Chapter 7

When I got off work that evening, Nicole was already waiting outside the shop to go visit my mom with me. My mom had been feeling a little better these past few days.

"You said you went to a birthday party yesterday," my mom asked from her bed. "So, how was it?"

"It was pretty good," I answered.

"I want Olivia to go to more birthday parties," Nicole piped up, raising her hand.

My mom blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"That way Olivia can come home sooner," Nicole explained.

Yesterday, I thought I'd be out late, but thanks to an unexpected twist, I actually got home earlier than usual.

When I got back, Nicole was still waiting for me. She didn't fall asleep until I was there to keep her company.

When Nicole said that, my mom's eyes filled with concern as she asked, "Did you have fun at the party?"

Whenever someone mentioned a birthday party, I couldn't help but remember how Sophie looked that day, standing right in front of me.

Back then, her fate was hanging in the balance of my decision. After a long pause, I finally said, "I almost made a huge mistake."

"Everyone makes mistakes in life," my mom said gently. "And you didn't actually do anything wrong, Olivia."

In front of my mom, I felt like a little kid again as I asked, "I'm scared I'll make the same mistake next time."

"Now that you know what a mistake looks like, you'll be able to fix it next time," my mom said.

"As long as you're not afraid of messing up and are brave enough to face it, even if you slip up again, keep learning and correcting yourself until you get it right."

My mom's voice was steady and firm. "One mistake doesn't change who you are. What really matters is knowing the difference between right and wrong."

My mom's strong, steady voice struck me right in the heart.

I couldn't help but smile, remembering how Sophie waved at me today. Maybe I really am finally heading in the right direction.

My mom looked at me and said, "Olivia, you've really had a tough time lately."

I smiled and replied, "With you and Nicole by my side, our family together is all I need. It doesn't feel hard at all."

My tone was light as I added, "Plus, you're getting better every day, Mom. You'll be fully recovered soon."

My mom's eyes glistened as she squeezed my hand, gazing at me without saying a word.

*****

Before I left, I went to ask the doctor about Mom's condition.

Mom had surgery before, and the doctor said she could go home once she's fully recovered. There's no sign that things are getting worse.

Hearing that from the doctor put my mind at ease, at least a little.

Maybe those messages were actually talking about Mom's current condition.

When Felix made that suggestion, I really considered using the money to help lighten things for Mom and me.

But those messages made me realize what I was about to do. Now that Mom was getting better, even if things got tough again, I'd never make that kind of choice.

Just in case, I was planning to have Mom go in for another check-up this week.

*****

When I got home, I dug out my old math notebooks from my freshman and sophomore years.

I flipped through them and saw that my notes were really detailed, my handwriting was neat, and everything was easy to understand.

According to the messages, Sophie would be sitting next to Vincent tomorrow. Even though Vincent was supposed to help her with her studies, Sophie still had trouble with a lot of formulas.

If she had my notes, she'd be able to catch up way faster. Giving them to her was kind of my way of making up for what happened yesterday.

They were definitely useful, so I decided to bring them all with me.

*****

As usual, I headed to school and walked into my classroom, where I overheard a few classmates chatting.

"Hey, did you hear? I went to the office today and saw Jacob talking to a total hottie. He's supposed to be a transfer student."

"A transfer student? And he's hot?"

Wait, could this be Vincent from the messages? He was actually here. Looks like the seating chart was about to get shaken up.

I looked up at my seat and saw someone already sitting there. Seriously? They switched seats before I even showed up?

My stuff was still there, too. Couldn't they at least wait for me to grab my things? When I got closer, I realized it was Felix sitting there.

Why was Felix over here? He was talking to Sophie, but she kept her eyes on her book, clearly not interested.

Sophie didn't even look up, ignoring Felix completely.

Felix asked quietly, "Why didn't you wait for me this morning?"

"Henry was worried I'd be late, so he had Lance drive me," Sophie replied.

Felix mumbled something, and Sophie responded with an irritated tone.

"Felix, this has nothing to do with me. It was Henry's decision," she said.

"Everyone knows Henry listens to..." Felix lowered his voice. "Why don't you talk to him? Why should he demote..."

Sophie, sounding hurt, said, "Felix, when I didn't come out yesterday, why didn't you talk to Lance yourself?"

"Henry already fired Lance, didn't he? You can't trust everything Lance says," Felix retorted.

Felix's face turned bright red with anger. I walked over and said, "Felix, don't you have your own seat? Why are you in someone else's spot? Or are you trying to swap seats again?"

"Is this any of your business, Olivia?" Felix shot back.

"Take a look at where you're sitting. If I'm not allowed to talk, then why are you?" I retorted.

Felix was about to say more, but Sophie cut him off. "Enough, Felix. My seatmate's here now. Go back to your own desk. I need to study," Sophie said.

Felix stood up and shouted, "With grades like yours, how many marks do you even get? If you beg me, maybe I'll give you some tutoring."

I was about to sit down, still clueless about what was going on between those two.

Hearing Felix's cocky tone, I couldn't help but say, "Like you're any better. Who are you to offer tutoring?"

As Felix walked away, he muttered under his breath, "Yeah, I'm still better than Sophie."

*****

Vincent was coming today, and he'd be tutoring Sophie soon.

He'd end up schooling everyone, though I wasn't sure if that included me.

[Felix finally realized this place actually belongs to Sophie.]

[As soon as Henry found out Lance didn't pick Sophie up, he fired him on the spot.]

[Sophie usually sticks up for Felix, but after everything she went through yesterday, she stayed quiet and didn't say a word.]

[Lance totally ratted out Felix and his mom, saying the nanny was using the car for her own stuff. Henry cut her pay, and Felix was fuming.]

[Those two were crying and complaining yesterday, but Sophie ignored them. You could really tell yesterday took a toll on her.]

[Vincent's about to show up. Maybe Sophie will start giving Felix the cold shoulder and end up crushing on Vincent instead.]

[Felix spent half the morning riding around in a cab to get to school. He knows Sophie can't help but feel bad for him, so he showed up acting all pitiful, hoping she'd take pity on him.]

From Felix's muffled mumbling, it sounded like he was talking about that whole mess.

Turned out Felix spent half the morning taking cabs all over town. No wonder he sounded totally worn out.

Felix was so worked up and frustrated this morning, but honestly, he brought it on himself.