Sticky Shattered Glass Pieces

Chapter 58: White Lies

"Rachel, tell me where to find the last page?" I asked her sternly. 

"Hand me over the book and I will tell you what I know," Rachel reached out for the book in my hands.

"Rach, please. I have to get the last page of this book and the flower before sunset," I frantically looked at the watch on my wrist. 

"The flower?" Rachel's face wrinkled as she asked me about the flower to me.

"Yes, the goblin...she assumes that we have the flower and the last page of this book," I explain to Rachel who was standing in front of me looking at the book in my hands. 

"You met the Queen Goblin?" Rachel questioned me once more.

I was taken aback hearing that Rachel knew about the Queen Goblin and did not utter any word about it. I clenched my teeth in annoyance. I did not know Rachel would be ignorant about bringing Yoongi back to the real world again. I thought she liked him but I was wrong all this while.

"How did you know she was a queen, Rachel? Do you know anything about the flower and the book?" I interrogated her doubtfully. 

Rachel looked at me in guilt. She knew about the Queen Goblin after she took the book by accident. She met the queen before at the beach and she did not want the queen's wrath upon her once more. 

"Well, the queen was angry with me for taking the book with me. I did not want her to see again and curse me back with bad luck," Rachel pouted in sympathy in front of me. 

"Didnt we go back to the beach to give her back the book?" I squinted my eyes in confusion and shook my head. 

"She told me not to come back again," Rachel blurted out in a pout again.

"I don't care, Rachel. Give me that last page of the book and hand me the flower too if you have it," I sneered at her feeling annoyed once more as I stood up from the bed. 

"No! I won't give away my luck to anyone!" Rachel yelled suddenly as she widened her eyes furiously. 

My heart sank a little but I expected her to reply since she was against me wanting to save Yoongi all this while. 

"Fine, I will just tell the queen about you and you deal with her," I pushed Rachel aside and walked toward the door. 

"You have at least 3 hours to get back to the queen, Ava," Rachel threatened me.

I halted my steps. I looked at my watch again. Rachel was right. I have 3 hours left to find that last page and the flower. Rachel was not a help to me now since she wants the book for herself and became selfish suddenly. I have to find a way to solve the problem myself. 

I turned back toward Rachel and hardly said with a stern voice, "You have been a huge help to me since morning."

"Is that a sarcastic way of saying I am a pain in the ass, Ava?" Rachel smirked at me evilly. 

"Get out, Rachel," I clenched my teeth as I glared at her furiously. 

Rachel sneered at me and then smirked again. This is not the Rachel I know. The flower and the book have changed her completely. Whether there is a way to change Rachel back to herself, I am not sure there is. Since Rachel did not want to help me or herself get out of this sticky situation, I have to help myself out of this hot mess and save Yoongi.

Rachel walked out of the room and I slammed the door behind her. I locked the door and checked the door once more to confirm the door was locked. Door locked. I sat on the bed with the book in my hands. I know the Queen Goblin trusted me with her book and that is why she allowed me to bring back the book. 

"No, I cannot betray the queen's trust and cannot earn her curse as Rachel did before. I have to find the last page of this book and the flower before sunset or not... "

I froze in fear. My heart sank to my stomach suddenly. My eyes started tearing up and I sobbed softly. If this is the only way to protect my love, I am willing to do it for him. Rachel has to face the consequences of betraying the queen's trust. She did not want to be helped, so she has to solve her problems from now on. 

I wasn't thinking straight. Rachel was my best friend ever since high school. How can I leave her just because she doesn't want to be helped? Someone needs to snap her out and bring her back to reality again. It should be me. My heart still did not want to give up on Rachel even though it would take some time to hoax Rachel to give up the page and the flower. 

"I have to try. Rachel is my best friend and she will do the same for me, I know"

I stood up from the bed. I wiped my tears off my chubby cheeks. I took a deep breath and opened the room door slowly. The book was still clutched tightly against my chest as I looked out of the room for Rachel. Rachel wasn't in the living room or her room. I panicked thinking Rachel ran away because of me. 

"Looking for me?" Rachel sounded from the back suddenly. 

I turned around in shock. Rachel's eyes fell once more on the book I was holding against my chest tightly. 

"You want the book, right? Here you go, Rach," I gulped hard as I handed the book to her. 

Rachel reached out for the book and smiled, "You should have given me that when I asked you the first time."

"I was wrong to doubt you, Rach. You were right. Yoongi is not coming back. We should move on," I uttered hoping Rachel will buy the lies from me. 

"The book confuses people sometimes, Ava. Only a clear-minded person would understand what to do with their life," Rachel held the book in her hand and looked at me. 

"Maybe we should find the last page of this book and the flower to complete our journey in our life, Rach," I stammered in fear as I said those words to Rachel. 

"It hurts my feelings when you lie to my face, Ava," Rachel smirked at me suddenly. 

"What made you think that I am lying to you, Rach?" I questioned her confidently. 

"You are not a very good liar. I can see it from your eyes, Ava," Rachel stated the obvious.

Direct eye contact was my weakness when I want to lie. Rachel knows that well. I bit my lips in horror and guilt. I was too embarrassed that I failed again with Rachel that I was rooted in the ground, frozen.