Little Things ✓

Chapter 4

Hailei stands up abruptly and, as she crosses her arm, throws another deadly glare at me. For some reason, she doesn't like me anymore. Back in high school, she was all rainbows and sunshine, always smiling and helping out whoever needed a hand. What led her to such a drastic change? What made her be so resentful to me?

Fortunately, this pathetic little scene dies out as Hailei finally goes to look for her item. I laugh under my breath because, come on, putting a bitch like her straight in her place is always a pleasure. Okay, perhaps I shouldn't have used these words to refer to her—that's not elegant of mine. Fuck elegance and decorum. She changed, I can't deny that.

As Hailei's research goes on, I take advantage of general confusion to check on Rheta and Kaiti. While they've both found their prized possessions and explained why they're so important to them, I want to make sure that their motives are truthful and that they're not just taking advantage of my poor memory to fool me or our other friends.

Trust isn't something that can be traded off or, worse, treated as waste. It's something people conquer through hard work, loyalty and sincerity. I thought Kaiti and the others were all loyal to me. I still want to think they are, but I still have my suspicions; whether they're legitimate or not, I'll only find out when it's the right time.

Kaiti and Rheta are engaged in deep conversation, so I prefer not to disturb them. However, I still manage to overhear some snippets of their chit-chat. "Why are you so wary of Blen, Rheta? What did she do to you, especially after these years?" Kaiti's questions leave me perplexed. What the hell is going on? What is Rheta hiding? Has she changed as much as Hailei?

I don't want to believe those words yet, so I let my best friend continue. "Rheta, please, you can't be serious. Blen is a good girl, and we stuck to the plan, do you remember?" What plan? Now, I'm definitely curious. I slowly approach them, humming in order to avert suspicions. If Rheta doesn't trust me fully anymore, I don't want to ruin things even further.

"Kaiti, I know, we made our part in the bet, but this doesn't mean we'll all end up victorious. What if Blen actually set a trap on some of us to make us fail?" Now, Rheta's latest insinuation just makes me want to kick her out of this place; still, the others wouldn't agree with that. Well, I won't accept betrayal, so she'd better have an explanation for this shit she's trying to put together.

"Rheta, I said no. I'm not gonna plot behind Blen's back, let even with you! I thought you were a friend, instead you're just a snarky bitch!" Unlike me, Kaiti isn't realizing that she's literally shouting. To our surprise, however, Rheta just turns her back without saying a word. I expected her to scowl at us, to insult her in every manner, to offend and humiliate us. Why is she letting go of this quarrel? Is she being mature or just ready to get her ultimate payback?

"Is everything okay, Kait?" I intervene, noticing that my best friend is shaking out of anger. To be honest, this is the first time I've cared for a friend since we all came into this hut. It looks like we lost—better say, I lost—grasp of the real purpose of this bet. This was supposed to be a simple, friendly reunion; instead, it's turning into cold war.

Even though I already know what Rheta is about to do, Kaiti denies every allegation by just shrugging. "It's okay, Blen. Seriously, you shouldn't worry about me." Then, noticing that my body is tense, she adds, "Perhaps you might want to check on Aaron and Leayah... I don't know what they're up to. Or you could just take a breather."

"I'll take your advice. Thank you, Kait." She's surprised as I end the conversation so quickly. I head to the window and look myself in my reflection. The only thing I can see, besides the greens and browns of the woods, is a pale face, consumed by anger, anxiety and desire of payback. What do I really want?

This is not how I expected things to happen; to make matters worse, I thought I could judge the others the way I did, but without realizing my own mistakes—and, yeah, I made a lot of them. I'm not perfect at all: I'm grumpy, blunt and sometimes kind of rude; still, my friends, or at least most of them, appreciate me for who I am. Have I ever done the same the other way round?

My stream of thoughts is interrupted by someone tapping my shoulder. I turn to find Shannon, smiling again. That girl is a wave of fresh air in the dullness of this little house. I've always wondered how she can stay positive in most situation. Perhaps I should take her as an example rather than the bitches filled with resentment that have entered my life recently.

No, I'm not talking about my friends from high school, even though I'm seeing that someone is slowly changing their ways (though, it's only a perception). I'm referring to my colleagues from the coffee shop I've worked for two years as of now. The others, obviously, don't know what actually happens in that hellish place every day, but I'm not ready to tell them yet. I don't know if they'd understand me, well, assuming that they've been living close to perfect lives so far.

On the other hand, Hailei is ready to tell her story. As she calls the rest of us up in her cute voice (for the first time ever, it irritates me), Shannon and I reach our seats at the center of the room. In particular, Hailei notices that I'm walking in a sluggish manner and reprimands me, "Can you at least make an effort and show some enthusiasm, Blen?"

Wow, she really changed. She must've met someone who made her change her perspective of life. Regardless of the consequences, I need to find out who.

Aaron retorts sarcastically, "Said the girl who turned from Miss Rainbows and Sunshine to a total bitch!" As he does so, Leayah and Penelope laugh under their breaths; I try hard to repress laughter myself, but the result is a forced smile that doesn't sit well with Hailei, to the point that she clears her throat.

"Can I talk for once?" she snaps, making Kaiti and Shannon roll their eyes at her rudeness. Nonetheless, the blonde continues, "If you're wondering why I'm here with you, I'm just doing all of you a favor. So, let's make it quick, please." Leayah giggles again, only to be met with a hard glare.

"I brought here my old O-bag," she states, showing distress through her tense posture, "because I wanted to get rid of it. I mean, it meant a lot to me, but I didn't like it anymore."

I've never heard such a superficial motive for leaving a prized possession behind before. It's definitive. Hailei Heard is no longer the cheerful girl who loves bags, but a prissy bitch that needs to get out of my way soon.