Chapter 1 ONE
"BRIENNE! What's this!?" The accounting manager yelled angrily, throwing the folder onto her desk. Brienne gulped and looked down.
"You got it all wrong! What's wrong with you!? Why can't you get this right!?" he shouted, as Brienne's co-workers stared while the manager scolded her.
"I'm s-sorry, sir. I'll redo it immediately," she answered gently.
"You better be!" the accounting manager said as he left. Her friend, Janice, walked towards her.
"Are you okay?" Janice asked. Brienne heaved a sigh and smiled at her friend.
"No, Nice. I don't know what to do anymore," she said. Brienne had found out she was adopted when she was just a baby, and now that her parents were gone, her sisters wanted her to leave their parents' house. The events of last week had affected her work. She had savings, but she didn't know when they would run out. Most importantly, she just couldn't leave the house she had lived in her whole life.
"I'm here for you; you know that," Janice said. Brienne smiled again, feeling lucky to have a friend like Janice.
"Thank you, Nice," she whispered.
"Do you want to go to the club later? Let's unwind," Janice suggested. Brienne smiled and shook her head.
"Jasper wouldn't want me to leave, Nice. You know how he is. He gets jealous easily and doesn't want me going to clubs," she said. For two years, Jasper had been her boyfriend. Janice rolled her eyes.
"Bree, I hate to break it to you, but everything you do is wrong for him. You're with me—do you think I'd let something happen to you? Come on! I'm with you. I'll protect you," she said. "Pretty please?" Janice begged, giving her puppy eyes. Brienne sighed and nodded.
"Okay, fine, let's go," she said. It was just a few hours, and it wouldn't hurt to unwind after everything that had been happening around her. She needed a breather. The day went by quickly for Brienne. She went home to change while waiting for her friend to call. It was a relief that her sisters were out of the house because she didn't know how to deal with them. Brienne couldn't remember when the harassment started, but they had been hostile toward her for some time.
Brienne's phone rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. When she saw Janice calling, she smiled and quickly answered.
"Nice!" she said.
"Excited, aren't we? Are you ready, girl?" Janice asked. Brienne nodded as if Janice could see her and smiled.
"A little bit," she said.
"Open the door, girly! I'm here," Janice said. Brienne stood up and opened the front door, greeting Janice with a grin.
"Let's go?" Brienne spoke, but before she could step outside, Janice stopped her.
"Nope, this won't do, girl. Too simple. We need to go wild!" Janice said, gently pushing her back inside. Brienne furrowed her brow.
"What's wrong with my outfit?" Brienne asked. She wore a simple blue checkered knee-length dress with two-inch white heels, knowing Jasper would approve of it.
"Everything's wrong with it, girl. Now, let's find something else for you. I won't let you wear this dress today," Janice said, pulling her back to her room. She sat on the bed while Janice began rummaging through her closet.
"Come on, Nice. This is fine. Let's just go," Brienne said, slumping her shoulders.
"Wait, I found something," Janice said, pulling out a dress. It was a glittery, crisscross, ruched backless dress that fell above the knee. The redwood color perfectly complemented Brienne's fair skin.
"Oh no, I'm not wearing that! Jasper will definitely get mad at me, Nice!" Brienne replied, shaking her head. That dress had already caused her to skip the company's party. It had been mistakenly delivered to her, and she never wore it because she felt it didn't suit her style.
"Come on, Bree. This will definitely look good on you. I bet even Jasper would drool if he saw you," Janice said, handing her the dress. "Pretty please? Wear this for me? Just this once, and I'll never force you again," she added, batting her eyelashes. Brienne looked at her, then at the dress, and sighed. She took the dress and gulped.
"Fine," she said, taking the dress. She went into the bathroom and changed. Brienne looked in the mirror and gulped. The dress really showed off much more of her skin than she was used to.
"Bree, are you done? Let me see!" Janice yelled, knocking on the door. Brienne bit her lip.
"Bree, I'm opening the door, okay?" Janice said, pushing the door open. She saw Brienne looking in the mirror and gasped.
"Bree! You look stunning! I knew you had a killer body—damn, girl," Janice said. Brienne glanced at her friend before turning back to the mirror.
"Is this okay?" Brienne asked.
"Of course it is! You're fcking beautiful. I mean it! Now, let me style your hair and do your makeup," Janice said, immediately getting to work, determined to make her friend even more stunning. After almost thirty minutes, Janice put the curler down and admired her work. She had applied light makeup to Brienne's face and curled her straight brown hair.
"Done!" she said, clapping her hands. Brienne slowly opened her eyes, and Janice giggled.
"I did good, right? Right?" Janice inquired, causing Brienne to smile from ear to ear.
"You did! I look different—a good kind of different. Nice, thank you. You really are the best," Brienne replied. Janice squealed and pulled her out of the room.
"Now, let's go and party!" Janice yelled.
"Wait, let me call Jasper first. I'll just tell him where we are. I don't want him to worry," Brienne said, taking out her phone. Janice nodded and waited. Brienne dialed Jasper's number, but it went straight to voicemail.
"Are you okay?" Janice asked.
"He's not answering," Brienne said, pouting her red lips. "I just sent him a message. Let's go," she added. Janice smiled, grabbed her hand, and they left the house. Janice drove them to Club Z.
When they arrived, Brienne saw people entering the club and froze in her seat. She gulped and glanced at her friend, shaking her head.
"I can't," she mumbled.
"What? Why?" Janice asked.
"I don't have the confidence, Nice," Brienne replied.
"You have me, Bree. I promise I won't leave you, okay? Now let's go out. You deserve this night," Janice said, smiling gently at her. Feeling more at ease, Brienne nodded. She got out of the car and took a deep breath. It wasn't her first time clubbing, but it was definitely her first time wearing such a skimpy dress.
Janice escorted her friend into the club. The loud booming sound greeted them. The smell of alcohol was everywhere, and people danced happily on the dance floor.
"Come on, Bree! Let's enjoy the night!" Janice yelled. Brienne smiled and followed, but Janice stopped.
"Is that Jasper?" Janice asked. Brienne's forehead creased. Why would Jasper be here?
"Where?" Brienne asked. Janice looked at her and nervously chuckled.
"Oh, it must have been my imagination. It was nothing, Bree. Let's go and change clubs; I don’t like it here anymore," Janice said, dragging Brienne away. But Brienne stopped her.
"Wait, Nice," she said, looking around. Her eyes landed on a man kissing another woman at the counter. Brienne felt her heart shatter. Jasper was indeed the man that Janice had seen.
"Bree..."
"N-Nice... it's him," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Nice, stay here. I will talk to h-him," she added, removing Janice's hand. Brienne walked toward the counter where her boyfriend was, with Janice following closely behind. As she approached Jasper, Brienne sobbed.
"You have a girlfriend, right? What if she finds out you're out here fooling around?" the woman asked. Jasper just laughed it off.
"I'm not afraid. That woman won't break up with me. She loves me that much, but I'm so fcking fed up with her. She's dull, plain, and boring," Jasper said.
"How dare you?!" Janice yelled, rushing at Jasper and successfully punching him in the face, causing the woman to scream in surprise.
"You fcking piece of sht! My friend wasted two years of her life on you, assh0le!" Janice spat.
"N-Nice... stop, please," Brienne said as people began gathering around them. Jasper wiped the blood from his lips and stared at Brienne.
"Sweetie," he said. Brienne sobbed, unable to meet his eyes. She had loved him genuinely, but this was all she received.
"You heard it all wrong, sweetie," Jasper said. The woman Jasper had been kissing had already left.
"That I'm dull, plain, and boring?" Brienne asked. "I loved you, Jas. I gave everything to you. How dare you do this to me?" she continued, clenching her hand into a fist.
"Bree, let me explain," Jasper said, reaching for her hand, but Janice swatted it away and glared at him.
"There's no need, Jasper. I don’t want to hear it, and I’m breaking up with you," Brienne said, walking away. Jasper started to follow her, but Janice pushed him back and raised her middle fingers at him.
"Don’t fcking follow us, you dipsht," she said. "Everyone, this man right here is a fcking cheater," she added, and people began murmuring.
"You’re not even fcking handsome to begin with, and you had the audacity to cheat on my gorgeous friend? Your fcking loss, Jasper," Janice said and followed Brienne outside. Jasper cursed and glared at the onlookers.
"What are you staring at? The show’s over!" he yelled.
Brienne went inside Janice's car and poured her heart out, crying loudly while clutching her chest. She was in too much pain. Brienne had loved Jasper and even imagined them getting married. She had been ready for a long time, just waiting for Jasper, but the man had cheated on her, and it seemed it wasn't the first time it had happened.
The door opened, and Janice immediately embraced her friend.
"I'm sorry, Bree," Janice said. Brienne hugged her back and sobbed on her shoulder.
"Nice... do I deserve this? I did everything he wanted me to. When he told me to change my style, I did. When he told me how I should talk, I followed him, but he still cheated," Brienne said. Janice rubbed her back.
"That fcking assh0le doesn’t deserve you, Bree. You are beautiful, kind, and intelligent. Don’t believe his words. He was spouting bullsht," Janice said. "He’s not worth ruining our night. Let’s go to KDX and enjoy; it’s my treat," she added, trying to cheer Brienne up. Brienne nodded. She didn’t want to go home just yet because her sisters might be there or Jasper might come looking for her. Brienne wanted to avoid them all for the night.