Aria instantly covered her whole face with her hands, too embarrassed to even look at them. Her cheeks burned red; she wished she could vanish into thin air.
Zorvath, on the other hand, was a little startled to see them there—but he didn't lose his composure. Calm and steady, he simply fixed his gaze on the three girls.
Sona, feeling the weight of that intense stare, swallowed hard and quickly blurted out, "We—we're here because she called us! To help with this… with the work!" She waved her hands vaguely toward the furniture.
Zorvath straightened up slowly from the sofa, his expression unreadable. He turned toward Aria, who still hid her face.
"Since your friends have arrived," he said in his deep, even tone, "I'll take my leave."
Without waiting for a reply, he walked toward the door and stepped out, closing it behind him.
The silence that followed lasted only a moment—because the instant he was gone, Sona, Sreya, and Danvy turned toward Aria, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Sona and Sreya immediately sat on either side of Aria, trapping her between them like two detectives about to crack a case. Questions started firing from both sides before Aria could even take a breath.
Meanwhile, Danvy was already wandering toward the pile of items Aria had bought from the market days ago. She dug through them with quiet curiosity, picking up unique pieces, examining them, already imagining how to give each one a perfect finishing touch.
She was half-listening to the chaos behind her, but unlike Sona and Sreya, she wasn't dramatic—just casually aware.
Back on the sofa, however, Sona and Sreya had gone full interrogation mode.
"What were you doing?" Sona demanded.
Before Aria could open her mouth, Sreya grabbed her chin gently and turned Aria's face toward her.
"Are you guys dating?" she asked, eyes wide with excitement.
Aria blinked—speechless again.
"When did you guys start this?" Sona asked immediately.
Aria gasped for air, but before any answer could escape her:
"Are you going to be the new Queen of KHSS?" Sreya added, leaning closer.
"Did Ruby know this? Did you tell her? Or did you two plan not to tell me?" Sona rattled on, offended and dramatic at the same time.
Sreya jumped in again, "So… did you guys kiss?"
Sona followed instantly, "So you're gonna abandon me now?"
"That's it!" Aria finally burst out, holding up her hands.
"Guys! Please give me some space to breathe!"
Then she looked at Sona and sighed.
"And Sona, don't be so dramatic. You've known me for barely a month!"
A small tear suddenly slipped from Sona's eye.
The thing Danvy was holding dropped from her hands in shock.
Sreya gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
Aria instantly froze, confused.
Without looking at anyone, Sona stood up and rushed out of the house, hurt written all over her face.
Aria looked at Danvy and Sreya for a split second—then grabbed her hair sheet and hurried after Sona.
Danvy and Sreya stared at each other, stunned, neither knowing what to say.
After a moment of silence, they exchanged a worried look—then both ran out as well, chasing after Aria and Sona.
Aria's pov ____
I ran out of my house barefoot, my heart racing. The street in front of me was completely empty—there wasn't even a trace of Sona.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed on the road, knees hitting the ground. Tears poured from my eyes like a waterfall.
They must be red and swollen by now.
If anyone saw me like this, they would probably mistake me for a zombie.
But that wasn't the point.
What did I just say to her?
In a single careless moment, I said something I never should have. I always stop myself from speaking when my mind warns me that my words might hurt someone.
But today… in such a light, funny, beautiful moment… I ruined everything.
I hurt her.
Deeply.
And I'm sure this won't be something easy to fix.
When I first stepped into KHSS, everything was new—the walls, the classrooms, the faces.
But everyone there treated me like I already belonged, like I had been a part of their world for years.
And Sona… Sona treated me like she had known me forever. She spoke to me with a warmth and familiarity that didn't match our short friendship of only three or four weeks.
Is that just how she is?
Am I misunderstanding her?
Or… are they seeing me as someone else? Someone they truly admire?
Am I just a replacement?
A dummy piece filling a gap I don't even know about?
While my thoughts spun wildly inside my head, a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I looked back.
It was Danvy.
But… not the Danvy I knew.
Not the tomboyish Danvy.
Not the tough, muscular, nevermind Danvy.
Not the casual, calm, unbothered Danvy.
This Danvy was completely different.
Her eyes were full of worry.
Her voice softened, sweet in a way I had never heard before—almost motherly.
She knelt beside me and said, quietly and humbly,
"I know a lot of things are going on in your mind right now.
But first… come with me back to your house.
It's strange and not safe to sit here like this."
I didn't argue.
I didn't say anything.
I just… listened.
I don't know why her words had so much power over me,
but they made me stand up and follow her without hesitation.
I sat on my sofa. If they're mad at me, I thought, then I'll probably be alone again.
My mind was racing. I don't know why, but the words slipped out of me.
Danvy was holding my mug, turning it in her hands, as if planning to do something with it. Then she looked at me, smiled gently, and asked,
"Are you okay now?"
I stood up slowly.
"Are you guys… mad at me?"
Danvy answered softly, "Of course not."
"I know I made a big mistake," I said quietly. "I said something I shouldn't have. I'm really sorry."
I sat down again, feeling like my bones were breaking.
Danvy walked toward me and held my hands.
"You understood your mistake. That's what I was waiting for," she said. "We're friends. Days don't define our friendship — our bond does. And I always thought you were a brave girl… but it turns out you're actually just a silly, weak, pretty girl."
I looked into her eyes.
She continued, "People make mistakes — everyone does. But friends are the ones who understand that and help correct it. If someone leaves you for one mistake, then what even is friendship? Sreya is with Sona now, and I'm here with you. Once you're okay, and if you want to, apologize to Sona. Clear things."
Danvy let out a small smile. "And stop staring into my eyes like that. She loves you, girl. She sees you as family. We all do. Don't think we're just four- or five-week friends. We're good… best… best friends forever. Okay?"
Her expression, her voice, everything made the tears spill out of my eyes. I cried and hugged her tightly.
After all these years of suffering, I finally found people who loved me, cared for me.
And they were them — my best friends.