Chapter 6: FEELING NOSTALGIC, RATHER, HATRED

Joanna's POV

I sat quietly at the spa looking at Yolanda enjoying every moment. She is one person that I can say with a full chest that she is a god-sent, a very lively girl and I’m glad to have her in my life.

" Joanna?" Yolanda called, disrupting my thoughts. " look what I’ve found. Have you tried this before?" She asked waving a silky hairband at me and looking at me with that cute face of hers.

" Nope, you know that I don’t use stuff like this. Concentrate so we can get out of here, I'm damn tired and need to rest." I answered with a frown, but she didn’t take the bait.

" Don’t be so impatient Joanna, dear. Give me a few hours and I'll be done here, but for now, bear with me as I need to savour every moment slowly."

" You bad bitch..." I groaned.

My mind drifted to Chris and I shuddered not from cold, but rather at the nerves he got to ask me to be his sex partner and still had the guts to pester me. I wish I could just make him disappear from the face of the earth or something, anything perhaps that would make him stop his unholy act towards me.

" Ta-da!" Yolanda shouted, waking me from my thoughts, " Why are you spacing out?" She asked me, my best friend can be overbearing sometimes and telling her will be of no use, so I decided to pretend that I didn't hear her question.

" I'm okay. I promise you that nothing was going through my mind... If you're done, shall we?" I retorted and walked towards the door.

That was a narrow escape from her scrutinizing eyes, I had told her how messed up it was with me and Chris and she was thrilled, I don’t want her to persuade me into giving in already even if I would not at the moment when I'm trying to set my head straight.

I sped off with her. Home is what I need right now to keep my head and rest from all the troubles of the day.

" Let's see a movie together Joanna, there is a new horror movie in town and I want to see it, please. "

" Here she goes again," I mumbled and rolled my eyes.

I am tired already, but can't help it when she sulks. " You of all the people in this world should know that I am exhausted or, do you wish to see me die before my cancer kills me?"

I miss those fairly happy days when I would stay up at night to watch horror movies in the orphanage with the permission of the old caretaker of which I was her favourite because I was smart, calm and contended with all I had. And while the kids were busy causing trouble, I will stay under my special tree in the backyard to read all day.

Life has been so unfair to me, when I was trying to build my lost years from scratch as a poor and lonely orphan it struck me so hard. I guess nothing was meant to work for me.

" Joanna!" I heard someone scream my name, and tires screeched and halted, we had narrowly escaped being crushed by a truck which would have to be a result of my recklessness.

" Yolanda, I'm deeply sorry I scared you," I said and broke down in tears. Someone once told me that it is all right to cry when I can't take in all the burden.

" You can rest while I drive." She offered and wasted no time in taking over the wheel.

I went to the back seat to relax and fell asleep. The car jerked and I opened my eyes to see that we had just arrived home. I stepped out quietly and went to my room. Before one could say Jack I was fast asleep and snoring. Nothing else mattered at that point when I was emotionally and psychologically drained.

Chris POV

My eyes bugged out from their sockets. " Who the hell is that?" I asked nobody in particular, then rushed out to check what was going on outside. to take a close look at the body.

At the gate, I found an unconscious man sprawled on the ground and Axen stood beside him looking fierce. I walked up and bent down to check his pulse luckily it was still in good condition, but the face was unfamiliar. I looked at Axen quizzically.

" Can someone tell me what is going on?" I asked frustrated.

She pouted her lips like a child, " I saw him trying to break into your house. "

" Do you expect me to believe that?"

" You better do. You know that I'm a girl and can't fight with him so I used something stronger than him." She said.

I held my head in my palms trying to think, I need to understand what was going on around me at this moment.

" Call the ambulance, please. He needs to be taken care of and tell them to keep a close eye on him, he's a suspect. Make sure to clean this place up." I addressed my maid. " And, you... Follow me." I pointed at Axen and walked inside.

Axen followed suit. She didn't even flinch about what happened. I wanted to ask her what she was doing in my house at that time, but I could not bring myself to do so. I turned to face her, " Just go home tonight... I want to rest."

I walked out on her.

Yolanda's POV

I sat on the edge of the mattress gazing into space, then Joanna rolled over to where I was. I diverted my gaze to her. She slept so peacefully like a baby and I loved it. Tears trickled slowly, I know I was sad, but there is no idea of what could make me sad.

Wait! There is something... Joanna said something about cancer and dying. I wanted to wake her up and clear the subject, however, another thought sneaked in. What if she lies about it? I'll see for myself.

Tucking her with the fluffy blanket, I sneaked out to commit a crime... I searched through her desk, and everywhere but I couldn't find anything.

" What are you doing?" I heard a voice ask me and I stopped dead in my track.

" Umm... Not... Nothing. I was just looking for my missing earring and thought I could find it among your things." I lied.

Joanna walked to where I was standing with my hands crossed to my back. I was hiding a medical report I had just found before she came in.

" What are you holding and why are you nervous?" She asked still walking closer... The atmosphere was tense and it made me uncomfortable.

" Can you please, turn on the lights? I'm feeling stuff here." I pleaded, hoping that she will agree to it.

" I will, but first show me what you are hiding behind you." She kept coming closer, and I need to act fast before she gets to me.

" Ahhh!!!" I screamed.

"What is it?" She asked alarmed and rushing towards me.

" Turn on the lights, Joanna. Will you?"

" Sure."

I slide the report under my dress and picked up one of her designs.

" Thanks," I said smiling awkwardly.

" You're welcome. So, what was that?"

" It's nothing, it was just that I saw a shadow and got scared."

" That's more unlike you, you can't be scared when you watch horror in the middle of the night and never get scared."

" I know, right?" I answered feeling ashamed at such a petty lie.

" Yeah, That's by the way. What were you holding?" She asked looking more serious. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask her, I wanted to cry and scream at her for lying to me, but I remained silent and instead showed her the design I took.

" I was just messing around with you," I said and walked away bitter at heart.

I need to find out the truth about her health condition and why she chooses to lie to me when we've been best friends for a decade now.