Chapter 8

“If you talk like that, Marissa, it’s like you weren’t left for the same reason, huh? How many men have dumped you because you’re bad at giving head?” Sheila said angrily. Her face was already red, a clear sign that she was drunk. She even pointed a finger at Marissa while glaring at her.

“What did you say?” Marissa stood up and pointed at Sheila in return.

“Don’t you dare point at me!” Sheila shouted, almost toppling forward as she jabbed a finger at Marissa.

Vangie winced. She quickly stood up when she noticed people starting to stare and grabbed Sheila’s arm.

“W-Wait a second, okay? Sheila’s drunk. I’ll take her to the bathroom,” Vangie said, trying to pull her friend away.

Sheila stubbornly shook off Vangie’s grip. “No way! Just let me—”

Before she could finish, Vangie covered her mouth and forcefully dragged her away from the table. Marissa’s face was already red with anger, and she looked like she was about to eat Sheila alive. And to be fair, Sheila wasn’t exactly wrong. Both of them had been abandoned by their husbands, but Marissa had been with multiple men since then. All four of her kids had different fathers. Vangie didn’t want to judge, but Marissa’s choices spoke for themselves.

“Why did you pull me away?” Sheila asked irritably as soon as they stepped outside Maricel’s house. She yanked her arm from Vangie’s grip and fixed her messy hair.

Vangie rolled her eyes and looked at her in disbelief. “Do you want us to get into a fight? That would be embarrassing for Maricel and our godchild!”

Sheila scoffed. “I wasn’t going to let that woman talk to you like that! It’s obvious she still hasn’t moved on. She stole my boyfriend before, and now she even tried to seduce Fredo? Did she really think he’d go for her when you and he broke up? With those stinky armpits of hers? Please! Only someone like her would go for her,” Sheila ranted, crossing her arms over her chest, refusing to back down.

Vangie chuckled. “You’re too much. You really didn’t have to respond to her.”

“I don’t care! If anyone insults you in front of me, they’ll have to deal with me,” Sheila huffed.

Vangie smiled. Sheila had always been her defender. When she and Fredo split up, and Sheila found out that he had cheated, she had immediately confronted him.

“That’s exactly why I pulled you away. I knew you wouldn’t hold back with Marissa.”

Sheila grinned and faced her friend. “You know me too well.” Then she suddenly held her stomach. “Wait. I need to pee.”

“Go ahead. I’ll find Maricel and say goodbye. We can’t stay much longer. You’re drunk too.”

Sheila nodded and waved her hand dismissively. Without another word, she walked back inside.

Vangie was about to follow when someone called her name.

“Vangie!”

She slowly turned around, and her eyes widened when she saw Bert walking toward her.

“Bert.” She glanced around in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

Bert stopped in front of her and smiled. “I was inside earlier. I’ve been watching you for a while.”

“Huh? You’re a guest too?”

Bert nodded. “Clarissa is my niece.”

Vangie’s mouth slightly opened in surprise. She had been here for a while but hadn’t noticed him at all. More importantly, she had no idea he was related to Clarissa.

“O-Oh, really?”

“I wanted to approach you earlier, but you were busy talking with your friends. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Vangie cringed inwardly. She hoped he hadn’t overheard anything, but considering how loud Sheila and Marissa had been, it was unlikely.

“Anyway, I should go say goodbye to Maricel,” she said after a moment, feeling self-conscious under Bert’s gaze. She was starting to feel a little dizzy.

“You’re leaving already?”

Vangie nodded. “Yeah, my friend is too drunk.”

“Oh, I can give you two a ride.”

Vangie’s eyes widened. Panic set in. If Sheila saw Bert, she wouldn’t let this go. She would definitely say something embarrassing.

“Uh—”

“Oh? And who’s this?”

Vangie flinched as Sheila suddenly appeared beside her, staring at Bert.

“This is Bert, isn’t it?”

Vangie’s eyes widened even more, and she nudged Sheila. She really couldn’t keep her mouth shut!

“Well, looks like you’ve told your friend about me,” Bert said with a smirk, looking at Vangie meaningfully.

Vangie felt her face heat up in embarrassment. “N-No! Come on, Sheila.” She grabbed Sheila’s arm, trying to pull her away, but Sheila suddenly shoved her closer to Bert.

Vangie stared at her friend in shock. “Sheila?!”

Sheila waved a dismissive hand as if shooing her away.

“Go with him. Maybe you’ll finally get some,” Sheila said, hiccupping.

“Sheila!” Vangie exclaimed in horror, her face turning bright red. This woman!

Bert burst into laughter. Vangie refused to look at him. She knew he enjoyed teasing people, and she didn’t want to see the amusement in his eyes.

“So, can I?” Bert asked.

Sheila grinned mischievously. “Of course!”

“What?! No!”

Sheila rolled her eyes and glared at Vangie. “What’s the problem? I’m just helping you out!” Then she turned to Bert. “Alright, take my friend home. Make sure she’s safe, or you’ll have to deal with me!”

Bert scratched his head. “Of course.”

“Sheila!” Vangie panicked as Sheila turned around and waved her hand, not even looking back. She walked away, leaving Vangie alone with Bert.

Bert chuckled. “Your friend is something else, huh?” Then he smirked. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

Vangie shut her eyes tightly. Why did she have such a shameless friend? And why did Bert have to go along with her nonsense?

Sheila, you’re so dead!