Not good for you

45;

I was paralyzed as Seeley's evil girlfriend settled into the couch, propping her legs on the coffee table. She'd already made herself at home.

"Hi, Clara, what a nice surprise," I scoffed, walking into the kitchen for an apple. I needed to keep my mouth busy if I didn't want to curse her out of this house and start a heated argument.

When Seeley shot me a disapproving glance, I shrugged slightly. Just because Clara was here didn't mean I had to lock myself in my room like a child. She wasn't welcome here; I'd remind her at every opportunity.

What was she doing here anyway? Did Seeley tell her to come over? If he did, I had to face that he'd played me while showing his vulnerable side.

I hoped Seeley wouldn't invite her over after admitting he had loved me for years. I hoped he wouldn't go down that road.

We still had a lot to talk about, and Clara just showed up out of the blue. It felt like today wasn't my day.

"What brings you here?" I asked her. "Trying to get a tan?"

Clara forced a smile onto her face, and her blue eyes studied me like I was some kind of prey.

"That would be great, too," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I just missed my boyfriend."

Do you mean you missed hurting someone who has been through enough already? I tried to keep a straight face while feeling disgusted by her presence. She had some nerve to act like a devoted girlfriend when she never truly cared about Seeley.

"You could have called me before you came here," Seeley said, stopping in front of her.

I took a bite of the apple while glancing at Clara from the corner of my eye. I hated to admit it, but her beauty was still captivating, even though her personality made her one of the ugliest people.

"I mean, you already invited me before you guys got here, so..." She shrugged as if that hadn't happened months ago.

Seeley sighed and rubbed his face. He was uncomfortable; it was easy to tell, especially under Clara's gaze. I felt like we were doing something forbidden just seconds before he let her in, but then I remembered that she had started it in the first place.

I just wished I could tell her what we'd been doing behind her back while she was sleeping with different people. I wanted to see her expression when she realized she'd gotten a taste of her own medicine, but I didn't want to cause any trouble for Seeley, not after what Oswald had done.

"I finally got a few days off; I thought we could spend some time together." She smiled as she leaned toward Seeley. However, Seeley didn't budge. I continued eating my apple and stared out the window while walking out of the kitchen. The sun was already up, and the birds chirped outside, yet I had a bad feeling about today.

"This place is beautiful," Clara chirped. "I had to stop and take pictures because this is my first time here."

It was also the first time for many of us and probably the last for Seeley. I wondered if his girlfriend noticed how eager he was to start a new life somewhere else. Clara turned to me with a big smile on her face.

"Where is everyone?" Clara asked.

Seeley glanced around, trying to sound casual.

"Leigh and Em went to a party. Knowing them, they could fall through the door any minute, and the boys... well, they're sleeping as usual."

Clara nodded.

"How do you like it here, Heddy?" she turned to me, and I almost rolled my eyes. I shrugged and took another bite of my apple.