I THOUGH YOU DON'T DO PARTIES.

“You are a jealous, wounded, lonely bitch who is going to die alone!” Emerald spat.

I drew my brows together and stood from the couch slowly. Initially, I had planned to not exchange words with her today, but as usual, my twin sister would never let me be.

“What?” I asked her, my voice coming out lower than what I had expected.

What a disappointment!

“I asked you to leave the house because we are having some visitors over and you refused!” She snapped.

“I told you I would stay in my room and would not come out till they leave,” I said, my voice not going any higher.

Maybe I am actually the weakling, not her.

Our parents are not trying to see that.

“And you called me a lonely wounded bitch because of that?” I added with a frown.

“I don’t want you around. Leave the house,” she said.

“I am not going anywhere. Come on, stop making a deal out of this,” I said.

“Listen carefully Sapphire as I would not like to repeat myself. My wedding has been arranged and my future husband and his family are visiting. Don’t be stupid by lurking around. You are not going to get anything out of it. Leave this house, and return when they leave.”

I didn’t say anything. I leaned down picked up my phone and turned to leave when she grabbed my arm which made me stop walking abruptly.

I turned around slowly and gave her a menacing look. “I am not going to leave this house. If you don’t want me around, then have your meeting elsewhere. Why must I leave the house because of you?” I frowned and this time, I was quite pleased my voice didn’t disappoint me.

“What?” She raised a brow.

“I only pity that man who is coming to marry you. Outside, you act like the nicest person on earth and inside you treat your sister like shit. Your victim card always works and I wonder how you think of yourself,” I said, my eyes blazing in anger.

It was very obvious on her face that she was shocked at my outburst, but I care less. I turned to leave and again, she grabbed my hand and dragged me back.

“Are you crazy?” I hissed as I swirled around.

She suddenly fell to the ground and screamed while she dropped her hands on her cheeks. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I stared at her smiling face.

As my parents descended the stairs, it dawned on me what my twin sister was planning.

My mum covered the space between us and knelt beside Emerald.

“What happened, baby?” she asked.

“What did you do to your sister?” my dad asked, his eyes blazing in anger.

“I did not do anything to her,” I answered with a soft sigh and rolled my eyes gently.

God, not today.

I said to myself. I definitely knew the drama that was going to follow.

I tightened my grip on my phone and turned to leave gently.

“Don't you dare take another step from there!” he ordered and I stopped abruptly.

“What did she do to you, sweetheart?” he turned to ask her and I frowned irritatedly as I watched the faked expression on her face.

“She hit me,” Emerald replied, her hands not leaving her cheek.

“You did?” he turned to look at me again and I exhaled.

“I did not touch her. We only talked. She asked me to leave the house because some people were coming over and I refused. I said I would stay in my room till they leave,” I explained.

“Then you slapped her?” he frowned.

“Dad. She called me a jealous, wounded, lonely bitch who would die alone,” Emerald added and I widened my eyes.

What?! Was she not the one who said that to me?!

“You told your sister that?” Dad asked again.

“No! She was…”

SLAP!

I held my face in total shock as tears rolled down my cheek.

My dad had just slapped me because of my twin sister.

“How could you talk to your sister that way? I told you to take care of her. You know she is not as strong as you, yet you hurt her each time you are alone with her. What is wrong with you?!” he hollered.

While Dad lashed words at me, Emerald continued with her fake sob and I swallowed hard in disdain. I turned around hurriedly and dashed to my room as I ignored him calling my name.

I slammed the door hard behind me, collapsed on my bed, and buried my face in my pillow.

I was supposed to be used to this already. Why the heck did I always cry whenever they did this to me?

It has always been like this. Right from childhood, I had always been treated unfairly.

Growing up, Emerald was the weaker twin. She had a hole in her heart when we were eight which she got operated on, and ever since then, she has always gotten special treatment.

She got the larger portion of whatever we had. She wore the prettiest dresses. She had more toys. Her room was prettier. 

Our parents didn't fail to show her that they loved and cared for her which indirectly affected me.

At first, I didn't give it much meaning.

I had a sick sister who needed care and attention but it got to a point that I started wondering if it was not getting too much.

If we weren't identical, I would have assumed that I wasn't their child and that I was adopted or something.

It didn't end there. Emerald began to change too. The love and attention they showered got into her head and she changed towards me too.

Whenever she does something wrong, she dumps the blame on me and I get scolded by them. 

At times, she spoils things purposely and accuses me of doing them. 

I thought things would change when we grew up, but I was wrong to have hoped that.

My sister was never close to changing.

She torments me each time she gets and my parents still believe she was that weak girl who needs their protection.

Suddenly remembering her upcoming marriage, my face lit up in hope and I sat up. If she got married and left the house, then, I would be alone with my parents at home and hopefully, they would start to notice me too.

I clenched my fist hard, got off the bed, and hurried to my closet. 

It would just be better to leave the house as they had wanted. I picked my phone up and dialed my friend's number.

“Hilda,” I hummed her name as soon as she picked up the call.

“What's wrong with you? Did something happen again?” she asked, and my lips tugged into a smile.

Hilda always knows.

“Where are you? I am coming over,” I said.

“I am at home. Are you coming now?” she asked.

“Yes. Now.”

“I'd be expecting you. Get a box of pizza on your way. Ah, with a lot of toppings,” she added, and I smiled.

“Okay.”

==

At Hilda’s.

“You know, I think your parents are the worst. How could they be so indifferent to you?!” Hilda hollered in annoyance.

Anyone would think she was the one getting such injustice and not me.

“And unfortunately, they don’t seem to know that,” I shrugged my shoulders and took a bite from the slice of pizza in my hand.

“It will be over soon. She will get married to some rich tycoon and will be out of that house. Your parents will stop the maltreatment then.”

“Yeah, I am hoping the same,” I sighed.

Hilda dropped the pizza in her hand and clapped her hands, “Let’s go out!”

I frowned at the sudden outburst and shook my head slowly.

“Out to where? I am here with you because I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

“You look so dull, girl! Let’s crash a club and drink till we pass out, then probably make out with some hot stranger!” She laughed at her idea and I pulled my brows together, slightly irritated.

“I am not going to some club to get drunk or make out with anyone. I have a boyfriend, remember?” 

“I don’t remember your boyfriend stopping you from having fun,” she hissed.

“Making out with random guys is fun?” I raised a brow.

“It is,” she winked at me and I shook my head.

At times I wonder how I came to be best friends with Hilda despite our opposite personalities. She was the perfect definition of an extrovert and I was an introvert.

We met in high school when I was being bullied by some group of girls and she had fought for me.

Ever since then, I have always followed her everywhere. At first, she didn’t want to be close to me. She made it clear to me that she only helped me because she couldn’t stand injustice but later, she gave in.

I was the top student in the class and she was the button student. 

It didn’t take long before we became friends.

“It’s still noon. We still have time before we go to the club, let’s go shopping first,” she said, interrupting me out of my thoughts.

“Can we not go to the club, please? Come on!” I pouted, hoping she would buy it this time around.

“No. Not this time, baby. You’re not gonna have your way. Let’s party!” She screamed in excitement.

I shook my head, grabbed another slice of Pizza, and began to eat it.

==

“God, this is so short! You should have allowed me to come with my hoodie,” I grumbled as we waited outside the club for our turn to be checked.

“Jesus Christ, Sapphire, who wears a hoodie to the club?” She widened her eyes and pulled me forward as we stopped in front of the guards who checked our identification tag.

“Me! This dress is so uncomfortable!” I shouted as we walked past the guard and entered the club, welcomed by the loud music.

“Trust me, you look sexy!” She shouted right back at me, dancing gently to the beat.

As we walked in further, I frowned at the large amount of people packed inside the space.

The strong smell of sweat, and alcohol hit my nose which almost made me nauseous.

“How the fuck does anyone enjoy being here?!” I burst out loud but the sound of the music overshadowed my ‘little’ scream.

Hilda had already let go of my hand, she had started dancing to the beat, throwing herself at the men who were also dancing alone.

I shook my head and chuckled gently.

God, help me.

I muttered to myself as I forced my way through the crowd.

After a while, I arrived at the bartender's stand and breathed out heavily.

Panting as if I just fought in a war, I dropped my hands on the table and waved my hand at him.

“Do you have soda?” I asked.

He pointed his hand at the poster behind him and I rolled my eyes as I saw it. “ONLY ALCOHOL!”

“Water?” I asked and he nodded his head.

*

As I drank from the bottle, looking around at the people in the club, a man stopped in front of me and I raised my brows at him.

“My boss wants to see you,” he informed me.

“The manager of the club or…?” I asked.

This man was wearing a suit and now he is telling me his boss wants to see me. 

Do I leave here and go to him?

“Not the manager. My boss. He would like to see you.”

I frowned at him and covered the bottled water in front of him.

“You expect me to go with you to see your boss or what? Tell your boss to come here if he wants to see me,” I said and turned away from him. 

I hissed gently as I felt him leaving and opened the lid of the bottle again.

After a while of sitting and having nothing to do. I was getting pissed already as I couldn't find Hilda and these men wouldn't stop staring at me lustfully.

I opened my bag to search for my phone so I would call her when I felt a presence beside me.

“I thought you do not do parties.”

The deep voice that I heard had me raising my head up almost immediately to see the owner of the voice.

“Huh?” I moaned as I looked at the strangely familiar man.

“You said you do not do parties, didn't you?”

I kept mute.

Apart from the fact that the man looked offensively handsome, he looked so familiar which bothered me.

“I said…”

Wait…

I have seen him before…

Think. Think. Think…

Daniel Preston Logan…?!

My twin sister’s betrothed.

I widened my eyes, gasped loudly, and covered my mouth with my hand hurriedly.