I was already halfway up the stairs while Thalia chatted with my mom about dinner plans—like nothing.
She's such a fucking masochist. I swear, she lives for getting under my skin.
Silence followed, and then I heard it—her footsteps, soft but steady behind me. This wasn't some twisted dream. She was here.
I reached my room and didn't even bother closing the door. What was the point? She'd be walking in right behind me anyway.
There it was—the sound of the door clicking shut behind me. I spun around, already bracing for her.
"What the actual fuck, Thalia? Why are you here? And don't give me that bullshit about 'the project.'"
She rolled her eyes. "Calm your fucking tits. First of all, I am here for the project. Second, what crawled up your ass?"
Why is she like this? Always so smug. She always acts like my feelings are some joke to her.
"Don't tell me to calm down. I don't want you here. You can't just show up uninvited. It's bad enough we got paired together—I'm not in the mood to deal with any of this today."
My palms were slick, my heart pounding like fireworks against my ribs.
I hated how she always acted like nothing was ever her fault—like everything she did was just some cosmic coincidence.
"Well, I'm here now," she said, stepping in fully. "So let's get started. Or are you gonna fucking break down again, Val?"
The walls felt like they were closing in as she moved a few steps closer.
"No, I'm not going to 'break down,' you bitch. You can be such a fucking tyrant sometimes."
I didn't wait for her reply. I turned my back and walked to the desk, grabbing the project packet Ms. Anya gave us—more to ground myself than anything else.
And of course, when I turned back around, there she was: sprawled across my bed like she owned it.
"Get off," I snapped. "Like, now."
She didn't flinch. "And where exactly should I sit, then?"
"On the fucking ground." I motioned to the carpet right in front of her to wait for her to get up.
But Thalia, being Thalia, didn't move. Because why would she ever do something I asked?
"Thalia, I'm serious," I snapped, my voice climbing with irritation. "Get up."
This project was going to be hell.
She shifted, just enough to sit up — not to cooperate, but to look me dead in the eye.
I could see the wheels turning in her head. Thinking. Calculating. About what, I had no clue.
Then she smiled. That smug, infuriating smile.
"You're gonna have to get on your knees and beg if you ever want me to move, Valentina."
Was she seriously doing this right now?
"You know what?" I huffed. "The floor looks so inviting. Please, take my bed — you hog."
I dropped onto the plush pink carpet with a dramatic sigh.
"Hog?" Thalia raised an eyebrow, unbothered. "Ouch. Resorting to body-shaming? That's a new low, even for you, Val."
"Don't speak unless I ask you to." I didn't look at her as I reached for the project packet. "You've already pissed me off — your voice is just background noise at this point."