Chloe's POV
My phone alarm beeped. 2pm. Finally, it's lunch time. I yawned a d stretched looking around for her. Where in the world could she be? Adeline and I always got lunch together on Fridays. We called it, taco Fridays, it's been that way since college.
My eyes scanned the entire office but she was nowhere to be found and neither was Mark. Did they leave without me?
I got my answer because soon enough I saw Adeline entering from the back entrance with Maya by her side. They were laughing like they've been friends forever. A sharp little pinch of jealousy hit my chest. That was my laugh. That was our time.
Why in the world was Adeline hurting me like this? What had I done to her? We've been best friends from our teenage age. I've always been her ride or die. I helped her pick out her outfits, I held her head hair back when she'd drunk too much at our first party. Now, she acts like I don't exist. It felt like my own sister had suddenly decided she didn't love me anymore. My throat got tight just thinking about it.
I wasn't going to let this happen to us. The promotion might have actually gone up her head too much. I'm going to remind her who her true friend was.
I watched them head for the office cafeteria. Good! I stood up and followed them, grabbing a tray. I saw them go towards the salad bar with their trays already loaded. They were looking for a table. This was my chance to fix things.
The plan was really simple. I'd walk past her and "accidentally" bump into her hard enough to cause her to fall and mess herself up. Then as the good friend I was, I'll help her clean up and tell her how clumsy she was. It'll be just like old times. She'd be embarrassed, I'd be her hero, and things would go back to normal.
I tightened my grip on my tray, took a quick step, and aimed right for her side. But it all went wrong so fast.
The moment I hit her, she shifted. It was so fast I had no time to adjust. Instead of her being the one to fall, I gell. My feet got all tangled up and I went down, my tray flying up and a cold, greasy pasta salad slid right down the front of my brand-new white blouse.
I landed on the floor with a thud, stunned. The cafeteria went quiet suddenly.
"Oh my gosh, Chloe! I'm so sorry!" Adeline cried out, her voice full of fake concern. She reached a hand down to help me up.
I knew her too well. I could always tell when she was being real. Right now, she was acting. This wasn't the real Adeline. The real Adeline would have been panicking, her eyes wide with genuine worry. This Adeline's eyes were calm. Cold.
"It's… it's okay," I stammered, my face burning. My blouse was ruined.
"You should go clean yourself up in the restroom," she said, her voice sweet but empty. "Come find us when you're done. You can join us."
Join us. The words stung. Since when was there an "us" that didn't include me?
I walked numbly to the restroom, the sticky pasta still clinging to my skin. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I was a mess. I scrubbed at the stain with a wet paper towel, but it just spread, turning the white fabric a gross, oily yellow. A scream of pure frustration built up in my chest and I let it out, a short, sharp cry into the empty room. Then I took a deep breath, smoothed my hair, and put my mask back on.
When I walked out, I saw them. They were already sitting at a small table by the window, their heads close together, laughing. A real, easy laugh. I couldn't remember the last time Adeline laughed like that with me. It was always a little forced lately. Since when did she and Maya become so close?
I walked over and stood by their table, waiting for them to notice me. They didn't. They just kept talking.
"...and thanks again for having my back just now," Adeline was saying to Maya. "I don't know what I would have done."
"It was nothing," Maya replied with a warm smile.
Then Adeline glanced down. "Hey, what's with the shoes?"
I looked down too. Maya was wearing a pair of huge, ugly men's loafers.
Maya giggled. "My brother, He's such a jerk. He's punishing me for being careless last night. He purposely didn't bring my shoes from his place, so I had to wear these all day!"
They both burst out laughing again, a shared, intimate sound that shut me out completely.
I cleared my throat loudly.
Finally, Adeline looked up. She blinked, as if she was just seeing me. "Oh, Chloe. I didn't see you there." She gestured to an empty chair. "Sit down."
I sat, my hands clenched under the table. I was boiling inside. I had to get my friend back. I had to remind her of what we had.
So I put on my best, cutest smile, the one I knew she loved. "So, Addie," I said, my voice sweet. "I hope you haven't forgotten about our girls' night out tomorrow. Just the two of us. For old times' sake?"
Adeline took a sip of her water. She didn't smile back. She just gave a single, cold nod. "I remember."
Inside my head, a plan was already forming. Fine. If she wanted to be cold, I would make our outing tomorrow a night she would never, ever forget.