I sit with teacher Jerselle on the couch while Lucy gives mom her medicine. Having a bit of time with Ms. Jerselle is an opportunity I don't want to miss. She's one of those people I trust in the school, the reason that I kept on fighting in those times Cassandra and her friends bullied me.
"Ms. Jerselle, thanks for checking on mom. I really appreciate this."
"Angel, I come here not just for your mom but also for you. I want to share something with you. Something personal that I don't want to talk about on the phone."
Ms. Jerselle gets my heart pumping twice as fast as usual.
"Sure, what is it?"
"This actually involves your dad."
"Angelo? Yes, My father. Why?"
Gosh, what secret does Angelo have now? I kept it in my head while letting Ms. Jerselle speak up.
"I want to let you know that he asked me a favor to watch over you in school from the very beginning. I don't want to keep this from you since you already know your dad, and you have a good relationship with him now."
Oh, teacher Jerselle has no idea about my relationship with Angelo. Anyway, we are a lot better now than when we first met, so that's an improvement there.
"Teacher Jerselle, I'm sorry that you are caught up in our misunderstanding. You did a great job. I thank you for that."
"I didn't regret doing it for your dad and for you. I learned how good you are as a student, friends to your classmates, and daughter to your parents. Your parents are blessed to have you."
"Ms. Jerselle, too much compliment, I don't deserve that."
I laugh at Ms. Jerselle's compliment. If she only knows about how chaotic our relationship could be, she'll regret telling what she said to me.
"You deserve it again. Believe in yourself. Anyway, there's one more reason why I am coming here. If you don't mind. This is still personal."
"Yes, please."
"This is actually harder than the first one. About Cassandra Miles and her friends."
My eyes widen hearing Cassandra's name. It's not surprising if she has done something terrible in school again. I am used to it. I asked teacher Jerselle to share it with me in private to refrain mom from hearing it.
A knock on the door cut me off from talking to Ms. Jerselle. I look at my wristwatch, and it's still 20 minutes after Maddox's call. They probably did the preparation fast.
"Ms. Jerselle, I'll open the door first. It might be Maddox and our friends. They said they will come."
"Go ahead, Angel."
I open the door, and my eyes widen in disbelief at what appears in front of me. "Cassy?"
"Angel, let your friends come in." Mom said.
"Guys, come in."
In shock, Cassandra, Avery, Scarlett, and Chloe step in, seeing our class adviser sitting on the couch. Ms. Jerselle has the same reaction; of course, she never expected to have Cassy in this room. After all, she has heard and known about Cassandra and friends, it's unlikely to have them visit mom. But then, on second thought, it might be part of their plan. Anyway, I won't let them succeed no matter what.
"Ms. Jerselle Cassandra and her friends are here to visit mom as well. Actually, this is their second time coming here," I said to cut Ms. Jerselle from reverie.
"I see. Guys, come on. Have a seat. I won't be long anyway; I have to go. Angel, I have to go first. I still have to drop by the grocery for our weekly supplies."
"Yes, teacher Jerselle, I appreciate you coming here."
I shift to mom, sitting on the chair just beside her bed. "Mom, Ms. Jerselle is going out."
"Yes, thank you, Ms. Jerselle. I'm so happy to finally meet you."
"My pleasure."
"Bye, Ms. Jerselle," Avery said. The other girls did the same.
Ms. Jerselle nods in return as I open the door for her.
"Angel, take care," she whispered as she walked out of the door.
And now I am forced to talk to Cassy and her friends like nothing new I knew about them being an asshole. I'll pretend to not know and treat them well for the sake of them.
"Guys, thanks for coming. You shouldn't have to; there must be school projects that you need to finish."
"No, Angel, it's fine; we will surely find time to do it. Besides, we want to be here with you before leaving for Singapore."
These bitches, where did they learn about our trip to Singapore? I stay silent, contemplating how they could know everything about what's happening in this hospital room.
"I'm sorry I didn't expect everyone in school knew about our plan to transfer to Singapore."
"Not all, just your close friends and us."
"Oh, I see. Well, thanks for taking the time to be here."
"Girls, thanks for your visit," Mom said happily.
Angel, you should offer them something to eat. I can't blame mom for treating them right; Cassy and her friends are good at acting.
"No, we're fine. Angel, don't bother," Scarlett said.
I talked to them casually and overlooked the time until a knock on the door cut me off.
"It must be Maddox," I mumbled.
And my guess is correct. Maddox appears grinning at our door and Lea, Glenn, Luke, and Sam.
"Guys, come on in."
The sour look on their faces is something I expect when they see Cassy and her friends.
"Oh, so you guys are here," Lea said sarcastically. I glare at her. Lea just rolled her eyes instead.
Maddox walks up close to mom.
"Aunt Athena, we are here to ask about getting together as friends before you and Angel left for Singapore. We want to have Angel join us rescuing street dogs."
"Yes, Angel has told me about your plan. That's a good bonding as friends; you guys will save dogs in need. But how do you do that?"
"We actually have a dog sanctuary, created by my mom when she was with us. Now, I am in charge of taking care of our rescues together with our volunteers and staff."
"Maddox, I didn't know you don't have a mother anymore. I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay. Sorry I haven't mentioned this to you before. We better have a good talk, one of these."
"Of course, when you have time. But for now, you may go and save some dogs from wandering on the streets."
"Angel, we wanna come with you rescuing dogs," Cassandra asked. She seems to be begging for it.
Lea snorted. "Girl, remember what you did last time?"
I elbowed Lea to refrain from commenting on what happened the first time we volunteered to rescue dogs. I don't want mom to know about our misunderstanding with Cassandra.
"I think you guys can join us. Maddox, what do you think?"
Maddox heaves a sigh when he thinks he has no choice but to agree. He understands what I'm doing.
"Sure, if you guys have your car with you, join us."
Lea heaves a frustrating sigh as she rolls her eyes at Cassy and her friends. Cassandra ignores it, which is surprising to me. Anyway, they have kept the low-key and well-mannered behavior for quite a few weeks, but still, it wasn't convincing. The only thing that keeps me from treating them right is mom. I want to show mom I don't have any trouble in school.
Despite that, I'm going to keep an eye on them, just what Ms. Jerselle has told me.