INSANELY JEALOUS.
CHAPTER ONE

“Okay… Yeah I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make it.” Simone said and dropped the phone.
She was just being invited to a girls’ night out. Now, she bluntly said no. But she knew she’ll make it anyway.

Simone Daniels, the bossy businesswoman, who had no one but business. She had only one sibling who was going to college in a different country. Her parents were getting divorced soon and she was too hard on her workers (even she knew it). The only people she could talk to and trust were her little group of friends.

When she wasn’t at the office, she worked at home with her laptop. When she wasn’t working, she was on tours all by herself and when she wasn’t on tours, she was alone in her little apartment listening to the ticking clock and counting the ceiling.
What a boring life.
***
“I really don’t know how Simone’s living her life. I mean she’s so boring.” Cassandra, who was Simone’s best friend spat in disgust.
Erica, Pia and Twinkle nodded in agreement. Just then, Simone stepped in with her usual dressing, a top and jeans.
“Speaking of the devil.” Erica muttered under her breath.
“Hey guys.” Simone greeted and stared at the three people she had never seen.
Twinkle noticed and put in. “They’re our friends. Just to make the place a little crowded. Meet Josh, Jelani and Miranda. Any one from your side?”
“No.” Simone answered.
Erica rolled her eyes.
“Hey Simone, have a seat. We need to talk.”
“Okay.” She said and sat down; listening to the upbeat song at the bar. Erica didn’t even think, she just started.
“Mona, you need to change. We are fucking tired of you and your boring life. I mean, we can’t even show you off cos of your way of life. You’re too weird. Too silent in a discussion. Your dress sense is off it. You need to change and if you don’t wanna, we will change you-”
She stopped to look at Simone’s face. Her face was a little dull.
“I-I’m sorry.” Erica stammered.
Fortunately, Simone looked up and said
“When do we start?”
They took her out for shopping, bought crop tops, gowns, high heeled shoes and other stuffs. When she went home, she felt different and swore to act differently.
***
For the first time in her life, Simone felt a twist in her stomach.
What would she think of me? Is my dressing good?
All this ran through her mind from her house, to the car, to the steps of her mom’s house, until she rang the doorbell.
“Yes, who is it?” Her mom said from inside and then she came to open the door.
“Simone? Is this you? What happened to your old clothes?”
“Mom, can’t I change for a while?”
“Of course, baby. You can come in.”
She stepped inside, with her legs a little shaky. Her mom offered her orange juice and cookies.
“I don’t really have much food around.” She said and smiled.

Mrs. Cloe Daniels, a kind hearted woman with a warm smile. The complete opposite of her husband, Martin Daniels. A cruel businessman who always pictured his wife as a bad person. That explains why Simone took after him.
“So how are things, mom?”
“Things are starting to get better though. I’m getting used to living alone. You know I’ll have to start living like that after the divorce…”

The divorce… It will definitely break the family apart even if it already did. It made Kiara, Simone’s younger sister, want to study abroad. And it made Simone an entirely different person herself. She was no longer that carefree girl she used to know. She was dull, strict, stupid and boring. She was no longer the cutest girl that people knew in high school. The girl with the ginger hair. She had all the latest clothes, phones and the cutest boyfriends too. Everything started to change. She started wearing sweatshirt and jeans. No more gowns and stuff… Maybe that’s where the boredom started.

“Yeah, I understand mom.”
“So…” Mrs. Daniels started with a more cheerful tone. “…are you going back to your former life?”
“I hope so.”
“Any boyfriends yet?”
“Not really. But at least I had people turn and look at me” She giggled.
“That’s my girl. So you have to go back to the way you were. You need to be the girl that always had something to say. The girl that had many wanting her.”
“Mom, that enough. I’m done talking about this.”
“There you go. You’re not at the office. Okay?”
“I have to go now. Thanks for the snacks.”
“Are you angry?” Mrs. Daniels asked.
“No. I have to get somewhere.”
“Okay, goodbye.”

Simone went outside and shut the door behind her. She had a fresh breath of air. Something she missed doing. She let the breeze blow through her hair. Was what her mother saying, true? Was she still business-like? Well, now, all she needed to do was get herself a boyfriend. Who would really like to date her? It wasn’t a walk in the park.
***
Boyfriend…
Yeah, she knew the perfect person.
Andrei Fesser.
Her ex classmate. The one person she could trust. Upon the hundreds of boyfriends, she had a few years ago during college, she always crushed on him. He was the cutest boy at college who didn’t even care about dating her. He was more of her twin brother and knew her more than anyone else. They haven’t been in touch after the graduation.
As she got down from the car, her heart started to race.
She? Getting excited to see Andrei? Things have really started changing for the better.
Simone got up the stairs and old memories started to replay in her mind. When she would dress in her best clothes just to do her homework with him. Or when she would skip lunch just for Andrei to teach her math. Even at school, she was always with him walking arm-in-arm. Maybe that’s what made her relationships short-lived.

She rapped softly on the door but didn’t get any response so she rang the doorbell instead.
Stupid; she thought, giggled, and tapped her forehead slightly.
Seconds later, when she was about to turn, the door opened.
Before she would turn to look at who it was, Andrei remembered the ginger hair wavering towards blonde. He knew that perfume too.
“Simone?” He asked.