THE CRASH

It clocks 3:30 p.m., reminding me that it is time to get ready for my entertainment job at the club. The monster left immediately after I told him that I would see him in the club today, and I intend to do exactly that. I am crossing my fingers in the hope of sealing this deal, however dangerous it seems. Whatever happens afterwards, I will face it head-on.

I walk into my bathroom and take a shower, which does not last more than twenty minutes. That is the minimum amount of time I can take in a shower. Sometimes, when I am not in a hurry, I can take double the time or more. I love that feeling of just standing under the shower and letting the warm water run on me. Anyway, that is not the case now because I need to be in the club by five. I get out of the shower and dress up as quickly as I can, and I toss everything necessary in my purse and step out, making a mental note to get my water bottle from the kitchen.

In the sitting area is my so-called friend, Nelly. She is doing her usual, filing her nails, and chatting on the phone. That is what she always does here: sit comfortably the whole day and eat. She does not help with anything at all. I wish she could just pack off and go back to where she came from. Don't get me wrong, I am not being ungrateful or rude, but what is the use of having such a useless person in the house? "Nelly." I call, and she answers with a very flat "yes," still chuckling at whatever shit she is looking at on her phone. "Here. I made a list of all the things we need. Go get them from the market. I will send you the cash for the shopping and transport." I hand her the list, but instead of taking it, she stares at me with confusion.

"What?" She dumpfoundedly asks. "Come on, Gia. You know I don't like going to the market, plus the solar is too much."

"So what do you like, Nelly? Apart from sitting around waiting for people to do all the work for you, is eating, chatting, and filling your nails the only thing you know how to do?" I snap.

"Wait. Wait. Wait." She says this, sarcastically laughing. "Gia, is it me you are talking to like this? Me, who left everything and came all the way here just to help you?"

Hello! Can you listen to this?

"And have you helped in any way? The only thing I see in front of me right now is a rat that does nothing but eat in this house."

"You even have the guts to insult me? How ungrateful! Apart from memory loss, you may also be suffering from Alzheimer's disease. So let me tell you, you are the one who refused my help." The bitch has even the guts to make fun of me. The nerve!

"Good. Then that means you have no business being here anymore." I state.

"Are you...are you in any way asking me to leave your house?" The shock on her face, though! Was she planning on living here her entire life?

"Yes." I confidently answer without hesitating.

"You are such a snake. How dare you do this to me after the sacrifices I made for you?

"Hey!" I cut her off. I don't care about the sacrifices she made; I think I have compensated her well for those two months she has spent in this house, being nothing but baggage. "Don't you dare insult me, Nelly. You are under my roof; do not make me forget you are my friend and kick you out right now."

"You know what? Fine. I have my pride. I will not force myself on you if you do not want me. I will leave your house in three days." She states it boldly.

And who says we are doing this her way? I call the shots here.

"Why three days? Why not now or tomorrow?" I ask.

"I have some important work to do. I hope you are not so rotten to deny me a place to stay for just three days, friend." This arrogant little mouse is just so unbearable. Wait, doesn't she have a boutique that she is running? What kind of work is she talking about?

"Work? What work?" I ask.

"What do you care?" She fires like a nervous liar.

"I don't. I am just curious. Don't you own a fashion and design boutique?" She snaps.

"Deal with your curiosity. I do not have to explain myself to you." She walks out on me and runs upstairs to her room, murmuring curses that I cannot make out.

How childish? She is such a childish, arrogant brat. She better make sure to leave in three days, like she said, because I have had enough with her. She is choking me.

I walk to the kitchen to grab my water bottle and leave. I do not want to be late. I push the kitchen door open, only to be greeted by two eyes the moment I get in. Throughout my conversation with Ejay in the morning, I forgot to ask him about the whereabouts of this goat in front of me. I thought she had some dignity left in her to leave. How dare she stick around after catching her in a heated sex with that dog in my house yesterday? Isn't she even embarrassed? "You are more shameless than I even thought," I remark.

"If insulting me is going to do you any good, then go ahead. Throw all the insults that you want at me." She even has the guts to talk back at me, huh? Great! Just what did I do in the past that God was bringing these kinds of people into my life? Am I getting punished for something?

"You bet I would, if only I had time; unfortunately, I don't. But I have one thing to tell you. Do you know the good thing about what happened yesterday? I realized how petty and cheap you are. To think that I had started getting concerned about your sudden change! I did not know a pretense could look that real. Congratulations on that blow you gave me yesterday. I did not see it coming. At least you woke me up from that horrible dream of thinking that you were suffering." I get my bottle and turn to leave, but she stops me by grabbing my hand and standing in front of me.

What the...