Chapter 84. Your Plan

Chapter 84: Chapter 84. Your Plan

Chapter 84. Your Plan

Rosa blinked. She scratched her neck nervously, her eyelids fluttering uncontrollably. A dry chuckle escaped her throat as she shook her head. Her eyes darted from the highway ahead back to Mia, filled with confusion, as if she had no idea where to look.

She could see the deep crease etched into Mia’s forehead. Mia’s jaw was set tightly, her gaze flicking between the road and Rosa at quick intervals.

She hasn’t noticed yet? She thought.

Her stomach twisted. She forced a strained smile and chuckled nervously.

"Oh, sweet Mia," she began.

"Don’t you even think about it," Mia snapped.

The tentative smile instantly died on Rosa’s face. She balled her hands into tight fists and stared out the passenger window, fidgeting as she squeezed her eyes shut. Oh shit, how the hell am I going to do this? she thought, a heavy frown pulling at her features.

"Rosa," Mia said, her voice dropping into a warning. "Don’t you even think of trying to lie to me. I can see the wheels turning in your head."

Rosa closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath, pressing her palm flat against her forehead. This was going to be completely pointless. How could she possibly open her mouth and say, "Hey, Mia, guess what? I was at Mr. Don’s house, and something happened, and he ran away from me. Then I started hearing roars like there was a beast trapped inside the house, so I panicked and ran out, and then the rain completely soaked me, and then Tim was there."

She scoffed inwardly, pressing her palm harder against her forehead. It sounded absolutely ridiculous. Mia would look at her like she was out of her mind. Rosa scratched her neck nervously again, her eyes darting left and right across the dashboard.

"You know what?" Mia suddenly spoke up.

Rosa blinked, startled.

"If we’re going to discuss this, I think it’s better I park," Mia declared. "We need to clear the air. Let’s talk about this properly."

Rosa stared at her skeptically, her gaze flicking between Mia’s sharp profile and the steering wheel, uncertain of what her friend was planning. Mia swerved off the main expressway, pulling the car neatly into a parking spot by the side. The moment she killed the ignition and the engine cut out, she turned completely in her seat to face Rosa.

Rosa froze under the intensity of her gaze. "What are you doing?" she murmured.

"What else do you think I’m doing?" Mia snapped. "I’m trying to talk to my friend."

Rosa blinked once, then twice. A small pout formed on her lips. "So you still recognize me as your friend? Oh, that’s so sweet..."

Mia scoffed, raising a stern finger at her. "Don’t even try to sweet-talk me. Don’t even try to be sweet, missy. I’m not getting distracted for no reason."

The pout vanished instantly. Rosa pressed her lips into a thin line and began nervously playing with her fingers.

"Start talking," Mia commanded.

Rosa ground her teeth together. Squeezing her eyes shut, she exhaled sharply and dragged her fingers through her hair. "It’s really nothing, honest. I just—"

"Why are you soaking wet, Rosa?" Mia interrupted, her voice cutting straight through the excuse.

Rosa tilted her head, scrunching her shoulders up around her neck. Oh God, this is officially the toughest day of my life. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, her mind racing for an answer. Think, Rosa, think.

"So that’s it?" Mia said, her tone laced with disappointment. "You’re really not going to tell me anything?"

Rosa shut her eyes tight, her teeth clenched. "No, Mia, it’s not like that! I really want to talk. I want to say something, but..."

"But what?" Mia snapped. "I’m your best friend! I really do not understand you these days. I wonder when you learned the habit of not telling me things."

Rosa frowned in confusion. "Learned the habit of not telling you things? I don’t understand. What do you mean by that?"

Mia’s voice rose. "You did this exact same thing yesterday! Before you could open your mouth to tell me what the hell happened between you and Mrs. Lee, it took you literally almost an eternity. Then, when you finally spoke and I offered to help, you just pushed me away. Now you’re doing it all over again." She shook her head. "Do you think I’ve already forgiven you about yesterday?"

Rosa blinked, caught off guard. "Mia..."

Mia held up both hands, cutting her off. "You know what? Right now, I’m beginning to feel like I’m pressuring you too much. I’m beginning to feel like I’m intruding on your life. So do you know what? Let me not bother about it anymore. Let me just drive us home and let you be. I think that will be better."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned back to the wheel and restarted the engine. Rosa remained frozen, staring at her best friend in silence. Mia shifted into gear and pulled off the parking spot, merging straight back into the stream of traffic on the expressway.

Rosa closed her eyes and let out a long, heavy breath, pressing her palm against her forehead once more.

"Mia," she called out softly.

Mia kept her eyes glued to the road, refusing to turn.

"I’m sorry," Rosa said.

Still no response.

Rosa sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. "You’re the one being childish right now."

Mia remained stone-faced.

Rosa ground her teeth together. "I’m sorry, okay? Can you please just listen to me?"

Silence.

Losing her patience, Rosa reached out and poked Mia sharply in the side. Mia jerked in her seat, her jaw twitching as she fought back a sudden reaction.

"I am driving, Rosa," Mia said through gritted teeth, clearly trying to stop herself from laughing.

Rosa smiled. She knew Mia’s weakness all too well—her stomach couldn’t handle the sharp jabbing stab of a poke.

"I will do it again if you don’t listen to me," Rosa threatened softly.

Mia scoffed, her eyes fixed on the windshield. "You really do have a death wish, sister."

"Try me," Rosa said.

She extended her index finger and poked Mia right in the belly. Mia flinched hard, her eyes flashing as they darted frantically from Rosa back to the road ahead.

"I am fucking driving, kid!" she snapped.

Rosa couldn’t help the laugh that erupted out of her. Trying to suppress it only made it come out as a snicker, and she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, really? This is some joke to you now, huh?" Mia said.

Rosa folded her lips, trying to look repentant. "Are you going to forgive me?"

"No, I’m not," Mia snapped, though the edge in her tone was cracking.

Rosa closed her eyes and exhaled, looking straight ahead as she fiddled restlessly with her fingers. What do I do now? she thought with a frown. Turning in her seat, she angled her body to face Mia directly.

"Okay, how about this?" Rosa offered. "If I tell you about what is bothering me right now, will you forgive me?"

A flicker of interest brightened Mia’s face. She cast a sharp, squinted glance at Rosa. "Is this supposed to be some trap?"

Rosa chuckled softly. "No, no, no, not a trap. I promise I’m going to tell you."

Mia narrowed her eyes slightly, keeping them on the road. "I’m listening."

Rosa closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. "Okay... so Mrs. Lee called this morning."

Mia raised both of her eyebrows. "And?"

"She called to stipulate remind me about what she said," Rosa said, her voice dropping.

Mia’s eyebrows shot up even wider. "And?"

Rosa gritted her teeth together. "Well... the deadline is tomorrow, so there’s that," she murmured.

"And what else?" Mia pressed.

Rosa looked over at her. "She wants me to meet up with her today in her home."

Mia’s eyes widened in shock. "I’m sorry, what?" she snapped.

Rosa grinned nervously and scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah... she wants me to come to her home."

"And for what purpose?" Mia asked, her tone sharpening.

Rosa closed her eyes and exhaled heavily. "I don’t know. To threaten me all the more? To remind me why I have to listen to her? I don’t know, Mia. My mind is just all over the place. I can’t think. I can’t focus. I’m just..." She stopped talking and sank back hard against her seat.

Mia stared at her with a raised eyebrow before turning her attention back to the road ahead, biting down on her bottom lip. She scoffed and shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, well... this woman sure really does have a lot of nerve," Mia said. "I can’t believe she would actually think of saying that. If she’s calling you to her apartment, I don’t want to assume she thinks you have already agreed to listen to her demands." She closed her eyes briefly and breathed out. "Jesus... I can’t believe this is the family you’ve been stuck up with."

Mia frowned, easing her foot off the accelerator as she slowed the car down, turning to look at Rosa with serious eyes.

"So what do you want to do about it? What’s your plan?"