Chapter 24

Writer’s POV 

Elara was lying on her bed, scrolling mindlessly through social media when she heard a sharp knock at her door. She groaned, not in the mood for visitors, but dragged herself up anyway.

When she opened the door, her face immediately lit up.

"Tasha!" she squealed, throwing her arms around her. "Oh my God, I've missed you so much!"

Tasha grinned, hugging her back just as enthusiastically. "I missed you too! Sorry I'm just getting here now, my father made me spend an extra week at home before coming back to campus."

Elara pulled back, her expression shifting to a pout. "You should have told me! I would have called you every day to complain until he let you leave early."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Tasha laughed, following Elara into the room. "You know how he is about family time."

Elara flopped back onto her bed with dramatic flair. "Well, you're here now, and honestly, your timing is perfect. I am so fucking angry I could scream."

Tasha raised an eyebrow, settling into the desk chair. She knew that tone Elara was about to go off about something, and it was usually entertaining. "What happened? Who pissed you off this time?"

"There's this weird girl," Elara said, her voice dripping with disgust. "She has this freaky silver hair, like she thinks she's some kind of anime character or something."

"Silver hair?" Tasha's eyes widened with surprise. That was definitely unusual.

"Yeah, and get this…..her name is Drasa." Elara practically spat the name.

Tasha burst out laughing. "Drasa? What kind of name is that? Sounds like a cleaning product."

"Right?" Elara's eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction. "But here's the thing that's really pissing me off, she's got Cassian's attention."

At the mention of Cassian's name, Tasha's expression darkened immediately. She knew exactly how obsessed Elara was with him, had listened to her go on and on about him for months.

"That bitch," Tasha snarled. "How dare she? Doesn't she know you've had your eye on him forever?"

"Exactly!" Elara sat up, gesturing wildly. "And the worst part? I'm the one who brought her to the party where she met him in the first place. I had this whole plan to humiliate her, you know, make her look like a complete loser in front of everyone. But somehow it backfired, and now I hate myself for even bringing her."

Tasha leaned forward, her expression serious. "Don't hate yourself. That's not your fault. You couldn't have known she'd somehow charm her way into his attention."

"But I should have!" Elara's voice cracked with frustration. "I should have just left her pathetic ass alone instead of trying to be... I don't know, charitable or whatever stupid impulse that was."

"Listen to me," Tasha said firmly, reaching over to grab Elara's hands. "I'll make sure to deal with this Drasa girl myself."

Elara's eyes lit up with hope. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would. You're my best friend." Tasha's smile was sharp and calculating. "Besides, I can't stand girls who think they can just waltz in and steal what doesn't belong to them."

"There's a party tonight," Elara said, her voice gaining excitement. "A pool party. I'm sure as hell that little silver-haired freak will be there, probably clinging to Cassian like the desperate wannabe she is."

Tasha's smile turned positively wicked. "Perfect. Consider it handled."

"What are you going to do?" Elara asked, practically bouncing with anticipation.

"Don't worry about the details," Tasha said, standing up and cracking her knuckles. "Just know that by the end of tonight, Drasa is going to hate her life so much she'll never want to show her face around Cassian or anyone else ever again."

Elara clapped her hands together, her anger finally giving way to gleeful anticipation. "God, I love having you back. This is going to be so much fun."

"Oh, it's going to be more than fun," Tasha promised, her eyes glinting with malicious intent. "It's going to be unforgettable."

Elara suddenly jumped up from the bed, her energy renewed. "Wait, I have an idea! We should go shopping for the party. I need to look absolutely stunning tonight like, so good that Cassian won't be able to take his eyes off me."

"Now you're talking," Tasha grinned, standing up as well. "Let's make sure you outshine every other girl there, especially that silver-haired wannabe."

Within minutes, they were grabbing their purses and heading out to the mall. The shopping center was bustling with weekend shoppers, but Elara moved through the stores with the determination of a woman on a mission.

"What about this one?" Tasha held up a tight red dress that barely covered the thighs.

Elara examined it critically. "Too obvious. I want something that says 'effortlessly sexy,' not 'desperate for attention.'"

They moved through store after store, Tasha acting as Elara's personal stylist and hype woman. In the third boutique, Tasha pulled out a stunning emerald green two-piece swimsuit with gold chain details.

"This is it," Tasha declared. "This color is going to make your eyes pop, and the cut is perfect for your body. Plus, it's classy but still shows enough skin to drive him crazy."

Elara held it up against herself in the mirror, and her face lit up. "Oh my God, yes. This is perfect."

"And we need to get you a cover-up that's just as gorgeous," Tasha continued, already rifling through the racks. She pulled out a sheer white kimono with delicate embroidery. "This way, you can make an entrance when you take it off by the pool."

"You're a genius," Elara said, already imagining Cassian's reaction. "What would I do without you?"

As they headed to the checkout counter, Tasha smirked. "Just wait until tonight. Between you looking like a goddess and me handling the Drasa problem, Cassian won't know what hit him."

"I can't wait to see the look on her face," Elara said, practically purring with satisfaction as she paid for her new outfit. "This is going to be the best night ever."