Spoiled little young miss

Fil felt like crying as soon as she closed the door behind her. Yet, she did her best not to. For the first time in a long time, she stood up for herself. Not that Jackson's friends bullied her, but she spoke her mind instead of staying quiet. 

Maybe, if Vincent hadn't visited her last night, Fil might've changed her mind. But after that one visit and seeing what sort of person she loved, and what sort of person she was in his eyes, only fueled her determination for revenge. 

'Of course, many people will disagree with me,' she thought, sniffing hard without tears in her eyes. 'I'm still glad that Kim and Dustin weren't like us. I would be disappointed if they accepted our affair so easily.'

Strange, but Kim's and Dustin's reaction made her believe there were truly good people out there. It was just that she surrounded herself with the wrong people. 

As Fil rushed outside of the VIP area down to the main scene, her steps skidded. 

"Is Vincent coming? Didn't he say he can't come?"

Deep lines appeared between Fil's brows, turning her head at the group that walked past her. She caught a familiar man walking beside a young lady. Despite the flashing lights and the darkness, Fil recognized the young lady almost immediately.

"Sister Marianne said she would come!" the young lady grinned. "So, he would come. Also, she would introduce me to some of her friends in the industry. Having him here will be helpful."

"Goodness." The man with the young lady shook his head, patting her head. "Whatever. Just don't drink too much."

"Why can't I? I'm already an adult."

"You just turned into an adult."

"And so I can drink! Legally."

"You can, but you have to take it easy. You're meeting important people. Don't embarrass Marianne."

"Fine…"

Fil kept her eyes on the group, particularly on the man and the young lady. "Valerie," she whispered and then moved her eyes to the other man, Vincent's best friend, Marcus. 

For a moment, Fil didn't know what to do. Those two were people she had known for a long time — longer than she knew Marianne — just walked past her. Didn't they see her?

"Oh…" Fil gazed down at her clothes. "They didn't recognize me?"

A shallow, mocking laugh escaped her, turning her head back to where the group went. She slowly clasped her hand into a fist. Was that just how shallow they knew her? She only needed light makeup, a new set of clothes, and styled hair for them not to recognize her.

"Why am I disappointed?" she scoffed. "I am the only one who thinks our friendship is deeper than skin deep."

Fil took a deep breath as she followed the group. Unlike the VIP lounge where she was initially, Valerie's and Marcus's group took the open lounge, which had aesthetic partitions around for some sort of privacy. Although the area was a lot 'quiet' than the main scene, the music could still reach them. 

Fil sat down on the unoccupied table right next to theirs. 

"Where are they?" asked Marcus while Fil listened from the other table. "Didn't you say your meeting is around eight?"

Valerie giggled. "It's actually eight thirty."

"What?"

"I wanted to arrive early. You said it yourself. I don't want to embarrass Sister Marianne." She pouted adorably. "So, I lied about the time so you can drive me here in time."

"Valerie, do you think I don't have anything else to do?"

"Come on, big brother Marcus. I haven't gotten my license yet, and my brother said he would buy me my favorite car next month. Once I get them, I will not bother you anymore."

Marcus looked at the young lady, sighing helplessly. Valerie, on the other hand, giggled mischievously. 

'What a spoiled young lady,' Fil thought, smirking. 'I used to say she always misbehaves because she's young. She doesn't know better, but I guess she's just spoiled and doesn't like me.'

How could the young lady who would purposely embarrass Fil in front of many people, but would come thirty minutes early so as not to embarrass Marianne?

"Oh, wait, it's my brother," Valerie remarked, answering her phone. Her lips curved down when she heard what Vincent had to tell her. "You promised me you would go!"

Her mood continuously nosedives every second of the phone call. After a minute, Valerie snapped her tongue in irritation as the line ended. 

"Is that Vincent?" asked Marcus. "Did he say he can't go?"

"Yes," Valerie grumbled. "He said he cannot go because he needs to buy his stupid girlfriend some clothes for Grandpa's party."

Fil clenched her hands, lifting her eyes at the person who suddenly approached the table. Kim wore this strange look on her face, about to speak to clear up their misunderstanding, only to stop when she overheard the people talking at the other table.

"Like seriously! That Filomena is so ugly and weird!" Valerie exclaimed to vent her frustration. "She always acts righteous as if she doesn't make mistakes. I hate her! Why did Grandpa want her to come?"

"Hey, Valerie, keep your voice down."

"Why would I? Do you think that stupid Filomena will be here?" Valerie scoffed. "That old auntie wouldn't be here. She thinks this place is an abomination. I bet she's in church, doing what righteous people should do."

Marcus wanted to argue but ended up sighing heavily. 

"Filomena… even her name is disgusting." Valerie clicked her tongue. "Who does she think she is? I would never want her to be my sister-in-law."

"Valerie, I'm not the one to talk, but you should behave yourself. I know you don't like Fil, but your grandfather likes her so much." Marcus sighed for the umpteenth time. "Aren't you worried?"

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Worried about what?"

"That your grandpa always expects her to attend his parties, but the invitations don't reach her," Marcus explained. "If he finds out that you purposely didn't invite her, you and Vincent will be in trouble."

"We would be in trouble?" Valerie laughed in ridicule. "It was Mom and Dad's idea. If only she knew how to dress up or at least look presentable, it wouldn't be too embarrassing having her around."

She haughtily leaned back, arms crossed. "Also, even if that stupid auntie hears about it, she wouldn't have the heart to tell the truth. She wouldn't want my brother to be in trouble, would she? They might fight, but she's crazy about him."

Kim kept her eyes on the partition for a while before her gaze fell on Fil. The moment her eyes landed on the latter, she confirmed the people weren't just talking about a namesake. She balled her hands into a tight fist, about to barge through the flimsy partition to give those people some piece of her. However, Fil grabbed her arm to stop her. 

"Don't," Fil whispered, smiling subtly. "It's okay."