• C H A P T E R O N E •

the one with
the little black book of grudgz

FIVE YEARS LATER

A lot could change in five years. But not Chloe's overbearing nature. The Rules and Regulations paper remained unsigned, untouched, and un-laminated, and Chloe was becoming more and more infuriating each day passing by with Veronica and Danielle refusing to sign. She would throw them under the bus every chance she got, using the fact that they were wasting the opportunity to use a distinct clause that forbade Chloe to do so:

All parties are to treat each other with the utmost respect and disagreements are to be resolved with a coin toss;

Danielle got inside the living room, hair a mess, and pajama wrinkled, her slippers heavily scuffing against the tile as she made her way to the island where both Veronica and Chloe peacefully sat having breakfast. Her morning routine was the following: fish out the juice, close the fridge and check if the space was still blank under Veronica Walton's name.

Her habitual snort made Chloe's eyes roll in exasperation.

"Every damn morning?"

"I shall do it as long as I have my freedom." She contently sighed, pouring juice in her cup.

"Well, you won't be doing it for long."

"Neeeever gonna happen," Veronica coolly countered, fingers scrolling through her phone screen.

Chloe shot her a glare, sharp nails impatiently hammering against her mug. She blew the steam away while she watched Veronica shoving cereals inside her mouth. She carefully waited for her to chew for a few seconds, and right before she swallowed, she spoke: "So, Allen's back in the city."

Veronica's entire body froze; her head bowed, mouth full and elbows suddenly holding her whole weight. Her eyes slowly met Chloe's. She swallowed. "You're kidding."

"It would take all the fun away if I am."

"Woah." Danielle grinned, and Veronica rolled her eyes. "Are you planning on staying a virgin when he's around?"

Veronica's heart stirred. "Fucking bite me-"

"Good morning!" The door flew open as Ethan barged in with a wide grin, fixing his tie in the process.

"I'm taking that key away from you," Chloe snapped in annoyance.

He grinned as he pinched her cheek. She slapped his hand away, and he moved to pour himself a mug of coffee. He turned around and tilted his head with a frown as he looked at his sister's pale cheeks. "What's with the sour face, Ronnie?"

Veronica casually shrugged. "Just another morning of convincing Chlo how much of a dickhead Aiden is and Chlo choosing to be stupid."

Danielle snorted, and Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Aiden is not a dickhead."

Aiden was her four-years-and-nine-months-long boyfriend. They had been on and off so much that the group stopped bothering asking about her relationship status. But they all agreed for sure: Aiden is a dickhead.

"Not what I heard during your fight last night," Danielle said with a mouthful as she took a huge bite of her grilled cheese sandwich.

"It was not a fight."

Ethan sighed as he plopped down on the fourth stool. "Don't trigger it." He shot Danielle a look. He wasn't in the mood to hear Chloe complain this early in the morning.

"It wasn't a fight!" Chloe shrilled in annoyance. Veronica hummed and stuffed more cereal in her mouth, infuriating her even more at the sound of her loud crunching.

Veronica gave her a tight smile before looking at Ethan. "Mom and dad are coming, by the way."

"Really? What's up?" Ethan was always concerned about their parents' issues; he constantly had to make sure everything was all right, was still keeping tabs with their whereabouts by calling every day. Sometimes it irked Veronica as it made her look bad, but she couldn't bother as much as he did. It got to the point where she was convinced he was doing it out of obligation than endearment. This theory was yet to be proven.

"They have a conference at the Plaza. I'll meet them there."

"Fancy," Danielle cooed, and Veronica hummed in agreement, her eyebrows wiggling.

"You're going for the free food?" Chloe added robotically, flickered through her notifications, slightly disappointed when she got nothing.

Veronica cracked a grin. "As usual."

"How come you can go?" Ethan asked. Veronica shrugged. Her parents were doctors; once in a while, they would attend conferences at fancy hotels where everything was free from dinners to rooms. Veronica always made sure to find the opportunity to attend for free luxurious food (1).

"They pulled some strings."

Ethan nodded with an 'ah.' "So, what's everybody doing tonight?" He added, pouring himself another mug.

"Dan's probably planning on crying over her two-day single life experience." Chloe rechecked her phone, frown becoming prominent.

"For your information, I do have a date with Nolan."

"Is that a human or a cockroach?" Veronica questioned, handing her brother the plate of grilled cheese toasts.

"He's a mantis."

Veronica loudly gagged, and Ethan stared at her in utter disgust, dropping the sandwich and pushing his plate away.

"So, your single life revolves around insects?" His eyebrow raised as he flicked his watch to check the time.

Danielle shrugged. "Some have cats, some have dogs. I have my beautiful bugs."

"I would just like the record to show that an obvious clause in the agreement forbids-"

"Let it go!" It was Danielle's turn to shut her up. Chloe scrunched her nose in irritation, while Veronica held the coffee pot up to cheer Danielle with a dry smile and poured more on top of her cereal.

"So, where's Allen planning on staying?" Chloe shot her head to Ethan, and Veronica clicked her tongue, resisting the urge to look up at him and went back to casually eating. She was so close to strangling her cousin and wouldn't mind getting in jail for something so worth it.

"He's not sure yet, he wants a place close to Sanford's. We're going to look around today after work."

Both men worked for Sanford and Co., a multinational technology company, but they were in different departments. Ethan was a Software Development Manager in the software department, and Allen was the Vice President of Brand Development in the marketing department. Both of them occupied strong positions because of their ambition and drive to aim higher. Veronica had always admired them for that, including Bilal, who was making a considerable name for himself as a successful lawyer.

She knew they were capable of great things when she'd hear them from her bedroom, pulling an all-nighter a day before a final and still maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

"Oh, but you're close to Sanford's, no?" She probed. Veronica's eyes narrowed as Chloe covered her mouth slightly with her palms folded before her to hold her chin, the shadow of a smirk dancing on her lips.

"Where are you getting at?" Danielle spoke slowly with as much skepticism while Ethan tilted his head thoughtfully.

"Well, I mean, it's a huge building," Chloe casually started. "We've been here for years and know for sure it's safe-"

"Did Aiden not tell you good morning today?" Danielle rolled her eyes, knowing how cranky Chloe could get when he ignored her. Veronica's hands tightened as she resisted the urge to chug the entire pot of coffee down her cousin's throat.

Shut the fuck up, she wanted to yell.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You'd be saving so much time. Do you realize how long it'll take to find an apartment in New York that's better than this building?"

Ethan was thoughtful, pointing his index finger at her briefly. "Hmm, first time you ever suggest anything of use."

Veronica's gut dropped as she looked at Danielle in alarm, who mimicked her expression with a hint of annoyance. Chloe grinned. "I always do, but you're too stupid to reach my level of intelligence, to know."

Ethan nodded dismissively. "I'll check with Natasha later today."

Veronica internally scribbled Chloe's name in red and bold at the top of her list in her little black book of grudges (2).

Veronica was not ready to hear about Allen Ford even a million years from now. If it was up to her, she would feel much more comfortable if the earth swallowed him into another dimension far, far away from here.

She packed her backpack with snacks, her textbooks, laptop, earphones, and already wore the outfit she was planning to wear for tonight, careful not to be too casual so that she wouldn't have to go back to her apartment until it was safe.

It had been four years since she last saw him right before he moved to work for Sanford's office in France with both his moms. They decided the City of Lights would be the perfect next stop for their ten-year-long honeymoon, and Allen volunteered to reallocate to help them settle after their mishap in Russia. She thought he'd be gone for good, minus his occasional visits in the summer, or any time of the year where he could use his three-week-long vacation - but even then, she managed to escape him.

She had a 'plan.' Avoid Allen Ford at all costs. And it worked for four years. She'd lock herself away whenever he was here, exclude herself from phone calls her family weirdly loved to have with him every once in a while - the only time they did talk was after her arm's surgery six months ago, and even then she tried to make it short. She became a ghost. Anything to forget the drastic events that occurred before his reallocation. And now, Chloe told her he got promoted and was being transferred back to the US. And he was staying here... for good.

"Woah, going camping?" Chloe had just arrived from work as she left the pharmacy in Robert's hands. She was up for cooking dinner today since Danielle was locked inside her bedroom, doing God-knows-what with her bugs.

"More like disappearing," Veronica muttered as she passed by Chloe, who caught hold of her backpack and pushed her back a few steps so she could face her.

"For how long do you think you'll keep this up?"

"Well, it's been great so far before you decided to ruin it."

"It's for your own good."

"Who made you God? Everything was going according to the plan..." Veronica spoke slowly as if to convince herself as well. Chloe gave her an incredulous look to let her know she was talking nonsense.

"Well, honey, your genius plan expired! You're inevitably going to face him, so instead of thinking of more ways to avoid him, think of how to handle it when you do see him."

"We'll call that plan B." Veronica twisted around, resulting in Chloe releasing the hold she had on her. The latter rolled her eyes, hands on her waist, ready to scowl.

"Keep that up, and I'm adding a clause that forces you to terminate that plan for everyone to see."

"Do that, and I'll tell your mom about your drinking problem." She turned to give her a tight smile, in the process of shutting the door behind her.

"I'm a grown woman!" Chloe called out.

"Act like it!" Veronica rolled her eyes, taking the elevator down.

She had an exam in a few days, and she was utterly laying it off for no absolute reason. She didn't feel stressed about it yet... there was still plenty of time. She'd go to the library, see her friends, and stall till the clock struck eight.

She reached for a pack of gum from her pocket, tearing the wrap lazily as a distraction until the elevator signaled she arrived at the ground floor. She popped the gum in her mouth as the lift opened, meeting the vast lobby. The man who owned the apartment building clearly liked to spend money on trivial things, as this place was fancier than what they paid for rent, which thrilled Chloe.

Veronica caught Natasha's eye the moment she stepped out. She gave her a tiny smile, and the latter reciprocated, adding a small wave. She tried to hide her bafflement and looked away, sticking her tongue through the gum and blowing a bubble.

She froze, her eyes catching something else.

Her legs numbed for a fraction of a second, rooting her to the spot. She felt the heaviness of her gut as it dropped, her pounding heart reaching her throat, her ears, her entire body. For a second she convinced herself that the man opening the door wasn't him. A lot of men had curly hair. A lot of men were his height. A lot of men-

He lifted his head, his phone pressed against his ear, and a frown was forming on his face as he listened intently.

And time... s l o w e d.

The noise surrounding her became a mere echo against her ear as her entire system focused on that one man.

It couldn't possibly be

Allen

could it?

The bubble popped, the snap ringing against her ears.

The sharp reality lunged to bite her sharply, pulling her out of her daze. She exhaled the breath she was holding, gulping as if it would help quieten her raging heart.

Fuck.

One would think that after four years, she would have gotten over her crush by now. But Chloe was right, she should've seen it coming. Her brain, the organ she trusted most to control her irrational feelings and illogical reasoning, was going to betray her.

And it did.

Oh Hell, it did.

Allen's eyes were the same vibrant shade of blue, his curls, a dark shade of musty brown, were now a little shorter yet more tousled, his features more defined - grown. She snapped out of it again when she noticed he was walking her way. Her heart thundered against her ribs, and she caught a sharp whiff of air, ducking her head down and covering the side of her face with her curls, feeling their heat against her cold palms. She looked at the ground as she walked, watching as he bypassed her, oblivious to her presence.

Her steps faltered as she turned to watch him leave, her eyes were unable to tear away from him, and she couldn't believe that she was going to have to deal with that every single day to come. Her lips sealed as she started to regain her composure.

Allen Ford was here.

The elevator arrived, and he stepped inside.

And he wasn't leaving.

He turned and hung up, tucking his phone inside his coat's pocket.

He lifted his head.

He caught her eye.

The second he did, it shook her body like it was being electrocuted with a Voltage enough to supply this entire building. She held it with eyelids open tightly, for only a second, before she shot her head down and hurriedly covered her cheek. His brows knitted together as the elevator doors closed, hiding her entirely from his sight with no time to confirm if what he had seen was real.

Shit. Veronica was internally ramming a hammer against her brain to shake some sense into it, thankful for the cold air as it cooled her hot cheeks. She could easily top Chloe on her own little list... or Allen could, for entirely different reasons.

She sat in the library to distract herself by socializing until the clock struck 8 PM when she called her parents and met them at the hotel.

Sitting in the conference room waiting for this hell to be over made her see how her parents acted during a lecture: her mom spending all her time on her phone, while her dad moved from chair to chair as he got up to initiate hushed conversations with other doctors.

And then they criticize me, Veronica quipped.

Meanwhile, everyone else sat in the living room of the girls' apartment, spread on the couches after eating the food Chloe prepared with their hands on their stomach, continuously complementing the great food.

"The only thing I'll keep supporting you to do," said Ethan with his eyes closed.

Chloe arched an eyebrow his way and wanted to snap back, but she was too full and too tired to even breathe. She leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder, Aiden, instead. He supported his head on top of hers. "Go to hell," she muttered.

"Seriously," Allen spoke as Ethan plopped his feet up on the coffee table. "Great food." He wanted to say more, but he wasn't able to.

Danielle straightened. "Better than France's croissants?" She tried to mimic the elegant accent but failed.

Allen chuckled, and Ethan turned to her.

"So, Danny, how was your hot date?"

Aiden furrowed his brows. "You had a hot date?"

"When does she not have one?" Ethan quipped, and Chloe waved her hand dismissively as she looked up at Aiden.

"Her hot date is a bug." She turned to her sister, smiling sarcastically, "Tell us all about it."

"If you're so eager to know, just ask him yourself." Danielle pointed at her shoulder. Chloe shot up her seat with a loud shriek, hands frantically waving in the air. Danielle barked out a laugh, her stomach clenching hard enough to taste bile in her throat.

Chloe glared at her. "Not funny!"

The door rang, and Danielle breathed. "I beg to differ." She cleared her throat. "Come in, it's open!"

Chloe huffed, fixing her hair and sitting back down. She gestured at the door, unable to hold her snap. "See Ethan, this is what civilized people do."

Ethan rolled his eyes, looking over to see Bilal peeking in. The latter shot him a cold stare as he walked in.

"I'm not gonna bother with your apartment anymore."

Ethan, Allen, and Danielle said a breathless 'hello' and lazily waved. Aiden turned around fully and offered a wide grin, making Bilal stop dead in his track. His skin crawled at the sight and his jaw tightened, really not in the mood for this. Aiden greeted him enthusiastically, and Bilal almost curled his lips up in disdain but nodded curtly instead, earning a dark look from Chloe. She turned away and hoped he'd show himself out after that as quickly as he came - like he usually did when Aiden was here.

"Hmm..." Bilal hummed and sighed. "I need a drink."

Danielle quietly chuckled as she stood, knowing fully well what this was about. The group despised Aiden, and they were arranged from most to least. Bilal made the top of the list, the reason being he rubbed him the wrong way, and he was too annoying and bad for his health, constantly a commentary away from sending his blood pressure to the roof (3). Next came Danielle and Veronica with a tie, Ethan and coming in last was Allen, and that was solely because he didn't interact with him much, if not at all.

As Danielle poured two glasses of wine, Bilal sat down on the stool, and she plopped down next to him, sliding the glass before him.

"When did you eat dinner?" He asked under the group's conversation.

"Ten minutes ago."

That only meant Aiden was sticking around for another hour.

Bilal stood almost immediately. "Might as well leave."

"Hey," Danielle hissed, placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him back down. "You're not leaving me alone."

He gave her an incredulous look. "You're fine on your own. I'm no help at all."

"Don't say that. You make it more enjoyable." Danielle bumped his shoulder and pulled her puppy eyes. Bilal's top lip curled in irritation.

"You're full of shit."

It made her crack a wide grin.

"It's almost ten thirty, shouldn't Ronnie be home by now?" Ethan yawned.

Both Danielle and Chloe instinctively glanced at Allen. Danielle instantly looked back down, noticing she wasn't discreet at all, but Bilal already caught the sudden movement. He arched an eyebrow, staring back ahead.

"What's that about?" He asked quietly, taking a sip.

Danielle pursed her lips to stop from talking. She knew Bilal could smell a lie from miles away, and she was a terrible liar. She simply shrugged and drank.

"How is she, by the way?" Allen asked, and Chloe's scrutinizing gaze intensified by the second. She was snapped out of it by Aiden's phone buzzing against her back. She made room and watched as he took it out of his pocket, typing almost instantly. She pursed her lips and turned back to look ahead.

"Same pain in the ass," Ethan answered jokingly, but Allen oddly remained serious. He blinked once in contemplation before speaking again.

"And her arm?"

He knew about the ski accident as soon as it happened. He'd been talking to Ethan and the call had been interrupted by his mom. When he called Allen back, he had been pissed as hell, as Veronica was miles away from where he'd been, and he had to wait until she got to the hospital unable to know about her well-being since her battery was at 1% (4) and she only had time to call their mom.

It had been a hectic day for everyone - except Veronica, who, to her, was one of the best day of her life. Everyone blamed the pain killers since the X-Ray showed a severely shattered Humerus. The only thing worse to possibly happen would be if the bone stuck outside her skin.

"Well, she recently took off the compression sleeve. She might need physiotherapy, but she's managing till now," Ethan said with a shrug.

"Yeah, she 'claims' she's okay." Danielle air quoted the word sarcastically. "Chloe had to add a clause to the Rules and Regulations." Danielle paused. "And re-print it."

"That doesn't surprise anyone," Bilal muttered sarcastically.

"I can't wait for it to be signed." Chloe clawed her hands in a fist in frustration.

Veronica had a flaw; she rarely told them when she was unable to do something so she wouldn't burden them with her problems. It frustrated them to a point where they dealt with it by ignoring her claims and do it for her anyway. Even Bilal snatched her backpack off her shoulder once when she tried to wear it for the first time; to think he didn't care.

Allen absorbed the conversation slowly with his eyebrows pulled together in the deepest frown. Aiden made another joke about Veronica's stubbornness, Bilal stood to leave again before being punched in the stomach by Danielle, and the subject changed afterward.

But Allen was still thinking, and Chloe noticed. What was it? Was it possible that he didn't see how Veronica had been avoiding him for the past couple of years? Had he really forgotten what happened?

She itched to know, but she'd think of the matter again when the time was right.

_________________________________________

(1) Despite dozing off all throughout the meeting.

(2) Deadpool's reliable consultant, Deadpool Vol 4 Issue #7 (2016).

(3) One time he actually did.

(4) Typical.