Amelia opened her eyes slightly and stared at the ceiling. She rubbed her forehead then sat up. She looked around the familiar room wondering how she ended up there.
"You are awake" Megan said as she walked in.
"What I'm I doing here? Give me some pain relieve will you" Amelia instructed rubbing her forehead.
'Always rude' Megan thought.
"You were drunk and crying over some guy last night so I had no choice to bring you here" Megan explained as she gave her pills and a glass of water. Amelia took it without a word of thank you.
"That bitch!" Amelia said as she recalled the incident from the restaurant.
"What happened?" Megan asked eager to fish out gist from her friend.
"That little thing that almost destroyed my reputation is also after my man" She said.
"Eris doesn't look like a guy to have interest in just any girl" Megan said giving it a thought.
"I know right, my Eris isn't like that, I trust him. It is the girl I don't trust!" Amelia explained.
"Ah..." Megan nodded.
"What do we do now? I really want to send that bitch to hell already" Amelia muttered.
'We? Really now' Megan scoffed inwardly.
"What do you think you should do?" She asked.
"I really don't know.." Amelia groaned.
"Stop feeling so insecure, it's not like the girl has anything better than you or does she..?" Megan raised a questioning brow.
Amelia gave it a thought for a few minutes. She compared herself with Rhea.
She is rich, Rhea isn't. She is pretty that any man would fall head over heels for her but this Rhea girl is just a normal one, nothing special.
Satisfied with her thoughts she smiled mischievously. Eris was hers to keep.
"She is just a normal girl after all. An ordinary waitress as it is. An insignificant ant I can squash underneath my feet" Amelia smirked evilly.
*
At the other side of the city, Rhea groaned as she rolled out of bed. She looked so unladylike and her hair was looking like a roughly made bird nest.
She had a free day today. Like every other person in the city, she loved her leisure days although all she would do was stay in bed all day eating ice cream and reading novel or maybe watch films under duvet covers.
After she freshen up, she went downstairs to have breakfast with her family.
"Someone decided to leave her bed" Laura mocked as soon as Rhea approached the table.
"Mummmmm...." Rhea groaned. She was happy her mother was gradually leaving the shell of whom she used to be and was entering a new light.
"Good morning Mum" She greeted giving her mother a hug.
"Actually, it is only few minutes to noon but it's alright, I get it my lazy daughter wouldn't know that" Laura mused.
"Mummmmm...."
"Hmm... sweetheart, you smell so nice, just like apple, sweet and juicy" Her mother said releasing her and pulling a chair for her to sit.
"Apples huh... mum, really" Rhea rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, it's a compliment!" Laura huffed.
"If only I did not know of your undying love for apples, I would like your compliment" Rhea said as a matter of fact.
"I love apples, you smell like one, that means I love you too!" Laura frowned.
"Okay okay, I get it now... thanks for the compliment, I love you too" Rhea said giving her unhappy mother a peck on the cheek.
"You could have done that sooner, so easy" Laura said trying to hide her smile.
"Anything I should hear?" Rhea raised an amused brow.
"No!" Laura snapped and Rhea laughed.
"What about Daniel and Madeline, how come I haven't seen either of them?". Rhea asked as she took a mouthful of pasta.
"Madeline went to the grocery store earlier and for Daniel, he had a sleepover at a friend's home... boys night out I suppose" She explained.
"And you let him?" Rhea paused looking at her mother with a raised brow.
"Yes... " Laura shrugged. "He is a grown boy after all"
"He is only 17!"
"He will be 18 in few months"
"Even still..."
"Rhea, it is high time he face this world himself, you should know better than letting him remain under this roof behind locked doors" Laura expressed with sincerity.
Rhea gave it a thought and nodded understandably.
"You are right, he should have fun" She gave up.
"There is something ...." Laura started and her cheeks tinted red a little like she wanted to make an embarrassing confession.
"What is it I should know mum?" Rhea said neutrally without raising her head and not noticing her embarrassed mother.
"Uhm... nothing, nothing at all....." She paused. "Since I have nothing to do today, I'll just pay Brooke a visit".
"Brooke... is that someone I should kn—"
"Bam!" Rhea dropped her fork as the name clicked.
"Mum! Do you mean Brooke as in Doctor Brooke?" Rhea asked surprised.
"Stop shouting Rhea—"
"Is mother going out with someone?" Daniel asked as soon as he walked him. He looked from his sister to his flustered mother.
"So...?" Rhea gave her mother a questioning look.
"So what?" Laura asked.
Silence.
Her two children looked at her as if waiting to here nothing but her to confess guilty.
"It is really nothing, just a visit!" Laura tried to convince her children.
"Really now.." Rhea scoffed.
"If you say..." Daniel shrugged.
The two of the said at the same time with unbelief still boldly written on their faces.
"Stop giving me that look you two!"
"What look?" Rhea and Daniel chorused exchanging knowing glances.
"That ...that...that I know it all look" Laura said.
"Whatever" She huffed seeing that her children were unyielding, she started walking away from them.
"Good luck with your dat— I mean visit" Rhea called after her mother's departing figure.
"Shut up!"
Rhea laughed and Daniel shook his head at her unbelievably.
"What a cruel big sister I've got" He said before walking upstairs leaving Rhea with jaw drop.
'Really Daniel..' Rhea thought as she watched her brother climb up the stairs.
Just then, her phone rang seeing it was a call from Claire, she picked it immediately.
"Hey what's up?" Rhea said cheerfully.
"Babe, I am really sorry I have not called these while since your mum happened. I am so so so sorry..." Claire ranted.
"What are you saying really?" Rhea rolled her eyes. Her friend was being such a drama queen.
"I know I have been a bad girl friend" Claire said in a low voice.
"Shut up will you... you are done nothing wrong okay. To me, you are the best. We can always make it up to each other some other time. Your life should not circle round mine really" Rhea said really unhappy about her silly friend.
Rhea knew Claire is not the type to just abandon her just like that. Something might have happened. Rhea knew Claire daily life was not exactly a bed of roses either.
"Okay then, how about today, are you busy today?"
"No, not really"
"Great! Let's go out today then" Claire said. Her mood transformed to fully charged immediately.
"Sure, that sounds like a good idea" Rhea answered. She can as well have fun today since she had no plans.
"Yup. Meet me at Green Park. Let's talk over lots of ice cream like good ole days" Claire grinned.
'Guy, she knows the way to my heart' Rhea thought.
"okay then, see ya" Rhea said and ended the call.
She changed into casuals and left the house. She drove straight to Green Park. She parked her car in the parking lot and walked into ice cream shop.
Rhea saw Claire already seated at their usual corner.
"Over here" Claire waved at her. She walked over and took a seat.
"Look who we have here... Claire, Rhea. You two girls have grown so well. I remembered the first time you were here... Your graduation day from high school was it.."
That was Aunt Tessa, she owned the ice cream shop and always like to personally serve Claire and Rhea.
"Aunt Tessa, that was from a long time ago" Rhea said.
"I know.. so what ice cream do you want?" Aunt Tessa asked.
"Aunt, just bring every flavour like the first time. I feel like I am forgetting how the first time here feels like" Claire answered.
"Ah... I see, that's a good idea" Aunt Tessa left and returned with a tray of different flavors of ice cream.
"Dig in!" Claire said immediately grabbing a cup of ice cream. Rhea scrunch her brows. The cup Claire held was a flavor she does not like at all and Rhea could bet that Claire would never take it.
"Claire, tell me" Rhea demanded. She took away the ice cream from her friend.
"Ah.. what are you doing, these ice cream would melt" Claire said reaching for the ice cream again.
"Okay, I get it now... what exactly is wrong. Let me hear it" Rhea said before pushing away all the ice cream.
She finally understood why Claire wanted them to meet at this exact place. It was where they had first ranted about their lives. Something was going on with Claire.
"Ha ha ha... what are you saying, nothing is—"
"Stop it, I know you too well, from asking for a flavors of ice cream to grabbing your worst flavor among all.... you can't deceive me" Rhea frowned. She was not happy Claire was hiding something from her.
"Ah..." Claire shrank into the chair as if to avoid Rhea's probing gaze.
"So?" Rhea pressed.
"It's my father.." Claire said in a small voice but was clear enough for Rhea to hear.
Rhea knew of every little detail about Claire's family. Claire had lost her mother at a very young age and she also lived a terrible life with her drug dealer father who gambled away every dime that entered the house.
Claire had to leave the house as soon as she turned 18 and started catering for herself. It been years already so Rhea wondered why Claire is bring it up.
"What about him?" Rhea asked. 'Did he hurt you?' She wanted to ask but didn't.
"He's been caught and charges are being pressed against him.... it's not like I'm not happy about it but I have been summoned by the jury to bear witness against him..." She paused and looked away. She was trying hard to stop her tears from dropping.
"It's just hard Rhea. I know he was not there for me and treated me so bad but coming up against him is just so hard. He might have not been the best father in the world but he is still my father and will always be. When I saw him, I saw vulnerability in his eyes. I wanted to hate him badly but I could not bring myself to do that. I wanted to believe he deserves what he got but I.. I.." She choked.
"Claire..." Rhea called and held Claire hand.
"I know it's hard. It is like my father coming to me today to say that he loves me, I might as well break a vase on his thick skull in response—" Rhea said earning a laugh from Claire
"You are a crazy one ain't you" Claire muttered. Rhea smiled seeing that her friend choose to be strong.
"You should just do what you think is right" Rhea advised.
"Yeah, I know" Claire nodded with a smile. "Oh my gee, these ice creams are melting!" Claire exclaimed.
"Aww.. my sweet vanilla..." She took the vanilla flavored ice cream. "And why do we have this strawberry flavor here?" She glared.
'As if you weren't just about it eat it before' Rhea thought.
"So what about Aunt Laura?" Claire asked amidst licking her ice cream.
"She is all good now, I think she is beginning to see live in a new light. I believe she is going to be fine" Rhea said.
"She should be, she is not just any woman, she is your mother, a strong woman"
"Oh please, stop the flattering really" Rhea rolled her eyes.
She intensionally not tell Claire about what could happen if her mother keep on living in the past. Claire had too much in mind so she was being considerate of her.
"I am not!" Claire defended herself.
"And horses can fly" Rhea mocked. Claire glared at her.
They ended up wasting most of the ice cream as they were unwanted flavors. Even still, they settled the bills and left the shop. Seeing that Claire was back to normal, Rhea drove her to her apartment before returning home.