Chapter 28
Since Jasmine got a phone, Charlene had made it a point to respect her privacy and never sneaked a peek at her messages. But when she glimpsed a message from Vesta, curiosity got the better of her, and she took a closer look.
And that was when she finally understood why Jasmine had been so irritable.
Charlene quickly scrolled through their chat history and saw that Jasmine had been sending Vesta good morning texts. They chatted every day, and their conversations went on for hours.
Hearing the elevator ding, Charlene acted like she hadn’t seen anything and placed the phone back where it belonged.
Picking up her phone, Jasmine saw a message from Vesta apologizing, saying she couldn’t bear to be mad at her and that she hadn’t replied earlier because she was still half asleep.
Reading Vesta’s message brought an immediate smile to Jasmine’s face.
Walking ahead, Charlene glanced back and instantly knew the reason behind Jasmine’s sudden happiness, though Jasmine was too absorbed in her joy to notice.
Once in the car, Jasmine sat in the back, happily texting Vesta. She occasionally peeked to see if Charlene was watching, but noticing her mom was busy driving, she relaxed.
However, since the school was quite far away, their conversation ended after half an hour.
By then, Jasmine was in a much better mood and started chatting with Charlene.
“Mom, are you free this afternoon?” Jasmine inquired.
Without turning around, Charlene responded, “What’s up?”
Jasmine playfully prodded, “Just asking.”
“I’ve been busy recently. Why do you ask?”
Still beaming, Jasmine said, “Oh, nothing much.”
Realizing her mom couldn’t pick her up after school meant she could meet Vesta without worrying about her mom finding out. Perfect! Upon arriving at school, Charlene talked briefly with Jasmine’s teacher before heading to Jasmine’s classroom.
As they approached the classroom, a sweet, childlike voice called, “Charlene!”
Startled, Charlene watched as a little figure crashed into her arms. Instinctively, she hugged the child tightly to prevent a fall. Recognizing the child, she exclaimed, “Sally?” It was the neighbor’s daughter, whom Charlene had saved from a dog attack.
“Yep!” With her cute pigtails and angelic smile, Sally looked incredibly adorable. Charlene couldn’t help but soften her tone. “Oh, Sally, you study here, too.”
Before she could finish, Jasmine pushed Sally away with force.
Charlene quickly caught Sally, asking, “Sally, are you okay?”
Sally nodded, her eyes welling up with tears, not understanding why Jasmine had pushed her. “Why… why would you push me?”
Initially unaware of Sally’s familiarity with Charlene, Jasmine frowned upon seeing their closeness. She scoffed at Sally’s tearful reaction, “So fragile and delicate! It’s pathetic and gross!”
