Florence was deeply sad for the rest of the school day. A heavy dark cloud seemed to hang over her head, making it completely impossible for her to concentrate on any of her classes. She sat at her desk with her eyes fixed on the blackboard, but her mind was miles away, trapped in the terrifying memory of the dark washroom. Scarlett sat right beside her, watching her closely. Scarlett could easily sense that something was horribly wrong with her best friend, but no matter how many times she looked over, Florence kept her lips tightly sealed, refusing to share what had happened.
When the final bell finally rang, signifying the end of the school day, the students packed their bags and headed outside. Florence's father was already waiting near the school gate in his car to pick up both girls. As Florence walked up to the vehicle, her father took one look at her pale, miserable face and immediately sensed that something was troubling his daughter.
"Florence, sweetie," her father asked gently as she climbed inside. "Is everything alright? Did something happen?"
Florence forced her head up and gave him a faint, quick nod. "Yes, Dad. Everything is fine, all good," she lied softly, keeping her gaze directed down at her shoes.
Her father was not convinced by her brief answer at all. He could see the lingering sorrow in her eyes, but with Scarlett entering the car behind her, he decided not to push the matter right then. I will talk to her properly once we reach home, he thought to himself.
Florence and Scarlett both took their seats in the middle row of the car. Throughout the entire ride home, Florence remained completely silent. She stared out the window at the passing buildings, lost in her own troubled thoughts. This was a stark contrast to their morning drive, where both girls had talked and laughed continuously without stopping for a single breath. The heavy, lingering silence inside the vehicle made Scarlett even more suspicious. She knew her friend better than anyone, and she was now absolutely certain that something bad had happened to Florence during the day.
Soon enough, the car pulled into the parking area of their apartment building. They all rode the elevator up, and when they reached Florence's floor, Scarlett stepped out of the elevator to say goodbye before taking the stairs up to her own apartment.
"Bye, Florence," Scarlett said softly, holding the elevator door open for a moment. "I will come down to play with you this evening, okay? And we can complete our homework together as well."
Florence offered her a small, sad smile that barely reached her eyes. "Okay," she murmured quietly.
Florence turned around and stepped into her flat. Her mother was standing in the hallway, wiping her hands on an apron, and greeted her with a warm smile. "Welcome back, Florence! How was your day at school today?"
Florence did not look up. "It was good, Mom," she muttered quickly, brushing past her and walking straight down the corridor toward her bedroom.
Her mother stood in the hallway, watching her daughter's retreating back with a confused frown. It was extremely weird behavior for Florence. Usually, the moment Florence returned home from school, she would chatter nonstop about her classes, her teachers, and her classmates. Today, she had barely spoken four words.
Later in the afternoon, Florence's mother discussed the situation with her husband in the living room. "She barely said anything when she came home," her mother said, her voice filled with worry. "She just walked straight into her room."
Her father nodded in agreement, his brow furrowed. "I noticed the same thing in the car. She was acting very strange and quiet on the way back. I am certain she is hiding something from us."
Deeply concerned, her mother walked down the hallway and knocked gently on Florence's bedroom door. "Florence, sweetie? Can I come in?"
From inside the room, Florence's muffled voice called out, "I am just really tired, Mom. I want to take a short nap right now."
Her mother paused outside the door, sighing softly. Deciding it would be better to give her some space for now, she said, "Alright, darling. Get some rest. We will talk in the evening."
Florence waited silently inside her room, holding her breath until she heard her mother's footsteps fade away down the hallway. Once she was completely sure that her mother was no longer standing outside her door, the heavy emotional dam inside her finally broke.
Florence buried her face into her soft pillow and began to cry uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking the fabric beneath her face. She was deeply traumatized by what her classmates had done to her that morning. The horror of being trapped in the pitch-black washroom, surrounded by cruel taunts and terrifying noises, kept playing over and over in her mind. She felt entirely defenseless and terrified. Her mind raced with desperate thoughts, wondering what could possibly stop her from having to go back to that school ever again. She simply did not want to step foot in that building ever again.
Hours passed, and evening eventually arrived. True to her word, Scarlett came down to visit Florence. After entering the flat with a polite nod to Florence's parents, Scarlett walked straight to Florence's bedroom and knocked gently on the door.
Inside, Florence heard the knock. She quickly wiped the fresh tears from her eyes, walked over to the attached washroom, and splashed cold water over her face to hide the puffiness. Taking a deep breath, she opened the bedroom door.
Scarlett stood in the doorway, taking in Florence's appearance. "Hi, Florence," Scarlett said, her eyes searching her friend's face. "Are you okay now? You were upset throughout the whole day today, and you still look the exact same right now. I want my friend's bright smile back! I really do not like seeing this frown on your face."
Scarlett stepped into the room, leaning in close and persistently asking, "Please tell me, Florence, what happened to you? Just tell me so I can help you out. Whatever the problem is, we will find a solution together."
Florence shook her head, forcing her voice to stay steady. "Nothing happened, Scarlett. I am really just feeling so tired today." She looked down at her hands and added, "I am not feeling very well, so I cannot come down with you to the ground to play today. Tomorrow is Sunday, so I will definitely join you in the ground tomorrow instead."
Scarlett sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly. "Okay, I understand," she said softly. Then, her eyes lit up with a new idea. "If you do not want to go play outside, let's do some painting right here in your room! We can draw together."
Florence hesitated. She was feeling so emotionally drained that she did not want to do anything at all, but she had run completely out of excuses. She knew she could not avoid Scarlett any longer without making her suspicious.
"Okay, take a seat," Florence agreed quietly. "I will go get two drawing books and colors for us to paint."
"Okay! I am waiting right here for you," Scarlett said, sitting down comfortably on the edge of the bed.
Florence walked over to her study desk, pulled out two blank drawing notebooks, and gathered a set of watercolor paints, brushes, and colored pencils. She walked back and set the supplies down between them.
Scarlett eagerly grabbed a notebook and a pencil. "Let's draw a scenery!" she suggested happily. "That is pretty much the only thing I know how to draw nicely and fill with proper colors."
Florence nodded politely. "Okay, that sounds fine."
They both began working on their pages, but as the minutes ticked by, Scarlett began to grow frustrated. Scarlett was naturally a bit short-tempered, and seeing Florence so distant and detached was testing her patience. Scarlett kept trying to make little jokes and small talk, but Florence did not react to any of them. She just sat there, barely moving her pencil.
Unable to hold back her irritation any longer, Scarlett spoke up in a loud, sharp voice. "Florence! Are you even interested in doing drawing with me right now? Since this morning, I have been asking you what happened, but you won't say a single word! You aren't even smiling or reacting to any of my jokes! What is suddenly wrong with you?"
The sudden sharpness in Scarlett's raised voice startled Florence. Her sensitive emotions, which were already hanging by a thread, completely gave way. Tears instantly filled Florence's eyes, and her lip began to tremble.
The moment Scarlett saw the tears welling up in Florence's eyes, a sharp wave of guilt washed over her. She realized immediately that she had made a terrible mistake by snapping at her friend.
"Oh no, Florence, I am so sorry!" Scarlett said hastily, her tone softening completely. She threw her arms around Florence and pulled her into a warm, comforting hug. "I shouldn't have yelled. I'm sorry. Come on, let's just do some painting to change your mood. I remember when I visited your house for the very first time, you told me that painting and baking are two things you love doing more than anything else in the world."
Florence swallowed the lump in her throat and gave Scarlett a faint, difficult smile. It was hard for her to smile through her pain, but she appreciated Scarlett's sweet gesture. "Okay," Florence whispered softly. "Let's start."
Scarlett smiled encouragingly, immediately picking up her favorite bright colors and diving back into her drawing, filling in the mountains and trees of her scenery. But after a few minutes, Scarlett happened to glance over at Florence.
Florence was sitting completely still, holding her paintbrush in mid-air, staring blankly at the spotless white drawing sheet. She looked totally lost and clueless, as if her mind had wandered off into another world entirely.
Scarlett nudged her shoulder gently. "Florence, what are you doing? Come on, draw a scenery and color it! Look, I am already done with half of mine!"
Florence blinked, snapping out of her daze. "Oh... yes," she murmured. She lowered her brush to the paper and began making slow, faint pencil marks, drawing with absolutely no real interest or energy.
A short while later, the bedroom door opened quietly, and Florence's mother stepped inside carrying a tray. On the tray were two glasses of fresh fruit juice and a plate of delicious evening snacks. Seeing the two girls sitting side by side with drawing books open, her mother felt a sense of relief wash over her. She assumed that whatever had been bothering Florence earlier had now passed and that she was feeling much better.
"Here are some snacks and fresh juice for you girls," her mother said with a warm smile, placing the tray on the side table. "Enjoy your time, kiddos!" She gave them a gentle wave and closed the door behind her as she left the room.
The two girls continued painting, sipping their juice between strokes. As Scarlett worked on finishing the sky in her drawing, she looked over at Florence and spoke up brightly.
"Florence, since tomorrow is Sunday, will you come with me to the nearest bakery shop?" Scarlett asked, her voice filled with excitement. "We can eat some delicious pastries together, and after that, we can head over to the nearby mall as well! I will invite a few of my other neighborhood friends to come along too, so you can meet them and become friends with them!"
Florence stopped her paintbrush. The thought of going out, meeting new people, and putting on a happy face felt completely overwhelming in her current state.
"Scarlett, I am really not feeling well today," Florence explained softly, looking down at her paints. "My head is hurting quite a bit, and we also have our school homework to complete. I really just want to rest tomorrow. You should go and enjoy with your friends. Maybe I can join you on some other Sunday."
Scarlett felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. She had been so excited about spending her Sunday with Florence and introducing her to her other friend group. However, seeing how tired and sad Florence looked, Scarlett pushed her own disappointment aside and responded calmly without showing any sadness.
"No worries at all, Florence," Scarlett said sweetly, offering a reassuring smile. "You take a good rest and take proper care of yourself. But just in case you start feeling better tomorrow morning, do join us! We will have a lot of fun together."
Scarlett looked up at the wall clock and noticed how late it had gotten. She put her brushes down and stood up from the bed.
"Take care, Florence. It's time for me to go now, my mom must be waiting for me," Scarlett said gently. She gave Florence a quick wave and walked out of the bedroom into the hall.
Passing through the living room, Scarlett smiled at Florence's parents. "Bye aunty, bye uncle!" she called out politely before stepping through the main door and heading back up to her own apartment.
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Thanks for Reading!!