Enemy Beloved

6 | toxic

★

C L A I R E

"Vaughn Jackson?" Nina's jaw hangs open in the air, her coffee cup stopping midway to her lips.

"Vaughn hot-as-fuck Jackson!?" Jesse exclaims, her amber eyes shining bright.

I nod, sipping my strawberry milkshake with a straw, as I look at my two best friends. We are currently on a break from classes and we decided to check out the new coffee shop that opened nearby. The place is comfy and the smell of coffee and cakes greeted us the moment we stepped inside through the glass doors. 'Hot Cup Brews' is already gaining popularity and I see a few of our classmates huddled around a little table at one corner.

"Claire Hill!" Nina calls out loud, snapping her fingers in front of my face and making me bring my attention back to her.

Her toffee-colored hair hangs loose, framing her round face as she curves her lips to a disappointed look. She recently went to Hawaii for a family trip and got a tan, returning hotter than ever. I so wanted to accept her invitation to go with them but Dad wouldn't allow me to go. The fact that Nina's Dad, Mr. Lewis, extended the invitation instead of her Mom didn't go well with him.

"Yes?"

"You're marrying Vaughn Jackson? How did you even manage to convince your dad?"

"Dad isn't pleased to hear it," I sigh, remembering the events of the last week.

After Vaughn left, Dad threw a fit and grounded his twenty-two-year-old daughter to her room. I spent the weekend crying until Mom came to my room and after a very useless conversation regarding my feelings for Vaughn, told me that Dad had agreed to the marriage.

"He shouldn't be. Vaughn Jackson is the richest fish in the sea."

Nina flips her hair as she takes a sip of her coffee while I spot Jesse rolling her eyes behind her round glasses. We are an unlikely pair to hang out together. Nina is the most fashionable one in our trio with her perfect dresses and hairstyles while Jesse and I go for more subdued looks, mixing our outfits with ripped jeans and crop tops unless it is a party. I love my besties but Nina can be a little judgemental sometimes and gets on my nerves often.

"I can't believe this, Claire," Jesse says, leaning forward and putting her elbows on the table. "Does this mean you were cheating on Mason all this time?"

I frown at the accusation. "We both know that's not true. I tried to break up with Mason but you knew what happened the last time I did that."

The last time I tried to break up with Mason, he ended up getting drunk and causing a scene on campus. He was suspended for a week and then blackmailed me that if I didn't get back with him, he would continue doing it over and over again. I am a simple person, I take threats seriously and that's how my sorry ass ended up getting back with him.

"But isn't marriage too soon?" Nina interrupts. "I mean, you're still in college."

"It's either Vaughn or the forty-year-old Senator." I lean back in my chair. "Dad needs to save the corporation and he figured my marriage was the only way."

"So what are you going to do about Mason?" Jesse asks.

"I don't know. I have a valid reason to break up with him this time," I say.

They both look at each other like I have just introduced them to a murder plan.

"You have a lot on your plate, Claire." Nina throws me a sympathetic glance and I pout my lips. "Anyways, have you guys thought of any new ideas for the project?"