Rejection Hurts On Both Sides

Chapter 5: On Second Thought...

Chapter 5: On Second Thought...

I watch in silent horror as Maria's glare becomes more murderous by the minute.

Even if I like pushing her buttons, I have limits too.

"Um, Maria? It was just a joke," I say cautiously, hoping that the time bomb won't explode.

Maria opens her mouth as if to say something, but then closes it. She blinks.

"A joke?" Her voice is full of scorn, anger, and hurt. "Do you know how it feels when a girl you don't know barges into your house, and in less than a few hours, she humiliates you, manipulates your friends, and locks you in a room of your own house? Do you know how it feels when she figures out the secret passages in here, taunts you, and then say it's just, just a joke?!"

I say nothing. Her eyes are watery.

"No. You don't know."

With that said, she hangs her head and cries.

The girls try to reach out to her, but she holds out a hand, as if to stop them. Even the boys try their hand at comforting her, only to be met with cold glares.

I bite my lip. Even though she said bad things about me, I can't help but feel horrible.

I'm the unwelcome intruder.

I'm the annoying one.

And I need to fix this.

I back away from the trapdoor, hiding myself from their line of sight.

I pull out my phone and dial Maria's number.

She answers in a few minutes. "H-hello?"

I soften my voice. "Ria, are you... crying?"

"A-agatha?" Her tone is one of surprise. "Why are you still up?"

"You didn't answer my question," I say sternly. "Are you crying?"

"It' s nothing." She replies. "Thanks for asking, Aggie."

At least she stopped crying.

I force myself to sound gentle. I'm Agatha right now. And Agatha doesn't know she's lying. "You can tell me anything, you know?" I ask softly. "Just because I'm impulsive, doesn't mean I try to be annoying on purpose. I would't blab about anything, ever."

"I know that, Aggie. And I wouldn't think any less of you." She sounds a bit stunned, but I don't dwell on it.

I finally feel tears pearling in my eyes. "And Maria? I promise you, if anything happens, if you end up hating me, I'll still consider you my best friend." With that, I hang up.

I'm pathetic, aren't I? I already know she hates me, but I can't bring myself to fully hate her.

Pocketing my phone, I inch closer to the trapdoor.

"Now who's that calling at this hour?" I say, trying to maintain a rude facade.

Maria looks up at me, her eyes red-rimmed and determined. "My best friend."

I gawp at her, nearly slipping back into Agatha. "W-what?"

Her lips curl into a sneer. "My best friend called to check on me. What? Surprised?"

Trying to play it cool, I raise a brow. "You have a best friend?"

She looks at me defiantly. "Yes. That's something you'll never have."

A gasp escapes from my sister. "Burn!" She stage-whispers.

I roll my eyes.

Now, what would Elizabeth do?