FRIENDS - BWS

13 | A Christmas Disaster

"It was ages ago", I say, feeling the need to defend myself for some reason.

"You two dated or something?", Ashley asks with some kind of disgust in her voice. Errr, her entire being is driving me mad. Why is Brad even dating her? Jay's still looking at me, clearly waiting for an answer as if I haven't told him a million times that Brad and I are just friends.

"We were like nine, okay? We were kids and stupid, and thought that's what friends do, they get married. Nothing else to the story here", I say, getting annoyed by their insinuations. How many times will I have to explain myself about my relationship with Brad?

"Our marriage doesn't mean anything to you?", Brad asks in a fake hurt voice.

"Shut up", I say, throwing a cushion at his face, hitting Ashley at the same time.

Whoops. Sorry, not sorry. I would have apologized if it wasn't for the death stare she's giving me. Luckily, the parents enter the living room before the situation can escalate.

"Who's got room for dessert?", mom asks as she walks into the room.

"Can't say no to dessert", Brad answers, standing up from the sofa. We all stand up to follow my mom to the dining room but Ashley grabs my arm before I can go anywhere.

"Em, I haven't seen your room yet!", she says with the fakest smile ever. "I want to see where Brad spent most of his childhood", she adds, making me give her a weird look. What kind of psycho comment is that?

"Sure", I answer, fake smiling back at her.

"Great! We'll meet you guys in 5", she says to the guys who are waiting for us to move to the dining room. We go upstairs and as soon as we enter my room she closes the door behind her. "You've seriously gotta stop, it's pathetic", she says, her fake smile gone from her face. It takes me a second to process what's happening. She's always been super fake, but this is the first time she's showing her true self to me.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, completely lost and shocked by her sudden change in behaviour.

"You think I don't see right through you? It's never gonna happen, put that into your head"

"Okay, seriously, what are you on about?", I ask as I have no clue what's going on.

"Don't pretend like you don't know. You and Brad? Never gonna happen. He's mine, so stop flirting with him"

What the hell? Did she seriously just say that? Where is that coming from? And who does she think she is to say that to me?

"What the fuck?", I answer, getting super pissed. "I don't flirt with Brad. We've been friends since we were eight. Take a chill pill"

"Don't try to deny it", she spits at me. "I see the way you look at him, the way you talk to him as if you two are the only ones in the room. You're constantly around him, craving his attention. It's pathetic"

"Woah, I'm pathetic? Yet I'm not the one feeling threatened by my boyfriend's best friend, am I?", I answer and she looks at me with eyes full of aversion. I have never felt more hatred towards me than at this moment. "Look, I don't know where this is coming from, but you're wrong. I am happy with Jay"

"Sure you are", she scoffs back.

"What is that supposed to mean?", I ask just as an arrogant smile appears on her lips, and I can tell that things are about to go down.

"Aren't you still waiting for him to tell you he loves you?", she says and my heart stops. "So let me get that straight, you've been dating for what, a year now? And he still hasn't said anything? Yeah, I'd get the memo by now", she adds as I look at her in shock. How on earth does she know that? "Oh, sweetie, don't look so surprised, Brad tells me everything. Because that's what couples do when they actually love each other", she continues, that arrogant and superior smile still on her lips as I stand in the middle of my childhood bedroom, in complete disbelief of what's happening. I knew Ashley was a bitch, but I'd never have thought she was that bad. "Stay away from Brad or I'll make your life miserable", she says as she walks towards the bedroom door. "And that's a promise".