It's Monday, and I don't plan to go to school, for I want to be on my mom's side even if she's pushing me not to skip class. I told her I'd have a different learning mode if my teachers allow me, which mom seems not convinced about. I made up my mind, so the only thing left is to call my teacher Jerselle.
"Angel, are you sure about this mode of class you're telling me?"
"Yes, mom. Look, I'm calling my class adviser to ask her about it."
I dialed teacher Jerselle's number and put it on speaker mode to have mom listen to our conversation. Ms. Jerselle picks up the call on the second ring.
"Hello, Ms. Jerselle, thanks for answering. I hope I'm not disturbing you at this time." Ms. Jerselle is probably on her way to sch
I adjust myself, and Maddox gathers my hand as I face him."You have to promise not to be mad at our friends and me with what I'm about to say."I pull my hands and cross them on my chest."I smell something fishy here. What exactly do you want to tell me? Say it now, no more buts and swearing." I commanded Maddox.Maddox's cheeks begin to blush, which rarely happens to him. I don't know if he's embarrassed or nervous about something he wants to confess."So?" I said impatiently."Baby, this is concerning our island vacation. There is someone who sponsored it, not me."
Precisely 7 pm, Angelo knocks on mom's door. It's not a surprise that he's here; I waited for Angelo not to confront him about the island vacation but to have an update with mom's doctor's appointment. As he told us the last time he visited, he wanted to help and arranged for the best team of doctors who could look into mom's condition."Come on in," I said as I nodded at him. "Have a seat."Before he sits on the couch, Angelo is watching mom sleeping. I sit opposite him."Thank you; I'm here to talk to you and your mom about my appointments with the best team of doctors for her in Singapore.""That's great news. Have you chosen which hospital you will be taking, mom?""
The sight of Angelo and mom holding hands is beautiful to see, especially since I am their daughter. They can be called a perfect couple of the year. Despite that, I know they can't be together in this lifetime, and it's a hard truth to swallow.I walked Angelo out of the room with a heavy heart after Angelo had things settled with mom."Once again, thank you so much for doing all of this for mom and me.""Angel, you've said that a thousand times. I only hope you don't abandon your studies while taking care of your mom. I'll make sure to send a private nurse tomorrow to help you.""Yes, I'll keep that in mind. I'm doing my best to fulfill my academic activities while in module class and online class when we transfer to Singapore.
I wake up by a knock on the door at 6 am. I barely had 4 hours of sleep as I assisted mom in having her dinner at 11 and waited until she fell asleep, which is nearly 2 am. I take a brief look at mom sleeping in her bed before I head on the door. I twist the doorknob slowly and pull it open, avoiding any noise."Hi""Hush," I said, putting my finger on my lips to stop the woman from speaking loudly."Oh, sorry," she whispered. The woman standing in front of me is probably in her mid-40s, wearing a pair of white uniforms. It's easy to identify her as a nurse."It's okay, let's talk in a low noise to avoid waking up, mom.""I understand. By the way, my name i
I sit with teacher Jerselle on the couch while Lucy gives mom her medicine. Having a bit of time with Ms. Jerselle is an opportunity I don't want to miss. She's one of those people I trust in the school, the reason that I kept on fighting in those times Cassandra and her friends bullied me."Ms. Jerselle, thanks for checking on mom. I really appreciate this.""Angel, I come here not just for your mom but also for you. I want to share something with you. Something personal that I don't want to talk about on the phone."Ms. Jerselle gets my heart pumping twice as fast as usual."Sure, what is it?""This actually involves your dad."
We have three different sites for rescuing dogs and puppies for Maddox’s shelter. Lea and Glenn join Maddox and me in a car. Cassandra and her friends are in one car, and the third car is Sam and Luke.“Angel, why did you allow those bitches to join us rescuing dogs? You know who they are. And I am sure they will do what they did before,” Lea told me. She talks with so much anger in her voice, crossing her arms on her chest.“Lea, you know I can’t let mommy know about what happened during our first rescuing activities. She will doubt our relationship with Cassy and her friends. I already told mom they are one of us, our friends from Harper School. From then, she will dig deeper, and I can’t allow that to happen. It’s not good for mom to be stressed. Mom’s health is declining already, so I will hide anything that w
We choose to have our lunch in a fast-food restaurant instead of fine dining to avoid delay. My friends and I are eager to rescue more dogs immediately, but we agree to rest for an hour as the hot temperature outside is unbearable.The boys help the other staff in cleaning the shelter after bathing the rescue dogs, making time for me, Lea and Samantha to have girl talk. The two girls and I settle in Maddox’s small office.“I can’t believe how our friendship has nourished in just a few months of meeting. This is not what I expected when I entered the Harper School. It was hard for me to leave my best friend in my former school, yet the pain paid off.”“Besty, we are here for you.”
I had a long day rescuing dogs, something I didn’t regret doing with my trusted friends except Cassandra and her minions. An experience I would cherish when I get to Singapore and even for the rest of my life. I’m tired but I have to act energetically to avoid having mom worrying about me.I am hesitant to have my friends with me before our connecting flight to Manila but they insist on coming with us. How can I refuse? After all, my friends are part of my family, apart from mom they are all I got and of course, Angelo. Besides the overflowing financial support, he never fails to give mom moral support."Guys, thank you for coming with us here."Sam taps my shoulder."You know we can't let you and your mom travel with