The music blasted through the speakers and went straight into my soul.
I could feel the beat pounding in sync with my heart and despite how much I hated social gatherings, I was up to keep Nory company.
Yes, Nory. Her. Again.
I was giving her a second chance, much to my very own surprise.
Though I wasn't sure if she deserved it. After realizing my father meant no harm to me, I figured maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have her as a friend. Maybe even a real one this time.
"Here. Have a drink." Nory raised her voice so I could hear her over the music.
She placed a cup in my hands.
"Thanks," I smiled before immediately taking a swig.
The liquid burnt my throat, and I almost threw the cup away on the instant.
"What the hell is this shit–it's scorching my throat!"
I heard Nory's laugh, along with the others.
Our other two friends — Maddie and Winnifrida, were with us.
The two had invited Nory to this stupid party and Nory begged me to come with her.
It was my chance to open up for her again because god knew I could never make the first move to ask her to hang out.
"Just enjoy it!" I heard Winnifrida's voice yell.
I could pay money to go out of the damn place. But I also wanted to keep my friends and be a normal girl. So I stayed.
The three dragged me to dance and I couldn't decline even though I couldn't move a limb to save a life.
I just jumped along to every beat I heard, screamed the lyrics out of my lungs, and the more I drank, the less my throat burned, so I drank even more.
By the time we called it quits, Nory told me it was past midnight.
She put her arm around me and dragged me out to her car. Maddie offered to help, but Nory declined, as if she could handle my weight by herself.
"Fuck. I'm not paid enough for this shit!" I heard her yell the second I leaned my weight over her as she struggled to move us down the stairs and back to the parking lot.
I let out a laugh.
"And here I thought you wouldn't fuck up this time." My arm was slipping off her shoulder, but she caught it in time and held my wrist tight. "So much for giving you a second chance."
Nory sighed before moving us forward.
"I fucking hate you, Phoebe McQuinn."
Why did she hate me? I barely had any influence on her life!
My head was spinning so badly, but at least her words sounded funny.
"I wish I could hate you too, Noreen Clarisse," I marked the same time she made me lean back onto something. I think it was her car.
For the longest time, no one was moving.
Nory was holding me against her stupid Porsche, and the cold was eating me up big time. I wanted to push her away and teleport all the way home to my bed, but we all knew I could barely hold myself up without her. So I stood there and let my half-drunk self and half-sober self fight for dominance.
"This," Nory shot. "This is why I hate you."
I wished I could see her. But all I could feel was the unexpected heat of her body.
What did she mean by 'this'?
"Because I'm blind?" I scrunched my brows together.
She let out a breath.
"No, you bitch," she said. "It's not because you're blind."
I moved forward, but she pushed me back again and I wasn't sure, but I think I was leaning on a door.
"What, Nory?"
My eyelids were dying when I asked that. I was slowly losing my state of consciousness and I hoped she spat it out before I did so.
"The fact that you don't hate me back," her voice was stern this time. And I wasn't sure if she was angry or what. "I'm fucking poor. You were right when you said I was living off of your father's plate. I'm poor, I'm ugly, I'm a failure. I have no talent, I have no idea what to do with my life. I'm a disappointment to my parents. I'm a slut, I'm a–"
I held a hand over her lips before she could finish.
"You're everything but that."
"No," she pushed my hand away. "You're pretty, you're rich, you're kind, you're talented, and you're polite. You–you're everything I ever want to be, Phoebe! You have everything I want. You're my worst fucking nightmare!"
"I'm blind!" I cut in.
"And I wish I was too!" I heard her choke on a sob. "You're perfect, and I'm jealous of you."
"Nory–" I tried to move, but she held me in place.
"You're the Barbie doll I dreamed of affording when I was a little girl. But I couldn't."
A part of me broke in remorse despite all the times she had wronged me in the past.
Why was I so easy to forgive?
I never let wounds heal, I just let people in.
"You're soft-hearted," her voice cracked, and this time, I was sure she was crying. "You're a fucking angel on legs."
I had no idea what to do or say anymore.
Why did someone like her want to be like me?
I'd rather be her. She had a sense of sight, for god's sake, and I didn't! I was willing to risk anything to get a glimpse of the world.
A glimpse of wildflowers.
"That's why I hate you." She concluded, leaving me torn between slapping her and hugging her. But I knew I couldn't do the latter.
She still hated me. I felt like we had to choke each other dead to fade the tension. Everything we ever did for each other was from pure hate. The urge to kill each other was far greater than the urge to reconcile with each other.
My head fell onto her shoulder and that's when she got back to her senses and got me inside the backseat of her car before she popped into the front.
"I wonder what McQuinn would do to me if he discovers I got you drunk." She scoffed, fixing me before slamming the damn door hard enough to irritate me. I wished I had no sense of hearing too. It would've been so much better.
"Probably gift me with more money," she laughed off.
"You're out of your mind if you think my father doesn't care about me that much."
"Oh, I almost forgot," Nory chanted in a mocking tone. "He needs you to fulfill that brief assignment of his, doesn't he? I mean, at least he's finally making a good use of you. I like it."
Now I was confused and shocked.
I didn't know Papa was that close to Nory to disclose this much information to her.
How could he? She was a fucking prick and didn't need to know anything. In fact, he couldn't tell her anything. Right?
"What the hell do you even know of the assignment? You're just a nosy prick."
"Oh, really?" Nory was seriously enjoying where this topic was going and all I could be was tipsy and dumbfounded. "At least I know a certain little monster is involved."
I bet bemusement was written all over my face.
"You know of no monster."
"Oh dear," she was shuffling with something in the driver's seat. Her seatbelt, I presumed. "It's you who knows of no monster."
She was fucking crazy.
What did she mean by that?
"The only reason he hasn't given me the assignment on your stead is because you know that monster better than I do," Nory murmured, slyness dripping from her words. "In fact, you love that monster."
Nory revved the car to life as the liquor flowed deeper into my system, blacking me out as she drove me home.
I fucking hated Nory.
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