After Olivia left, Samantha took me out to lunch.
“You and Olivia have issues too, don’t you?” she asked bluntly.
I nodded frankly. “We do. But I wasn’t using you; I was genuinely warning you to stay away from a ‘frenemy’ like that.”
Samantha smiled. “Don’t worry, I know you meant well.” Her expression turned disdainful. “But Olivia… she’s something else. I helped her so much, even let her live rent-free in one of our empty apartments, and she accuses me of this over some guy? What is wrong with her? Is her brain even wired right?”
We both sighed in unison.
“Boy crazy. There’s no cure.”
With Olivia out of my life, everything became remarkably smooth. I even got a promotion earlier than in my previous life. My team insisted I treat them, and since I was free, I booked a table at a high-end restaurant owned by Samantha’s family, to give her some business.
During the meal, a new intern on my team studied me for a moment and suddenly said, “Jojo, you seem like you’re in such a great place lately!”
Everyone else chimed in: “Yeah! Sis, are you seeing someone?”
I shook my head with a laugh. “It’s not a guy. It’s my ‘frenemy detox.’ See, cutting out a toxic friend is like ditching a bad boyfriend—it does wonders for your glow.”
Before, I’d always treated Olivia’s problems as my own, and she constantly dumped her emotional garbage on me. No wonder I always looked so stressed. Looking back, I was so naive, always letting Olivia use me as her shield since we were kids.
Halfway through dinner, I went to the restroom. In the hallway, someone called my name.
“Jojo?”
I turned to see a vaguely familiar man looking at me with surprise and delight. He studied me for a moment, happiness shining in his eyes. “Wow, it’s been years! You’re back in the States?”
I stared for a bit before recognizing Ryan, a high school classmate.
“Back?” I was confused. “I never left the country.”
Ryan was also stunned. “Didn’t you go abroad right after graduation?”
“I didn’t go abroad. Wait, did Olivia tell everyone that?”
“You missed the last farewell dinner. Olivia said you’d already left.”
I was speechless. “I didn’t even know about that dinner!”
Ryan pressed his lips together. “Then… you’re not married either?”
“Olivia said that too?”
Ryan nodded. “Yeah, she said you married some foreign guy.” He slapped his forehead. “Oh! Hey, some of us are hanging out here tonight. Wanna join? It’s been forever.”
I gave a cold laugh. “Yeah, I’ll come. I’d love to catch up.” I paused. “Is Olivia here today?”
Without thinking, Ryan replied, “Yeah, she’s here. Brought her boyfriend.”
No wonder I’d lost touch with all my high school friends after graduation in my last life. My phone had broken around then, and Olivia had been the one “relaying” messages. Seems she’d crafted quite the “life” for me without my knowledge.
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