FATED TO LOVE {STORY OF US}

CHAPTER 7

                            {Ariel house}

Maya opened the door and smiled at Chloe. "Good morning, Chloe," she said warmly. "Ariel isn't here right now, I sent her to run an errand. Can I help you?"

"Actually, Ma, I'd like to speak to you, if you have a moment," Chloe said, feeling suddenly nervous.

"Of course, come on in," Maya said, stepping aside. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure," Chloe said, following Maya into the living room.

"It's about Ariel," Chloe said, taking a deep breath.

"What about her?" Maya asked, a look of concern on her face.

"She's facing a lot of problems at school," Chloe said, struggling to find the right words. "There are...several things going on."

"That's very concerning," Maya said, her brow furrowed. "What exactly is going on?"

"The thing is, there's this guy at school who has been giving Ariel a lot of trouble," Chloe said. "Every day, he's been picking on her, making her life miserable."

"That's terrible!" Maya said, shocked. "What's his problem? Why is he doing this?"

"I don't know," Chloe said, feeling helpless. "Ariel won't tell me what started it, but it's been going on for a while now. I'm worried about her."

"Who is at fault" Maya asked

"The thing is, I don't know who's at fault," Chloe said, feeling frustrated. "The guy says Ariel is to blame, and he wants her to apologize, but she says she's not at fault and he's the one who should be apologizing. It's a mess."

Maya's eyes widened in shock. "So, all this has been going on and Ariel hasn't told me about it?" she said. "And  both of us are living together in the same house and she hasn't told me? should I go and apologize to that boy on behalf of my daughter?"

Chole shook her head. "There's no need for you to apologize," she said. "Ariel knows what she needs to do to fix this, but she's not willing to do it. What you can do, though, is sit down with her and talk to her. Make her understand that this is her problem to fix. She can't just let it continue like this."

Maya was silent for a moment, digesting what Chole  had said.

"I think you're right," she said finally. "This needs to be resolved, and Ariel is the only one who can do it."

★★★★★★
                     { Johnson's house}

"Good evening, ma," Raymond said, smiling at Alex 's mother.

"Hello, Raymond," she replied, smiling warmly. "How are your parents doing?"

"They're doing well, thank you," Raymond said. "Is Alex  in?"

"Yes, he is," Maya said. "You can go on in and see him."

    ★★★★★★

"You know Ariel is a very stubborn and headstrong person. I've told her countless times to apologize to him, but she won't listen. Maybe if you talk to her as her mother, she'll be more willing to listen. She needs to apologize to Alex ."

Maya  nodded. "I'll talk to her," she said. "I'll try to make her understand that it's in her best interest to apologize to Alex .

                         {JOHNSON'S HOUSE}

Raymond stormed into Alex's room, only to find Greg and Alex both sound asleep. He felt his anger rising, and he couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What the hell?!" he shouted, waking up the two boys.