This chapter's quote

This chapter's song

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
by Kelly Clarkson

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone"

***

Alyzza absolutely needs to know what to do now. Thoughts are flowing in her mind to the point that she is unable to control them.

Her argument with Allene has conditioned her mood quite negatively, which means that, hadn't this happened, she wouldn't have been labeled as moody by Annaleigha McCallister.

'But where the fuck can I find Allene? Has she decided to lock herself in her room so that she doesn't see me?' is thinking Alyzza. Allene is not just a friend or a colleague. She is more a sort of life companion for her. Without her, she would be lost sometimes. And, maybe, losing her could have drastic consequences in her life.

So, she starts walking towards Allene's house, which is a nice little detached house in the city center. Her family are wealthy enough to afford one. Alyzza's live in a flat. This is what makes the Leising girl envious.

However, there's no room for envy right now. She must face her friend and mentor. She must prove she is still worth her trust.

As soon as she reaches the little nice detached house, Alyzza rings the doorbell and awaits for an answer. She expects an infuriated Allene to open the door, mutter a couple of stinging insults, and leave slamming the door. But she gets her mother to open instead.

"Good morning, Alyzza," says the latter politely. "Come in. If you want to talk to Allene, she is upstairs in her room." Alyzza follows the woman inside before closing the door behind her. The woman restarts talking. "It's nice that you came and visit to sort things out with my daughter. She is too stubborn to do so herself."

'Typical of hers. Hadn't I had enough sense, I would act like her. But I am not her. I am ME. I am Alyzza. This is what makes me different from Allene.'

However, these words still belong to Alyzza's thoughts and she refuses to express them. Allene's mother isn't the kind of woman who likes too much free thinking. She still believes in solid values.

"Take a seat, Alyzza. I am gonna call Allene now," says at last Allene's mother, before calling her daughter, "Allene! Come here!" Though, she gets no answer.

"Allene!" The woman keeps shouting in an insistent way. "Allene!" But, again, Allene isn't answering.

So, the woman decides to do what a supposedly strict mother would do. Going to her daughter's bedroom, but possibly knocking the door. She isn't frustrated enough to invade her privacy yet.

Meanwhile, Alyzza sits on the leather couch, closes her eyes for a minute and starts wondering whether Allene is planning a sort of revenge on her or not.

***

Locked in her room with her own thoughts, Allene is still thinking of her previous screaming match with Alyzza and now she has to decide what to do with her. To keep her but to watch her carefully? To reduce her wage? To suspend her? Maybe even to dismiss her?

These thoughts are definitely confusing her, and, what's worse, her mother repeatedly knocking the door insanely doesn't help at all.

She screams in turn, "What the fuck do you want? Get the fuck out!" She doesn't even like the idea of her mother infringing her privacy.

However, the woman replies sternly, "Young lady, you have ten seconds to open the door before I ground you."

"Excuse me? Excuse me? Are you going to ground me just because I am looking for fucking privacy? Leave. Now!"

Allene has no hesitation and leaves her room. Her mother is now close to her and is about to slap her face, but the girl runs towards the living room without paying attention to her. She knows her mother. Anything could be enough for her to disown her. 'I couldn't care a fucking less. Who does she think she is, God? I am fed up with all this shit. Let's make a serious decision about Alyzza and my life, there and then. No more jokes.'

Now, Allene is ready to face Alyzza. No more excuses, no more mistakes. She must do this, and now.

***

In the living room, Alyzza is still waiting for Allene to come and torturing herself with negative thoughts. 'She'll hate me forever. I am screwed. I wish I hadn't come here.'

Meanwhile, Allene is walking quickly towards the couch, but noticing her guest takes quite long time. Moreover, Alyzza doesn't make any signs to be recognizable, nor does she say hello. She is waiting for Allene's look to meet hers.

At last, the two of them stare at each other, but in different ways. Allene shows her evident disappointment in her colleague's behavior, whereas Alyzza's look is pretty meaningless and absent. She doesn't know what to do or to say. Though, she knows she is screwed and needs a definitive resolution.

Alyzza then attempts to smile, but finds it too painful and gives up. Then, she mutters an unconvinced 'hello'. At first, Allene ignores her, but then she has a change of heart which forces her into replying back. Lastly, she furrows her eyebrows for a while, like she wants to actually question Alyzza's intention.

In fact, the latter takes a deep breath and starts speaking quite shakily, "How are you?"

Allene is pretty uncomfortable with this question. She merely says, "Fine."

"But what do you mean with fine?" insists Alyzza, but is cut off cold.

"Fine means fine, ok?" Allene's increasing frustration is about to become rage as soon as her face turns red. 'Not a good sign at all,' is Alyzza's guess.

"Ok, Allene, I am not here to argue with you." A huge pause precedes the fatal sentence. "Allene... I am sorry. I am very sorry for what I did." As of now, Alyzza has put her right hand on her heart. Her feelings are so true, or at least in her opinion. She ends up repeating, "I am sorry."

Allene rolls her eyes and it seems as she doesn't even want to take Alyzza's words into serious consideration, though she is forced to do so. Now, she's even more confused than before. Alyzza has just put her into an uncomfortable situation. And this isn't going to help her make her decision at all.

She must get out of that shit, but how? The only chance of doing so may be talking civilly to Alyzza, if the latter doesn't act like an enemy or anyway in a hostile way, like she does when she's very angry.

Allene must pretend to be able to shut Alyzza up. And Alyzza must pretend to be able to force Allene to listen to her.

Continues on the next chapter

***

Special appearance:

Gong Li
as
Allene's mother (no name yet)