Feeling Lost

Dhalia POV

I don’t move. I just sit there, staring at Keeley, my mind reeling, unable to comprehend what she’s saying. “You’re lying,” I manage to choke out, my voice trembling. “We’ve known each other since I was like four!”

My mind races to make sense of it all. How could my stepdad have paid her to be my friend at such a young age? It doesn’t add up.

Keeley rolls her eyes, her expression almost bored. “Your parents were friends with mine, Dhalia. That’s the only reason we even played together. I never really wanted to be your friend. By the time I was eleven, I wanted to live my own life, without you tagging along. But then your stepdad wasn’t happy after… well after you killed your own sister. So he paid me to stay close to you. I was young, but I knew the money was worth it.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I’m at a loss for how to respond. My mind is battling a storm of emotions—confusion, anger, betrayal. “Fine,” I finally say, my voice shaky. “So he paid you to be my