4 - My BFF From Hell 

Amy’s P.O.V

Whoa…Whoa… Slow down Missy.

Quinn hasn't stopped blabbing since she asked me to be her maid of honor. 

Scratch that, since she ‘told’ me to be her maid of honor. 

“I really do need someone who is efficient. Someone who can hold my heavy train while I walk down the aisle to become Mrs. Pearson, you know…”

She smiled. Her smile was tight. Definitely not genuine but mocking me.

Before I could even open my mouth to either agree or reject the horrific maid of honor request, Quinn clapped her hands together, her face lighting up with a look of pure, angelic delight.

"Oh, it's just perfect!" she gushed, stepping so close I could smell her expensive floral perfume. "I have been thinking about how close I feel to you already, Amy. It’s almost like we’ve known each other for an entire lifetime. Don't you feel it too?"

I stared at her through my thick lenses, my jaw nearly dropping to the floor. 

Is this chick for real?

"That's because we have known each other for a long time, Quinn," I said, my voice flat, every muscle in my body tightening. "We went to the same junior and high school. You were a year above me."

“Really?” Ley’s unexpected voice drew my attention to him instantly. He looked shocked. I could also see what looked like regret in his eyes. 

Regret about what? I wish I could tell.

Quinn blinked, her flawless brow furrowing in a display of confused innocence that deserved an Academy Award. "We did? Oh, sweetie, really? High school went so fast for me. I was just so focused on my cheer leading and student council, you know how it is. I barely remember anything! Or anyone!"

Right. You don't remember you nicknamed me 'The Human Eclipse' in front of the entire cafeteria? Conveniently blanking out on the chocolate milk incident, are we? 

Before I could call her out on her blatant gaslighting, Quinn let out a high-pitched, piercing squeal that made my eardrums vibrate. "Oh my gosh! This is even better! I’m getting my high school BFF back! Stanley, isn't this amazing? Your little ward is going to be my bestie!"

Huh?

Stanley didn't say a word. He stood up and walked to the window, his expression cold as he stared out into the gardens.

The hypocrisy in the room was so heavy I could practically choke on it. Quinn was completely trapping me. By playing the "forgetful BFF," she completely stripped me of my right to be angry. If I brought up the past now, I would look like the petty, dramatic child she wanted everyone to think I was. But, I should have risked it and told Stanley all the evil things she did to me back in Highschool. 

If I did, what would you think of me?nThat I did it maliciously so Stanley would break up with her and be with me Or it was a genuine act to let him know who exactly he was about to be married to.

You know what, don't answer that. 

"I... I have to go study," I managed to squeeze out through my teeth. Turning on my heel, I forced myself out of the formal living room, clutching the straps of my bag like armor as I  hurried down the hallway toward the safety of my room.

***

The next morning, I woke up with a massive headache and an intensely dry throat. I hadn't slept for more than two hours. 

Every time I closed my eyes, my brain flipped between the image of Ley by the pool with his eyes darkened with desire for me, and him at the office yesterday, but those same eyes were filled with regret the moment he had learned that Quinn and I went to the same school. It was a double-edged sword twisting in my chest. 

It was like one side of him wanted to devour me,  the other side looked at me like I was a walking time bomb in his already messy life. It was a messy signal.

As I pushed the kitchen door open, I froze instantly.

Ley was standing by the marble island, fully dressed for work in a sharp, tailored navy suit. The moment he heard the door open, his piercing eyes flicked over to me. 

I managed to smile a little. His gaze locked onto my bare shoulders before instantly snapping away, his jaw hardening.

Yup, I guess I might have to relocate now.

“Morning,” Those words barely made it out of my mouth. 

“Good morning, Amy,” he sounded too professional for someone I had just helped out with his legal problems and did it for free. 

Awkwardly hugging myself, I walked past him, my movements stiff as I reached up to grab a clean glass from the upper cabinet. 

I was so incredibly nervous with him standing right there that my hands were trembling. As I picked up the glass, it slicked against my palm, slipping out of my grip.

I gasped, instinctively jumping backward to avoid the falling glass, but lost my balance. I started to tumble backward onto the floor.

The glass shattered against the floor, but I never hit the ground.

Before my brain could even register the fall, Ley’s protective instincts kicked in. He moved like a super hero; fast, grace filled. His large, warm hand shot out, wrapping securely around my bare waist, while his other arm braced against my upper back, catching me half way to the ground. He hauled my body upward, pulling me flush against his hard, broad chest to stabilize me.

A sudden, fierce jolt of electricity shot straight through my skin. My breath seized, my eyes widening behind my glasses as I looked up at him.

Ley went completely rigid, his hands tightening around my waist instead of letting go. His chest heaved heavily against mine. The tension from the pool was back in full force, holding us completely paralyzed in the middle of the kitchen.

I know right now you are going, Yeah! Perfect Romantic Moment. I know, because I was too.

Thump.

The heavy swing of the kitchen door shattered the silence.

“Hey-” Quinn’s high pitched voice went mute instantly, assessing the situation she had walked into. 

Ley quickly let go of me and that was how that perfect romantic moment was lost. 

“You need to be more careful,” he said sternly. “You just ruined a rare collection.” He walked away from me. 

Quinn swept past me, completely ignoring my existence for a split second, and dropped a thick, leather-bound binder onto the counter right in the middle. She pulled Ley closer and gave him what I will describe as an aggressively sloppy  french kiss just to make a statement. 

Then she turned to me with a smile, "Amy, sweetie, as my maid of honor and BFF, you are lucky I have taken the liberty of drawing up our bridal schedule," she pushed the voluminous binder towards me.

My eyes widened as I flipped through the pages. The mandatory wedding dress fittings, venue tastings, and high-society gala rehearsals were meticulously scheduled, and every single one of them was set during the times of my mock exams.

"Quinn, I can't do this," I said, my voice rising with panic. "These dates completely conflict with most of my mock exams. If I miss these mocks, I can't qualify for the Herbert Wige Fellowship application."

"Oh, don't be silly, Amy. School can wait, but a Pearson wedding happens only once," Quinn laughed, an evil sound that made my stomach twist. “You can find a way around, unless you are not happy for me.”

Top Bitch Gaslighting! 

She then turned her gaze toward Stanley, “honey,” her eyes narrowing slightly. "Since you are more focused on work, I think the best way for us to perfectly plan the wedding is if I move in fully. Besides, what does it matter if I move in now or in a month’s time after the wedding? The movers are outside already.”

She let out a high pitch shriek that threatened to make me go deaf. 

“We're going to be one big, happy family!"

My breath seized completely. I looked at Ley. His face had gone entirely pale, his eyes snapping open with a mixture of shock and rage as he looked at his fiancée. He was utterly trapped by the financial setback of his empire.