Charissa and Karina's Bittersweet Arrival

Somewhere in America, Charissa and Karina were enjoying themselves.

Four days have passed since they left home to explore a different country. Charissa and Karina were having the best of times, which is something they were unable do as teenagers.

But back home, Michelle and I had not spoken since the unfortunate incident involving Jenny. Not even Kyla, Ella nor Francesca dared to communicate with me.

The only person I could relate to was Carson, whom he rescued me from certain death last Sunday. However, our personal communication was few and far between as he focused on his thesis.

Tuesday night, I commuted back to Cathy's majestic home on a local taxi. Upon arrival, however, my money was not enough to pay the fare.

Luckily, Cathy stepped in and paid the remainder of the bill. Then as I walked inside the house, my phone suddenly rang.

Charissa was calling me from a long distance. But fear and anxiety set in and I quickly hung up the phone.

My mother desperately tried a few more times to contact me, to no avail. She then used social media but I promptly ignored her messages.

At that point, I walked up to the bedroom and started crying. The screams were so loud that it forced Cathy to come upstairs.

"Christine," she yelled. "What's with all the constant screaming?"

Upon arrival, Cathy saw me holding a pillow and in tears. She cradled my head and embraced me like a little child.

"What's going on with you?" Cathy questioned.

"Aunt, no one wants to talk to me anymore," I reacted dejectedly. "My heart has been broken into pieces."

"Christine, you're just overreacting," Cathy commented on my tantrums.

"No seriously," I replied back. "Just ask Michelle."

At that point, Cathy convinced me to narrate the moment Michelle stopped talking with me. Along the way, tears continued to pour out of my eyes.

"But do Karina and Charissa know this?" Cathy asked suspiciously.

"I don't want to talk about it," my immediate reaction to her question. "It's just between Michelle and myself, nothing else."

"Keeping a secret is not that easy, Christine," Cathy commented on the matter. "Charissa is your mother and you know it. So go talk to Charissa and spill the beans."

"But Karina might expose that out as well," I reacted back. "She might overhear it."

"Like I said, go talk to Charissa and carefully sort it out," Cathy responded. "Karina and Michelle can settle their issues by themselves, so stop worrying about them."

After a heartfelt embrace, Cathy closed out the lights and I fell asleep. The following morning, she drove me to school and upon arrival, my phone suddenly chimed in.

Charissa: "Hello?"

Christine: "Mother? Oh I'm sorry for defiantly refusing to acknowledge your calls. It's been a difficult few days for me back here."

Charissa: "I understand how you feel right now. But don't worry about it. Tomorrow your mother will be arriving home so wait for me at the airport the next morning, okay?"

Christine: "But mother..."

Charissa: "Christine, we'll sort out your personal problem once I arrive. For now, focus on school work."

Christine: "Okay then mother."

Later that afternoon, as I checked on my blog, Francesca suddenly appeared and looked intently towards me. But I immediately turned my back on her and promptly issued a stern warning.

"If you're conspiring with Michelle, please leave me alone. Better find other people to work with."

"If this is between you and Michelle, that's no longer my concern," Francesca shot back. "I'm only here to help you."

"Leave me alone!" I angrily responded. "Talking to you is not on my vocabulary right now so please walk away!"

Francesca reluctantly left while I started typing some words on my laptop. Unfortunately, writing a new blog entry became extremely emotional of a task and it was left unfinished after only 200 words.

There were no classes the next day. At the airport, Cathy and I waited anxiously for Charissa to arrive.

Just then, Michelle parked her car a few meters away from Cathy's. She did not bother glancing towards me and focused instead on Karina.

As the two mothers arrived, Michelle and I suddenly looked fiercely at each other. A catfight ensued and it took a while before Karina and Charissa forcibly restrained us.

"What happened to both of you?" Charissa questioned angrily. "Your friendship was supposed to be formidable, and now this is what you repay us?"

"Shame on you two," Karina reacted on the matter. "Even I couldn't believe what happened."

Karina and Charissa opted to ride a taxi on the return home. Michelle immediately sped away while Cathy and I immediately followed.

Later that night, I sat inside the bedroom waiting anxiously for my final grades. But just as the numbers were finally released, Charissa suddenly appeared via Skype.

"Christine, I am ashamed and disappointed at your behavior this morning," she angrily opened. "You better tell me the real score between Michelle and yourself, or else I won't move with you back home."

"Mother, it was my fault," my head bowed in shame while speaking with Charissa. "It was me who betrayed Michelle in the first place."

After recounting the terrible incident between Jenny, Kyla, Michelle and myself, Charissa lowered her head and started crying.

"Why did I let my daughter down like this?" she tearfully wondered. "If only Karina and I never left home."

Dejected, Charissa turned off her Skype and left the conversation. Just then, the grades were finally revealed, and I was relieved to have passed all subjects.

But there was no celebration nor a sigh of relief. All it mattered was the shattered friendship between Michelle and myself.

All night long I tearfully looked at the photo albums and reflected on the good times between the two of us. But with each passing photo came the realization that a once-formidable friendship was now a distant memory.

At that emotional moment, my phone chimed in and out came a text message from an unknown source.

"Christine, I hope you and Michelle enjoy each other's company. Oh wait: You two don't even talk anymore."

I presumed it was Jenny who delivered that hateful message. Because who else can successfully terminate a friendship in the blink of an eye?

At last, first term came to a close. But my personal problems have only begun.