Chapter three: the Extorted agenda
Hello, everyone; it's a nightmare, and welcome back for more of Angelica’s sensations. Last time, we learned that Angelica hid a skeleton of information from Susie. We also found out that during the conversation, Susie noticed that Angelica had changed her story to keep her protected and found out that she was being blackmailed by Brianna, Mary, Kate, and her. Now, you all are probably wondering what exactly went down; let's find out together through a flashback to the very beginning of the story.
The following day, around 8:am, Susie and Angelica Were fast asleep, cuddling each other as Susie had Angelica warp around their arm, enjoying her company. At the same time, she allowed Angelica to sleep peacefully as Susie had after getting a good night’s rest. Susie woke up from her slumber while trying her best not to wake Angelica. As Susie opened her eyes, she started to reflect on the events of the concert; the blackmailing from Brianna, Mary, and Kate watch was very questionable, with unanswered questions since Susie didn’t have enough information yet since she found out yesterday night while Angelica was in the shower as Susie read Angelica’s diary. She started to have a flashback to the day of the blackmail conversation during the Ice London concert, including the Arguments with her mother.
After the disagreement and argument over the Ice London concert that Angelica spent a year on earning enough money for the concert now flushed down the drain, Angelica and her mother continue to argue with each other. The watch turns into yelling as it echoes through the house. Angelica says,” Is that your Answer now, huh? I’ve spent countless hours walking around the house, including my job, earning extra money, talking about going to have to earn it without complaining said Angelica, yelling at her mother. “ first of all, Young lady, you’re not the boss of this household nether going to disrespect me! It’s almost Thanksgiving, and you’ll be at some concert with Susie. I couldn’t care about how much you put in. The answer is no, and that’s my final Answer, Angelica said to her mother angrily. Angelica couldn’t take the yelling anymore to the point where she ran out of the kitchen away from her mother and headed to her bedroom; her mother noticed that Angelica had token walked away from her in mind argument as her mother yelled that she was grounded for whole two months while spending time with her cousins as punishment. Angelica had tears running down her face as she ran up the stairs to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her.
Angelica continued to cry while saying, “ It doesn't make sense to me; I've spent two months of hard work and three months of overtime even through the house. I’m sick and tired of her nonsense arguing for two years straight to hold everything against me, said Angelica as she let out her frustration while leaning against her bedroom door. Angelica continued by saying, “ It won't surprise me that she continues to behave generally towards other people, but when it comes to circumstances involving action, I'm forever to blame when she’s the actual problem. Angelica comments as she walks over to her bedside, lays her back against the bed frame, and continues to cry. She decided to grab her phone from her bed and thought about calling Susie and asking her to come over and save her from this terrorizing nightmare, but she chose not to.
Later that evening, Angelica's phone started Vibrating from a missed text message from Susie while Angelica was fast asleep after arguing with her mother. She slowly woke up from slumber as her cell phone vibrated again, letting Angelica know someone had texted her. She noticed her phone vibrating while she was half awake, so she reached for her phone lying next to her. She checked and saw that Susie had texted her to ask what she was doing and if she wanted to do something together. She unlocked her phone and texted her back by saying.
Angelica: I’ve been lying down after a long day of school and work. My boss sent me home early since they hired new employees, so I napped afterward. Sure, why not? We should probably do something together. It’s Friday, and I could use the fresh air and the wind hitting my face, but I’m surely going to be busy with work tomorrow until I’m told otherwise; but then yeah, let’s hang out tonight just the two of us how does that sound Angelica question Susie waiting for her replay.
Susie: you're laying in bed after a long day of school and work after getting sent home early from work by your boss once he hired new employees? It’s only 5:40 in the afternoon. I understand that taking a nap would help from a rush hour, but I want to be honest. Whenever I question hanging out with each other, I’m always busy with work and school. For example, I don’t have time to hang out; maybe some other time, we don’t see each other as often. Honestly, I feel that you’re just shutting me out, and I constantly feel like you don’t want me around or you don’t want me wasting your time.’
Angelica crossed her legs and felt guilty about the text messages that Susie sent her. After crossing her legs, she started tearing down again and commented, “It’s not that I’m avoiding you nether wasting your time; I’m just trying to protect you from Brianna, Mary, and Kate. They've been blackmailing me since the beginning. I can't get enough of high school, “ said Angelica as she wrapped her teary eyes. I’m tired enough as it is when it comes to dealing with my mother’s actions and being used like a fool; I’m tired of not being understood after explaining myself countless amounts of times where communication turns into drama I’ve been trying for weeks on end that turn into months to figure out how to get out of this situation. Still, the more I try, the more things worsen over time. Sooner or later, whenever the time comes, I don’t know when, but rumors will start spreading throughout the school or around town. It’s just an educated guess; I don't know how to deal with this situation, says Angelica, who uncrossed her legs to text Susie back .”,
Angelica: yes, I've been sitting on my bed since 5:40 pm. Thanks for noticing that I was sitting here. I'm not shutting you out, Susie. I love hanging out with my favorite person who cares about me; having you around my presents brings me joy and happiness, and I wouldn’t tread it for anything else in the world; you are the only person I care about. Okay, how about this? I promise that the next time I'm free from work, we can hang out with each other as much as possible, say, Angelica “,
Susie: Charlotte, the last time I asked about hanging out, you Belled out at the last minute and pretended that you had cheerleading practice after school. It was fitting that cheerleading practice was technically over after cuts and wasn’t letting anyone join the team. I've noticed something was wrong, and that bothers me. Are you sure that there was no suspicious activity said Susie”,
Angelica's eyes widened at Susie's Question about any suspicious activity regarding the blackmailing and the agreements with her mom. She quickly thought of something and commented, “There's no way she’s catching on to this quickly, but what makes it even worse is she's basically catching up on my lies and almost getting close to the truth. It's only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose , and the fact that Susie is catching on is impossible to deal with. I can't allow Susie to intervene nor suspect I'm getting blackmailed, and if they find out of the suspicion that Susie is catching on, they are going to make my life a living hell. I can't jeopardize Susie. She's my world, said Angelica, who was coming up with a plan to cover herself. “
After a few seconds of coming up with a plan, Angelica comments, “Say that there is no suspicious activity and I have nothing to hide. Yeah, it should be enough. Besides, everything is under control, “and starts to text Susie back, “m
Angelica: Yes, I'm sure there's no suspicious activity going on, I promise you. I will also get myself together since we never had the Chance, and you could make up for lost time. Angelica questioned Susie about coming to the house as she waited for her reply.
Susie felt her phone ding from Angelica’s message after waiting for her to reply. She opens up the message from her phone since Angelica had agreed to hang out tonight and stay over at her house; Susie quickly replies by saying, “All right, Charlotte, I’ll see you in five minutes once I finish doing a few things around the house I promised replied Susie as she finishes up.
Angelica: yeah, as promised; see you in five minutes.
Susie: same here. See you then.
After the conversation with Susie, Angelica starts overthinking the situation, thinking about Susie catching on to her lies while getting ready to leave the house. She pushed the thought in the back of her mind as Angelica gathered her stuff, placed her cell phone on the side of her bed, and walked out of her bedroom while sneaking. Angelica carefully walked down the stairs, checking if her mother was around crazy enough; she didn’t hear a single sound. Before she could reach the front door, Robo appeared in front of Angelica as he exited the kitchen.
“Ahh!” screamed Angelica as her robot butler appeared out of nowhere. “Goodness, Robo, you almost gave me a heart attack! Honestly, of all people, I didn’t expect my robot butler to come out of the blue like that. Maybe a warning next time?” she said, catching her breath.
“My deepest apologies, Miss Pickles,” Robo replied, excitedly positioning himself in the kitchen as he faced Angelica. “Hopefully, I didn’t scare you enough to give you a heart attack. I just finished cleaning the kitchen upon your mother’s orders,” he explained, pausing momentarily.
“Orders from my mother, huh? I wouldn’t be surprised; honestly, not the slightest,” Angelica said sarcastically. “But speaking of Mother, where’s she run off to this time? It couldn’t be anything important as usual.”
“Well, Miss Pickles, I could ask you the same question since you’re grounded. However, to answer your question about where your mother has gone, it is completely unknown. She didn’t specify a reason for leaving,” replied Robo.
Angelica rolled her eyes at the reminder that she was again grounded for a month. At this point in her life, she didn’t even care. However, she was taken aback by the information about her mother’s whereabouts being completely unknown. She raised an eyebrow at Robo and asked, “Let me get this straight: after we argued for nearly 30 minutes while I was getting grounded, she decided to take off without giving a reason?”
Robo nodded in response to Angelica’s question about her mother leaving the house without a good reason. “I should’ve known this would happen again. It’s been like this for the past two years—always during a month of grounding. It’s probably none of our business since it has nothing to do with me. Still, if you’re curious about why I was sneaking around the house before running into you, it’s because I wanted to make sure that my mother wasn’t home while I was out with Susie for the rest of the evening,” Angelica explained as she checked her watch, which read 6:09 PM.
Before Angelica could continue their conversation, knocking could be heard from outside the door, wondering who could be at the door in the afternoon.
Angelica confidently approached the front door, eager to greet the person on the other side. She was delighted to find Susie standing there as she carefully opened the door. Susie was Angelica's secret crush, stirring wild thoughts in her mind. Whenever Susie was near, Angelica often found herself daydreaming about her.
Noticing that Angelica had become distracted again, lost in her thoughts without realizing it, Susie broke the silence. She looked stunning in her new outfit: black pants, a blue leather jacket, and matching sneakers.
“Hello, Angelica! Is anybody home?” Susie said, waving her hand before Angelica’s face to bring her back to reality. Angelica snapped to attention as her daydream faded and replied, “Yes and no,” with a sarcastic tone. “The only ones here are Robo and me—my mother took off to who knows where.”
Susie raised an eyebrow at Angelica’s vague response about her mother leaving without a word. Usually, her mother would explain her plans before heading out for business, but this time felt different.
“Let me see if I understand this correctly,” Susie said. “You got sent home early from work after spending a tough hour there, then nearly half the evening lying in bed. I woke you up to hang out, only to find out your mother suddenly left the house without saying where she was going?”
Susie looked at Angelica, waiting for her response. Angelica nodded in agreement about her mother leaving the house and replied, “What more do you want me to say? We argued for thirty minutes straight. I agreed that we could spend more time together as promised, but her leaving the house is none of my business. I shouldn’t have to worry about it. Even Robo told me that she took off.”
Before saying another word, she added, “Was I aware that my mother was still in the house? Yes. Did I know she was going to leave without saying anything? No.”
“All right,” replied Susie. “I’ll believe it for now since this seems quite suspicious, but let’s not worry too much about it. We should probably get going before our evening gets ruined. Besides, we have much catching up to do since we didn’t have much time together.”
Angelica smiled at Susie with excitement, thrilled to finally have the chance to hang out with her crush again. Before they left, Susie handed Robo her duffel bag, which contained her clothes. He took the bag from Susie and watched them go.
Meanwhile, Brianna, Mary, and Kate were in Brianna’s bedroom discussing their blackmail plans. Their goal was to keep Angelica away from Susie long enough so that Susie wouldn’t uncover their scheme too quickly. Mary remarked, “I can’t believe our blackmail plan worked on that clueless fool! But Brianna, how were you able to get through to her?” Marty chimed in, curious about the details.
"Yeah," said Kate, "we're all dying to know what exactly happened besides that you were the one who decided to do this."
Brianna looked at Mary and Kate and said, “It’s pretty simple, my dear friends. I pretended to be friends with her while working on a group project for lab, and she took the bait. The only challenge was getting information from her. Luckily, I didn’t expect her phone to be sitting in the middle of the laboratory table, so I took the opportunity to search through it for any information she was hiding. After a few minutes, I discovered her secret plans for an ice skating event in London and her constant arguments with her mother.
It wasn't until she realized her phone was missing that things escalated. Soon after the lab was finished, I stopped her from leaving and told her everything I had found. I explained what would happen if anyone, including Susie, learned about the blackmail. I clarified that she wouldn't have an everyday life if she didn’t stay quiet. “Besides that, we only have until November 15th to check in on everything and see if she's holding up,” Brianna said with a smile.
Extraordinary, said Marty. “So check up on things around the month of the concert date of the 15th of November. They continue to be jerks, but I’m curious about the whole thing going south. Hear what them Brianna? What are we to do? Question Marty.
“If things go south,” Brianna said, “we can simply impersonate someone else. It should be easy to deceive the victims who have become suspicious of our blackmailing of Angelica. The only people who came close to catching us off guard were those annoying, bratty kids from the technology department, Mrs. Rosenthal, our math teacher, Vice-Principal Estes Pangborn, and Susie, who seems to be developing feelings for Angelica as time goes on. As long as we maintain the façade, nobody will suspect the damage we’ve done or notice the scars. So don’t worry; everything regarding the blackmail is under control. If anyone questions us or asks for information about this operation, we can easily blame the troublemakers, who are already known for their misbehavior.”
“Speaking of those bratty technology kids, I overheard them discussing a plan to create a cheating system to help their favorite team win first place in the Science and Technology project. This was especially concerning since they had overheard our conversation about blackmailing Angelica. I reported them to their professor, and they were subsequently disqualified from the contest,” Kate added.
Mary asked, “What about the math teacher and Vice-Principal Estes Pangborn?”
“The last time I checked, they were both occupied with the diversion,” Kate said. “The teacher and principal are the least of our concerns. I’ve been distracting them from throwing them off their game, and I even mixed up the details about the contest with completely unrelated information about the softball team getting certified compensation.”
Kate and Marty chuckled and agreed they would not tell anyone about the blackmail claims against Angelica. After discussing the blackmail, they promised to keep the others, including Susie, away from Angelica.
Later that night, Susie and Angelica were at the mall's food court, enjoying a pleasant conversation while seated across from one another. They patiently waited for their food as people around them continued their evening activities, walking through the mall. Susie smiled as she noticed Angelica genuinely having the time of her life, especially after not spending enough time together when Susie was in the hospital last school semester with Angelcia.
Angelica tried her best to speak generally as she laughed. "I can't believe that happened," she said, trying to catch her breath between bursts of laughter. "There's no way it took them two years to realize that!"
Susie chuckled in response. "Well, maybe if you paid more attention to your surroundings instead of pretending to be busy all the time with your fake phone calls, you’d learn a thing or two when given the opportunity."
“Let me fully explain myself first,” Susie said, trying to control her laughter. “It’s hurting my stomach!” After relaxing, she continued, “Believe it or not, this event took place weeks before winter break. I overheard a group of students discussing plans to get back at a few people who had wronged them. While their anger was understandable, how they handled it made everything ten times worse.
As I mentioned, I overheard a group plotting about their science fair projects during finals week. The announcements stated that the science fair would be held in the gymnasium. I didn’t question it while I was in science class.
Susie paused momentarily before continuing, “While most of us were distracted entirely, I leaned over to the person next to me and asked why the science fair was taking place in the middle of winter. Shouldn’t science fairs be held in the summer?
“Oh my goodness, Angelica! When I found out the truth about why—” Susie said, trying to hold back her laughter.
“Susie, please don’t tell me what I think you’ll say!” Angelica exclaimed. Susie explained that they decided to hold the science fair in the middle of winter break because someone at the school had sneaked into the science department without being caught by security. This person managed to access a computer and changed the science fair date to winter break because they missed their chance to win first prize after losing last year’s competition. Angelica’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she burst out laughing.
“Pfft, haha! I honestly don’t believe you,” Angelica said, still giggling. “It’s ridiculous to miss another chance at first prize after losing last year. The stupidity never ceases to amaze me,” she added. Unable to contain herself any longer, Susie joined in the laughter.
“I just don’t understand how no one figured this out sooner. It took them way too long to uncover what was going on,” Angelica continued, gradually regaining her composure. “Honestly, how slow can this school be?” she remarked.
“I mean, let’s be honest with each other,” Susie interjected. “We both know the answer. It’s absurd enough to miss another competition, but to sabotage the entire event is just unreal.”
“Anyway, I know we haven’t spent as much time together lately as we usually do after school or on weekends when Mother is away or even when I’m not allowed to have anyone over. But with you, it feels completely different. I want to thank you for taking care of me, Susie. It means a lot to me,” Angelica said with a small smile.
“You’re welcome, Angelica. No matter what happens, I’ll be by your side through the good and bad times. I promise,” Susie replied, glancing at her watch and realizing it was late. “Oh no, I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. I guess we got carried away with our conversation,” she added, looking at Angelica as she awaited a response.
Angelica smiled softly at Susie’s heartfelt words, knowing that Susie would always support her whenever they were together. Before Angelica could respond, she noticed the mall was getting ready to close soon.
“Yeah, it has gotten pretty late,” Angelica replied. “We’ve been so caught up in our conversation! I haven’t laughed that much in a long time. We might as well start heading back home now, along with our food, of course.”
Susie agreed with Angelica, realizing they hadn’t been paying much attention to the time. She stood up from her chair in the food court and grabbed her jacket. “Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s grab our pizza while we still can, and don’t forget your stuff,” she said as she walked to the pizza area to pay for their food.
Angelica nodded as she put on her jacket and called a cab for both. Susie and Angelica had already paid for their food and started walking through the mall doors. Just as they stepped outside, a cab pulled up in front of them.
As they entered the cab, Angelica told the driver her address. The cab driver then asked where they were heading. A few minutes later, the cab arrived at Angelica's house, and the driver informed the girls that the fare was ten dollars.
Angelica offered to pay for the ride since Susie had done more than enough for her the previous year. She spent the driver, and as they got out of the cab, the two girls headed inside the house, ready to call it a night.
On the day of the Ice London concert, which was held outdoors with loud music, Angelica's mother dropped her off at her cousin's house as a punishment for their recent argument. However, Angelica sneaked out to attend the concert with Susie and her older sister, Alyssa, despite her mother's prohibition against attending the event.
At the concert, Angelica told Susie she needed to use the bathroom. Susie quickly realized that only a few restrooms were nearby, except for the port-a-potty area on the other side of the venue. Instead of heading there, Angelica began moving in a different direction, away from the crowd. Susie started questioning why Angelica was going that way and what could be there. Curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to follow Angelica, trying not to be noticed.
Eventually, Susie found a spot to hide behind a group of people. When someone asked her why she was hiding, Susie quickly explained that her best friend was in deep trouble and needed to investigate the blackmail before it was too late. The people kindly allowed Susie to blend in while she listened to a conversation between Brianna, Mary, Kate, and Angelica.
“Look who finally decided to show their face again! We thought you had kicked the bucket and chickened out,” Brianna said to Angelica with an evil smile, eagerly awaiting her response.
"You all are the ones who forced me into getting tickets for this concert. If I didn’t cooperate and follow your orders, this situation would be even more problematic for me," Angelica replied, annoyed by the pointless drama.
"Enough already!" Mary interjected, tired of the ongoing complaints. "Does it look like we care about your complaints, Angelica? No, we don’t. You’re going to follow our orders whether you like it or not, damn it.”
Brianna said, “Of course, we were the ones who pushed you to get us tickets in the first place so we could keep an eye on things and ensure no one interfered with our plans for blackmail. And May is right; we couldn’t care less about your issues with this blackmail, especially after you stole my chance to be the next class president in middle school. You haven’t been very interactive or gossiping about it, Angelica? We won’t let that happen now, will we?” Kate said, waiting for Angelica’s reply.
Angelica tried to hold back tears, doing her best not to show weakness in front of those nearby. She shook her head in denial, knowing it wasn’t fitting that she had always been forgiven for lying about cheerleading practice.
“Wonderful, but remember that we're always watching. If any information leaks out, we will be the first to know and take matters into our own hands,” Kate said as they walked away from Angelica. While they walked away, Susie noticed Angelica’s pain after overhearing their conversation, but little did they know that Susie had heard everything.
*End of the Ice London concert Flashback*
After the flashback of the Ice London concert, Susie couldn’t shake off her disbelief about how much Angelica had continued with the blackmailing occurring since middle school. She was also astonished that Brianna, Mary, and Kate had managed to get away with blackmailing her, not to mention being suspended from school during the semester. Knowing that the blackmailing couldn’t continue, she devised a plan to stop Brianna, Mary, and Kate’s actions but would need some help. While Susie was trying to devise a plan, She noticed Angelica waking up from her sleep, so she acted quickly and fell back to sleep without giving herself away.
As Susie fell back to sleep, Angelica woke up, yawning. She carefully lifted her head to check if Susie was awake. Little did she know that Susie had been awake the whole time before she looked back down.
Angelica began to reflect on recent events. “I haven’t slept well since the blackmailing started in the second semester, especially with the extra shifts I’ve been working. I don’t know how much longer I can endure this situation after nearly stressing myself to the breaking point and experiencing burnout,” she said.
She took a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing, “Over the past few weeks, which have now stretched into months, the intimidation I’ve faced has seriously affected my mental health. I constantly remind myself that Brianna, Mary, and Kate are driving me insane and are responsible for the countless amounts of damage they’ve caused. I’ve tried seeking help within the school, but no matter where I go or what I say, there’s always someone a step ahead of me, anticipating my next move. I just wish this nightmare would come to an end, but instead, it looks like I’ll be forever trapped in this blackmail unless someone or something puts an end to it once and for all.” She gradually provided Susie with the information she needed to confront them. While Angelica was venting about the blackmailing situation, Susie woke up from her feigned slumber. “I never thought I’d share that wonderful moment after yesterday. What are you rambling about, anyway? More importantly, what’s the time?” Susie opened her eyes while stretching her arms.
Angelica began to sit in bed, allowing Susie to stretch her arms. “Oh, I hope nothing important happened. How was your sleep? Hopefully, it wasn’t a problem,” she asked, trying to act casual while waiting for Susie’s response. Angelica added, “By the way, it’s 8 AM.”
Susie stopped stretching and got out of bed, turning to face Angelica with a smile. “Nothing important, huh? If I remember correctly, the only thing that matters is giving the most beautiful and heartwarming girl the attention she deserves. I promised to give her all the affection she needed, starting with breakfast. So you wait here while I make my special girl her favorite meal,” Susie said.
Angelica turned to face Susie, who blushed at her own words. “I’m flattered that you’re giving me this much attention. It’s lovely of you, Susie, but I don’t think—” Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed Susie getting closer to her face and placing her index finger on Angelica’s lips to silence her. I must show love and affection.
Susie told the most beautiful girl right before me, “Charlotte, everything you’ve been through since the beginning of the school year shows that you are a hard-working girl, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.” She took a moment before continuing, “I understand you haven’t devoted much attention to this, but today will be different. You’ve earned a break, and I’ll ensure you get the most out of your school year before college.” She then turned to Angelica, who was distracted long enough to grab her phone from the nightstand without revealing herself.
Susie slowly put Charlotte's cell phone into her right short pocket. Before she could do anything else, she removed her index finger from Angelica's lips and kissed her cheek. Then, she left the bedroom and headed downstairs to make breakfast for her.
Angelica immediately turned bright red and covered her face with her hands, excitedly screaming into them. "I can't believe she kissed my cheek! What could she mean by 'everything you've been through since the beginning of the school year? I'll make sure you get the most out of your school year before college!'" Angelica was overwhelmed, trying to understand what Susie meant, but too distracted by the kiss.
While Angelica was lost in her thoughts, Susie overheard the excitement coming from her. This was perfect; her plan was finally in motion. Angelica was utterly unaware of what was happening and had no idea Susie was onto their plans. "The most important thing is to contact her teacher, Miss Rosenthal, and the principal. They are two of the few people who came close to the truth the last time I checked." Susie thought to herself. "Brianna, Mary, and Kate are infamous for avoiding serious trouble, even though things have spiraled out of control in the last few months. Dealing with her mother is also a real headache. I should focus on saving Angelica first and then tackle the main problem later." With that, Susie started cooking breakfast for Angelica.
Susie was making breakfast when her phone vibrated in her pocket, indicating that she had received a text message. “Who could be texting me this morning?” she wondered aloud. “I highly doubt it’s my mother since she’s on a business trip.” She reached into her fitting shorts pocket with her right hand and pulled out her phone. Upon opening it, she found several messages from Brianna, Mary, and Kate in a group chat and a separate message from Miss Rosenthal.
Susie began reading the group chat messages from Brianna, Mary, and Kate:
“Hey, wakey! We haven't had a good breakfast in quite a while. Can you be a good friend and fetch us something worth eating from Brianna at 8 a.m.?”
“Sorry, but unfortunately, I can’t get you all breakfast this morning due to extra work hours and insufficient staff. I’m exhausted, and I won’t get paid until next week from Angelica.”
“That’s too damn bad! You need to figure out how to get us something for breakfast. Time’s ticking!” replied Mary.
Susie kept scrolling through the messages as the conversations worsened by the minute. By the time she reached the bottom, she realized that there wasn’t much else to see since each reply had been left on read for months. It struck her as odd that the conversation had begun in the second week of September and ended on the 21st. She had barely responded to any of the comments from her friends.
Frustrated, Susie closed the secret group chat and searched for her math teacher, Miss Rosenthal's phone number. After some searching, she found the number and called her immediately.
Meanwhile, inside Miss Rosenthal's house, the math teacher was enjoying her morning with a cup of coffee, wearing her favorite pajamas, and having an excellent breakfast before returning to grading papers for Monday. Just then, she received a call. Miss Rosenthal was sitting on the couch in her living room, watching TV, when she heard her cell phone ring.
"I wonder who could be calling me this early in the morning," she thought as she reached for the phone resting on the couch. After checking the caller ID, she saw Angelica’s name. She picked up the phone and said, "Darling, is everything all right?" She paused, waiting for a response.
"Miss Rosenthal, this is Susie Carmichael. Sorry to bother you this morning at 8 a.m. I’m Angelica's friend who walks her to her first-period math class, and there's something important you need to know about her that involves Brianna, Mary, and Kate," Susie replied.
Miss Rosenthal paused, placing her coffee mug and the TV remote on the table. "Ah yes, Miss Carmichael, Angelica speaks highly of you whenever possible. You're not bothering me at all this morning. What seems to be the problem? How does this involve Brianna, Mary, and Kate?" she asked. "What’s wrong with her?"
Susie took a deep breath and replied, “With all due respect, Miss Rosenthal, The problem is that Brianna, Mary, and Kate have been plotting to blackmail Angelica since the beginning of last school semester, all after she stole Brianna chances of being the next class president in middle school when Angelica won fair and square. And to add injury to insult, she’s been forced to follow their every command without fail as they watch her burn herself completely out, replied Susie in a worried tone. I’m apprehensive about her mental health, both physically and mentally. Is there any way to stop this blackmailing, Miss Rosenthal?” Miss Rosenthal, who was almost done cooking, looked concerned.
Miss Rosenthal couldn’t believe what she was hearing from Susie’s mouth after being told this learning information and hearing about Angelica being blackmailed by Brianna, Mary, and Kate. She quietly collected as many thoughts as possible, knowing that Angelica wasn’t the type to ruin someone else’s life. She was curious about the blackmail situation at first but thought nothing of it after hearing suspicious rumors floating around town, even inside the school itself. She often blamed herself for not taking full action when needed the most while teaching math. Miss Rosenthal knew Angelica's actions, fitting that she took off during a lecture. Still, she didn’t think I’d come to the point of blackmailing and having Brianna, Mary, and Kate take advantage of the situation.
Miss Rosenthal collected her thoughts momentarily before replying, “Yes, I’m not surprised that one of my students would go to such great lengths to destroy Angelica’s reputation over the class presidency.” She continued, “I am aware of her actions and what goes on in my classroom. However, the moment I questioned her odd behavior—why she took off running—it was as if she was scared of someone getting involved.” Miss Rosenthal added, “To fully answer your question, yes, there is a way to end this blackmail.” She paused, waiting for Susie's response.
“Wait, you’re already aware of her actions?” Susie said, her tone surprised. “That’s impossible! Angelica is good at hiding things. But how exactly do you know?” she added, recalling the conversation she had overheard while fishing with the food just before Angelica had called her name from upstairs.
“Hey, Susie! What's the hold-up? I've been waiting for a good 15 minutes. Is everything okay down there?” Angelica called out, sounding worried and eager for a reply.
Susie covered the phone with her right hand after hearing Angelica call her name. She replied, “Yes, everything is okay, Angelica! I promise I’ll head upstairs in a few minutes. I have a special surprise later on today just for you!” Susie was trying to distract her for a bit longer.
“A special surprise later?” Angelica said, sounding very excited about the news. Susie then took her right hand off the cell phone to continue her conversation with Miss Rosenthal. “I’m very aware of Angelica's actions because I overheard a conversation among a few students while teaching. I listened carefully before you hung up the phone with me. I want to know everything from start to finish,” Miss Rosenthal instructed.
“Yes, I understand, but how does this help with her blackmail problem, if you don’t mind me asking?” Susie said, waiting for her answer.
“It’s quite simple. I treat Angelica much differently than how I treat other students. She is like a daughter to me; I care for her deeply. But beyond that, take pictures of every single conversation. Make sure that you go straight to the principal’s office on Monday morning and tell him everything,” Miss Rosenthal advised.
Susie agreed with Miss Rosenthal and promised to hand over the evidence to the principal, who was ready to explain the situation from start to finish. After the phone conversation, Susie ended the call and headed upstairs with the food, putting her phone back into her right pocket.
Hello, my nightmare readers. It’s been a while since I’ve uploaded or even given a single update. Reason why I haven’t posted an update is that Wattpad has been done for more than a while, so I decided to keep writing and wait until chapter three was wholly finished and posted on Tumbler but it looks like everything is back to normal. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. With that being said, see y’all all soon In chapter 4.
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