CHAPTER FIVE

“Lace. Lace.”

Lacey woke up to someone shaking her. Her eyes seemed to have been shut close. A crick in her neck caused her to groan as she opened her eyes with some effort. There was also a hint of headache.

Maddy was on her knees next to her. When did she arrive? “Was going to let you sleep, but that position looks uncomfortable. Did you have a good sleep?”

“Hmm.” Lacey could say it was a good sleep because she didn’t dream of anything. Looking towards the open curtains, the sky outside had darkened. “When did you get here? How long was I asleep for?” She asked, sitting upright. To the left then to the right, Lacey twisted her neck to try to shake out the crick. 

Maddy tapped on her phone once before answering. “Just after 9 p.m. I got here twenty minutes ago. What time did you sleep?”

Although she didn’t specifically have a time for when she fell asleep, Lacey knew that Thomas and Eliza left around 4, and her manager called a few minutes later. It wouldn’t have taken her long to enter dreamland.

Ignoring Maddy’s question, Lacey’s eyes glazed towards her kitchen as she heard a clang. “Who..?”

“Oh, Adi’s whipping something up. We figured you hadn’t eaten yet.”

Right on cue, Lacey’s stomach grumbled. Truly, the day had been so eventful that Lacey forgot to eat. Maddy reached a hand out to stroke Lacey’s head. “That’s from Sangah. She came by with us, but had to leave because something came up with her grandmother.”

Lacey met Maddy, Adi, and Sangah when they were all kids. Adi and Maddy were twins who’d grown up in the house next to Sangah’s since they were born. As for Lacey, after her mother found a well-paying job, she moved them to the rich, urban neighbourhood where they lived. The friendship among the four was formed easily, and they’d been that way ever since. 

Out of the four of them, Lacey previously considered herself to be the most grounded relationship-wise. Maddy was studying to be a teacher, much to her parent’s dismay, and didn’t have much of a dating life. Also, after a one-night stand with a stranger that left her with much more than she bargained for, she had no time nor interest in dating. 

As for Adi, he’d had a couple boyfriends, but none of them lasted more than two years. According to him, he was waiting for his one true love. Sangah was the wildest card among them. She hated the feeling of being tied down and had officially never been in a relationship. 

There was a long bout of silence before Lacey spoke. “What of Lea? Do you have someone babysitting her tonight?” Lea was Maddy’s two-year-old daughter. 

Maddy exhaled a short sigh. “She’s at my parents’.”

Lacing her hands together, Lacey used them as a pillow as she lay her back on the ground. Thomas’ visit was on her mind. When a person’s behaviour does a complete one eighty overnight, there would have been signs, right? Or was it like that for everyone? There had been no obvious indication of his dissatisfaction with Lacey, but maybe that had just been her being oblivious. 

Lacey worried her bottom lips with her teeth, her eyebrows crooked in a frown. “Why didn’t any of you like Thomas?”

Maddy had taken a similar position next to Lacey on the floor. Her response came after some time. 

“A lot about him felt like a pretense,” came Maddy’s quiet answer. “It was almost like he was putting on an act just to keep you by his side.”

Lacey pressed her lips together and didn’t say anything. 

“I’m sorry, Lace.” Maddy sounded hesitant to continue. “I thought that since he at least made you happy, then it was fine. Never did I expect…”

It looked like Lacey had been the one looking at Thomas with rose-colored glasses, and failed to see the truth. At that point, Adi came out of the kitchen, the smell of lasagna following after him, and filling the room. 

The first to sit up was Maddy, then Lacey. No matter how much of a shitty mood she was in, Adi’s cooking always managed to relieve at least half of her stress. 

“Smells good,” Lacey complimented with her first sincere smile of the day. 

“I guess we’re eating on the floor today.” 

Maddy laughed, and in the next minute, table mats had been placed on the floor, while Adi arranged the dinner. 

“Here, look at the comments. A lot of people are calling Thomas out on his bluff. They’re on your side.”

It was after dinner, and they’d all moved from the floor to the sofa. Maddy had her phone out to show Lacey the post Adi made earlier. The fact that strangers were debating about her on the internet was mildly uncomfortable, but Lacey appreciated the kind gesture from Adi. 

“You guys need to see this.”

Adi had been quietly scrolling on his laptop, but turned his screen towards them. His object of exclamation was a video of Thomas at what looked to be a party kissing his co-star, Eliza. 

“Thomas stopped by in the afternoon,” Lacey revealed. “With her.” She cocked her head at the screen. 

“What?!” The twins exclaimed at the same time, jumping to their feet. 

Another time, Lacey would have laughed at their theatrics, but she simply nodded. “To get me to sign those papers, and introduce me to his new girlfriend.”

“That’s it! No more lying on the ground, no more crying over trash. None of that! I refuse to mope over someone who is trying to ruin your life. That…That…!.” Adi pointed his fingers widely at the screen, his anger not allowing him to complete his words. 

Luckily for him, Maddy helped him out. “I believe what Adi is trying to say is that you’re the innocent one here. So why is the guilty one having the time of his life while you suffer? Right, Adi?”

“Exactly.” Moving away from his laptop, Adi grabbed Lacey’s shoulders lightly, looking into her eyes. “I have a friend who’s throwing a party tonight. There’s going to be amazing music and good food. Good vibes too. We,” he made a rolling motion with his finger, “are all going.”