3 Chap 2.) Couldn't this day get any worse?

"Open the door, Rony. It's me, Maya. Please open the door."

Rony had run off to the washroom and intentionally locked the door. She stood in front of the antique mirror holding a tissue to her face as she tried to stop the flow of tears, which left wet spots on the material- eventually soaking it.

 "I wanna be alone," Rony-Xue said amidst silent sobs. She supported herself against the sink and stared at her reflection in the mirror, seemingly in deep thought.

 "I can't leave you alone Rony. Someone is coming this way; I think she cares to use the washroom."

 Rony washed her face and wiped it dry. She put on her glasses and composed herself before opening the door. First, she clung to the door handle until she was sure she was fully composed.

Maya came forward and gave Rony a gentle bear hug which remained unreciprocated for a second.

 "Thanks, Maya."

"Don't mention it. What are friends for?"

 "I thought you said someone was coming way..." Rony-Xue asked Maya.

 They looked at each other and their eyes locked in shared understanding. They both chuckled as they walked to class.

 "Oh! Here's your lunchbox." Maya said as she handed it over to Rony-Xue who expressed her sincere gratitude to Maya.

 No sooner had they reached the doorstep than the bell signaling the end of the Math lesson rang.

 "Rony-Xue and Maya..."

"Yes, Mr. Ausi." The duo responded in unison.

 "Follow me to the office." He said.

 "Trouble!" Rony-Xue uttered under her breath.

 Upon reaching Mr. Ausi's office he handed each of them a yellow card and said, "Think deeply before dodging my lesson next time. Stay back after school and sweep the pavement in front of the administration block."

 "Mr. Ausi. It was my fault Maya missed your lesson. She doesn't deserve to be punished. I'll sweep the pavement alone."

 "What are you saying Rony-Xue? Am I not the one who asked you to wait for me to take my medication?" Maya affirmed as she let out a continuous echoed cough.

 Rony-Xue stared blankly at Maya with a confused expression as if to question what she had just said.

 "Ahem! So you were at the dispensary... You can go." Mr. Ausi said. "No. Not so fast I think only Maya was sick."

 "Um... Sir... Rony-Xue had a cough... Then I got infected... Then she got better when she... What I'm trying to say sir is that we were both out of sorts." Maya began to stutter.

 "Just to think of it, you wouldn't be at the dispensary with a lunchbox. You know what... Both of you will clean the pavement after school. Period." Mr. Ausi said sternly.

 "But sir she…. I mean us..." Rony-Xue tried to plead but to no avail.

 "Chapter closed. Clean the pavement after school else you get detained." Mr. Ausi told them.

 They walked out of Mr. Ausi's office sulking.

"What time is it by your watch Maya?"

 "It's half past two O'clock. Wait....What?"

 "What?" Rony-Xue asked.

 "We've missed the History lesson."

 "Couldn't this day get any worse?" Rony-Xue remarked.

 "Well, who likes History with all the cramming it needs?"

 "I do. It's my favorite subject, Maya."

 "I thought English was your favorite subject?"

 "Okay then. History is my second favorite subject."

 "I know you better than you know yourself, Rony," Maya said proudly.

 "Hey. It's four minutes to the end of a History lesson. Let's just go and start cleaning the pavement."

 "Put that thing away first. You don't wanna be seen walking around with it. It's way past lunch hour." Maya told Rony pointing at the lunch box she still held in her hand.

 "You're right. Give me a second and I'll be right back." Rony-Xue opened her wall locker to put her lunchbox. However, she didn't notice a book falling from the well-arranged pile of books above her head. She locked the wall locker and joined Maya who had begun sweeping the pavement.

 "The bell has just rung. Let's hurry up before the pupils begin flocking this place." Rony-Xue voiced.

"You mean before Mei Zhen arrives. Don't you?" Maya asked Rony.

 "Whatever! Let's hurry up." Rony retorted.

Instead of sweeping the whole pavement together, Maya suggested that Rony-Xue go for both their bags from class as she swept the remaining section of the pavement.

 "What took you so long Rony? I've been waiting for you for about twenty minutes now. Don't tell me, Mei Zhen..." Maya confronted Rony-Xue who was heavily huffing and panting air out of her lungs as if she was from a marathon.

 "Don't utter that ridiculous name! I have something interesting to show you. Here." As Rony-Xue began to unzip her bag pack, she saw her mother cueing to her at a distance.

 "Shoot! My mother's already arrived." She said as she hurriedly zipped up her bag.

"Come let us give you a ride home," Rony told Maya.

"Not today Rony. I promised Liam I'd pass by his place after school.

"Liam is back! Why didn't you tell? Anyway, we shall sort this out tomorrow." Rony bid her friend goodbye and ran to where her mother was.

 "How was school today cutie pie?"

"No different."

"Meaning?"

"Good," Rony-Xue said with abrupt ecstasy that erupted from nowhere. "By the way ma, are we going over to pa's place?" She asked excitedly as though she was assured of a positive response.

However, to her disappointment, her mother said, "Not today cutie pie. I have something to sort at the office."

 "I thought you'd promised to think about me going to pa's house after school, ma," Rony retorted in a dismayed tone hoping to change her mother's mind.

 "Yes dear, but that didn't mean I would agree. You see dear, the thing is this. I received a call -as I was coming to pick you up from school- informing me that something important has come up at the office and I have to attend to it." Her mother affirmed her.

 "Is me seeing pa less important?" Rony provocatively questioned her mother who, 'SCREEEEEECH!' brought the car to a sudden halt.

 She stared at Rony, whose gaze was deeply focused on the key in her moist palms.

 "You know I didn't mean that cutie pie. Look at me in the eye Rony and tell me you didn't mean what you just said." Her mother insisted.

"Okay. I didn't. But then again, look at it this way ma. You don't have to stay with me at pa's today. Just drop me off at his place then proceed to the office. I'll ask him to drop me off at your place before dinner. Isn't that better?" Rony suggested.

"Look Rony, I have to go to the office first lest the issue becomes critical. Furthermore, Oliver... I mean pa, is out of town now. He'll supposedly be back by the weekend. Therefore, you'll get to spend the whole weekend at his place. How's that deal?"

 "That's the same thing you say every time." Rony attested as she sank deeper and deeper in her seat. Gloom settled on her shoulders like a black shroud and her eyes glistened with unleashed tears that she quickly blinked away. She sat up in her seat, turned up the vehicle audio, and retreated to her initial position.

She shut her eyes the moment she noticed- through the corner of her left eye- her mother peering intently at her.