Seraphina arrived in class slightly tardy, her mind disinterested in the afternoon tasks ahead. All eyes turned towards her as she made her way to her seat and grabbed her bag, seemingly ready to depart. "Ms. Muller, it's not yet time for you to leave class. I understand if you're not in the right mood, but where are you going with your bag?" inquired her teacher.
"Home," Seraphina murmured softly as she continued walking away. "Phinny!" Octavia exclaimed, rising from his seat and hurrying towards her. "Octavia, not now," she retorted as she moved away. Octavia could see tears streaming down her face, her eyes devoid of life. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving her alone, fearing the worst. Grabbing his bag, he hastened to join her. "Octavia, come back here!" the teacher called out, but he ignored the plea. Mei, too, stood up, took her bag, and rushed outside. Although Angelina wasn't in the same class, she witnessed Seraphina pass by, followed by Octavia and Mei. Contemplating for a moment, she decided to follow them. "Angelina, where are you going?" questioned her teacher.
"Sir, I apologize, but there's an emergency. You can give me detention if you must," she hurriedly explained.
"Phinny!" Octavia caught up to her. "Octavia, what on earth? You should be in class," Seraphina said, glancing at him. "Not when you're not okay," Mei interjected. "Mei? What are you doing here? You should be in class," they both exclaimed simultaneously.
"Geez, Sera, you have friends, and we can see that something is wrong," Mei replied, rolling her eyes. "So I had a hunch something was off," Angelina chimed in. "Angelina?!"
"I noticed all of you and had a feeling something was amiss, and it seems I was right," Angelina affirmed.
"You guys, I just want to be alone," Seraphina pleaded. "You can have your solitude, but we'll be waiting outside the door until you're ready to be with us," Mei stated, walking past her towards the exit. "Are you all coming or not?" she inquired, turning back to face them. Seraphina rolled her eyes, and they all walked out of the school together. They made their way to Octavia's house, where Seraphina had been staying for a while. Seraphina entered Octavia's bedroom, the room she had been using, and simply lay down beside the bed. Her friends sat outside the door, ensuring that she was okay.
"It's really bad, isn't it?" Mei asked Octavia. He nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on Seraphina lying on the bed. "What happened?" Angelina queried. "I was too afraid to ask earlier; it didn't seem like the right time," she added.
"I'll explain everything later," Octavia replied. Seraphina remained there for a while, her eyes closed. She struggled to contain her emotions, feeling overwhelmed. "You guys are overwhelming me. Can you please not stare?" she requested, her eyes still shut. "Sorry, it's just that I really want to hug you," Mei stated, rising from her seat and approaching Seraphina. She lay down next to her and embraced her. "What happened to leaving me alone?" Seraphina questioned. "Well, I just can't leave you alone when you need a hug," Mei responded. Seraphina appreciated the embrace and allowed herself to be comforted. Soon, two more people joined in, wrapping their arms around her. "I'll always be with you, Phinny," Octavia assured. "Me too," Mei added. "Count me in as well," Angelina chimed in.
"I still don't like you," Seraphina teased. "Sure you do," Angelina replied, a gentle smile on her face. They all lay there until, one by one, they fell asleep, finding solace and warmth in each other's presence. Octavia's mother returned home quite late and was informed about Octavia leaving school early. She went up to his room, finding it dark. "Octavia?" she called out. "Sera," she called again. Switching on the bedroom lights, she discovered four teenagers sound asleep on the bed. Feeling a warm sensation in her heart, she fetched some blankets and covered them up.
Leaving the room, she turned the lights back on. Seeing the students' bags on the floor, she decided to secure them in a safe place. As she did so, she heard a phone ringing, discovering it in one of the bags. She picked it up and answered the call. "Hello," she greeted.
"Hello, Mei. I won't be home today; the hospital is quite busy. I'm sorry, my baby. Just order something to eat for tonight," a woman's voice came through the line.
"Oh, hi. You must be Mei's mom. It's Octavia's mom. Mei is currently at my house with some other friends. She's safe and sleeping, but I'll relay your message as soon as she wakes up," Octavia's mom replied.
"Doctor Bennett?" the woman asked. "Yes, it's me. Do I know you?"
"Oh, my word, Dr. Bennett. It's me, Dr. Wang," the woman revealed.
"Dr. Wang! Oh, my word, of course. How are you?" Octavia's mom exclaimed.
"I'm good. I'm glad my daughter is at your house. Can she stay there? I worry when she's alone at home," Dr. Wang inquired.
"Yeah, sure, it's all good. It's a small world indeed," Octavia's mom chuckled.
"Small world indeed," Dr. Wang agreed. "Well, have a great night at the hospital, Dr. Wang. Let me start cooking for these kids," Ms. Bennett said.
"Bye," Dr. Wang bid farewell.
After the call, Ms. Bennett began cooking. Once finished, she headed upstairs to wake the teens. "Wakey wakey," she said, gently shaking them. "What time is it?" Mei yawned as the others awoke. "It's time for dinner," Ms. Bennett replied, smiling. "Mom?" Octavia rubbed his eyes.
"Oh, my word. My mom is going to kill me," Mei exclaimed, glancing at the time on her watch as she stood up. "What?" Angelina asked. "It's 8 p.m., and I'm not home yet," Mei fretted. "Don't worry; I spoke to your mom. She says you can stay over. She won't be coming home tonight because it's busy at the hospital. So, relax," Ms. Bennett reassured. "Really? Just like that?" Mei wondered.
"Yeah, we're colleagues, so it's no problem. Besides, she'd rather have you with us than alone."
"Oh, that's cool. Angelina?"
"I live right around the corner, and my parents know that if I'm not home yet, I'm here," she explained. "But let me call them and let them know I'll be home late," she said, getting up from the bed. "Good idea," Ms. Bennett approved. "Come and eat," she beckoned, leaving the room. "I'm not hungry," Seraphina frowned. "No, we all need to eat," Octavia insisted, pulling her up to stand. "I'm tired," she protested, sitting back on the bed. "I'll carry you," Octavia offered with a smile.
"I'm sleepy," she added.
"And you're hungry," Mei stated, gently tugging her to her feet and guiding her out of the room towards the dining lounge. Angelina helped Ms. Bennett set the table, and they all sat down, ready to eat. For the first time in a long while, Seraphina felt the warmth of family and friends enveloping her. She couldn't believe she had found herself in this situation again after such a long time. She had grown accustomed to eating alone or with Mike. Overwhelmed with emotion, she fought back tears and simply smiled at Mei and Octavia, who were playfully arguing about who had eaten the most.