Announce to the people that they are dating, sign a lover's-contract the next day, and go on their first date on Sunday. What more could go wrong for Charissa?
She waited anxiously for this day with a perfect lie for her parents. Good thing she had friends she could tell her story about.
"I'm going out with Elissa and Janet today," Charissa said, sipping her tea, hoping to avoid any suspicion from her Mom. She tried her best not to flinch.
"Where and when will you come back?" Mom asked, "Been so long since you went out of this house."
Charissa began sweating behind her back. Everything would be fine if she said she had a boyfriend, but when she is asked who, Charles can't be given as an answer. Their family situation is far worse than Ethan and the clingy 'future-bride'.
"To the XXtheme park. I'll be going after breakfast to meet them."
"Where will you meet them and when will you come back home?"
"I'm meeting them near the XXtrain station. I don't know if I can be back before Dinner though."
"Alright. Have fun and stay safe. Don't speak to strangers and don't let your guard down..." thus Mom began her long lecture about Charissa's safety.
"Mom, don't start lectures so early in the morning! Lil-sis may be an idiot, but she can take care of herself. Her friends are with her too!" Brother came to the breakfast table yawning.
Charissa sighed. "Yeah!" she agreed.
"OH?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WAKING UP LATE? A GROWN-UP MAN SHOULD KNOW WHEN TO WAKE UP! AND DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I AM YOUR MOM!..." Yet again Mom began her lecture on waking up in the morning and her Motherly duties, responsibilities, and rights.
Charissa didn't want to wait and she can't do anything to help her Brother.
"Oh! I gotta go. Time to meet up with Elissa and Janet! Take care of Mom, bro!" Charissa slipped out of the house.
Let me tell you a brief story on how Charissa's and Charles's relationship went from friends to enemies: They met during the second term of their first year in high school. A few days later, they learned that they were related when Charles's father met Charissa's Mom after school when they came to pick up their children. Mom didn't say anything at first, but one day, Mom saw Charles with another girl on a date. That made Mom angry.
"Don't get too close to Charles." Mom gave her the first warning.
The next day Mom went to the club room because Charissa had a bunch of stuff to carry. There she heard Charles speaking like a thug to Charissa. Mom got ticked off.
"I don't want to see you speaking with Charles anymore. He is bad news." Mom gave her a second warning.
Charissa ignored Mom's warning because she knew what her Mom was talking about and that her classmates were far worse than him. Mom never gave her the third warning and Charissa kept speaking with Charles. Though after time she got annoyed with his criticism of her art and started ignoring him on her own. Later, one day, Charissa asked her mom why she warned her and Mom said that his father got suspended from school when he went on a date with Charles's mother during high school times and that Charles's mother always hated Charissa's Mom despite the warm welcome. It's a family based on jealousy entirely.
Back to the present... Charissa doesn't have to meet Charles till noon. She has some other things to plan with Janet and Elissa. She met Janet at Elissa's apartment on the third floor of a very large building near their college. She lives alone and her apartment is too big for her size of a person. When you enter, to your left there is the open kitchen and the dining room, and on the right is the bathroom, go further inside and there is the living room in front of the open kitchen. Her bedroom sits to the right. Her apartment walls are colored grey and the tiles white. It's a fancy apartment. Charissa and Janet sit on the sofa in the living room while Elissa goes to bring tea and cupcakes.
"At 11.30 p.m. we'll go to a café nearby XXX mall," Janet suggested.
"We only have an hour left," Elissa added placing the tea and cupcakes on the tea table.
"So you guys know what to do right? If my mom ever calls you guys, give her a good enough reason in my place and make sure to report me that reason. I'll do vice versa. Okay?" Charissa implored.
"Roger!" Elissa saluted.
"Got your back!" Janet smiled.
Before ending the meeting Elissa raised her hand and said, "Make sure to tell us all the details of your first date okay~"
They chattered, ate cupcakes, and drank tea. When they finished, it was already 11.30. As planned the trio went to a café nearby XXX Mall and waited for Charles. They took a seat at a table near the glass windows and waited.
From all the things that Charissa didn't know was that after seeing off her with Charles, Janet and Elissa won't leave the scene, but watch over those two.
"Heh heh, heh..." Elissa unconsciously gave off an evil grin.
Janet elbowed her to come back into reality. Charissa ignored them. To her, the real problem was whether or not Charles was bringing his 'future-bride' to the date.
While Charissa was watching, she saw a small figure that had Charles's build wearing a blue T-shirt tucked under black trousers with a black belt appearing in the distance.
"Ah! He's coming!" She said and rushed out of the shop with her things. Charissa was wearing a knee-length brown skirt and a red short blouse top. She also brought a matching red side bag.
"Anxious?" Elissa sat still staring at the runaway Charissa.
"You know...first date...for a virgin." Janet gazed into the tapestry next to the counter on the left. It had two women and a man in between them kneeling on the ground. He was facing the woman on his right. It seemed as if he was crying and begging for something while the woman on his left was holding a sword, raised and ready to slash through the man's throat anytime. One way or another, it reminded her of Charissa, Charles, and his said-to-be clingy bride slash Charissa's newest rival. Her name is Maria Fenwick, a formidable foe.