He figured it would feel weird being the only guy if he went out with the girls, so he bowed out. The girls didn't try to make him stay.
"Are we seriously going to get a spa?" Claire asked again.
Sophia's eyes lit up. "I'll call my mom and tell her I'm sleeping at your place tonight. Let's see if she says yes."
"I'm sleeping over too!" Shirley jumped in before Claire could even say anything.
The next second, both were already on the phone with their families.
"My mom said yes!" they cheered, almost at the same time.
Honestly, when it came to having fun, Shirley always knew where to go. She'd found the spa... and paid for it too.
They even managed to nap while getting treatments. By the time they got home, it was already half past one in the morning.
The city's lights were still blazing outside. It was the holidays, after all.
By the time they finished washing up and crawled into bed, it was nearly two.
Claire yawned. "I'm wiped," she mumbled. She hadn't stayed up this late in forever, and though she'd dozed off during the spa, it wasn't real sleep. Who could actually relax in a place like that?
Back home, she could barely keep her eyes open. She forced herself through her nighttime routine, then collapsed onto bed, not moving an inch.
Luckily, the bed was wide and comfy enough for all three to sprawl across. None of them tossed or turned, so they all slept soundly until almost eleven.
They grabbed a quick lunch around noon. Claire needed to head out for tutoring in the afternoon. Sophia and Shirley knew they couldn't just hang around all day.
Meanwhile, Cindy was stuck at home, sick.
With Claire and Shirley having fun together, people online started going after Cindy even more, and she ended up making herself sick with stress.
That morning, she couldn't even get up, which made Octavia worry.
"Cindy, your face is burning up. You've definitely got a fever. Let me take you to the hospital," Octavia said, fussing around her.
"I told you to go to bed early last night. How did you end up sick?"
"I'm fine, Mom. I just stayed online a little bit, and I guess I fell asleep without noticing. Maybe I didn't cover up properly."
Octavia narrowed her eyes. "What's up with your eyes? They look swollen. Were you crying again?"
She sized Cindy up. "Did you see something online?"
Cindy stared at the blanket. "It's nothing. Claire moved to a new
place, and Shirley went over toolnet
celebrate. They went out together. that's all.
FindNovel.net
she added, voice dropping. "If I
"Claire and Shirley are really c
hadn't come back and ruined
everything, they'd
probably still
best friends."
FindNovel.net
Octavia's expression changed. "That's total nonsense."
Octavia was never this blunt, and Cindy couldn't help looking up at her in shock.
"Honestly, those two used to fight every time they saw each other. Shirley's always been hot-tempered, picking on Claire for no reason."
"Claire usually just ignored her."
"If they're hanging out now, trust me, it's on purpose."
"They're doing it to leave you out."
"I'm going to talk to my sister-in-law about what's really going on!"
"Mom, forget it," Cindy said quickly, grabbing her hand.
"I just wish I could get along with them. No matter what I do, I can't get Claire to like
me. And Shirley... she doesn't like me either."
Sadness filled her whole face.
Octavia's worry only grew.
"What's even fun about hanging out with them, anyway? Cindy, don't feel bad. If you
want to go out, call your own friends."
“Lance just got a club membership recently. Ask him to take you out."
"And York's your fiancé. You could go with him too."
"Honestly, Claire and Shirley keep messing around, their grades are going to slip. You, on the other hand, study hard every day. Maybe you'll even beat Claire in the big exams.