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Scarlet
Gia was runningfrom the house when I pulled in, a look of horror on her face. She mouthed something to me that I thought was the word ‘fun’ but now I’m starting to think she was warning me to run. Because the moment I stepped foot in the kitchen, Cleo pounced.
“You have to be kidding me, Cleo? I can’t.” Her only response is the slight lift of her right brow as she continues to stare me down.
Am I scared of her? A little.
She’s intimidating, and she knows it. She uses it to her advantage all the time. She also knows I’m a pushover who hates conflict. I avoid it at all costs and try to keep the peace.
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” she finally replies, letting out a sigh.
“You’re asking because you didn’t think it through when you chose to pair us up with the Kappa house. If you had been, you would have realized it was also our year to host the gala. Which means you have to work closely with the person you hate the most in this world, though no one knows why.”
The last part is said under my breath, but I know she hears me.
“Does it matter why I hate him? No. Does that mean I want to be stuck in the same room with him, fighting over details for the most important charity event of the year? No. Which is why I need you to do this for me. Otherwise, nothing is going to get done, and we won’t raise any money for the children’s hospital this year. Those poor kids. They’re already sick, some of them won’t live to see another birthday, and the money we raise helps ease the burden for their families. If the charity wasn’t so important to me, I—”
Guilt trip.
And she’s laying it on thicker than usual.
Realizing quickly that she’s not going to give up until I concede, I put my hand up, cutting her off.
“You can stop. I’ll do it. Just tell me what you need,” I state as I let out an exasperated sigh. I haven’t even started the project yet and I’m already over it.
“Tomorrow morning, ten o’clock. You’re meeting him at the rec center to start planning. Here’s what I’ve done so far,” she continues, tossing a binder I hadn’t even noticed she was holding on the counter next to me.
It’s at least three-inches thick and filled to the brim. She’s done her homework on the event already. Hopefully this makes my job easier.
Taking the massive binder, I head up to my room and shoot off a message to my best friend who I currently want to strangle.
ME: Next time, text me, use sign language, scream at me… I thought you said fun. I wasn’t prepared for Cleo to bombard me. You know damn well I have a hard time saying no to her.
Gia: I’m sorry. I’ve been avoiding her all morning. I was almost late to my final because she was watching the back door like a hawk. I had to wait until she went to the bathroom to sneak out.
ME: Do you even know what she wanted?
Gia: Yup, and I don’t have time to plan an entire event. Plus, you’ve done events of this size before. You’ll do great.
I hate how my upbringing always comes back to bite me in the ass. Yes, I’ve planned large events before. I’m well-versed in everything that goes into creating the gala. That doesn’t mean Ienjoyit. My mother forced me to help her all those years.
ME: Not the point. It’s my last semester of college. I was hoping to relax a little, have some fun, and now I’m stuck working with Max for the next two months. Valentine’s day can’t get here soon enough.
Gia: You and Timmy have big plans already?
ME: If you’re asking if we’re still together, yes.
Gia: You ever going to tell me what happened?
Let’s see … tell her I caught my boyfriend of over a year making out with another girl? Or continue to lie to her and say we’re just going through a rough patch?
I think I’ll go with option B for now. Even though she’s going to continue to interrogate me every chance she gets. That’s what best friends do. Because she cares. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it. I just wish I didn’t have to lie to her. And once I figure out how I feel about everything, I’ll come clean. Maybe.
ME: I already told you, we just hit a bump. We’ll be fine.
Gia: Just so you know, I don’t believe you. Not even a little bit.
Probably because the second I caught him, I stopped gushing about my perfect boyfriend. Timmy’s always been sweet, and our relationship has been easy. Until a few weeks ago. When he thought I was still in Chicago visiting my parents for Thanksgiving. If he’d checked his messages, he would have known I came back early because I got in a huge argument with them.
