"I'm back," I said, walking in.
"Testimony, oh my , where were you? I was worried sick about you!" Mrs. Broncos exclaimed, giving me a warm hug.
"Uhmm, I'm sorry. I was about to call you, but a friend called me," I explained, my eyes locking onto Ashly as she walked down the stairs, her gaze fixed on me with suspicion. I felt an surge of anger towards her. How dare she accuse him of something he never did? I need answers.
" at least you should call and say you'll be home late. You got us really worried," Mrs. Broncos scolded gently.
"Sorry, it won't happen again," I apologized, and she nodded, giving me a gentle forehead kiss. "Your dad is at work; he'll be back later."
As I walked upstairs to my room, ashly whispered in my ear, "Friends, huh? Was that friend Slavvy?" I rolled my eyes.
"Maybe," I replied curtly, walking into my room and closing the door behind me.
My eyes felt heavy, and a huge yawn escaped my mouth. I got onto my bed, and my phone pinged with a message from Slavvy. A smile instantly formed on my lips.
"Missing you already," I read, a silly smile spreading across my face as I rolled onto my side, gazing at the message.
"Miss you too," I sent back.
"Wanna go somewhere with me tomorrow?" Slavvy asked.
I swallowed hard. "What!! Tomorrow is school-"
Wait, I have cancer; what does it matter anyway? Delete the message.
"Yeah, sure, but where?" I asked instead.
"You'll see," Slavvy teased, and I looked at the message with a smile.
...
"Testimony, dinner is ready!!" Mrs. Broncos yelled at the top of her lungs, and I woke up from my slumber. When did I fall asleep?
I opened my phone and realized I had accidentally left Slavvy on "seen." Oh no!
"Sorry I fell asleep," I sent quickly.
"Testimony!" Mrs. Broncos called again.
"Coming!" I replied, throwing my phone onto the bed and walking downstairs.
The dinner table was filled with food, but I only ate a little, lacking appetite. Mrs. Broncos began clearing the dishes.
"I'll wash them," I offered, and a smile formed on her face.
As I washed the dishes and cleaned the table, Micheal walked in. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere.
"Hey," he said finally, breaking the silence.
"Hey," I replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
It was the first time we'd spoken since I arrived.
Micheal cleared his throat. "Uhmm, I'm sorry... Sorry, Micheal and I have been so cold and rude to you. The thing is, personally, I think you didn't want anything to do with this family; you just didn't have a choice. So, me and my brother decided to give you some space, and that was really dumb and stupid of us. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I understand," I lied to make him feel better.
Micheal extended his hand for a handshake. "Friends?"
"Friends," I smiled politely.
As Micheal exited the room, Ashly walked in, helping herself to a glass of water.
"You really have fallen for him, haven't you?" she said, and I ignored her.
"Tess, I'm giving you all warnings, yet you still carry on. Stay silent."
I remained silent.
"I'm talking to you, !" Z
She exclaimed, her voice laced with annoyance.
I gave her a death stare, and she was taken aback, looking frightened by my emotion.
"Look, I don't care if he's using me or not, and I don't care what you or anybody has to say about him. I love him very much, and there's nothing nobody can say to change my mind."
"He's going to break your heart," she warned.
"Like how you broke his?" I snapped.
"I broke his heart? What are you talking about?" Zikhona asked, confusion etched on her face.
"Slavvy told me everything, and when I say everything, I mean every single detail. I can't believe you'd do such a thing. You disgust me," I spat, my anger boiling over.
I clicked my tongue and walked away, but she stopped me.
"And, of course, you believed his lies."
"He wasn't lying, ash. You are, and I feel sorry for you because the day the truth comes out, it's going to feel like the world hates you. But it's the consequences of your own actions," I snapped, my voice firm.
I walked to my room, feeling angry and frustrated.
I got onto my bed, took a few deep breaths to calm myself down, but my chest started to close up out of nowhere, and I struggled to breathe. My heart was racing a million miles per hour, and my hands started to shake. Thoughts of death crossed my mind as I tried to calm down.
"No, no, not anxiety. I hate this very much," I whispered to myself, feeling desperate.
I'm okay, I'm okay, in Jesus' name. I repeated the words, but the more I told myself I'm okay, the more my chest closed up.
Dad... I quickly rushed to the door, but I second-guessed the idea. No, no, I'm okay. I'm okay.
I said breathlessly, tears streaming down my face as I cried, seating myself on the floor. Lord, I don't understand why I have panic attacks and anxiety when I pray or try to seek you, Lord. Please forgive me if I did anything wrong, Lord. I begged, crying uncontrollably.
Thoughts of Jesus punishing me ran through my mind. I hastily dialed Slavvy's number but second-guessed it too.
I walked to the bathroom to drink water and came back, laying on my bed as I tried to breathe. A few minutes later, I felt somewhat better; my chest was no longer closing up, but I still had shortness of breath.
Breathlessly, I cried myself to sleep.