Crazy plus Crazy

“ARIA!” Sophia shouted, jumping on her.

“I can’t breathe,” Aria quickly pointed out when Sophia wouldn’t stop hugging… choking the life out of her.

“How can you just leave me at the party?” Sophia asked, sitting down next to her.

Aria sat up.

“I’m sorry, I just needed to breathe.”

Sophia hugged her again, this time slightly.

“Are you okay now?”

“Yes. I mean, of course I’m okay. It’s not like I just found out my boyfriend of six years was fucking with my cousin for four years behind my back. It’s not like I was played for a fool.”

I'm going to kill that bastard,just because he is rich doesn't mean he got to be a dickass, we should double cross you and beat the shit out of him and Vanessa we should fill her stomach with cement and dump her in a river” Sophia said casually.

Aria looked at her best friend, talking about killing someone like she was talking about some recipes. She wondered how they were friends.

They were both roommates at the campus dorm and had discovered that they had a love for the same genre of music, Kpop, and had spent the whole night talking about their favorite boy group and reading fanfiction of their favorite ship. They had bonded over time, with Sophia talking about her love for food and opening a restaurant someday, while Aria talked about her dream of owning a company.

They both didn’t judge each other. Aria soon found herself going to Sophia’s house for holidays, and Sophia’s parents loved her and had accepted her wholeheartedly. Aria couldn’t afford to go back to her uncle’s house because of the maltreatment she faced at the hands of her aunt and Vanessa.

“We are not killing anybody,” Aria quickly stopped her best friend.

“We can’t just let them go like that. I have always wanted to beat up that witch of a girl, Vanessa. After all, she makes you cry a lot.”

“It is fine, okay? I’m fine,” Aria said, trying to end the conversation.

“It is not okay, and you know that.”

Sophia tried to shut up, noticing that Aria was trying to avoid the topic. They both sat in silence.

“Where were you yesterday? I mean, where did you go? I was worried.”

“I went to a bar, the nearest one I could find.”

“Oh,” Sophia said, unsure of what to say. She couldn’t afford to annoy her bestie, yet didn’t know what to say to make her feel better.

“I could start up dinner for you.”

Sophia stood up to make some delicious food, hoping to help her friend feel better. Her eyes landed on the black folder and the shimmering black card laced with gold.

“What is that?” she pointed at the folder.

Aria quickly grabbed it before Sophia could.

“It is nothing.”

Aria quickly sat down.

“I was not born yesterday. I know it is something. You don’t always hide things from me.”

Sophia tried to drag the file from Aria’s hand while Aria didn’t notice. She opened it, ignoring her friend’s pleading eyes. She opened it, and her eyes widened in disbelief.

MARRIAGE CONTRACT

Sophia looked at Aria, then back at the folder, and right back at Aria.

“Stop looking at me like you saw the most monstrous thing ever. You read it right. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Explain!” Sophia asked.

Aria rolled her eyes at her dramatic friend.

“Wait, hold on, let me get you straight… You slept with Damien Ashford, your cheating ex’s father, and he asked you to marry him and proceeded to give you a contract, and you didn’t answer with a yes, and you didn’t bother to tell me? You act like it is a normal thing, Aria! He is a daddy everyone’s into. You have to agree. This is a chance, a once in a lifetime opportunity Mother Earth is giving you to avenge those disgusting people, and you just let it go,” Sophia exclaimed as soon as Aria finished the whole story about her encounter with Damien.

Aria could only look at her crazy friend in disbelief.

“Maybe you should marry him, since you don’t find this absurd and unreasonable. You both are crazy.”

“Oh, please. You know I have no interest in men and relationships. I’m focusing on my restaurant, but seriously, this is a mad chance to avenge. It is straight out of a novel.”

“I don’t know. I’m so tired. You know the media, they are never gonna shut up. The world will call me names. I really don’t want that in my life, right? I’m… I’m scared,” Aria pointed out.

“Hey, look at me, lovie. No matter what, no matter how good or bad you are, people are going to talk. Don’t care about what people say or think or what the media is going to write. Do what you want. I need you to know that no matter what decision you make, I will always support you. I love you, and I will always be there for you whether you agree to this or not.”

“I want to agree to it.”

“Huh?”

“The marriage contract. I will agree to it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I need to teach that bastard a lesson.”

“I’m so proud of you. Oh my God, finally, you will be the head. I can’t wait to see the look on that bastard and his witch’s face.”

“You are enjoying this way too much.”

“Of course I am.”

“Like you are marrying the most powerful and richest man that will treat you better, and he is the father of your ex, which means you will be his stepmom. That is the start of a great revenge on someone’s ex.”

“How sure are you that he will treat me better?”

“Sis, he gave you a contract and told you to add what you want and what you are not comfortable with. That is a green flag.”

“And it is not a red flag to want to marry your son’s ex?”

“There is nothing new under the face of the earth, Madame. I’m so rooting for him. Oh my God, I can’t wait to meet him. Imagine what the headline would be like.”

“Aren’t you moving too fast?”

“Of course not, Aria. Look, let me make you a ravishing dinner, and then I’m sorry, I have to leave, or else we could have had a sleepover and watched a cringe rom com. But my restaurant is having some important orders. I’ll make it, and you should get some rest. You look tired, and those eyebags don’t look good for Mrs. Damien Ashford.”

“You talk too much, geez, go away,” Aria said jokingly, and they both laughed.

“When you wake up, you should microwave the food. You need to sleep and rest well so all those eye bags will not be there tomorrow when you meet your future husband,” Sophia said as she stood up to go to the kitchen.

Aria glared at her with no real heat in it.

“Hey, Aria, don’t disappear on me again.”

The door closed.

Aria stared at the marriage contract on the table

Tomorrow, everything is going to change