Chapter 5

"I told you, it's not convenient," I said.

"Not convenient?" Kenzie scoffed, her laugh icy. "What's so hard for you, huh? You're just an unemployed loser, always stuck in this crappy apartment.

"What could possibly be keeping you busy? You did this on purpose, didn't you? You just don't want to help me."

Kenzie said those words with undisguised contempt.

Suddenly, I remembered how Kenzie always had that superior attitude whenever she came over in my previous life.

She'd turn her nose up at how shabby my place was, but still took everything I did for her as if she deserved it.

"Kenzie Gross," I said, my tone as plain as ever, "your date got canceled because you were late. How is that my problem?

"You wanted the ride; you chose the route; you wasted your own time. All I did was not call you a car. It's not like I sabotaged your ride or anything."

Kenzie froze, caught completely off guard.

Maybe it was because I'd never spoken to her this way before. In my previous life, I was always the soft-spoken pushover—the girl who just let everything slide.

"You..." Kenzie stammered, struggling to get the words out. "Do you even get how important that opportunity was for me?

"Sebastian is the sole heir to the Larsen family. If I could just make a connection with him, my whole life would be different. Do you even know how much I've invested just to—"

I cut her off. "What does that have to do with me?"

"You're my best friend." Kenzie's voice suddenly went shrill, tears spilling from her eyes. "When I finally get a chance like this, shouldn't you be there for me? Shouldn't you be happy for me? Don't you want to see me succeed?"

Best friend—every time I heard those words in my previous life, I'd let my guard down.

But now, it just sounded like a cruel joke to me.

"Kenzie," I said, locking eyes with her, "are you really my friend?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"I mean," I said, making sure she heard every word, "are you really my friend, or am I just your tool?"

The air went dead silent.

For a moment, Kenzie looked guilty, but then rage took over.

"Sherlyn, are you out of your mind? When have I ever treated you like a tool? Haven't I always been good to you?

"For four years in college, I introduced you to so many people, gave you so many chances. If it weren't for me, you'd be totally invisible."

She was getting more and more worked up, her voice getting louder and louder.

She said, "So what if you helped me with my homework? That's what you're supposed to do. You're smart, and I'm not. If you don't help me, who will?

"And what's wrong with me asking you to call me a car? You've got coupons in your account. Why not use them? Now you're nitpicking over this? Seriously, are you even human?"

As I listened to her, the last bit of warmth in my heart went cold.

In my previous life, I let her gaslight me with this crap for six whole years. Kenzie always had all the excuses, always played the saint, and I was always made out to be the lousy friend.

"Are you done?" I asked.

Kenzie was stunned by how calm I was.

"If you're done, just go," I said, stepping aside to let her out. "I've got studying to do."

"You..." Kenzie's face flushed with anger. "Sherlyn, you've changed. You're nothing like the old Sherlyn anymore."

"Yeah, I've changed," I said. "So what?"

Kenzie was so stunned by my words she couldn't even respond. She shot me a furious glare, snatched her bag off the couch, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

The moment the door clicked shut, it was like all the air had been sucked out of me. I slumped against the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor.

My hands were shaking, not because I was scared, but because this was the first time in both my lives that I'd ever told Kenzie "no."

I sat on the floor, hugging my knees, and suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

And as I kept laughing, before I knew it, tears were rolling down my cheeks, not because I was upset, but because it was pure relief.

*****

At 7 AM on Monday, I arrived right on time at the lobby of Norvayne City's Trade Tower III.

I put on that secondhand suit, put on some light makeup, and pulled my hair back into a sleek, low ponytail. In the mirror, I looked a lot more refreshed. It was still the same ordinary face, but my eyes had changed.

In my previous life, my eyes always looked nervous and submissive—like a puppy that was always ready to apologize.

But now, my gaze was calm and unflinching, neither humble nor arrogant, neither startled nor afraid.