Angel Full of Flowers

❁ 24 ❁

Angel was avoiding me.

It had been nearly a week since the beach clean-up. Any time I tried to spark up a conversation, he would always turn away. I made a mistake. Oh, how could I be so stupid! Things were fine and now I had completely ruined it.

Of course he didn't reciprocate my feelings! I don't blame him.

"Camellia, are you okay?"

Poppy had been trying to get my attention for a while now. We were both studying in the library for our midterm. I had been completely wrapped up in my own world this entire time, that I had forgotten about what happened with Poppy's confession.

I replied, "Yes, sorry, I'm fine."

She went back to working on a set of calculus problems for practice. I went back to doing some of my own. If Poppy didn't want to tell me why she had a change of heart, I was not going to force her to. She would eventually tell me on her own, hopefully.

No matter how many problems I did, it still did not take my mind off of Angel. Had I shattered our friendship? At the time, I couldn't help myself. It just felt... right. My emotions were at an all-time high and it just seemed like the perfect time to let him know. There's a part of me that doesn't regret it. If I just continued to bury my feelings deep down within myself, I was sure I would've exploded, one way or another.

No Camellia! You cannot let this get you down! I will do everything in my power to stay by Angel's side, whether if it's just as friends or more.

As Poppy and I stood up to go get something to snack on, my gaze immediately fell upon Angel, who was coming into the library with Chrys. They were laughing. My heart shriveled.

For some stupid reason, my first instinct was to hide. I quickly plummeted towards the ground and crawled under one of the many tables.

"Um, Camellia?" Poppy ducked her head under the table and gave me a worried look. "Is everything okay"

I looked at her and replied with an uncertain smile, "Uh, I-I just thought I felt an earthquake. But I think it should be fine now so I'll get out."

Slamming my head hard against the wooden table, I blurted out, "Ow!" Everyone who was in the library turned to face me. I was completely embarrassed as I rubbed the top of my crown. Then Angel's eyes caught mine and I blushed. He immediately looked away.

"Camellia? What were you doing under the table?" Chrys chuckled.

"Oh, um, hi! Um..." I stammered to get out a coherent sentence. This was not how I wanted things to go. I kept glancing at Angel.

"There was a mini earthquake. Right, Camellia?"

Poppy had miraculously saved me from embarrassing myself further. I nodded.

"Hmm, I didn't feel anything. Did you, Angel?" Chrys turned to him. He shook his head, still not saying a single word. I could not stand his silent treatment.

"We were going to go get some snacks, would you like to join us?" I said rapidly. The words just fumbled out of me, like as if I were possessed by some otherworldly spirit.

Angel finally looked at me. His eyes oscillated, almost as if he was not sure of what I would do next, and surprised at the fact that I had asked in the first place.

Chrys told us that she would not be able to join us, as she was a tutor and was going to help a student with their physics homework. Poppy said she would be going to the bathroom and would meet up with us later. Which left me and Angel to go together.

I fidgeted with my thumbs as we walked in utter silence. Occasionally, I would sneak glances at him, wondering what he could be thinking about. As we finally got to one of the many vending machines scattered throughout the school, I pulled out some money and accidentally dropped it all over the floor. Coins rolled away and bills blew in the wind. Can this day get any worse?

I scrambled like an idiot to pick up everything when I suddenly heard Angel scoff. I snapped my head to look up at him and he was dying of laughter.

"You always know how to crack me up," he said as he wiped away a tear. He's finally talking to me!

I quickly stood up and smiled. "Does this mean we're still friends?"

Angel's eyes were kind as he looked at me. "We were never not friends," he immediately looked away, "but... I'm just... thinking about it. My answer."

For a split second, I saw him blush. My face softened and I couldn't help but fondly smile. "I'll wait for as long as you'd like."

It didn't matter to me how long it would take for Angel to give me his answer. I knew he'd been through so much, especially when it came to his past relationship, so I would never push him or pressure him into anything. However, it was reassuring knowing that he could potentially feel the same way towards me. I had never felt this way about anyone before. It was an indescribable feeling, but the only thing I could compare it to was the way the trees with flowers blew in the wind. The petals would float away in the breeze and gently land on the floor—it was beautiful.

°°°

Days went on as regularly as one could imagine. The trees were slowly starting to grow back their verdant leaves and the flowers were blooming once again in the garden. Change was a magnificent thing in life. Looking back from just a few months ago, I was keen to believe that I had grown mentally into a new person. No longer would I judge others based on their appearances and first encounters. Everyone should be given a chance.

Well, not necessarily everyone.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late!" I whispered to myself as I ran down the long corridor on my way to the biology club.

Iris had given me the task of fetching the lab equipment for today's meeting. We were planning on showcasing a new experiment. However, I had foolishly left my room a tad bit too late and was now carelessly running towards the classroom. I was coming up quickly to turn around a corner when I suddenly crashed into someone. Why do I keep crashing into people?!

"I am so terribly sorry!" I blurted as I tried picking up some of the lab equipment I had dropped on the floor.

"No worries," she replied, "let me help you with that."

She smiled brightly as she gently placed loose strands of long black hair behind her ear. I had never seen her before. Or, had I? She seemed vaguely familiar.

"Thank you!"

As soon as we had placed everything back, I quickly stood up. She did the same, and I immediately noticed that she was around the same height as Poppy, perhaps a bit taller.

"Oh, I apologize, I didn't even introduce myself!" She extended her hand. "My name is Hyacinth, Hyacinth Walsh."

I smiled. "My name's Camellia De Leon," I attempted to shake her hand the best I could while simultaneously holding the box of items, "it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Likewise," Hyacinth smirked. Her eyes were very dark, almost hypnotizing.

"Well, I better get going. I'm already late for my club meeting..." I tried to slowly walk away from our conversation. If I continued to make small talk, I would never hear the end of it from Tulip.

"Of course, I hope we meet again soon, Camellia."

I wryly smiled. For some reason, the way she said my name gave me the creeps. It was as if she had known who I was for a long time. Someone from my past? No, impossible.

I sped walked away and forgot this conversation ever happened. There was something about her that I couldn't quite shake off. What I didn't know at the time, was how she would potentially unravel my deep and darkest secret.

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