Chapter 2
All these years, I'd lost count of how many times people told me to behave.
They said I always acted sensibly, behaved myself, and was sweet.
I was like a cat or a dog, but never like a real person.
"Jane is in the past. The wedding was to make it up to her. Don't overthink it," Darren said.
He patted my head like he was petting a dog.
Like back then, when he decided to sponsor me, it was all done with a casual gesture.
And like that, I was packed up and sent to the city to study.
But one tear from Jane, and I was shoved back into the corner, left there for those rich kids to toy with me.
They made fun of me however they liked.
Like worthless trash, I was tossed around as they pleased.
"Alright, if you're tired, take a rest. Jane wants to get her bridal nails removed, so I'm going with her," Darren said.
Maybe it was the sting of always coming up short, or maybe it was that little bit of resentment buried deep inside me.
Suddenly, I grabbed his wrist.
I looked at him and asked, "Can't you stay?"
If he stayed, even this once, it would show that I meant something to him.
But Darren froze for a second with a helpless look on his face.
"I promised her," he said.
But he'd promised me so many times, too.
He promised to go with me to the hospital for my cramps, to visit my grandma's grave, and to celebrate my birthday with me, for once.
But every time, he let me down.
"Oh, okay," I said.
I let go of his hand, my voice calm, so used to disappointment that it barely hurt anymore.
For reasons I couldn't understand, Darren unexpectedly grabbed my hand back.
He said gently, "I'll bring you the cheesecake you love when I get back."
But sweets were the last thing I wanted.
My eyes glistened with tears, but I smiled and said, "Thanks."
Darren didn't come home that night.
Jane updated her feed with a new post.
It was only a simple peace sign in the photo.
I knew right away it was meant for me.
It was like when Darren ditched me for her without blinking.
I was locked in the bathroom, pinned to the floor, beaten until I couldn't move.
She flashed that same pose over my head.
That gesture was hers alone, provocative, insulting, to mess with me.
[Like a little bunny, right?] she captioned it.
Nobody in the comments got what she meant.
[One night together is priceless. Who cares about bunnies?] Someone joked.
Another teased, [Come on, tell us. Was Darren a beast or what?]
Jane replied almost instantly. [Oh yeah, he was a total beast.]
I calmly swiped away from the post and booked an appointment at the hospital.
My body had broken out in a rash since yesterday, probably an allergic reaction to the sleeping pills.
I'd scratched my neck so much that thin lines of blood started to show.
The doctor gave me an injection, looked me dead in the eye, and said, "You can't take sleeping pills again.
"Your body can't handle them."
"Got it," I replied.
After grabbing my meds, I was about to head out when I ran into Darren in the lobby.
He held Jane's hand.
He paused for a moment when he spotted me, but his fingers stayed locked with hers.
"What's wrong?" Darren asked.
"Allergic reaction," I said.
Darren nodded, not asking why or how bad it was.
Then, he sighed.
"Jane kept fidgeting while getting her nails removed and ended up hurting her finger, so I brought her here to get it checked out," he said.
He sounded so worried, like Jane had suffered some major injury.
I glanced down. The cut was barely visible, already scabbed over.
Jane huffed with a playful pout, acting like she was annoyed.
"If you hadn't been messing around next to me, I wouldn't have gotten hurt at all," she said.
Darren laughed quietly and played along, apologizing with a smile.
"Okay, okay, it's all my fault," he said.
Then he turned to me and said, "You should head back first."
I nodded and headed out.
But before I could get far, Jane said again, "Look at her. Her face and neck are covered in rashes.
"What if she's got something contagious? You should have her get a full check-up."
"She's had one before," Darren replied.
"That was before. I'm looking out for you. Why can't you appreciate it?" Jane shot back.
Darren replied with a bored tone, "Yeah, I'll have her do it tomorrow."
He said it so offhandedly, like he was booking a vet appointment for a pet.
After leaving the hospital, I went to drop off some of my stuff.
By the time I got home, Darren was already back.
Jane came over, acting like she owned the place, and greeted me.
"Maggie, there are no slippers left, so use the disposable ones," she said.
I looked down and saw my slippers on her feet.
Darren had bought them for me because my feet were small, just size seven.
Jane's heels were sticking out, the slippers way too small for her.
They didn't fit her at all, but she was parading around in front of me to piss me off.
I glanced inside. Darren was gaming with his friends, ignoring us.
I didn't say a word. I bent down and slipped on the disposable slippers.
As I stepped into the entryway, a blast of cold air hit me, and my allergies flared up. I sneezed three times in a row.
It turned out that someone had cranked the AC down from 68°F to 64°F.
Darren noticed and took the remote from my hand.
He said, "Jane gets warm easily. If I make it any hotter, she'll feel uncomfortable.
"Tough it out for now."
He sounded like he was negotiating, but the way he acted made it obvious that there was no room for discussion.