Chapter 152
The next day, Zinnia said no to Yannisโs request for her to take the day off and stayed in bed until there were only ten minutes left before she had to rush to school. Yannis made her breakfast.
When she went into the classroom, most of the students were already there. โZinnia, youโre here!โ Maisie called out, ran over, and hugged her warmly.
โMaisie,โ Zinnia whispered, leaning on her as they walked to their seats. Lydia was already sitting at her desk, where a fancy chocolate cake topped with strawberries was waiting.
Lydia had made the filling with cream cheese. She looked at Zinnia with kind eyes and said, โZinnia, hereโs the chocolate cake I promised you yesterday.โ
โLydia, Yannis wonโt let Zinnia have anything too sweet right now,โ Maisie explained. โNo snacks for her these few days. Heโs looking for a special supplier to get her healthy snacks.โ
Knowing how popular Zinnia was at school, Yannis had told Maisie last night to watch her closely.
Lydia frowned with concern. Zinnia tugged on Maisieโs sleeve, looking up at her with a pleading face. โMaisie, Iโm fine. Just a tiny bite. I promise I wonโt eat too much.โ
She thought, โThat chocolate cake looks so good! I want to taste it. No meat last night, and now theyโre stopping me from this little treat too.โ
โZinnia, I really want to give you what you want,โ Maisie said. โBut Yannis asked me to keep you away from these. If I let you, he might get mad. He hits hard after all those years of military training.โ
Maisie couldnโt resist Zinniaโs begging. In the end, she closed her eyes tight, not daring to look at Zinnia. She was afraid that if she softened, Yannis would cut her allowance.
Maisie gently messed up Zinniaโs hair and said softly, โZinnia, once youโre better, I promise Iโll buy every dessert in town and lay them all out for you. We can eat whatever we want, whenever we want. I swear.โ
Zinniaโs face dropped. She gave in as she remembered how scared Maisie was of Yannis. It really felt like she was back under her masterโs strict watch again.
Maisie told Lydia that Zinnia had to avoid sugar, meat, and other things. Lydia listened carefully and remembered every detail.
Lydia gently comforted Zinnia, saying, โIโll make you a lowโsugar treat tomorrow, but letโs skip sweets today, okay?โ
Zinnia was still upset. She thought, โThere are only a few things I really like in life: sleeping, studying medicine, and eating good food. But lately, I canโt sleep well, and I canโt eat what I want.'
โWhatโs wrong? Why does she look so sad?โ Ethan came into the classroom munching on a burger, noticing right away Maisie and the others around Zinnia.
Zinnia scrunched her little face as the smell of meat floated through the air. Her eyes stayed on the burger in Ethanโs hand, wishing she could have just one bite.
โZinnia, want a burger? I have two fresh ones,โ Ethan said kindly, seeing the longing look in her eyes. Anyone could tell she wanted them as he handed them over.
โEthan, take your burger outside. Now!โ Maisie yelled.
โWhatโs happening?โ Ethan asked, surprised. Blocked by Maisie, he could only press his face to the window, looking at the group inside with a confused look.
โDonโt eat that in class, and definitely not in front of us!โ Maisie snapped.
โAlright, since Zinnia wants them, just give her. Iโll go eat somewhere else. I went all the way to buy these. They smell so good. I know Zinnia will love them.โ
Though confused, Ethan followed orders. Remembering how Zinnia had been staring at his burger earlier, he offered them to Maisie to pass to Zinnia.
Maisie snapped, โGet lost, Ethan.โ
Maisie said softly, โOh, Zinnia, Iโll buy you those later. For now, letโs focus on getting you better, okay? Once youโre healthy, weโll have a big feast together.โ
Ethan ate his burgers outside and then came back.
Zinnia calmed down a little. She grabbed a bottle of strawberry milk and took a sip.
Zinnia told herself, โIโve lived like this for over ten years. Just one more year to go, and then I can eat whatever I want. Itโll pass really fast.โ She took a big gulp of her milk.
โAnneโs here,โ someone said. Zinnia, still drinking her milk through a straw, looked toward the door. The first person she saw was William, and next to him was Anne, who had just come out of the hospital.
Anne looked over. Their eyes met, and Anne gave Zinnia a shy smile. Zinnia frowned.
Zinnia looked away and took slow sips of her milk. โEveryone, be quiet,โ William said as he led Anne into the classroom.
Whispers spread as students wondered why Anne had moved to Class 19. They thought, โWhy leave Class 2 for our class?โ After the fight between the two classes, most of the Class 19 students didnโt like Anne.
โEveryone, this is our new classmate, Anne Carson. Letโs welcome her,โ William said. He really didnโt understand why Anne transferred, especially since she had trouble with some Class 19 students.
โHi, everyone. Iโm Anne Carson. I hope we get along," she said softly as she looked around the classroom, but her eyes stayed on Zinnia for a bit.
After everything that had happened recently, Anne appeared much more mature.
A few students clapped. Anne knew she wasnโt really welcome there, but she didnโt care.
William said, โAnne, the only seat available now is the middle one in the back. You can sit there for now, and weโll change the seats after the monthly tests. Is that okay?โ
With the tests starting this afternoon and the weekend in two days, Anne just nodded and said, โOkay.โ She slung her bag over her shoulder and went to the last row. As she walked past the front, her eyes stayed on Zinnia.
Zinnia kept her head down, focused on her comic book. She wouldnโt even look at Anne after their fight. Anne pressed her lips together. โNo way we can just become friends. I better take it slow,โ she thought.
Anne thought sadly, โI made too many mistakes. My judgment about people was too bad.'