BEST SERVED COLD

4

Zoe invited me to her house, a week after her birthday dinner. She called me early in the morning and spoke as if I was one of her besties:

"Hey beautiful! I miss you. I've wanted to call you but you know, life got in the way, as usual...I'm free now though and I wanted to see if you are available this afternoon? Maybe you can come to my apartment for tea and we will catch up! We didn't get to talk much last time, did we? Is it okay with you?"

I agreed to meet her and she squealed with joy. At the end of our call, she texted me her address. She lives in one of the middle-class neighborhoods of Mindelo. I expected better from a princess like her but well...I guess she isn't as blessed as she'd like other people to believe.

I arrive at her apartment complex a little after four in the afternoon. She stays on the second floor. I take the stairs up instead of the lift.

I knock at the door of her apartment and Zoe opens immediately, as if she'd been waiting right on the other side for my arrival. She greets me with a toothy grin and a hug. She really does act as if we are close, which is a bit odd considering the fact that we saw each other again only a week ago and that we've never even been friends to

begin with. I offer a tight smile to be polite but I fear I won't be able to fake my emotions for long, especially if we are going to be alone here. I must try, though. I want to play her game for as long as she keeps it going. I won't be the first one to give up.

She invites me inside her home and closes the door behind us. I take the time to admire her apartment. It's small and cozy and decorated with great taste. The furniture is colorful with yellow and green cushions but they fit perfectly with the white abstract walls. I also admire the sight of green plants at each corner of the apartment and bordering windows.

Zoe is wearing a pair of flowery shorts and a tank top. Despite her casualty, she still remains pretty attractive. Her hair is tied into a messy bun and her face is bare. Her gray eyes show a little hint of green when she walks into the living room and the sun rays passing through the big windows reflect into her pupils.

"Please, have a seat!" She tells me.

I note that she already put some snacks on the coffee table. Zoe grabs my hand and takes me to the couch. We sit next to each other and she raises her feet up to tug them under her body. For a short instant, we just stare at each other. We smile but it doesn't reach our eyes. The awkward silence is starting to make me uncomfortable. I don't feel safe here with her. My entire being is on alert, ready to react if she does anything suspicious. What if her invitation isn't so innocent after all? It wouldn't be the first time that she lures me into one of her evil traps. My breathing sharpens with anxiety but just before I lose my mind, she decides to speak:

"Carla Santos..." She slurs, her lips stretching into a thin smile. "Zoe De Melo." I breathe out her name in a similar tone.

She breaks out in laughter and somehow, it manages to lighten the tension between us, the tension that both of us are trying so hard to ignore.

"I still can't believe that this is you." She says between two laughs. "Forgive me if it sounds rude but you've changed a lot since middle school."

I wave my hand:

"No, it's okay. I admit that I was kind of a peculiar kid. I didn't know much about how to take care of myself at the time and it really showed...but luckily, I got to improve that with years of hard work."

Zoe nods, her eyes taking me in. I can tell that she likes what she sees. Cutting my hair into a bob and filling my closet with more feminine clothes have been good decisions to improve my appearance. It completely changed the way people interacts with me now. It's also kind of sad when I think about it. A person can only be respected if he or she looks a certain way. One of the main reasons why Zoe felt like she had the right to bully me when I was younger was because I didn't look "good".