She reached her bed as a sleepwalker and threw herself on the bed. Turning her head left she saw roses on the bedside table which Neil had given her. They bent over her almost in the same manner as the one who had given them to her – viciously and inevitably.
"Enough!" She waved her hand abruptly and the vase fell down the floor breaking to pieces. He's at every turn! She pulled the blanket over her head and closed her eyes.
… A sunbeam stroke her eyes mercilessly, and the girl rolled on her side. Sleeping enough was so good. Candy woke up in a great mood.
Putting her legs down she felt the water. Oh, no! She recollected her night feelings.
" I don't want to think about it. I'm tired. I won't be thinking, I don't want to," Miss White was picking up the flowers and drying the floor, persuading herself not to think about Neil.
She was ashamed of herself, her behavior, all her words, all her thoughts for some reason… What a strange feeling. Never before had she felt like a fool as now. She was always pretty sure about her actions, she always did right. Why had she sat in his car? She hadn't wanted to… She did it to spite him and it meant that he turned the trick. Creep!
She should not have been thinking of rubbish like this. Today was her day off as she had worked her shift previous night; it was high time to visit Archie. To see Annie and Archie was a brilliant idea. Tomorrow night she could talk and make peace with Mister Albert.
Candy put the flowers in a different vase, washed up and had her breakfast. Singing in a soft voice she started to dress to visit her friends. Her inner female intuition suggested her to dress more unpretentiously for visiting Archie, not to cause trouble for him or… Annie.
"I'm his friend, and he should know it. Annie is also my little dear friend. It's awful it turned out that way!"
Miss White put on her most poor dress – it was a washed out light yellow garment which lost its' color cause of frequent washing. Candy looked in the mirror, the color didn't suit her at all, her skin seemed pale. The dress was a little too big for her –because of washing as well, and it hid her shape. That was it! Candy habitually made two pigtails, fixed them with a pink band, and went down.
…Smiling the girl passed the hospital hall. At the reception she knew that Archie did better, soon he would be released, and some visitor was seeing him at the moment. No doubt, it was Annie! She was going to see them, to hug them… Hurry up! Candy sped up at first, and then she rushed as she used to rush down the corridors.
Her heart was beating expecting a pleasant meeting, all her worries vanished at once. At that time Annie left Archie's ward, Candy almost bumped her stopping abruptly.
"Annie!" Candy cried at the top of her voice, but then she caught herself. Her friend frowned – she looked worried.
"Candy?" Annie required and her voice froze with dismay.
"What's wrong, Annie?" Miss White asked starting to worry as well. "How's Archie?"
"Archie… " Her friend echoed and stepped back to the door as if trying to obstruct or even secure the way to her sweetheart. "Archie is fine." Annie smiled frigidly. "Candy…" Candy understood that something was wrong with her Annie, she wanted to say something, but she couldn't or she was afraid to.
Silence ensued and Miss Brighton finally spoke. She was speaking quickly as if worrying to stop and never be able to finish.
"Candy.. I… We.. Archie and me – we're fine. I.. Candy, I'm sorry, but I don't want you to meet him. At least now, for a while. I'm sorry!" The girl burst into crying, but her back pressed into the door made it clear she would not let Candy see Archie. That was crazy! What was it?
"Annie…" Candy leaned forward and hugged her friend. "Annie, everything will be as you want it. Believe me."
"I believe you, "- Her friend whispered stressing the last word. "Sorry."
Candy turned away and went down the empty hall. Her eyes were full with tears – she did not have her two friends any more, Archie and Annie were cut off from her. And she did not know the reason… She did nothing wrong! Why couldn't they just stay friends like in their childhood and in their youth?! Why did her life turn to be so complicated? Why was she always losing her loved ones, make an uneasy choice?!
…Miss White did not remember how she got to her work. Having reached the hospital she lost her courage and burst into crying burying her face into her hands. Annie had sent her off! Sent off…
"The girl who never cries is in tears again!" said a sarcastic voice upstairs with a familiar condescending tone. Candy looked up, and through the haze of tears she saw Neil smiling at her, sharp dressed and all over himself.
Caught by sudden self-pity, the girl involuntarily uttered not quite the thing she wanted to say:
"You say you love me… And still you laugh when I cry…"
The tears came back, and she fell silent trying to calm down. But if Candy wanted to give Neil a dig with these reproaches, she evidently failed: Neil sat down beside her and smiled, looking at the crying girl like a peevish child.
"Never trust woman's tears, that's the truth," he expatiated. "They are perfectly okay to be crying just for nothing. I know everything about you, my sweetheart, and I know that nothing terrible has happened today that could make you cry. And if you decided to cry because you've broken your little nail, I can't help you with that, I'm not your domestic henpecked man, who instantly rushes at a breakneck speed at any caprice of yours."
Candy even stopped crying in amazement. What a dead-hearted scoundrel!
"I'm not crying because of my nail," she replied defiantly without knowing why she was doing that. Why would she even answer? But some strange force of controversy or something of the kind made the girl argue with Neil and explain her position to him. "I was upset because my childhood friend kicked me out. She…" Candy started crying again, "she just doesn't want to see me, doesn't want Archie to hang out with me… What kind of madness is this?... Why?..."
Neil put his hand on her shoulders, and some nice warmth ran down her spine. Candy didn't move not to frighten away this pleasant and at the same time scary feeling.
"She is simply jealous of him," responded Neil to this unending torrent of questions, as if everything was clear to him. "I'd say it's not surprising at all, maybe even smart of her."
Candy turned her face to him.
"But it's silly… I would never… And Archie is a decent man. How can she be jealous?"
"Haven't you ever been jealous of anyone, my little wise girl?" Neil smiled. "Jealousy is such an overwhelming feeling that is absolutely out of your control…" he added pensively.
"Stop calling me like that!" Candy shrugged his hand off her shoulders.
Neil raised his eyebrows in surprise and his face become completely boyish.
"Like what?"
"Stop calling me yours!"