After heading downstairs, Angel spotted a few classmates she recognized and walked toward them, with Sarah right beside her.
As soon as they got closer, Anna jumped up excitedly.
"Sarah!" she squealed, pulling her into a quick hug.
The two of them hadn't been in the same exam hall, and it showed in the way they immediately started talking—fast, loud, and full of energy.
Angel stood beside them quietly, observing as usual.
Sarah and Anna were the kind of friends who always wanted to be seen. They loved attention, loved doing things that weren't exactly necessary, just to stand out. Expensive-looking clothes, exaggerated stories, showing off—it was all part of them.
Yet, ironically, Angel knew something most people didn't fully realize.
She was actually richer than both of them.
But unlike them, she never felt the need to prove it. She kept things simple, calm, and private. Still, many of her classmates had already noticed. It was obvious in the way she carried herself—quiet confidence without trying too hard.
Sarah laughed loudly at something Anna said, and soon the two of them drifted into a conversation that didn't really make much sense—random topics, half-serious, half-for-show.
Angel sighed softly, not out loud.
She understood them. Maybe more than they understood themselves.
Sarah knew Anna wasn't always the best influence, but she stayed close anyway. She didn't want to feel left out. Angel could see it clearly—through their actions, their choices, the way they spoke.
And because Angel understood people so well, she had learned one important thing:
Keep your distance when necessary.
Anytime they tried to pull her into something unnecessary, she would gently step back. Not rudely, not obviously—but enough to protect herself.
Her mind drifted suddenly.
She remembered a particular day in class.
She had been sitting quietly, reading, completely lost in her book, when Sarah walked up to her and dropped into the seat beside her.
"Angel…" Sarah had said, her tone unusually serious.
Angel had looked up, slightly confused.
"I want to tell you something very important. But you can't tell anyone."
Angel hesitated. Then Sarah insisted again until she finally agreed.
Sarah leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"I went to Anna's house yesterday…"
Angel listened quietly.
"I saw her outside… she looked really tired. Like, exhausted."
Angel frowned slightly but said nothing.
"I asked her what was wrong. She made me promise not to tell anyone too…" Sarah continued.
Angel's grip on her book tightened slightly.
"And then she told me…" Sarah paused, lowering her voice even more. "She met a guy. For the first time. And she went to his place."
Angel's expression didn't change, but inside, she felt something shift.
"She stayed the night," Sarah added. "And the next morning, she went home and told her parents she slept over at my place."
Silence followed.
Angel remembered how she had just nodded slowly, not judging, not reacting too strongly. But deep down, she had understood something important about Anna—and about Sarah too.