Chapter 3
The once lively chat group suddenly fell silent.
After a long pause, a new message finally showed up.
[What's going on here?]
I was finding it funny when James suddenly snatched my phone away.
"Isn't it bad enough you're making a scene at home? Now you want to make a spectacle of yourself in the neighborhood group chat, too? Do you really have to let everyone know your business?" he shouted.
James was furious, but I was the picture of calm.
"Just give me my phone," I said.
Edith quickly chimed in, "Camilla, stop causing a scene. What do you think the neighbors will say? Look, let me pay for a new hair tie, and let's just move on, alright?"
As she said this, she pulled a bill from her purse and tried to press it into my palm.
Her sharp nails dug into my finger joints as she tried to force my hand open.
The sudden pain made me jerk my hand free, and I stood up from the chair.
Blood was already seeping from beneath my nails where she'd clawed at my hand.
I was trying to let them keep some dignity and just part ways peacefully, but they just had to make things ugly.
I snapped, "Who wants your money? Are you so blinded by your favoritism that you can't even see straight?
"Wendy was the one acting all pitiful in the neighborhood group chat first, and now you're blaming me for making a scene and refusing to drop it?"
James got even more fired up when I confronted him.
He said, "If you hadn't pushed Wendy to give back the hair tie, she wouldn't have gone crying to the group chat. I was just trying to help you out, but you don't even appreciate it.
"Now, apologize to Mom and Wendy right this second."
It was always the same.
I cut him off, "Not happening."
"Fine, have it your way," James said.
He grabbed my arm and shoved me into the room.
The moment I hit the floor, I heard the door click shut and lock behind me.
"Apologize, and I'll let you out. Until then, you're staying in there," James called from the hallway.
I let out a helpless sigh.
I couldn't believe how badly I misjudged him. He really thought taking my phone and locking me up is gonna make me cave.
The computer by the desk still had my chat app open.
When I clicked in, the first thing I saw was James, using my account, posting an apology to Wendy in the neighborhood group chat, posing as me.
[Wendy, I'm sorry. I've been in a bad mood these days and took it out on you. I was being petty. Hope you can forgive me.
[Whether you return the hair tie or not, it doesn't matter. Feel free to come over anytime. We all like having you around.]
He also used my phone to transfer money to her as an apology.
I let out a cold laugh, dropped a message to rally the crowd, and closed the laptop.
Ten minutes later, the door opened abruptly.
Wendy appeared in the doorway.
"Camilla, I found your hair tie," she said.
She held the dripping hair tie between two fingers, looking super frustrated.
"My cat's such a little troublemaker. She knocked it right into the toilet. I've been searching for ages before I finally fished it out.
"I rinsed it off, Camilla. Hope you don't mind, right?" she said.
I raised an eyebrow at her, catching the smug, provocative glint in her eyes.
James was standing right behind her, grinning indulgently at her.
"Guess the cat thought the hair tie was a toy, such a little rascal.
"Alright, Camilla, go ahead and put your hair tie back on. Let's put this behind us. We're all neighbors, so let's try to get along from now on," James said.
I squinted at him and retorted, "Are you actually telling me to put on a hair tie that just came out of the toilet?"
Wendy jumped in right away.
"I really scrubbed it for ages. Or Camilla, are you still not going to forgive me?" she asked.
"Don't you think that's dirty?" I shot back.
Wendy blinked, thrown off by my question.
I shot a look at James. "So, what about you?"
He ignored me completely, clearly fed up, snatched the hair tie out of Wendy's hand, and came right at me.
"Camilla, are you ever going to let this go? If you won't do it yourself, I'll do it for you," he snapped.
He yanked my hair hard, not caring how much it hurt.
The sudden, brutal pull on my scalp made me gasp for breath, my eyes burning red with tears.
Tears streamed down my face, and for a second, James was so startled he loosened his grip without thinking.
Just as James was hesitating, Wendy chimed in, her voice soft and dripping with fake sympathy.
"James, let it go. It's really no big deal if I'm the one getting hurt. But if Camilla's folks hear about this," she stammered.
That was like pouring gasoline on a fire.
A sharp pain shot through my scalp as James yanked my hair, and the damp, sticky hair tie brushed against the back of my neck.
Just then, the elevator chimed, and the doors slid open.