The next day.
Floyd couldn't get near his target, Sofony, and because of this that he was very irritated.
"That Wendy never left the nerd's side. If this goes on, how are you going to court Sofony, Boss?"
Floyd was angered. However, he was much more irritated due to the fact that Felicity did not appear today and even yesterday in the hidden room, thus he did not have anyone to vent on.
In his irritation, he said, "Why court? Who they think they are?"
"Are we no longer targeting them?" Seven suspiciously asked.
"No, we're having them both. Tomorrow. I want them to be brought here, tomorrow. No matter what ways you employ!"
Five pairs of eyes brightened up at Floyd's declaration. Even the newest guy, Jiro, was thrilled because he got introduced to the sexual world by Felicity and got lost at it in return.
Near the door of the storage house, Chris was sporting a disgusted dark face, he couldn't believe what he just heard. He cautiously left the place, making sure not to be heard and found by anyone. His conscience didn't sit still. His brain worked furiously as he analyzed the situation and planned what he should do to prevent the misfortune of the two girls.
'Damn it! I can't believe how low these bastards are!'
.......
Sofony went to school with dark circles on her eyes and bad complexion. Wendy freaked out at the sight so she immediately interrogated her friend.
"What happened to you!?"
Sofony blushed in shame. "H-hey, we're in the classroom. You're so loud!"
After Wendy realized that she had practically called out everyone's attention to their direction, she gave them a threatening glare before pulling Sofony outside. They reached a part of the corridor that was deserted and continued their talk there.
"Tell me, please. What happened?!"
Sofony saw the concern in her friend's eyes and became guilty. She had never failed to make Wendy worried. However, stubbornness was engraved in her soul so she refused to fess up. It was her problem. Only her own.
Sofony's stubbornly refusal of answering truly snapped something to Wendy. Anger welled up and this all caused her to start shouting.
"You're not okay! Why won't you tell me the reason!? Just why?!"
"I'm dying of fright here, can't you see!? I'm so ashamed of myself! Just what kind of best friend am I? What kind of best friend am I that I don't even know what ghost or bitch is making you like a walking corpse! Sofony Mendez!"
The outburst from the only person she trusted made Sofony lightheaded and dumbstruck. She was left so speechless and shocked. Sofony watched as Wendy started crying and shaking her shoulders. The sight of Wendy freaking out this way scared her and made her question her silent stubbornness for the first time.
"Wendy..." She softly called out.
However, the other girl bawled angrily in retort.
"What!? I'm crying here for the very first time for you, stupid woman! Still not saying anything? Who am I to you?! Answer me!!! Just who the f*ck am I to you?! Huh?!"
That question...
Who was Wendy to Sofony?
In her mind, answers easily formed. It was not hard to think of. She's her friend since first year junior high...
Actually, she's her most and only loyal friend ever since.
Probably the only one friend who would stay faithful to her in this lifetime.
Sofony's eyes started tearing up.
'I made her cry.'
'I'm so stupid and heartless. Why did I take this long to realize that every time I appear so sad and lost, someone else precious to me is also crying and dying of worry for me?'
"...I'm sorry, best friend." She softly answered.
The two of them, this early in the morning, hugged each other and borrowed each other's shoulder to cry on.
When the two of them finally managed to somehow calm down, the first period had already passed. Instead of returning to their classroom, Sofony, who had finally decided to entrust a few secrets to her friend, took the initiative to pull the still crying Wendy to a much quieter place.
They ended up sitting side by side on a stone bench in the middle of the school's greenhouse.
"...Now what?" Wendy's tone was still sharp because she was still angry at the other.
Sofony didn't mind it though, she lowered her head to hide her swollen eyes. "It took me only today to see how much you hurt for this stupid me. I'm sorry. I've been very stupid."
Wendy angrily lectured, "Your number one fault has always been not knowing how to share your sorrows to somebody else. You always shoulder it all alone. You're sad. You're okay showing it. But you won't say what is the reason why. Damn, girl. You pissed me off so much that I just want to cry and not talk to you forever!"
Sofony blankly stared at her friend. Only after a few seconds did she recover. Her chest heaving up and down, she covered her face and then started to speak.
"I know. As payback, let me try it this time. To open up."
"...Hmm." Wendy's tone was now calm.
She had to first inhale and exhale a few more times to get rid of her still not truly erased hesitation before she truly began.
"...You should be aware already. We're a family of three. I don't know if I have other relatives, but the three of us had always been living peacefully by ourselves. Mom and Dad bought a small apartment unit. They both worked hard to send me to school. That has continued for several years."
"I know."
"Mom passed away when we're in first year junior high or grade seven, whatever. It was so sudden. I don't really remember how I passed the days after that, but one thing I'm sure of is, I became quieter than before, much timider and withdrawn. I don't even have the confidence to appear in the middle of a crowd. Even now, this trait persisted in me.
"They call me a nerd. I don't have any opinions about that because I totally accept it as the truth. Remember, just last last week I'm still wearing a thick pair of eyeglasses framed with sky blue. Haha."
The laughed came out stiffly. Her listening companion did not comment so she continued. This time, her voice started cracking and Wendy was alarmed.
"M-my father c-couldn't accept that m-mom is gone. He started gambling and always went home drunk. It's still okay at first. H-however, lately h-his addiction to alcohol and gambling went overboard that we had to spend some days with no dinner on our table. T-that w-would have been fine if that's all...It's just that... I-It's just that..."
Sofony couldn't erase the image of her that popped up in her mind. A girl alone crouching, hugging her knees, in a quiet and dark abandoned park. No more relatives. A girl so lonely and forsaken, crying her heart to death. Dying. Of Heartache. In reality, she's still okay being debt-ridden, but it was entirely different when her last family member abandoned her. The note left on the piece of paper was still stabbing at her heart.
'Sofony, my daughter, I'm leaving. I hate you.'
Wendy held her breath. In front of her, Sofony broke down and started hugging her knees with her head buried. Wendy could hear her friend's stifled sobs. She reached out to hug her. As she lends her shoulder to Sofony, she also started crying. This time it's not because of anger. She's a smart girl so she could somehow make guesses on what happened next.
"I-I'm sorry, Sofie. No need to continue. J-just cry. It's okay. Just let it all out. I'm here. I won't go away."
Sofony started shaking her head as she let the tears stream down. "Father ran away... and abandoned me... I'm now all alone..."
In between her sobs, Sofony still had so many things that she left unsaid. Those things were actually half of what's making her so helpless and hopeless. She had only let out half. She's not ready to share the other part. Her heart was so heavy that she could only let her tears do the talking...
'Wendy... My best friend Wendy, Do you know... he left me a million credits worth of debt.'
'The night when I found out, I didn't know what to do. I felt so abandoned, hated and unwanted that I cried, and cried, in the middle of the never-ending darkness.'
'I... was so vulnerable, that a damnable alien thing even managed to trick me to sleep with a man with bloodied hands... who later reappeared in my life and made me his personal whore...'
'And I... I am so ashamed... because I loved what he's always doing with my body...'
'Do you know... the real reason I cried and not slept last night... is because I finally realized I unknowingly made myself a slut with no principle... sleeping with a powerful killer man who had actually already paid my debt... and given me a cafe...'
'He did the former because I had satisfied him with my first... and the latter because I continued giving him my body for him to enjoy the last couple of days...willingly.'
'Tell me... if that's not a whore, then what...'
The tears kept on flooding, and the heart kept on getting heavier every passing second.
What really made her so helpless and sad was how these past two days that he didn't visit her, she badly missed him and his body, she actually wanted some attention, and probably, love.
....