Angel Full of Flowers

❁ 7 ❁

I could hear someone calling my name in the distance.

"Camellia, Camellia!"

I blinked myself awake. I had an awful headache.

"Camellia, are you alright?"

The light from the sun burned my eyes. I placed a hand over them and squinted. "Iris? What are you doing here?" My mouth felt extremely dry.

She laughed. "I could be asking you the same thing. You were fast asleep on the grass."

How utterly embarrassing!

"Also, what are you wearing?"

I looked at my clothes and realized I was still wearing my disguise. I immediately took off my wig and nervously laughed. An excuse, what can I say?!

"I-I cosplay. As my favorite character from an... *otome game." I could feel myself blush in embarrassment. That was a secret I wanted no one to know about. I didn't want other girls to think I was weird but I didn't know what else to say!

I looked to see Iris' unsettlement but instead found her smiling. "Ah, I didn't know you were into those games too! Tulip doesn't find them appealing, so I've never really had anyone else to talk about them before."

A wave of relief fell over me. Finally, someone who understood culture.

"I'd love to talk more about it today if you want! But I should really start heading back, Tulip asked if I could pick something up for her."

"Oh, alright. W-Wait, but before you go, could you tell me what time it is?"

"Uh, it's 5:48 am."

My eyes almost fell out of their sockets. There was a sudden question that popped into my mind at that moment. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you in the garden so early?"

Iris chirped, "It's cause I like to go on early walks. I do it all the time with my grandparents when I go to visit India. It's become a pass time."

"Ah, how nice!" I smiled. She returned the gesture and waved goodbye. I watched as she walked towards the library. My happiness quickly turned to anger when I realized that Angel had left me behind. I ran all the way to the dorms, ensuring that no one else would see me.

Mrs. Marigold had seemed too preoccupied with her telenovelas to notice me coming in at the crack of dawn. I marched straight down the hall and into my room. My eyes scanned Angel's bed. He had been sleeping soundly after all this time.

Arrogant little munchkin. How dare he leave me in the dang garden! I crept up behind his bed to get a good glimpse of the traitor. The blanket moved up and down as he breathed softly. For this split moment, he looked like, well, an angel. All the anger in me subsided. I walked over to my bed and sat down.

I started thinking about everything that happened last night. The only thing I could remember was running away from the cops, but I had no clue why. Had we been caught? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: I had done drugs.

I immediately took out my journal and began to write to my mother.

Dear mamá,

Please, please forgive me! I didn't know it was marijuana! I just thought it was literal grass... I know that sounds stupid but it's the truth! You know as a child I was shielded by anything and everything bad. I don't know the slang for weed! I'm so sorry.

I didn't have the heart to sign it off because, in all honesty, it was actually a lot of fun. I would never in a million years ever do it again, but I just had never let loose like that before. I had done something bad and I didn't care. Was I becoming evil? Maybe Angel's influence was starting to rub off on me.