Angelique never expected to receive the pleasant surprise of her childhood friend, Oscar visiting her again one day due to the tragic past they had. As she was pleased to see him, the words that followed deeply pained her heart.
" Oscar, please leave! You're not welcome here!" I said painlessly and indifferently.
Angelique was about to close the door when Oscar stopped the door from shutting itself. He entered the house forcibly, landing Angelique on the floor.
" How could you do this? Haven't you done enough already as it is?" Oscar, not caring that he had just pushed Angelique to the ground, kept throwing his venom at her.
…
" How could you lie about a nonexistent sickness? Did you want everyone to pity you? Was that your intention?" To Oscar's numerous and grotesque accusations, Angelique didn't utter a word. She kept silent the whole way, listening to his nonsense.
…
Back at the dean's office, Angel was curious to know what the dean meant by his words earlier. He offered him a cup of coffee as the story was going to be a long one.
" Everything started back in middle school. I was appointed as the dean there and that's when I met Angelique for the very first time". The dean went through memory lane.
…
Four years ago
The dean was walking down the school hallways examining the students on his passage. The students were okay as per normal but three students specifically grabbed his attention.
" Hello, there! The three of you seem to get along so well. What are your names by the way?" The dean approached them and asked for their names joyfully.
" We don't seem to get along well, we are best friends for life. My name by the way is Elisa Venus and she's my best friend". The young girl had her right arm around a 12-year-old Angelique.
" What are you talking about, Elise? I'm the one who's her best friend. As for my name, it's Oscar Venus". The young boy had his left arm around a 12-year-old Angelique.
" So, you two are brother and sister!" The dean was joyous of the chemistry and image he witnessed that particular day.
" Yes! I'm the elder brother, Oscar and she's my younger sister, Elise". The young boy responded joyfully.
" Who's the young girl's name with which you're fighting over affection?" The dean curiously asked, realizing she was the only one left yet to introduce herself.
" I'm Angelique Tsukishima. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" The young Angelique introduced herself to the dean, showing a slight grin.
The Dean glanced at the seemingly young Angelique and couldn't help himself but ask: " These two siblings are fighting for your affection. Which of these two siblings do you like most?"
Just as the dean who had formulated the question to the young Angelique was curious as to what her response to the question would be as were the two siblings.
The young Angelique glanced at her left and at her right with the two siblings grinning at her joyfully. Lastly, she glanced at the dean who had forwarded the question to her. She enveloped her arms on each of the siblings' shoulders and staring at the dean in front of her, she said with a large grin: " How can I possibly choose between these two amazing people? Both of them are my best friends and I love them both. I can't choose one over the other. It's impossible for me".
The dean was glad of the response he received from the young Angelique back then.
Before departing that day, he said: " I hope your friendship lasts and stands the test of time".
The next time the dean happened to run into them, the three friends were seemingly reduced to two. The scene he saw that day left him petrified.
" Stay away from me! Don't come near me ever again!" The young Oscar pushed the young Angelique harshly, leading to her falling to the ground.
" What's going on here? Why have you pushed her? Aren't the two of you friends?" The dean approached a young Angelique, landing her a helping hand to stand up.
" We were friends but not anymore. Encountering her was the worst mistake of my life". His words were full of hatred and Angelique was heartbroken just hearing them.
After expressing his hatred, he dashed out running.
" What was that about? What happened between the two of you?" Inquired the dean in an assertive tone.
To the question asked to her, the young Angelique refuted by saying: " Nothing's wrong with us! He's simply in a bad mood today, that's all. Whenever he's in that state, he always spills nonsense. He'll be back to normal after a few days of sulking".
The young said all that by having a large grin on her face. The Dean knew something was off with her explanation but he didn't push the matter any further as he saw the pain hidden behind the smile she was showing him with great effort.
" I'll head back to class now. See you later!" She dashed off, leaving the dean to wonder by himself what could have happened between them.
In the years that followed, the dean witnessed the same treatment over and over again but every time he would ask for an explanation from Angelique, she would just give him an evasive response as she did the previous years.
Back to the present
" Their relationship worsened when they entered high school. One day, he even shut her behind closed doors after school. If I didn't leave something behind that day, she wouldn't have made it home". The dean went down memory lane once more.
A year prior to the original storyline
" Is someone there?" The dean who had left something behind heard a scream.
He followed the scream's direction which brought him to the science lab. He unlocked the door and was astonished to discover Angelique inside.
" Thank you for unlocking the door! I thought I wasn't going to make it home tonight". She said gratefully, only to realize the dean standing before her.
" What are you still doing back here? Why haven't you gone home?" He inquired in an interrogative tone.
" Someone locked the door by mistake. I would have been home by now if that incident hadn't occurred". She answered.
…
" I'll be heading home now before my parents start to worry. See you tomorrow at school!" She dashed out of the room, running.
Back to the present
" She said someone locked her in the science lab but I couldn't believe that story and I was right to not believe it. One day, I witnessed a conversation between Oscar and one of his classmates".
The following day, after the locking incident
" Why have you purposely locked her inside the science lab?" One of the two classmates beside him inquired in an interrogative tone.
" What had she done to deserve such treatment?" The other classmate beside him inquired in an interrogative tone.
" Don't take pity on her! Don't be fooled by her innocent face! You'll only be deceived in the end".
…
" I admit that I did it intentionally but it was to teach her a lesson". The conversation he witnessed that day left him utterly speechless.
Back to the present
Angel was stunned by everything the dean had told him about Oscar's ill-treatment of Angelique for the past four years. He couldn't believe that he had done so many harsh things to her in the past and began to worry as he had gone to her encounter.
" I have to go and thank you for everything you revealed to me". Angel dashed out of the room, running.
" This spark in Angel's eyes is the same one Oscar once had four years ago". The dean mumbled to himself after Angel's exit.
Angel, who was running towards Angelique's household, bumped against a young woman by accident.
" Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going". He said apologetically.
The woman glanced at him and asked: " Have we met somewhere before? You look utterly familiar!"
" I don't think so, ma'am!" He answered.
" I see! It must be my imagination, then". She said awkwardly.
" Let me help you pick up your stuff!"
Angel bent down to pick up the young woman's stuff he had dropped on the floor by accident. As he was picking up the stuff, he stumbled upon a prescription in the name of Angelique Tsukishima. Besides the prescription, they were plaquettes of medicine.
( This prescription is in the name of Angelique Tsukishima. Could this young woman be Angelique's mother?)
" Here you go, ma'am!" He handed her stuff back to her.
" Thank you!"
" Ma'am, may I ask you something?" He asked suddenly.
" Of course!"
" As I was picking up your stuff, I found a prescription and plaques of medicine among them. May I know what those plaques of medicine are for?" He asked straightforwardly.
" My daughter's ill and the plaquettes of medicine you found are the ones I went to buy at the pharmacy". She assertively answered.
( Angelique's sick for real! I have a bad hunch all of a sudden?)
" It's my turn to ask you a question".
…
" What's your name, young man?" She asked straightforwardly.
" I'm named Angel, Angel Mukaido!" He answered the question with a slight grin.
( Angel Mukaido! Is he the one my daughter has been talking about?)
With a mere turn of events, Angel and Angelique's mother finally encountered each other at last.