As the cab pulled up to the university, Mrs Crownwell prepared to exit. Before she left, she turned to Snow and asked, "I would like to know your name, dear. You seem like a lovely person, and I'd love to know more about you."
Snow smiled and replied, "I'm Snow. Nice to meet you."
Mrs Crownwell's face lit up with a warm smile. "Ah, Snow, that's a lovely name. I'm so glad we met. I'm Mrs Crownwell, but you can call Aunty Camilla. Some people call me Camilla, but anyone is fine."
Snow teased, "Okay, but if I should happen to see you again, can I call you Auntie Camilla?"
Mrs Crownwell laughed and replied, "You can call me Auntie Camilla anytime you see me, dear. I'd love that."
Snow smiled, feeling a sense of connection with the warm and lively woman. "I'm glad we met, too," she said. "You're really nice."
Mrs Crownwell's eyes sparkled with warmth. "Thank you, dear. You're very kind. I hope we run into each other again soon."
As Mrs Crownwell closed the cab door, Snow instructed the driver to continue to the police station.
The cab pulled away from the curb, leaving Mrs Crownwell to disappear into the bustling university campus.
Snow watched her go, feeling a sense of gratitude for the unexpected encounter with the warm and lively woman.
She smiled to herself, feeling a sense of connection with Mrs Crownwell that she couldn't quite explain.
As the cab drove away, Snow couldn't help but wonder if she would ever see Mrs Crownwell again.
She hoped so, feeling a sense of comfort and connection with the woman that she hadn't felt in a long time.
___
As soon as Mrs Crownwell stepped out of the cab, her son William was there to greet her with a warm smile and open arms.
"Mom, you didn't tell me you were coming!" he exclaimed, clearly delighted to see her.
Mrs Crownwell laughed and hugged her son tightly. "I wanted to surprise you, sweetie. Where's Oliver?" she asked, looking around.
William replied, "Oliver's upstairs, taking a shower."
Mrs Crownwell's face lit up with excitement. "I've missed you guys so much! The house has been so boring without you."
William chuckled and said, "Well, you and dad could always have another child."
Mrs Crownwell playfully rolled her eyes. "Are you teasing me right now?" she asked, laughing.
William quickly reassured her, "No, mom, no! I just really miss you a lot. It's been too quiet around here without you."
Mrs Crownwell smiled, feeling happy to be missed by her son. "I've missed you too, sweetie. I've been counting down the days until I could come back and see you guys."
As they walked upstairs to William's suite, Mrs Crownwell asked her son about his day, eager to catch up on everything she had missed.
"So, how have you been, sweetie? How's school?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.
William smiled and began to fill his mom in on all the latest news and gossip, happy to have her back home.
"School's been good, mom. I've been keeping busy with classes and stuff. But I've missed you so much. It's not the same without you here."
Mrs Crownwell listened attentively, asking questions and making supportive noises as William talked.
She was happy to be back with her son, and she was determined to make the most of their time together.
"I brought home made meals.." Mrs Crownwell spoke as they walked the stairs.
"Mom, I've told you countless times. I'm in University now!" William tries to correct his mom but she just wasn't listening.
"That doesn't mean. You and Oliver won't eat good meals." She declared not wanting to argue further not do William cause He knows he would always loose to her in that aspect.
°°°°°
As Mrs Crownwell entered the suite, she was greeted by William and another young man she hadn't met before. "Oh, what's this? What's this hot deck?" she exclaimed, eyeing the stranger with a playful smile.
William chuckled and introduced the young man. "Mom, this is Leo, our roommate."
Mrs Crownwell's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry, that's our roommate Leo?" she repeated, trying to play it cool.
"You're quite the charmer, aren't you?" she teased, winking at Leo.
Leo smiled and nodded, looking a bit embarrassed but also pleased by the attention.
Mrs Crownwell began to ask him questions, trying to get to know him better. "So, Leo, what's your story? What brings you to this lovely university?"
Leo answered politely, trying to be friendly and welcoming. "I'm just a junior, majoring in business. I'm really enjoying it so far."
Mrs Crownwell nodded enthusiastically. "That's wonderful! I'm sure you'll do great things. You seem like a very driven young man."
Just then, Oliver emerged from his room, looking a bit disheveled. "Oliver, darling!" Mrs Crownwell exclaimed, rushing over to hug Oliver. "I missed you so much!"
Oliver smiled, trying to hide his sadness. He had just woken up from a huge lie, and he wasn't in the best mood. "What are you doing here, Aunt? I didn't expect you today."
Mrs Crownwell smiled. "I came to surprise my sons! I missed you guys so much. How have you been, sweetie?"
Oliver shrugged, trying to muster up some enthusiasm. "I've been good, Aunt. Just busy with school and stuff."
Mrs Crownwell nodded understandingly. "I know how that is. But I'm glad I got to see you. I was just talking to a lovely girl in the cab on the way here."
William teased her, saying, "Oh, here we go again, mom. Now you've met another nice girl that you want us to know."
Mrs Crownwell laughed. "No, no, no! This time, she actually attends your school, and I want one of you to get to know her."
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "That would be William, Aunt. He's the one who's always interested in women."
Mrs Crownwell smiled. "Oh, honey, is everything okay? You seem a bit down."
Oliver shrugged. "Violet and I broke up, that's all."
Mrs Crownwell's expression turned sympathetic. "Oh, I'm so sorry, honey. I thought that hideous deck was something else entirely."
The group laughed, and Leo asked, "You and Violet broke up?"
Oliver nodded, and Leo pretended to be sympathetic. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dude."
But Mrs Crownwell wasn't fooled. She knew that Leo was just being polite, and that he didn't really care about Oliver's breakup.
She patted Oliver's arm reassuringly. "Don't worry, sweetie. You'll find someone else. And I'll make sure to keep an eye out for you."
Oliver smiled wryly, feeling a bit better. "Thanks, Aunt. I appreciate it."
As they chatted, Mrs Crownwell couldn't help but notice the tension between Oliver and Leo.
She made a mental note to ask William about it later. For now, she was just happy to be with her sons again, and to see them happy and healthy.
>>>>
Snow walked into the police station, ready to pay her fine and collect her car. She approached the counter and met a lady who instructed her on where to go to pay the fine and collect her vehicle.
Just as Snow was about to leave, a policeman recognized her. "Wait a minute, aren't you Vice Mayor Daniel's stepdaughter?" he asked, looking at her with newfound interest.
The lady at the counter looked up, surprised. "But sir, she violated the rules," she protested.
The policeman waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, no, that doesn't matter. You have to let her off with a warning," he said, his tone firm.
Snow's eyes narrowed. "Wait, what's going on here?" she asked, her voice firm. "I don't want any special treatment. I just want to pay my fine and collect my car."
The policeman smiled condescendingly. "Don't worry, cupcake, you're free to go. Consider it a favor from your stepdad."
Snow's eyes flashed with anger. "Don't call me cupcake, Or else you wanna take a real life time cupcake to your daughter at home" she snapped.
"And I don't want any favors. I want to pay my fine and collect my car, just like anyone else."
The policeman's smile faltered, but he tried to recover. "Okay, okay, no need to get upset. I'll just...ah...waive the fine this time."
Snow's voice rose. "I don't want you to waive the fine! I want to pay it. And I want a receipt. Now."
The policeman looked taken aback by Snow's outburst, but he quickly composed himself. "Okay, fine. I'll collect the fine and give you a receipt."
As the policeman processed the payment, Snow's anger simmered just below the surface. She was furious at the attempted bribery and the policeman's condescending attitude.
When the policeman handed her the receipt and her car keys, Snow took them without a word. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Next time, do your job properly. If you're hungry for bribes, find a better job. And stop protecting people who think they're above the law."
The policeman's face turned red with embarrassment, and he looked away, unable to meet Snow's gaze.
Snow turned on her heel and walked out of the police station, leaving the stunned policeman behind. As she walked away, she could feel the policeman's eyes on her, but she didn't look back.
She got into her car and started the engine, feeling a sense of satisfaction at having stood up for herself. She knew that she had done the right thing, and she was proud of herself for not backing down.
As she drove away from the police station, Snow couldn't help but wonder what other people would do in her situation.
Would they take the easy way out and accept the fine, or would they stand up for themselves like she did?
She shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside. Everyone seemed to be getting on her nerves this week.
She wondered why she left her cold week.
***
Snow walked into her suite, looking forward to some peace and quiet after her encounter at the police station. She was surprised to find only Minnie there, lounging on the couch.
"Hey, Minnie," Snow said, dropping her bag on the floor. "What's up?"
Minnie looked up from her phone and smiled. "Not much, Snow. Just chillin'. Where have you been?"
Snow shook her head. "Just dealing with some drama at the police station. But I'm good now."
Minnie raised an eyebrow. "Drama? What happened?"
Snow sighed. "Just some cop trying to give me special treatment because of my stepdad. But I wasn't having it."
Minnie nodded approvingly. "Good for you, Snow. You don't take crap from anyone."
Snow smiled, feeling a sense of gratitude towards Minnie. "Thanks, Minnie. I try not to."
There was a moment of silence between them, and then Snow spoke up again.
"Hey, Minnie? Can I ask you something?"
Minnie looked up, curious. "What's up?"
Snow hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "I had an argument with Violet earlier, and she was saying some stuff about how she feels like we're not really friends, and how we're just being controlled by her."
Minnie's expression turned thoughtful. "What do you mean?"
Snow shrugged. "I don't know, it just made me wonder if you've ever felt that way too. Like, if you feel like we're not really friends, or if you feel like you're being controlled or something."
Minnie took a deep breath before answering. "Honestly, Snow? Sometimes I do feel that way. Like, I feel like we're all just pretending to be friends, but really we're just using each other for our own purposes."
Snow nodded, feeling a sense of understanding. "I know what you mean. I've felt that way too sometimes."
Minnie looked at her, surprised. "Really?"
Snow nodded again. "Yeah. But at the same time, I feel like we do have some real connections, you know? Like, I care about you, Minnie, and I know you care about me too."
Minnie smiled, looking relieved. "Yeah, I care about you too, Snow. And I think we do have some real connections, despite all the drama and stuff."
Snow nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards Minnie. "Yeah, I think you're right. Thanks for being honest with me, Minnie."
Minnie shrugged. "No problem, Snow. That's what friends are for, right?"
Minnie looked at Snow thoughtfully. "So, what are we going to do about Violet?"
Snow shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like we can't just let her walk away, but at the same time, I don't want to force her to stay if she doesn't want to."
Minnie nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But we can't just ignore her either. She's been a part of our group for too long."
Snow sighed. "I know. I just wish she wouldn't be so dramatic all the time. It's exhausting."
Minnie laughed. "Tell me about it. But despite all the drama, I think Violet really does care about us. She's just...complicated."
Snow nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Okay, so what do we do? Do we try to talk to her and work things out, or do we just let her go?"
Minnie thought for a moment before answering. "I think we should try to talk to her. We owe it to ourselves and to our friendship to at least try to work things out."
Snow nodded, feeling a sense of determination. "Okay, let's do it. But if she's still being all dramatic and stuff, I'm outta there."
Minnie laughed. "Don't worry, Snow. I've got your back."
Minnie looked at Snow with a curious expression. "Hey, Snow? Can I ask you something?"
Snow nodded, feeling a sense of trepidation. "What's up?"
Minnie hesitated before speaking. "I've noticed that you've been getting pretty close to Oliver lately. And I know that he's Violet's ex...so I was just wondering, why are you being so friendly with him?"
Snow felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "What do you mean? I'm just being myself, he seemed to be a pollen."
Minnie raised an eyebrow. "Save it, Snow. I've seen the way you look at him. You've got feelings for him, don't you?"