Prized Possessions - Chapter 3

The next morning…

"Hi, mom. How have you been?" Margret asked the grave stone that belonged to her late mother. "I'm fine, I guess. Dad is doing just fine. And yes, dad is still working as a police officer."

She was standing there at the grave yard, holding Peter the teddy bear in her arms.

"Mom, I think I'm falling for somebody at my school." Margret admitted. "But, it's complicated because she doesn't feel the same way as I do. I don't know what to do now. I wish you were here with me right now. I need your advice."

The wind blew quietly.

Today was September 29th, 2008. It had been ten years since Margret's mother's passing.

"Yeah, I know. As painful as it is...I have to move on with my life. We're both still doing our best as a family. I've been doing all right in school lately. And I'm feeling a little more independent with Peter here. It's because of your memory that I am able to change physically. But...Now...I feel like...I'm holding back from what I want to accomplish."

Margret looked at the sky in the distance. She could see the sky glowing with the sun's light. It was almost 9:00 in the morning. Almost time for school. Good thing the school building was only 15 minutes away.

"School will be starting soon." Margret spoke again. "Guess I better get going. Thanks for listening, mom. I'll visit you again soon."

And with that, Margret quietly left the cemetery.

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Hilda was at the cafeteria, munching on her blueberry pancakes.

"Hi, Hilda…"Margret walked over to her. She was the shorter version this time. "G-good morning."

"Hi, Margret." Hilda greeted the smaller girl. She noticed some fidgeting going on. "What's the matter?"

"I…don't have my breakfast with me."

"What do you mean?" Hilda asked, slightly confused. "You usually have it packed."

"Some stupid broads took it." Margret explained. "I bad mouthed them for smoking outside of school grounds. Of course, they got annoyed and took my food so they could eat it."

"Gosh…" Hilda chuckled. The blonde girl wasn't going to let up any time soon. Hilda felt even luckier to be this girl's crush. Margret wasn't softening to no one else exception her, in a sense. But, Hilda couldn't just let the poor classmate starve.

"Do you…want to share with me then?"

"I never said that!" Margret turned away, clutching her teddy bear. "B-b-b-but…I'm hungry! So…"

"Take a seat." Hilda said plainly. She scooted over to the left, offering some space. In a split second, Margret sat next to the dark skinned girl. Both girls shared the pancakes half and half.

"So, what movie do you want to see today?" Hilda asked the teddy bear carrier.

Margret stopped eating for a moment and thought about it. "Well, don't try getting me to watch any sappy romance stories. I'm solely into action."

"Really?" Hilda was a little surprised to hear that. "What a coincidence! My aunt suggested we watch this animated adventure movie called 'Juko: the gun mage'."

"JUKO!?" the shorter girl exclaimed delightfully. Her outburst startled everyone present at the cafeteria. Turning red with embarrassment, Margret sat back down, cleared her throat and corrected herself.

"I mean, you've choose Juko, eh? I see. I guess I'll give that a chance."

Hilda had an awkward grin on her face. Was this girl into animated movies?

"R-really? That's good! I'm not into a lot movies myself. But, the movie poster looks hella interesting."

Margret stayed silent, eyes looking at the ground. "Hilda…why are you being so nice to me?"

"What?"

"I treated you and the entire school like dirt most of the time. I confessed to you but you rejected me. On that same day, you discovered my secret. You didn't tell anyone about it. And now you're trying to be friends with me. Don't you dislike me? Don't you think this is kind of awkward?"

In a way, it was somewhat strange to hang out with Margret. But, Hilda managed to figure her out, in some way. Margret didn't have many friends due to her distant and cold attitude. She missed her mother deeply. Hilda wanted to change that by putting effort into creating a bond with her.

"You shouldn't have to be lonely all the time. I'm know it might be weird now. But, trust me…you won't regret anything."

Just then, the bell rings, meaning that school has begun.

"Well, breakfast is over." Hilda said, throwing away the left overs and getting up from her seat. "All right, then. What time will you meet me at the cinema?"

"I…don't go to work or anything so...5:00pm sounds good." Margret answered.

"Awesome, I'll meet you there after school. And make sure you know what to wear, too!"

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After school...

Margret's father, Adam, was right in the middle of going through police work. When all of the sudden, Margret burst through the door.

"What should I wear to the movies?!" the girl demanded.

The middle aged man was baffled by the abrupt outburst. Papers were all over the floor. "Damn, what's got you all pumped up, Margret?"

"I'm meeting someone at the movies." Margret replied. "I don't know what to wear."

"Wear anything." Adam answered.

"Jeez, thanks!"

"Are you going on a date?"

Margret blushed red all over the place. "Excuse me?! N-no way!"

"Your expressions tell a different story."

"Hmph, some help you are, dad." Margret huffed and left the man's room.

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Outside the movie theater...

Hilda was awaiting for her classmate for ten minutes. The girl had on a purple shirt underneath a purple jacket. She wore a grey pleated skirt and brown shoes. Margret was supposed to show up at the movies on the dot. It was almost 5:30pm.

"For crying out loud. What's taking this girl so long?"

"Hey, Sorry I'm late."

Hilda jumped, almost spilling her water bottle. "Ugh! Margret! You just had to show up here late, huh?"

The dark skinned turned around to face her infamous classmate. She was caught off guard with what she saw. Margret, without her teddy, walked delicately towards Hilda. She was wearing a long red jacket, with a black shirt and black boots.

"Hi, there." The taller Margret said, sheepishly attempting to smile wider.

Hilda, like before at the house, couldn't help but stare once again. Her classmate was in her appropriate age this time. The other girl was surprised by this. Margret was revealing her true self in public. It felt so unreal, how quick these sort of things were progressing.

"Do you have a problem with my choice of clothing?" The other girl asked, titling her head to the side.

"Oh, nope! Not at all." Hilda said, rubbed the back of her neck.

Wow…it looks like Margret's really trying hard to soften up to me. And she looks awfully cute in that outfit. Well, I guess I'll let her tardiness slide for now.

"Where's Peter?" Hilda asked jokingly.

"He's at home." Margret replied, keeping her purse close to her. "Why? Are you disappointed?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Good. Now, then, I think we've wasted enough time outside." Margret said haughtily. "Let's get going."

Both of the girls were inside the theater. Since their movie didn't start until six o'clock, they decided to buy some snacks along the way.

"Okay, so, I'm getting popcorn and a soda. Margret, what would you like?"

"I guess I'll have some M&Ms, pocky, popcorn, and diet sprite if they have any."

Hilda nodded. "I'll be right back."

Hilda came back with the goodies and saw two girls standing in front of Margret. They looked like the bullies that the other girl had told her about.

"You look familiar, girly." One of the trio said staring at her with dull eyes.

"Yeah, you look like that mouthy bitch with the teddy bear from our school." Said the second bully.

"So what if I was?" Margret asked, glaring at the duo of bullies.

"If you were that tiny bitch," said the first bully "we probably would've told you how delicious your breakfast was. Thanks for sharing by the way. You seem to be good at cooking for yourself."

"Well," Margret glaring back at them. "I'm sure THAT girl would be glad to know that."

"Hey, what's going on here?" Hilda demanded, passing through the two other girls. "Renee. Nancy."

"H-Hilda?" The two girls stammered. "We were just messing around with this pretty girl here."

"More like bothering her to me." Hilda said coldly, glaring daggers at the duo. "I won't tolerate any more of your antics. I suggest the both of you leave before I force you to."

Renee snorted. "Whatever. She's no fun anyway. Nancy, let's get out of here."

"Hmph, better watch yourself the next time, Hilda." the second girl spat before following.

Hilda and Margret watch them leave.

"Are you okay?"

"I had everything under control." Margret said, looking down at her snacks.

Hilda placed her hand on the taller girl's shoulder. "Margret, I told you before, right? You shouldn't have to deal with things alone at times."

"Sorry. Force of habit, I suppose."

"Anyways, let's hurry!" Hilda said, looking at the clock. "Juko is almost starting."

"Ah!" Margret took a mad dash to the hallway. People were being pushed aside everywhere.

"Hey, wait!" Hilda shouted towards her. "We need to buy tickets first!"

Hilda wasn't a fan of anime movies or shows. The reason being was that they projected images of characters that were unrealistic. They were an opposite of reality. However, by looking at Margret in her mature form, Hilda realized how foolish that was to think about. Margret herself was like an anime version of a young woman, too perfect to be real.

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Afterwards, the two girls left the theater.

"Wow, what an amazing film that was, eh?" Hilda said. She was surprised at herself that she found it very entertaining as well.

Margret was shaking. Not from anger, but from building delight.

"Hey, Margret? Hello?"

Seconds later, she went into complete fan girl mode. "Oh my goodness! That was awesome! Did you see the part when Juko fought with her assassin and used her special bullets on the machines? And that one scene when Juko and her guardian Kwan were at the-!"

Suddenly, Margret caught herself."Ahem!" she corrected herself again. "The movie wasn't that bad. Let's do something different next time."

Hilda struggled to contain her laughter. It was evident that Margret really did like animated movies. Maybe she was a fan of them. Of course, the other student wouldn't really admit it upright.

"Hey! W-what's so funny?" Margret demanded.

"You really like anime, don't you?" Hilda asked, giggling.

Blushing with embarrassment, Margret tensed up defensively. "Yeah, I do. So what?"

"It's not a bad thing. I find it cute that you keep denying it."

"So…" Margret relaxed. "So, you don't think I'm weird or anything?"

"Not at all." Hilda smiled. "I'm really glad that we're hanging out like this. You're a neat friend to have."

Margret's eyes went wide with surprise. "F-f-f-friend?!"

Hilda nodded. "Yeah, we're friends now, aren't we?"

Margret let that sink in for a few moments. She was starting to have an actual friend and Margret didn't realize it until now. This made the honey brown haired girl unexpectedly happy. Without any second thoughts, she gave Hilda hug.

"Whoa!" Hilda nearly fell backwards on the concrete.

"Thank you!"

"F-for what?!" Hilda was taken aback by the hug but stayed still.

"What do you think?" Margret continued. "Thank you for accepting me this far, of course! The only person I could trust was my dad. And now, I'm starting to realize now that…"

Just then, she looked at Hilda. She was slightly close to the other's face. Her light green eyes were shining with the moon lit night.

"Margret…" Hilda blushed softly. "It's probably because of the moonlight. You look even prettier than before."

C-crap! Where the hell did that come from all of a sudden? I sound so cliché.

"Um, sorry." Margret noticed the other girl's discomfort and released her. "Anyways, thank you for today. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You're welcome." Hilda said. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No. I'll b-be fine by m-myself." Margret replied before running away.

Once the taller girl left, Hilda let out a huge sigh. It was a long day. But she did have a load of fun with Margret.

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The next day…

Hilda dropped her face on the desk. She had just went through a four page exam today. She was feeling quite worried, since, she didn't do a lot of studying. Hilda was just glad it was finally over. She turned around and saw mini Margret, humming softly.

She seemed content with herself for some reason. Perhaps Margret did a lot better than Hilda in the first exam.

"Well, you seem to be in a cherry mode today." Hilda said, grinning at the unsuspecting girl.

"Eh? Oh, well, I slept better last night."

"I'm glad you did. By the way, how did you do on the first exam?"

Margret thought about for a moment and replied. "I'm going to ace it."

"Really? You're that confident?" Hilda asked, titling her head to the side. "I expected you to say some negative response. I'm impressed, Margret. You're actually putting in some effort in school."

"I'm...I'm tired of being a delinquent." Margret quietly admitted. "I want to change...so...I'm willing to make a difference one step at a time."

"Margret..."

Suddenly...

"Hilda!" shouted the homeroom teacher. "Your aunt is in the hospital!"

Everyone present in class were alarmed by the news. The dark skinned girl jumped up from her chair. "What?!"

"She had a heart attack. The hospital is asking for you to come see her."

Hilda was at a shock for words. Her auntie was in the hospital and she needed her help. The adult never said anything about being sick before. What was going on? Her mind was a mess.

"What should I do? I have to head on over there! But…the council meeting is today…!"

"Go to her." Margret sternly told the anxious girl.

"Huh?"

"Hurry up!"

"Oh, right…" Hilda shook off from her daze. She grabbed her back pack. "I-I'm going!"

Without another word, Hilda took a mad dash out of homeroom to the hospital.

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Miriam Hospital…

A worried Margret went to the fifth floor and proceed to walk down the hallway to the intensive care unit. She stopped when she spotted two figures in the distance. The person standing up was Hilda.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Hilda exclaimed with anger. "Why is SHE here? Why were you visiting her for?! You weren't suffering from a heart attack! You tricked me!"

"Honey…"

"Honey, my ass!" Hilda yelled at the older woman sitting in front of her. "I can't believe you would lie to me like that! I was worried, you know! I demand an explanation!"

Whitney took a deep breath and began to speak in the gentlest way possible. "Hilda, she was the one who had a heart attack, not me. But, you're so stubborn at times and I knew you wouldn't listen if I told you the truth. So, yes, I was lying to you. But, I did that for a reason. I wanted you to see her."

"Whitney…!" Hilda bit her lip, looking down on the floor. "Whitney, do you think I want anything to do with that woman?"

"No, I don't." Hilda's aunt answered. "I know you've held a grudge against both your parents since childhood. And it's bad enough that your father is in jail. But, you see, it was her last request. The illness is taking its toll on her. She doesn't have much longer to live. That's why..."

Hilda froze like a statue, raven orbs went wide with shock, anger, and…confusion. She wasn't expecting this at all. This whole situation was destroying her comfort zone. What the hell did this mean? It couldn't be. No way… This has to be a sick joke.

"W-w-who cares? I don't, that's for sure!" Hilda said, devastation and disgust laced between her words. "T-t-that woman is an absolute stranger. She means nothing to me. She's not my mother!"

"Hilda." Whitney said sternly.

"Auntie, that woman abandoned me and forced you to take care of me. She never cared about you! She didn't want to take responsibility for anything! And now what? Now that she's on her deathbed, she expects forgiveness from us? That's a load of bullshit!"

"Enough!" Whitney shouted back as she stood up. "I've already decided. I'm going to visit my sister daily at this hospital and spend time with her every chance I get. To allow someone to die all alone would be too cruel of a fate."

Hilda shook her head, placing both hands on her aunt's shoulders. "No! You can't do that. I don't want you to! Let the nurses and doctors deal with her! She's not our problem."

"I'm sorry, Hilda. But, this is what I want to do."

Hilda turned around, fighting back tears. "Fine. Go ahead then. I-it's not my problem!"

Whitney sighed and walked back to the room where her sister was staying at.

Hilda began to walk away as well until she seen Margret. Judging by the shorter girl's sad and sympathetic expression, it could only mean one thing. "Oh, let me guess…you've heard all of that just now?"

Margret nodded slowly. the other girl chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, Whitney found some woman here. Turns out, she's suppose to be my mother. Who would've thought? I'm the daughter of a prostitute and a drug dealer from the ghetto."

"Hilda…"

"I'm not dealing with this." Hilda said, mentally exhausted. "If only I had normal parents for a change."

"My mother..." Margret began.

"What?"

"My mother passed away at this hospital, too."