Building My Life

Chapter 54 - A Serious Chat Between Friends

“Melissa, you don’t have to worry.” Pamela smiled, perhaps a bit too widely. “Nothing much happened.”

Melissa snorted and turned back to the dishes while Pamela retrieved the plate she had nearly dropped.

“William said he saw you lying in the street, sobbing for minutes instead of just getting up and going home,” Melissa insisted, her voice changing to a serious pitch. “In other words, you weren’t crying because of a fall. Something else happened, and you couldn’t take it anymore.”

Pamela gripped the next dish a little too tightly. Damn it. Why did William have to be so observant?

The memory of William shirtless, muscular, and looking far older than fifteen sent a different kind of shiver down Pamela’s spine. Her best friend’s younger brother certainly had his appeal. He already looked like a grown man.

“Pamela? Are you even listening to me?” Melissa called out.

Pamela nearly fumbled a third plate. She needed to get out of there before she decimated Dora’s entire porcelain collection, the only truly valuable thing the Campos family owned.

“Sorry, Melissa. Lunch just made me sleepy. I think I’ll head home for a nap.”

Pamela started to edge away, but Melissa caught her by the arm, her grip firm.

“You’re going to tell me what happened yesterday! Were you mugged?” Melissa hesitated, afraid to voice the darker word crossing her mind.

Pamela seized the opening. A mugging was a perfect, convenient lie.

“Fine! Since you’re so determined to worry... yes. I was mugged. I was strolling downtown, and on my way back, someone jumped me. They took my purse, and I was just... devastated.”

“And that’s why you ran like a lunatic with everyone staring at you?”

Pamela took a deep breath, her mind racing to weave the next thread of the lie. “The guy... he pointed a gun at me. He was aggressive. He grabbed me. My shirt was torn, I can show you later.”

Melissa’s expression softened instantly. Her older sister had mentioned that Pamela looked as if she’d been violated; now Pamela was confirming that a thug had taken liberties, and she had fought him off.

“Pamela... did this animal... did he...?”

Pamela forced a reassuring smile. “No, friend, stay calm! I’m still intact. The bastard didn’t get what he wanted. My shirt only tore because I managed to break away and bolt. I was already close to the slum, so I just ran until I hit my front door.”

“Oh, Pamela, that’s horrific!” The two friends collapsed into a hug. “And your parents didn’t seem concerned... I’m so sorry for judging them.”

“I’ll explain it to them later. It wasn’t that bad,” Pamela muttered.

Wasn’t that bad? If Melissa only knew the sheer mountain of hatred Pamela was currently harboring for Fabrício.

They broke the hug and finished the dishes in silence. Afterward, they retreated to the bedroom to continue talking. Pamela’s “nap” excuse was forgotten; she was now far too wired to sleep. Both sat on the edge of the bed.

“So,” Pamela started, testing the waters. “What do you think about Fabrício?”

“Honestly?” Melissa gave a non-committal shrug and a lukewarm smile. “He’s... alright.”

“He’s handsome, has those green eyes, dresses like a million bucks, and has a real future,” Pamela pushed, trying to sell the image.

“It’s one thing to talk, and another to actually do it,” Melissa countered. “I want to see if he actually follows through with Economics. Is he going to be a dedicated student, or is he the type to waste his college years on drugs, s*x, and rock ‘n’ roll?”

“Well, you’ll have to ask him that yourself,” Pamela laughed, trying to keep the mood light.

“What I like about Josias is that he doesn’t just talk, he acts.” Melissa’s eyes drifted toward the window, glowing with a soft, passionate light. “He could have easily spiraled into drugs or homelessness, but he chose to fight. He’s overcoming everything. His life story... it’s amazing.”

“What do you mean? Is there a specific reason he’s so... miserable?” Pamela asked, her curiosity piqued.

Melissa caught herself. She wasn’t sure if Pamela deserved to hear the intimate details of Josias’s tragic past.

“We shouldn’t go into that; it’s his private business.” Melissa shifted away slightly. “Besides, you don’t even like him, so there’s no point in telling you.”

“Melissa, honey, I told you why!” Pamela whined. “He doesn’t deserve you. He was just trying to use you. When I introduced you to Fabrício, I knew he wouldn’t be that kind of scoundrel.”

Pamela felt a pang of guilt — or perhaps just a headache — as the lies piled up. But her desire to claim Josias for herself was a louder voice than her conscience.

“I still think you’re wrong.” Melissa stood up from the bed and looked down at Pamela. “Actually, I think you fabricated that story just to vent your anger on him.”

Pamela held her breath, masterfully feigning offense. “Melissa! How can you even say that? Why would I fabricate something so awful?”

“I’m not saying you did it to hurt me. But you’re obsessed with this idea that I need ‘protecting.’ You’re constantly looking for danger in Josias. You went to the construction site to warn him off, and then yesterday, the moment you heard I was meeting him, you suddenly came up with that motel story just in time for my father to hear it. Don’t you see how suspicious that looks?”

Pamela felt the walls closing in. Melissa was getting closer to the truth. All she needed to do was connect the final dot: that her best friend wasn’t protecting her from a predator, but was actually coveting the man she loved.