"Are you okay, baby?" Miss Chen asked, her voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine, Mom!" Ashley snapped, rolling her eyes in frustration. Why won't these people just leave me alone? she thought bitterly. Can't they see I need some space to think about my next move with Kayla?
"Baby, can I come in?" Miss Chen asked gently.
"Groans No, I want to be left alone!" Ashley yelled, her anger bubbling over.
"Okay, if that's what you want, Ashley honey. By the way, Golda and Clarissa are here to see you."
"Okay..." Ashley muttered, barely acknowledging the news.
---
Golda rolled her eyes in irritation. She and Clarissa had been sitting on Ashley's bed for the past 45 minutes, yet there had been no sign of Ashley calming down. Instead, she paced back and forth across her large, spacious room, unable to settle.
"What did you guys learn today?" Ashley asked suddenly, startling both of them. They exchanged a glance, taken aback by the question. Ashley was never the studious type. In fact, she barely attended lessons unless it was to meet her boyfriend, Max—whom she had stolen from someone who dared to challenge her. She was even on the verge of breaking up with him now, though she was holding on because of his interest in Kayla Kornels. Both Golda and Clarissa wondered why Ashley would ask such a strange question now.
When they didn't respond immediately, Ashley pressed again, "Did anything interesting happen today? Did you see Kayla Kornels?"
Golda and Clarissa exchanged confused glances. Why was Ashley suddenly so curious? Just as they were about to respond, Ashley snapped.
"Aren't you going to answer me?" she demanded, glaring at them, her patience clearly running thin. Both girls flinched and rushed to answer her thoughtless questions.
"Umm, we learned about molecules and—"
"That's not what I'm asking!" Ashley interrupted, her hands placed firmly on her hips as she continued glaring. "Did anything interesting happen other than chemistry?"
"Umm, no... but in a month's time, we're going on a trip to New Caledonia," Golda answered quickly.
"And as for Kayla... we didn't see her," Clarissa added, a little hesitantly.
Ashley sighed, frustration mounting as she continued her pacing.
"Since you decided to go alone last night, did you finally see the guy she was with at the party? Did you talk to him?" Golda asked carefully, and Ashley froze, her glare sharpening in response. Golda flinched, but it was too late. Ashley threw a book at her, which she skillfully dodged.
"LOOK, ASHLEY," Golda snapped, her voice rising with anger, "I'm done with your bitchy attitude towards us! We're your friends, not your pushovers! We've known you since kindergarten, and it's about time you started showing us the respect we deserve. If you can't see the value of this friendship, I'm done."
Golda stood up with a fierce expression. "Let's go, Clarissa. Are you coming, or not?"
"Of course I'm coming with you," Clarissa replied, her anger barely contained. "When Ashley comes to her senses, she knows where to find us."
As they made their way to the door, Ashley's voice called after them, a surprising calmness in her tone.
"Are you guys leaving like that?" she asked, her expression softer than before.
"Pfft, of course we're leaving," Clarissa shot back, her anger bubbling up again. "Are you blind? Do you think we're going to let you command us like that? Think again, Ashley. We're your friends, not your puppets."
"Why do you make it sound like being my puppet is such a bad thing?" Ashley said shamelessly, stepping closer to them.
"Because it is a bad thing!" Clarissa replied, glaring at her. "We're fools for you, and you're never a fool for us. Gosh, Ashley, that's not what friendship is about!"
"Yeah," Golda chimed in, her voice thick with frustration.
"But you're my puppet," Ashley said again, the words like a dagger in the air.
The two girls were now practically seething with anger. They had tried to make Ashley understand that friendship was about love, care, and mutual respect, but it seemed her pride and selfishness wouldn't let her see that. She refused to apologize for her behavior, and it was breaking their hearts.
"Oh my goodness," Clarissa exclaimed, her disbelief evident.
"Gosh, I can't believe I've been friends with a lunatic," Golda said, her voice shaking with anger and disbelief.
She couldn't believe Ashley had just said something like that about their friendship. From the way she spoke, it was clear that Ashley didn't care about their bond at all. The two girls stood there, coldly staring at her, before turning and walking out of the room with furious expressions on their faces.
---
Meanwhile, Kayla flopped onto her bed, exhausted after a long day at school. Everything about her school life felt off lately—new friends, new experiences, but something was still missing.
Knock knock knock.
"Ugh, come in!" she called out, irritated by the interruption, her body aching from the day.
"It seems you didn't miss me," a voice teased. "I'm so hurt that I thought about leaving."
Kayla slowly turned her head and saw Akim standing in the doorway, looking as handsome as ever, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. He walked toward her, and before she could react, she leapt from the bed, rushing into his arms. He lifted her up and spun her around, making her giggle with joy.
"So, have you got a dress for tomorrow?" Akim asked as he gently set her back down, pulling her close.
"No, I just got back from school," she replied, making him smile.
"Oh," he said, then leaned in as if to kiss her, but Kayla turned her head at the last moment, evading him. Akim smiled, shaking his head in amusement as he gave her a teasing look.
"You see, Akim, I..."
"It's alright," he interrupted, his charming smile never wavering. "I understand."
"So, Roman isn't back yet?" he asked, his gaze soft as he studied her face.
Kayla nodded in response.
"Anyway," Akim continued, "I brought a dress for you. I'm not sure if you'll like it, but it was just so to my taste." He reached into his bag and pulled out a beautiful dress, its vibrant color reflecting his thoughtful gesture. Kayla's eyes lit up as she took the dress from him, feeling a warmth spread through her chest.