Chapter 3

I pulled into the parking lot below my apartment, turned off the engine, unbuckled my seatbelt, and picked up my phone.

The screen showed twenty-two missed calls and more than a dozen messages on WhatsApp.

I opened the app and read through Melissa's messages one by one.

[Emily, why did you leave?

[I didn't bring enough cash, and the owner doesn't take mobile payment.

[Come back, I'm totally stuck here alone. It's so embarrassing.

[What are you trying to do?

[You're not seriously ditching me, are you?

[You're really crossing the line here!]

I scrolled up through our chat history, going back further and further because I wanted to find all those times she said she would pay me back later.

I scrolled all the way back to two years ago and realized she had never sent me a single payment through my banking app or Venmo.

But my own transfers to her were everywhere, and every memo line said I was paying her back for something.

I remembered once when she helped me order a lipstick online, and I sent her the money that same night.

She saw it right away and messaged me on WhatsApp with a kissy emoji.

But whenever it was her turn to pay me back, she always hit me with her classic line about sending it later.

I started to wonder when that later was ever actually going to come.

I opened up the notes app on my phone and stared at the running list of everything she owed me.

[March 15th, 2022, dinner, 220 dollars.

[May 22nd, 2022, movie tickets, 56 dollars.

[July 8th, 2022, beauty salon recharge, one thousand dollars.

[October 1st, 2022, furniture store haul, six hundred dollars.

[February 14th, 2023, group dinner, eight hundred dollars.

[June 30th, 2023, online order, 450 dollars.

[September 15th, 2023, gas money, 160 dollars.

[January 20th, 2024, beauty store haul, 1,200 dollars.

[March 8th, 2024, sofa covers, 950 dollars.

[April 12th, 2024, organic farm haul, 1,500 dollars.]

And then there were all those little things like drinks and parking fees.

Each one seemed small on its own, but when I added everything together, the total was a full twelve thousand dollars, which was almost everything I had managed to save in half a year.

I worked as a copywriter at a regular company, making over three thousand dollars a month.

After paying rent and covering my living expenses, I was lucky if I could save around 1,300 dollars each month.

Meanwhile, Melissa was a marketing manager at an international firm, earning at least eight thousand dollars a month.

She lived in a downtown loft that cost her over 2,600 dollars a month in rent, she drove a Mercedes that her boyfriend gave her, and she was always wearing designer brands and eating at fancy restaurants. But she never once paid me back.

My phone started buzzing again, and this time, it was a voice call from Melissa.

I hesitated for a few seconds, but then I picked up.

"What are you trying to pull?" Melissa demanded, her voice full of anger. "You left me all alone at the seafood market.

"Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me?

"The owner kept pushing me to pay, and when I told him I didn't have enough, he almost called the police.

"Are you doing this on purpose to mess with me?"

I listened quietly as she laid into me, and when she finally ran out of steam, I spoke up. "Melissa, do you remember how much you owe me?"

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"Owe you? What are you talking about? When did I ever owe you money?" She sounded genuinely confused, like I had said something completely ridiculous.

"From two years ago until now, you owe me twelve thousand dollars," I said, keeping my voice calm. "You always say you'll pay me back later, but you never actually do."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Her tone turned impatient. "Isn't it normal for friends to help each other out?

"Why are you suddenly being so petty about money? You seriously left me stranded at the seafood market over some pocket change? Emily, you've changed. You never used to be like this."

Her words made me grip my phone. Twelve thousand dollars was never pocket change for me. "If it's really pocket change, then why haven't you ever paid me back?"

"I've been busy with work, and it slipped my mind," she mumbled, her voice suddenly uncertain. "Besides, you never mentioned it. If you had said something earlier, I would have sent you the money a long time ago."

"I saw you posting about your Maledasia trip last month. That vacation must have cost you at least ten thousand dollars, right?"

"That was all on my boyfriend. He paid for everything." Her voice getting sharper. "And honestly, it's my money. Why should you care? Are you jealous that my life is better than yours?"

I didn't bother responding to that. "Melissa, I just have one question for you. When are you actually going to pay me back?"

Melissa went quiet on the other end.

I could hear the chaos of the seafood market in the background.

After a long time, she finally spoke up. "I'm a little short on cash right now. Can you give me some more time?"

"How long?" I asked.

"Maybe a month? At most, a month." Her voice wavered like she didn't believe it herself.

I knew this was another excuse, like every other time she promised to pay me back later.

"Alright, I'll give you a month," I said, and then I ended the call.