Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Upon arriving at the hospital, Ariana entered Helena's room and saw her mom fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, she quietly left the room with Anika.

"Shoot, I left my brother alone at home," Ariana realized. She couldn't believe she had left Mike at home alone and needed to get back.

"No worries, my dad picked him up, and I'm sure they are having a wonderful time," Anika reassured her.

"Really?"

"Yeah, so where are we going next?"

"To Annie's house. I want to apologize to her," Ariana explained. Xavier drove them to a bakery to get a peace offering, as suggested by Anika. Afterward, Xavier dropped them off at Annie's house, with Anika carrying Annie's shopping bags and Ariana holding the cake they had bought.

Ariana rang the doorbell, and when Annie opened the door and saw Ariana, she scoffed and slammed the door shut in her face. Jessica, Annie's mom, opened the door again and welcomed Anika and Ariana inside.

"Afternoon, Jessica," Ariana greeted with a smile.

"Afternoon, dear. Sorry about Annie's behavior," Jessica apologized.

"She has every right to be mad at me. Where is she?" Ariana asked.

"In her room," Jessica replied.

"Thanks," Ariana said, and they headed to Annie's bedroom. The door was open, and they walked in. Annie was lying on her bed, staring into space. Anika tapped on the door to get her attention.

"You forgot your clothes," Anika said, dropping the shopping bags on the floor.

"Thanks," Annie replied, avoiding eye contact with Ariana. Ariana sat on the bed, holding Annie's favorite blueberry cheesecake.

"Peace offering," Ariana said, feeling guilty for hiding everything from her best friend. "Annie, I am so sorry. I should've told you everything from the start. I won't hide anything from you ever again, I promise." Ariana tried to appear sincere, giving her best puppy-dog eyes. "Please forgive me. I miss you already, please." Ariana begged, continuing with her feigned tears. "Please forgive me, boo. You know I can't live without you. I'd rather die than lose you," she added.

"Stop it, stop this emotional blackmail of yours," Annie said. She wanted to laugh because Ariana was doing a terrible job at acting, but she managed to keep a straight face.

"It's true," Ariana sniffed.

Annie stared at her for a moment, contemplating whether to forgive Ariana or not. After a while of thinking, she finally smiled.

"Of course, I forgive you, dummy, mostly because you bought me my favorite cake. But I can't stay mad at you," Annie said, hugging Ariana. "But if you ever do this again, I am going to kill you," she threatened with a serious expression.

"I won't," Ariana promised.

"You guys are so cute," Anika cheered, feeling happy for them. She wished she had friends like them.

"Get in here," Annie said, and Anika joined the hug. They had dinner at Annie's place before leaving. As they were about to go, Anika and Ariana laid on Annie's bed to relax for a while.

"Gotta go, girl. Mike must be waiting for me."

"Home? You'll be living with my brother," Anika teased.