Raised in a highly competitive household, Aster felt alienated from her sisters. Being meek, kind and gentle made her believe she was unfit to bear Nguyen as her surname. She had neither of Ivy's finesse nor Marigold's cheeky attitude. Both embodied a strong, independent woman she can only hope to be.
Unable to change the person she was, she became an easy target for girls harboring vendetta towards her two sisters who aren't really the type to rely on. Ivy was too busy with herself while Marigold turned a blind eye to all the crap she experienced.
Since 5th Grade, she received verbal bullying which eventually worsened with subtle physical abuses in 8th. She never cried for the previous offenses except that particular afternoon that same year. Up to this day, the memory still haunts her. She could still play the memory in her head as though it happened yesterday.
Inside the female restroom, Mandy and some of her girls gang up by splashing dirty mop water on her. They laughed and took pictures as a sort of memento. From her hair down to her feet getting unforgivingly soaked. Afterwards, she would have to deal with how she stinks of mud, dirt and Earth!
While they were busy giggling like idiots, she crawled her way towards the door. She successfully reached the knob.
"Hey, we're not don---"
The door opened from the outside. Marigold stood momentarily frozen on the spot. Their expressions reflected their shock. On the other hand, the girls behind seemed to lose their big fat mouths.
I'm fed up with keeping everything bottled, Aster realized at that moment. She kept her lips tied for a long time because she was ashamed. Nguyen's blood ran in her veins yet she had not a bit of their domineering attitude. Instead, she allowed herself to be trampled by others.
An undoubtedly black sheep among them triplets!
However, today, she dared to hope.
"Help m-me!" she begged, letting tears finally sprang free.
Marigold simply stared at her for a split-second then closed the door as if she saw nothing... Acting like she did not discover her biological sibling slumped on the floor, uniform's soiled, already at the verge of crying and as fragile as glass. She walked away unsparing a single glance back despite Aster's harrowing sobs that echoed through the walls.
Aster who thought she was at the worst part of hell fell on a deeper level.
Seeking help?
She was dumb for trying and never will she try again. Thus, in spite of being surrounded with people, she felt alone until Caress Aragon sat beside her in 9th Grade during lunch. No conversation happened, just two people comforted by one another's company.
Ivy often pointed out they were an odd pair of besties. She agreed considering they did not once chat about deep stuff, boys or whatnot. Nevertheless, they felt for each other. There were things they rather not say so both of them just leave it unveiled like keeping each other's Pandora's box in possession and leaving it unopened.
"Tell me, don't we all have skeletons in our closets that we try hard to keep hidden? If I show you mine, will you still call me your friend?" Care's ambiguous statement bugged Aster.
Although days had passed, it stuck in her mind as well as Care's recent hostile action against Mandy and her group. She suspected if Care already knew... Why didn't she confront her, then?
"I must really ask her about it!" she muttered.
Coincidentally, she spotted Care at the end of the hallway. Her steps became brisker while her heart thumped faster. Before she could draw close, some jackass threw an egg at Care. It left a slime-y white and egg yolk splattered across her golden hair.
She had to blink thrice to ascertain what unfolded before her. For Pete's sake, where did he possess the courage to do that?
"Sheesh, goddamn fake!"
Other onlookers seemed unsurprised. In fact, they also tossed eggs simultaneously at Care who appeared to be in a state of shock standing like a statue. Watching in utter despair, her chest tightened and tightened. She dropped on her knees ready to succumb to a panic attack.
"Oh, don't! Let's go!" Ivy interrupted her supposed breaking point.
She was dragged away, completely helpless against her sister's tight grip.
"Care---" she cracked.
"Can fend for herself! Whereas, you won't be of any help." Ivy insisted.
It proved her innermost insecurity. She was a spineless damsel in distress used to getting beaten, bullied and belittled! Knowing Care was about to experience the same thing, she now fully discerned what she had done and failed to do. The fact that she kept her being bullied a secret was the reason Care asked that one question etched in her mind.
"Tell me, don't we all have skeletons in our closets that we try hard to keep hidden? If I show you mine, will you still call me your friend?"
Care wasn't talking from her perspective, it was meant for her viewpoint! She realized the exact query was what she silently wished to raise over the years of being let down by her biological sister, Marigold.
"How could I have not known it from the get-go?"