"Anna, calm down..."
"He was only able to challenge Mr Anderson because he was Kayden... Audrey because of his actions I would have forever lost the man I love, are you aware of this so why on Earth should I be calmed about this?" Joanna shouted and squatted with her hands placed on her head.
By this time tears had already welled up in her eyes.
"For years I have tolerated everything he and his family threw at me. I was super obedient like a loyal slave in my own home. Drey, I have never wanted or expected anything from him so why the hell did he do such a thing to me?" Joanna, whose tears had begun falling from her eyes yelled, her hands clutching her aching chest.
Audrey sprang up from the couch and crouched beside Joanna when she saw her break down in tears.
"Anna, I am not saying you shouldn't confront him...,"
"Does he hate me to the extent that seeing me happy irks him? Is that why he wants to crush me totally by taking away the one thing I have ever loved and desired with all my heart?" Joanna sobs further as she grabs Audrey's hands tightly.
"Anna, please don't cry anymore hmm? You know I won't be able to stop myself from crying too if you are this way," Audrey cooed. She drew in and embraced Joanna whom she could tell was in severe pain.
Anyways, who in her shoes wouldn't be mad if her father threatened the man she loves; especially a father who has never acted like one?
"What crime did I ever commit to deserve such treatment from them?" Joanna choked on her words as her tears flowed more.
"Sshh... it's ok, Anna," Audrey coaxed. She rubbed her back affectionately with hopes that her tears would stop flowing.
After so much coaxing and pampering, the emotional Joanna stopped crying. She went into the bedroom and freshened up.
Audrey waited to hear her mention confronting Mr Anderson again but she didn't utter a word about their earlier discussion.
"You are leaving already?" Audrey asked the lady who was making her way towards the entrance.
"What about breakfast?... Also if you still want to confront Mr Anderson for what he did to Amos, I can follow you," Audrey offered, as she stood up ready to follow Joanna wherever she wanted.
"I don't have the appetite... and I can handle my issue with Mr Anderson just fine...,"
"But...,"
"Don't worry about me. And I am gonna be late for my rehearsals if you stop me one more time," Joanna joked to Audrey's astonishment.
But she ignored the fact that Joanna smiled since she could easily see through it to be fake.
"You are going to campus?" Audrey asked, her doubtful glances fixed on Joanna's face.
"Weren't you planning to confront Mr Anderson so how come you are going to campus now... are you by chance lying so I won't follow you...,"
"Of course not," Joanna interjected.
"Raymond barely had time to spare for himself not to talk of joining our rehearsals. It's rare for him to have free time and that is why I want to seize this chance so we can have a general performance..." Joanna let her words linger as she guided her hands into her blue denim trouser pockets.
"Who knows when he is gonna have another free time like this? Besides I can always deal with my problem with Mr Anderson some other time," Joanna said cool-headedly.
"You made the right choice, Anna," Audrey muttered. She raised her right hand and tapped Joanna's shoulders.
"I am so glad to see you finally returning to the coolheaded Anna that I know," Audrey complimented.
"Hmm... I am happy to hear that although I can't say the same about you," Joanna mumbled. She playfully brushed Audrey's hand off her shoulder.
"I have always been this way so what do you mean?" Audrey asked. She didn't forget to flip her hair with a smug look on her face.
"Yeah, you have always been this one daring girl just like you are right now... but you smell like someone else," Joanna whispered and pulled away in an instant.
"Hey, what do you mean?" Audrey retorted as she wrapped her hand around her chest.
"Next time make sure to take a shower before you come back home because I can practically guess what transpired between you last night..."
"Anna!" Audrey called and immediately cupped her flushed face with her hands.
"You know your best friend is single and yet you dared to return this way... was it your plan all along to make your single best friend jealous and feel lonelier?" Joanna teased.
"You know that is not true," Audrey said in her defence.
"I was worried you might search for me after you woke up, that was why I rushed here without having a bath," Audrey was dense enough to explain further. She wasn't aware that Joanna was only teasing her.
"You are such a lucky bitch that you don't have to worry about getting pregnant unlike me," Joanna said and strolled out of the house.
"Anna..." She was forced to pause after she realised that Joanna was gone from the sitting room.
"Things indeed got out of control and I had to crash over at the club last night but why did she have to bring up pregnancy?" Audrey grumbled.
Her face turned beet red when she recalled the steamy night she and Kyle had at the club.
If only Kyle didn't seduce her when she wanted to leave then she would have returned home and she wouldn't have been teased so badly by her heartbroken best friend.
"Since I got teased because of what he did I guess it's only fair I take my revenge later on right?" Audrey giggled thought of carrying out the devilish plans on her mind.
In the rehearsal room, although Joanna tried hard not to let her problems affect her performance, those who paid close attention to her the previous day would have noticed the difference in her mood.
Apart from her mood, even the way she handled the rehearsals was different from the previous day.
"Hey, what the hell is wrong with her?" Derrick, who had noticed that something was off about Joanna, nudged the guy by his side.