Chapter 5 - The Uninvited Guest
As the sun began to dip below the tree line, casting a golden hue over the park, the party reached its peak. Emma was wearing a fresh tiara Patricia had found, blowing out candles on a magnificent multi-tiered castle cake surrounded by all her actual friends from school.
Then, a shadow fell over the picnic table.
It was Vanessa. She had changed out of her purple party dress into a pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, her hair messy and her face devoid of makeup. She looked defeated, but her eyes were still burning with anger.
"You ruined my life," Vanessa whispered, stopping a few feet away from me.
I turned slowly, holding a paper plate with a slice of cake. "No, Ness. I just stopped letting you ruin mine."
"Mom is crying," she hissed, trying to guilt-trip me one last time. "Our entire family is calling us a laughingstock. My fiancé’s parents heard about it. They think I'm trash."
"Maybe you should reflect on why they came to that conclusion," I replied evenly. "You walked into a space you didn't pay for, shoved a seven-year-old child into a corner, and treated everyone else like your personal props. You thought I’d roll over because I always do."
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Vanessa’s lower lip quivered. For a second, she looked like the little sister I used to protect. But then her expression hardened again. "I'll never forgive you for this."
"That's fine," I said, turning back toward Emma, who was laughing with her friends. "Just lose my number."
