Sassy Angel’s Secret Sin
Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(Anj’s POV)

“You should have taken medicine, Angela,” Sister Grace said, her index finger holding my chin as ifbalancing my face. As of my count, she sighed three times already just from studying my face.

Dylan and I had to hurry to take the blankets from the clothesline outside because the cluster of cloudscovered the perfect blue sky, hiding the sun and promising a thunderstorm. We reached the porch justin time for clouds to shower their tears on the ground, but before I could hide from Sister Grace, shehad already opened the door and seen us.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, glancing at Dylan, suppressing a smile on his pressed lips. My eyes narrowedas I watched him continue our work. “Does my hideous face bother you, Sister?” I asked, showing aplayful smile at her.

She scoffed at me, placing her hand on my hair, brushing off the strands on my puffy face to the side,and putting on my blue peacock hair clip.

“Yes and no. Yes, I am bothered, but you’re not hideous,” she said as she placed her hands on myshoulders. The door opened, and Mrs. Antonetta, the culprit, gasped as she saw me.

“Who is this ugly girl, Sister Grace?” The eighty-year-old nursing home resident asked, tilting her headfrom side to side as she tried to recognize me.

Dylan could not help himself roaring with laughter upon hearing Mrs. Antonetta. He shook his head,glancing at me again, winking, and mouthing, ‘Don’t believe her. You’re still beautiful.” I felt the heat onmy cheeks, blushing as he gazed at me.

“Good morning, Mrs. Antonetta!” I greeted her as I helped her step onto the porch, and it was also myopportunity to pretend not to mind Dylan.

“Oh… but you sounded like Angela,” she said, still looking at my face as she sat on the wooden bench.

“Because I am Angela,” I answered, walking toward Dylan and punching him in his arm. “I hate you,” Isaid, frowning at him before taking the book in my bag, but he only laughed at me.

“What happened to you? You can’t go to a party like that,” she said, adjusting her eyeglasses as Ihanded her the book she reads daily.

Sister Grace only looked at me, not saying anything. I know that face, a look that she is still undecidedwhether to allow me to go or not. With my face now, I would rather not go and sulk in my room later.

“Then, I won’t go,” I twitched my lips as I went back to Dylan’s side, helping him fold the other blankets. “I can’t go looking like this, right, Mrs. Antonetta?”

“It’ll wear off later,” Sister Grace said and heaved a sigh. “You know that this is not a children’s party,right? People coming to this place are the same age as Anya or older than her. You’re only sixteen,”she reminded me.

“Seventeen,” I corrected, hoping I was also right.

“She’s a forty-year-old woman in a seventeen-year-old body, Sister Grace,” exclaimed Mrs. Antonettaas she chuckled. “Let this poor girl go to the party.” She turned to Dylan. “How about you, young man?Will you be going to the party?”

He shook his head. “I have to work at the convenience store later tonight,” he answered, glancing atme with a worried look in his eyes.

“You’re all wasting your youth. When I was your age, I would go to every party and enjoy my life,” shesmiled at me, leaning her head toward me to whisper. “And make out to interesting guys. Do you havea boyfriend, Angela?”

When I shook my head, she gasped and chuckled softly.

“Why? Don’t they replace you interesting?” she asked curiously. “What are you doing at that university?Just study? Are there no gorgeous guys in that place?” Although we knew she wasn’t, her eyes wereround, pretending to be horrified.

“Mrs. Antonetta, when Miss Genius here set her foot in the university with Anya and me, she’s onlytwelve,” Dylan chuckled, tousling my hair. I hissed at him, hating him whenever he did it to me. “Notonly she’s young, but every guy is intimidated by her intelligence,” he explained as he leaned on therailing of the porch, crossing his arms to his chest as he fixed his eyes on me.

She nodded. “I’m getting older. I keep forgetting that your brain is bigger than your head,” she grinnedat Dylan, her eyes flickered toward me. “You have to hurry to guard this young lady here. She might betaken away by her alien family. They might realize they’re losing one of their species and take her fromus.”

I pursed my lips but curved a smile when I saw Sister Grace rolling her eyes at her.

“She can’t have a boyfriend until she reaches the age of eighteen,” My legal guardian cut in, but Mrs.Antonietta only laughed at her.

“Angela, don’t be like Sister Grace. All she did was pray, serve, and work here,” she sneered.

“She’s a nun,” I reminded her, picking up the blankets Dylan had already folded and handing them toSister Grace, just smiling at her.

Mrs. Antonetta chuckled, flickering her eyes on her. “I always forget that. Come on, Sister Grace, givethis poor girl a break. Let her brain stop working for a while. Allow her to go.”

“Fine,” she said, kissing the top of my head. “You can go, but you must bring Mrs. Wilbur the flowers forthe offering for the service tomorrow morning. Make sure to bring it later before you and Anya go to theparty.”

My heart leaps, jumping with joy as I hear the answer to the prayer I have been asking for days. Myeyes went round, looking quickly at Dylan to make sure I heard her right. When he nodded, I pressedmy lips, suppressing showing an excited and cheerful smile. She seldom allows me to go anywhere

with Anya except the university, library, or the supermarket, and today was like an upgrade to myboring life.

She was about to enter the door when I called Sister Grace. “Why?” I asked her, suddenly suspiciousand curious about her allowing me to go.

“Consider it my birthday gift to you, Angela,” she answered. “But as I told you, this kind of party is notfor you, and there will be drinking and who knows what else. Don’t make me worry.”

“Pfft! You have nothing to worry about with our little Angel here,” interrupted Mrs. Antonetta. “With thatface, she’ll probably be the number one wallflower tonight, Sister Grace.”

“Ouch!” I laughed, but Dylan only shook his head. “Thanks for the kind words, Mrs. Antonetta,” I said,hiding the sarcasm in my words. “But I was hoping to replace my prince charming tonight,” I joked, causingDylan to raise his eyebrows.

She giggled, gesturing her hand and telling me to come closer. I walked to her side, sat on the couch,and then waggled my eyebrows at Dylan, which he only smiled as we both waited for whatever crazyadvice Mrs. Antonetta would give.

“Take your medicine, Angela. Don’t look like an ugly monkey at the party tonight. Make sure thattomorrow when you come here, I will only hear good news and that you found a boyfriend and had yourfirst kiss,” she giggled as if she were a teenager.

“Mrs. Antonetta, didn’t you hear what Sister Grace said? She can’t have a boyfriend until she reachesthe age of eighteen,” Dylan reminded her, but she only scoffed at him, gesturing her hand, waving inthe air to tell me to ignore him.

I smiled at her, wanting to escape from a topic I dislike hearing from her with Dylan around. “I can’t bereckless.”

Whoever my parents are, I can’t be careless like them. Anya and Dylan knew that I had planned my lifealready, and the only stumbling block I had in my life was the lack of resources and time. I didn’t tellthem I had received scholarships abroad, but I couldn’t leave Sister Grace yet. She is the only mother Iknow, and I can’t be selfish leaving her when I know she needs me right now. She and Aunt Rose aretrying to keep it from us, but we know that Sister Grace is sick.

At eighteen…

Although she has given me the freedom to decide for myself and my future, still, I want to keep mypromise that I will stay with her until I reach the age of eighteen. I heaved a deep sigh, unsure of the

age because I would not leave her as long as she needed me by her side.

When I tilted my head, looking at Mrs. Antonetta, she was smiling at me.

“Sometimes it is nice to have a devil-may-care attitude toward life, Angela,” she said, carefully touchingmy face. “It’s the excitement of doing something without thinking that is fun. Allow your heart to decidefor you once in a while. You will realize that your heart is much wiser than your brain.”

I held her hands. “I will not let my heart decide for me, Mrs. Antonetta.” Not for now.

She poked my forehead. “I’m not asking you to get married, Angela. Just do something crazy once in awhile.”

I rose to my feet, squinting my eyes at her. “Define something crazy, Mrs. Antonetta.”

She chuckled, placing her palm in her heart. “Allow your heart to think, Angela.”

“The bad news is the heart has no brain on its own,” I argued with her, glancing at Dylan, hoping hewould stop me, but he seemed to be enjoying listening to us.

She took a deep breath, raising her hands in the air, showing her surrender. “If that’s what you think,Miss Genius, but FYI, our brain is more stupid than our heart.”

I chuckled, looking up at the sky as I wondered what would make my heart do to make my brain stopfrom doing right.