Chapter 2

Kenzie was the one who asked me to call the cab, she picked the car, and she was the one who waited until the last minute to leave.

I was nothing but her doormat. Whenever something went wrong, she dumped all the blame on me. She never saw me as a friend, just a scapegoat.

And that missed meeting was just the beginning.

After that, Kenzie's life went off the rails like a runaway train, crashing straight downhill.

She missed her shot with Sebastian, and later, he met another girl at a charity gala—a sweet, soft-spoken girl from a regular family.

They fell for each other fast, announced their engagement in style, and threw a lavish wedding that made headlines all over Norvayne City.

Every time Kenzie saw news about Sebastian and his wife, she'd go nuts. She'd lock herself in her room, drink herself numb, smash things, then call me, bawling and screaming, "This is all your fault.

"If it weren't for that cab you called, I'd be the one standing next to him. Me.

"You destroyed my dream of living the high life. You wrecked my whole future.

"Sherlyn, you owe me. You'll owe me forever."

In my previous life, I swallowed it all without a word.

I'd sit with her, drink with her, listen to her sob, wipe her tears, and even help her scheme ways to win Sebastian back. I always felt guilty, like I owed her something.

*****

When news of Sebastian's wedding exploded online, Kenzie completely lost it.

I rushed to her apartment to comfort her, but she'd already polished off a whole bottle of red wine, crying and throwing a fit, stumbling around outside.

I reached out to grab her.

Then, Kenzie turned and shot me a look.

I would never forget that look. It was cold, bitter, and wild, like a poisoned knife straight to the heart.

"This is all your fault," she said.

Right after that, Kenzie gave me a hard shove.

I stumbled out into the main road, and a small truck came speeding toward me—no time to brake.

And just like that, it was all over.

Kenzie stood at the curb, watching the blood pooling across the pavement. There was no panic, no regret on her face—just a calm, utterly relieved expression, like she'd finally gotten rid of the thorn in her side.

I closed my eyes, my nails digging deep into my palms.

Even up to the moment I died, I never understood what I'd done wrong.

Now, it finally made sense.

I was too much of a pushover.

I treated Kenzie like a friend, but to her, I was just a tool. I kept cleaning up after her schemes, and in the end, it cost me my life.

So this time, I just said: [Sorry, I can't.]

That was all it took.

After I sent the message, my phone stayed quiet for about thirty seconds.

Then, Kenzie's call came in, blowing up my phone.

I stared at the screen, watching "Kenzie" flash with that little heart emoji next to her name. It felt so damn ironic.

Back in my previous life, I put a heart next to Kenzie's name in my phone, thinking best friends deserved a special mark.

Now, just seeing it made me feel nauseous.

I hit decline.

Kenzie called again. I hit decline. She called again.

On her fourth call, I finally answered.

"Sherlyn. What's your deal?" Kenzie's voice was so sharp it felt like it could pierce right through the phone. "I asked you to call me a cab, and you say it's not convenient? What's so inconvenient about it? Are your fingers broken or what?"

It was the same old attitude and entitlement.

In my previous life, I would've apologized on the spot and fumbled to open the app. But now, I just replied calmly, "I don't have any coupons left in my account."

That was a lie, of course. I still had three coupons I'd scrimped and saved for. But Kenzie didn't need to know that.

"Then just use your own money. It's not like I won't pay you back." Kenzie sounded frantic. "Sherlyn, I'm seriously out of time. This meeting means everything to me. Please, just help me this once."

Truth was, she'd never reimbursed me for a single cab ride.

"You can just call a cab on your own phone," I said.

"My phone's dead," she said.

"Grab a power bank."

"I didn't bring a power bank."

"There are shared power banks at every corner store."

There was a two-second silence on the other end. Kenzie probably never expected that I, who always did whatever she wanted, would actually stand up to her today.

"Sherlyn, are you going to help me or not?" Kenzie's voice turned sharp, a hint of threat creeping in.

"I can't help you." I hung up without another word.

Then I did something I'd never even dreamed of doing before. I blocked Kenzie's number.

But it was just for an hour.

I wasn't looking to cut her off completely—at least not yet. This time, I wasn't after revenge; I just wanted out of her life for good.

I needed to keep my distance from Kenzie and all the chaos she brought with her. But if I blocked her for real right now, knowing her, she'd probably storm over to my crappy apartment and throw a fit.