Angel Full of Flowers

❁ 16 ❁

There was a singular thought that constantly crossed my mind during winter break: I hope Angel is okay.

Even on the ride back to school, all I could think about was him. I clutched the necklace he had given me between my fingers and rubbed it gently with my thumb. The small white petals felt cool to the touch. My anxiety was killing me; I wanted to see him as soon as possible.

When I finally arrived at school, I saw a few girls standing outside the gate, unloading their bags and luggage. As soon as the cab came to a stop, I bolted out. However, as looked in every direction, I could not find the person I was looking for.

Suddenly, I felt a push against my back. "Camellia!"

It was Tulip. Iris followed directly behind her, seemingly out of breath. "Please... never run off like that ever again."

"Hey!" I cheered, "I missed you guys!"

We then promptly gave each other 'welcome back' hugs. As if on cue, Poppy popped out of one of the cars. Once she saw us, she made her way to us and smiled.

"I'm so happy to see all of you again!" She radiated, her cheeks full of color.

We chatted for a moment about we did during the break when suddenly, Tulip asked a question that caught me off guard, "Ooo, did your boyfriend give you that necklace for Christmas, Camellia?" She teased.

I took a step back and nervously laughed. "W-What?! N-No! It was my- uh- my uncle gave this necklace to me," I said, matter-of-factly.

Everyone's face soured. Tulip replied, "I hate to break it to you, but absolutely no girl would ever wear a necklace as proudly as you are if it was an uncle who gave it to them. You totally have a secret boyfriend!" She sang the last bit.

"Oh ho, and when did you become the boy expert?" Iris mocked.

Tulip stood up straight. "I'll have you know, I've had plenty of boyfriends! So many that I can't even remember!"

Iris rolled her eyes. "Mhmm."

Poppy and I couldn't help but laugh. But then I remembered the issue at hand. "Have any of you seen Angel, by chance?"

They all shook their heads. "No, we haven't seen her at all."

My heart sank a little. I needed to find him. Iris suggested, "Why don't we split up and look for her?"

"Good idea," I responded. So we did just that. All of us went our separate ways to find Angel.

It was disheartening when I couldn't find him anywhere at all. None of the others seemed to have had any luck finding him either.

I walked all the way back to the front gates. All of the  other students had already arrived and were now back in their rooms. It seemed as though none of them truly cared about Angel or where he was except for the four of us. What a bunch of phonies.

Suddenly, a glint of golden hair blew in the wind. I immediately turned and smiled. It was Angel.

My smile quickly faded when I saw his expression. He was standing alone, staring at the floor. His eyes were glazed over, almost zombie-like. Angel looked tired.

"There she is! Angel!" Tulip suddenly shouted from behind me and I slightly jumped, startled. At the sound of his name being called, he whipped his head towards us and smiled warmly.

There he was.

We all ran up to him and he greeted all of us. Poppy seemed to be feeling brave today and asked, "Angel, how was your winter break?"