A knock on the door stops us from discussing what happened during our holiday on the island. What appears on our door is far from what I expect, Cassandra and her friends standing, holding a bouquet of flowers and fruits.
"Hey, Angel, I'm sorry if we are so late. We woke up late, like nearly 10 in the morning. We had to take our breakfast before leaving the island and come here quickly."
Cassandra talks casually, which I am not used to. Her new behavior still comes as a shock to me. I don't even know if she's acting genuinely or just faking it.
"Cassy, guys, come on in." Finally, I can speak out of confusion.
"Thank you, Angel. Please take this."
Cassandra hands me a large bouquet of flowers. Avery and Scarlett each have a basket of fruits, while Chloe gives me a flower in a basket. I take each one of their presents and place them on the table.
I understand the face of my friends when I shift back at them. A mix of surprise and a little bit of disdain. Good enough that mom confines in a suite room where there's plenty of space for more visitors. Cassy and the rest of her friends have their comfortable seats.
And thinking of mom's suite room. This must be expensive. I said to myself as I surveyed my eyes around the entire room. I didn't know mom's health insurance would cover this much. Anyway, I don't know anything about the insurance thing, so I should be thankful that mom was prepared.
"Angel, who are they? Other friends from school?" Mom asked.
I look at my friends before I shift back to mom and purse my lips.
"Yes, mom, they are my classmates. Cassandra, Avery, Chloe, and Scarlett." I point at each of them as I say their name.
Mom looks closely at each of them with a smile on her face.
"Oh, hi girls, thanks for coming."
"Hello, we drop by to send you some flowers and fruits. We are hoping you'll get well soon."
Cassandra acts like the spokesperson of her friends like she always does. I still wonder if she's forcing them to fake their personality change.
"That is so kind of you girls."
Mom shifts on me. "Angel, you haven't told me you have more friends in your school."
"Mom, I can't name all my friends one by one, and besides, you don't know them even if I mentioned each of them every time we're having a conversation."
"I know, Angel, I understand."
"We were at the same island with them as well," Avery says this time, like trying to prove that we are in the same circle of friends.
Mom's eyes widen; she's elated to learn it from Avery.
"I see. Did you guys have fun? I'm sorry for cutting your holiday. I didn't mean to disturb your island vacation. I even instructed my best friend to not inform Angel until she gets back from vacation. Unfortunately, she didn't listen."
Cassandra smiles genuinely. "We don't mind. We are happy to be here and see that you are fine. We are here as friends."
Lea clears her throat and acts as if she's coughing. I know exactly what she wants to imply, and I glare at her, sending a signal to stop it. She seems to get it; she purses her lips in disdain while raising an eyebrow. As much as I want to expose Cassandra and her friends, I can't give mom further dilemmas to think of.
Samantha gently elbows Lea, and they look at each other silently, giggling like innocent children. Luke, Glenn, and Madox stay silent, looking at Lea and Samantha.
I understand they feel doubtful about Cassy and her friends; I feel the same way. And even if I don't like having them back to being a bully, in my heart, I sense like they are making and trying to find the right time to take revenge.
Angelo's face crosses my mind when I think about the sudden change of these girls. I wonder if he has something to do with this questionable transformation. Angelo hasn't approached me after I rejected him the first time I saw him on the campus.
My heart crushes thinking about his sad face after declining his invitation to talk and asking for forgiveness. I hate myself for feeling sympathetic for him. I should hate him for abandoning me.
The awkward silence in the room is deafening, so much so that I force myself to open a topic and talk to Cassandra and her friends.
"So, guys, how was your vacation on the island? You seem to have a lovely break with your respective boyfriend."
It's against my will; I'm doing this for mom. I remind myself.
"We did; it was a whole lot of fun especially having a boyfriend beside me. I miss him," Chloe said, hugging herself to the mention of the last phrase. She speaks joyfully as evidence of how truly she had a great time.
"I agree, Chloe. I miss my boyfriend too. Now, my goal is when to have the next holiday with him. Probably just the two of us," Scarlett said with a trace of pride.
I'm doing my best not to laugh. Judging from how Scarlett narrated her goal to be with her boyfriend, she must have a real boyfriend, not a fake one.
"I see. You guys obviously had a great time. I wish we had spent more time together and gotten to know your boyfriend well."
"Yes, Angel, we can probably arrange a holiday together when our time allows us," Cassandra suggested.
It's the part I didn't expect. I wish I hadn't started a conversation with them.
"We'll see about that," I told her as I glanced at my friends with sour facial expressions as expected.
There's no doubt about how they make the most out of their vacation, even in the broad sunlight. The sunburn on their faces is evidence, especially Chloe and Cassy, as they have fair skin. Both Avery and Scarlett show a little mark of sunburn; their morena complexion helps a lot.
Cassandra and her friends stay for almost two hours before they finally decide to leave. My friends also ask to leave and rest. I take them out of the room to politely thank them for the last time.
"Baby, I want to stay with you here. You can't be alone taking care of your mom."
"Mad, it's okay. I can take care of mom, and besides, we have something to talk about. I'll talk to you later on the phone."
"Alright then. Let me know if you need any help or whenever you need me here. I'll be here in a heartbeat."
"I know, baby. Thank you, that's sweet of you."
Maddox pinches my chin. "You don't have to say that."
I can't help but sneak a glance at Cassandra, but she's not even looking at us. Only Chloe and Avery, they avert in a different direction when I look at them.
"Ah, Mad, can you drop me home? My friends are on a different route, so I can't be with them in the same car. My driver has to bring my car to the shop to fix the tire."
I freeze in where I'm standing and sense how my friends feel. Cassandra has to ask Maddox a favor in front of us. Maddox is speechless; none of us dare to utter a word. Just when I thought there's nothing more shocking than having aunt Melanie and mom avoiding my questions.
"Cassy, you can join us," Samantha offered.
"Thank you, Sam, but we have a different route. I don't want to trouble you guys."
"Cassy, Maddox has to send Glenn and Lea, which is a different route than yours, so it's better if you come with us," Luke insisted.
Cassandra purses her lips, and then she lowers down her head.
"Guys, I know you're having a hard time accepting me as your friend, so I understand you can't let me join Maddox in his car. I'm sorry, Angel," she apologized, raising her head, looking at me.
"Cassy, it's not a decision for me to make. It's all up to Maddox."
Maddox shifts at me immediately.
Maddox gives me a stare; his eyebrows narrow, which to me asks a question. He must be confused as to why I let him decide. Another silence dominates among us.
"Let's go, guys. I'll just ride a taxi home."
Cassy invites her friends as she starts walking away from us.
"Okay, I'll drop you home."
Cassy is a few steps away when Maddox finally decides. His decision is not as shocking as it should be. Although I don't trust Cassy yet, I fully trust Maddox.