and pleading with me to go out. Where did he get my phone number? Well, it was most likely given by one of the girls. He even began calling me regularly. I put my phone on silent and let him call and call until he was tired. He's really getting on my nerves. I need to do something to get that guy to leave me alone. He still can't get over last year's rejection. That's my guess, and it's why he's bothering me again.

Anyway, I ended up ordering food online and binge-watching my favorite shows on Netflix instead. I'm relieved that no one from the girls asked to hang out. This is life.

~*~

ZOEY

"WHY ARE you here?" Nova inquired. We were playing on her PlayStation 4. I'm here at their mansion with Aubrey.

"Because I want to hang out with you two," I explained.

We're currently playing Resident Evil Three. This is the most recent one, and as is to be expected with my wealthy best friend, everything she has here is the most recent. I am incredibly fortunate and grateful to play here for free.

"Really? You indicated that you were not free," Nova stated.

We were talking but not looking at each other. We are obsessed with the big screen.

"I said I wasn't free Friday evening, but I didn't say I wasn't free on weekends."

"Hmmm... Aubrey! What the hell is going on?! Please support me!" Nova exclaimed.

"You're distracting me! How do you even talk when you're playing?" Aubrey emphasized.

"Alright! Let's just have fun. Let's just talk later," Nova replied.

As a result, we played as if it were a matter of life and death. We have a bet, which is why everyone is so competitive.

We played for two hours before I noticed Olivia's text. After seeing Olivia's name on my messages, my heart feels like it's on fire. I felt terrible for leaving her alone in the house, but I'm not sure I want to face her yet. I'm not sure why I'm this way. I shouldn't be feeling this way.

"Is your father home?" Nova creeps out and watches my screen, but I manage to smoothly lock it. That was close. She was now staring at me and eating ice cream from a cone. And, as usual, she is a messy eater.

"No, he's in New York and won't be back until next week," I said as I snatched her food.

"That's mine!" she whined.

"It's all mine now." I teased her and sprinted away from her.

"You, swindler!"

"There's a lot of food there," I said, pointing to the table where Aubrey is silently eating.

"Hmph. I'll give it to you because I'm a nice person. You're lucky there's still plenty of vanilla ice cream left; otherwise—- where the hell all the vanilla ice cream went?!" Nova screamed.

Nova looked at the ice cream container, which was empty. She had a menacing look on her face as she looked at the person at the table.

I held back my laughter because Aubrey was guiltily smiling at the enraged Nova. Aubrey's mouth has a trace of vanilla ice cream.

"I didn't eat it." She flatly denied it.

Nova fixed her gaze on her. I was laughing. Shit. Aubrey is a great comedian. She even denied it when it was apparent that she ate the ice cream.

Nova handed her a compact mirror, and Aubrey pretended not to understand what Nova wanted her to do.

"Check your face in the mirror." Nova's tone was icy. She acted as if she was ready to smack Aubrey at any time.

I was bursting into laughter, especially when Aubrey obeyed Nova's command. Aubrey made a peace sign and dashed out of the game room as fast as possible. Heading to the pool that was located outside of the game room.

"I'll drown you, petty liar!" Nova and Aubrey are running around outside, and I'm stuck in the game room, laughing at them.

I can see them clearly from here because the wall separating the game room and the pool is entirely made of glass. My friends are incredibly childish. I'm glad Nova and Aubrey get along so well.

I was just finishing my ice cream while watching them run around the pool when my phone vibrated. It was a notification for a new text message when I checked it. I assumed it was from Vi, but it wasn't. It was a text message from the person last night.

We talked, and you could say we reconciled. That person keeps asking me if I have time to hang out and catch up with me. I was okay with being friends with her again, but I was still a little uneasy. I told her about it, and she said she'd wait until I could fully accept her again.

I gave the person a second chance, but I had second thoughts. And that's why I'm here: I need to know what Nova and Aubrey think about my current situation. I texted her and said I was busy because the quiz bee was coming up, and I needed to focus. I'm sorry, I lied. In my mind, I was sorry for lying, but as I previously stated, I'm still unsure what to do.

After that, I joined Aubrey and Nova, wrestling near the pool. So I gathered all my strength and pushed them into the pool. And there you have it! They landed in the water. They were yelling at me, so I just chuckled and jumped in the pool. Oh, how refreshing.

Then we played and competed to see who would be the best swimmer. We were playing for another bet, so we had to play very competitively once more. But I'm sorry to say that I didn't win this game. What a shame.

After the game, we were chilling and lying on the inflatables again when I decided to tell Nova and Aubrey about my current situation.

"Hey, I've got something to tell you. This is a serious matter, so I need your candid response," I said.

Their gaze is now fixed on me, even though they are still lying on their back.

"Seems legit," Nova said. "What is it?"

"Hmm... I have a friend who was mistreated. What happened traumatized him, and his life was never the same after that. He used to be a happy-go-lucky kid who was also friendly. However, the incident traumatized him, and few people understood him. He has a friend who is very close to him but betrays his trust. For how many years, they acted as if they didn't exist in each other's lives. But one fateful night, his friend came to him and begged forgiveness. He noticed that his friend was genuinely asking for it. So, my question is, will he give him another chance?"

"That's tricky. I am not a forgiving person, but in my experience, everyone deserves a second chance. So it's a yes from me," Aubrey advised.

"That is something I am confident in. You have a valid point, Aubrey," I agreed with her. "How about you?" I asked Nova, who was really scrutinizing me right now.

She doesn't seem convinced that this advice is for my "friend." Nova is frightening. She can still tell if I'm lying or not. Argh.

"Well, I understand and agree that everyone deserves a second chance," Nova paused. Now I'm curious what she's thinking. "Before concluding that his friend was truly sincere this time, he should carefully assess the situation. We are not perfect; we make mistakes. But, if we're talking about trust, you have to earn it and prove that you're worth it. So, I recommend that you tell your friend to put this friend to the test to ensure that they were truly sincere in their request for forgiveness."

Whoa.

"Whoa!" Aubrey said what I was thinking. "Did running help you exercise your brain, Coney?" Aubrey cracks jokes. "But that was deep. I should have videotaped you saying those words. Tsk."

"It's a minor issue," Nova declared. She tapped her shoulder as if removing dandruff, then dubbed. She's back to being amusing.

I was beaming from ear to ear. My friends are sage.

"Thank you so much, ladies. Now I'll know what to tell my friend about his requested advice. You're very astute." I applaud them.

They were so self-assured and proudly smiled. Still, don't give both of my friends too much credit because they can be conceited at times.

"Aish. You're welcome, Zoey. Anytime. If you require my advice, I will gladly provide it." Nova proudly declares. See? Conceited.

"That happened once in a blue moon, Coney. Don't get ahead of yourself. First and foremost, complete your math exams." Aubrey launched an attack.

"That's all right. I can study. In any case, you two owe me a debt of gratitude. You didn't win games today, so I was the overall winner. With that said, both of you will tutor me for free in the subjects I am not so good at. Deal?" she declared.

"Simple. Deal." Aubrey said this while doing a pinky swear with Nova. I did the same.

"Race to the end of the pool!" Nova announced, but she swam first.

"Cheater!" Aubrey and I yelled as we tried to catch up with her.

In the end, I was once again the loser. So I had to give Nova a piggyback ride inside the mansion. The tutoring arrangement was easy, but doing things physically exhausted me. I'm glad she's not that heavy. When am I going to win against them? I'm a terrible gamer. Argh.