Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"I just want a simple celebration. I don't need a ball. What's the point of a beautiful celebration? For what?"

Leighden replied, "You need to follow what they want, Pershey."

"Toxicity," she said weakly.

"4 days before your party, Pershey. You need to decide so we can send an invitation card."

Pershey thought deeply.

"Invite Neil if you want," she added.

Pershey immediately looked at her and thought of her suggestion.

"Will he attend?" she asked.

"50% yes, 50% no."

The hours passed that they were talking like that.

Pershey still can't decide whether to agree or not.

There were many obstacles in her mind.

The whole day passed as they were confined to the room.

Pershey's room became messy. On the floor are the items that will be used as decorations for her party.

Eventually, she also agreed with Leighden so she immediately borrowed Pershey's laptop.

She made invitation cards. She finished by 7:00 PM. She couldn’t go home either.

Pershey, on the other hand, just lay there staring at the ceiling. Many things were on her mind especially what happened last night.

"Leighden," she called without taking hee gaze away from the ceiling.

Leighden stopped what she was doing, barely looked up, she replies, "Why?"

Pershey remained silent, staring at the ceiling, thinking too deep, deeper than the ocean.

A few more minutes before she spoke again, "Leighden," she called. She didn't take her eyes off the ceiling.

Leighden still continued what she was doing, she replied, "Yes?"

She remained silent again, still staring at the ceiling, memorizing each lines.

A few minutes passed again. She got up and watched Leighden do what she was doing.

"Leighden," she called softly.

She stopped, and looked at her, raising her eyebrow, she replies, "I'm here, answering a million times."

She put thick colored paper in the printer.

"If you have something to ask, go on," she said while busy with what she was doing.

Pershey stood up, taking off her mask she had worn last night.

She put it on and approached Leighden. She sat down in front of her.

Leighden barely looked at her. She continued what she was doing.

"What's bothering you?" She asked.

She first removed the mask, looked up, and replied, "Why he left me?"

Leighden stopped, looked up and immediately looked back at what she was doing.

"I don't understand," she said.

"He left me on stage," she said softly before lowering her mask to the bed.

"Did he?"

"He's sweet," she commented with a mixed smile.

"It tastes sweet," Leighden replied.

"He danced with me," she said softly again.

"You're his partner so he danced for you, with you," Leighden replied.

"He held my hand," she added in a soft tone.

"I held your hands too for a billion times," she replied as she continued to print invitation cards.

"He stared at me," she said softly as she stared at the mask.

"He needs to look at you."

She slowly looked at Leighden.

Leighden looked at her too.

"Why?" she asked.

"Are you fighting for something?" Pershey asked.

"I don't understand," she replied.

Pershey just sighed. She stood up and returned the mask to the closet. She closed the closet and leaned against it.

"Are you going to slide?" Leighden asked.

"He's really sweet to me last night," she said softly.

"But," she deliberately did not pursue what she was going to say.

Pershey looked at her. She lost her joy.

"But he left," she said sadly.

"He will leave you whenever he wants."

She smiled bitterly.

"Why he left?"

"We don't know what's his exact reason for leaving you on stage last night."

She was speechless. A few minutes passed again.

She laughed with laughter along with tears in her eyes.

"What kind of strange laughed," Leighden whispered. She didn't notice Pershey.

Pershey laughed and laughed until her laughter faded.

Leighden stopped and approached her.

She noticed there were tears streaming from Pershey's eyes.

"Oh my Pershey," she said. She rubbed Pershey's face, and hugged her tightly while caressing her back. "Shhhh," she scolded. "He's not yours, don't cry," she rebuked again as she continued to caress her back.

Pershey didn't say a word but she could hear her sobbing.

"Shhhh, don't cry, Miss," she said. "Your tears are not for a man like him, don't cry, don't let it fall again."

Even though Pershey didn't speak, she knew what was on her chest was heavy so she didn't let go of the hug.

"Shhhhh," she scolded again as Pershey sobbed again. "You supposed not to cry."

"Why it hurts? He just leave. He just leave, Leighden, but why it hurts ... though ... he's not mine. "

She tightened her hug even more to relieve Pershey's feelings.

"Oh my dear bestfriend," she said sadly.

"Why did he leave me?" she asked repeatedly.

"I don't know."

"Why I need to feel this? Is this love? I cried because of what I've felt. Why I need to cry?"

"You're loving a wrong person," she replied.

Pershey wiped away her tears first. She slipped out of the embrace.

She went back to bed, sat up.

"You need to take a rest, Pershey. I need to go home."

Pershey looked at her sadly.

"Will you leave me too?"

"N-n-n-no! Hell no!"

Leighden immediately approached, sat down next to her, holding her palms.

"You're love is real," she said softly. "I hope I can make you happy." She bent down to avert her gaze from Pershey.

Pershey removed her hand from Leighden's, touched both of her cheeks, and said, "You always made me happy," she smiled.

"But I want to see you happy with the person you love."

"Love can wait."

She stood up.

"Let's eat?"

Leighden stood up. They left the room together. They went down and out of the mansion.

Outside the mansion there is a hut. There they go.

They sat while watching the star in the sky.

“I hope to see a shooting star,” Leighden asked. She smiled broadly as she stared at the stars.

"What will you wish?" Pershey asked.

"I wish your happiness," she replied, he looked at Pershey, smiled broadly and looked back at the sky.

Pershey smiled.

"I hope so," she replied with a sigh.

"I like this place but I hope it should be on the rooftop for better," she suggested.

"Do you want to go rooftop?"

"No need. Let's just take a rest here. I'm sleepy."

She yawned and blinked more.

"Let's eat first," she whispered.

They went inside and ate. They could not return to the hut when they were both visited by drowsiness.

They went to Pershey's room and immediately went to bed.

Leighden immediately fell asleep due to excessive drowsiness.

Pershey remained awake, sitting next to her.

She kissed her before she stood up.

She walked around her room as if her eyes were searching for something.

She stopped when someone knocked on the door.

"Who's there?"

"Bria," she replied. She opened the door.

She looked at her clothes and the box she was carrying.

She handed the box to Pershey.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Open it."

She has left. Pershey first examined the box before she closed the door.

She went back to bed and removed the wrapping of the box.

She opened it.

"A gown?"

She lifted the purple gown that was still a bit shiny.

She carefully inspected the gown before she put it back in the box. She put it under his bed. She stood up and walked around again.

"Where are you?" she asked weakly. "Oh! There you are."

She picked up the little bottle she had left yesterday.

She looked at it carefully. Her forehead furrowed.

"There's something wrong with this bottle," she commented. When she looked under the bottle it still had dirt.

She took a tissue and smeared the dirt. She returned the bottle and picked up her laptop.

She opened it to find out if her CCTV had been hit with video.

She repeatedly checked to see if anyone had entered her room but she did not see even a single video.

She left the room. She stopped at the door and looked up. She did not notice any change in the CCTV she installed.

She went back to her room and lay down on the bed.

She was about to close her eyes when she remembered the box under her bed.

She picked it up again and opened it. She picked up the gown, she measured it.

"Pretty gown," she said smiling as she stared at herself in front of the mirror.

"Nice gown," Leighden commented so she turned away.

She laughed and nodded.

"Can I be your make-up artist on your party?"

She nodded before looking back in the mirror. She smiled broadly as she held up her wearing gown.

"Are you excited to wear that on your party?"

"50% yes, 50% no."

"I'll distribute your invitation card tomorrow. Will you include Neil?"

She was not immediately silent. She just nodded.

"Take that off, let's sleep."

"Is this beautiful?"

"You're more than beautiful than your fancy gown."

A wide smile drew on her face before she took off the gown. She put it back in the box. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

"4 days left," she whispered.

"Yeah, 4 days left before your party," Leighden replied.

She opened her eyes then she spoke again, "I'm happy. You, Leighden, what do you want?"

"I have a lot of wants."

"What is one?"

"I want to sleep, that's what I want."

They laughed first before they went to sleep.