At the party, my asthma flared up. I fumbled for my emergency inhaler. But the canister was empty. My boyfriend, Derek, explained, “Chloe said her throat was dry, so I gave her your inhaler. You can just have some throat lozenges, that should help.” But my breathing was already getting harder and harder. “If her throat was dry, couldn’t she just drink some water? You guys are trying to kill me!” He frowned, annoyed. “Can you stop being so dramatic? Always acting like you’re made of glass, like you’re some delicate little princess.” “Chloe’s right, you’re just being overly dramatic.” I didn’t argue anymore. I sent a SnapChat message to my mom: “My asthma’s flared up, but Derek gave my inhaler to Chloe.” Derek saw the message and brushed it off. “Are you doing this again? Always running to your mom, are you in elementary school?” He snatched my phone, held it high, and looked down at me. I tried to get my phone back. The moment I stood up, my vision went black, and I fell back down. “My asthma’s acting up, please help me,” I quickly explained. Just then, Chloe walked over, making sure to show off the inhaler in her hand. “Oh my, Aria, little princess, are you *really* that uncomfortable? You’re not just trying to get attention, are you?” “Ugh, I told you guys, we shouldn’t have women at our hangouts. They’re always so whiny, just looking for drama.” I gasped for air, staring intently at Chloe. She was Derek’s childhood friend. She always got along great with guys, often acting like ‘one of the guys.’ Derek had mentioned Chloe to me more than once. He said she was a real tomboy. At first, I actually had a good impression of Chloe, the no-nonsense friend Derek talked about. After our relationship stabilized, Derek introduced me to his friend group. Chloe always made a point of acting like a big supporter of women. “Wow, Derek, you’ve got great taste! Where did you find this goddess?” “Swoon! Girl power, let’s ditch these smelly guys.” But I could always subtly feel Chloe’s eyes on me, filled with a hint of malice. Her methods were clever. She talked a big game about girl power, but her actions clearly showed she was trying to cut me out. For instance, she’d always bring up their childhood memories at parties. I couldn’t join in the conversation and just sat quietly on the side. Then, she’d casually joke with me. “What’s wrong, little princess? Are you upset because I’m talking to Derek?” I had mentioned my discomfort to Derek. But Derek would just say I was petty. He’d say Chloe was just trying to liven things up, and I was too sensitive. But now, Chloe wasn’t even bothering to hide her malice. “Our little princess is just being a princess, isn’t she? Are you upset because we’re not all focused on you, so you’re faking this?” The guys around us burst into mocking laughter. “I’m really not feeling well, give me the inhaler!” I raised my voice. Seeing me like this, the room went silent for a moment. Then, even louder mockery erupted. Chloe put her hand on Derek’s shoulder. She watched me gasp for breath, laughing so hard she almost fell over. “Oh wow, she’s really good at faking it, Derek, aren’t you going to feel bad for her?” The others started egging Derek on too. “Yeah, Derek, you’re not gonna be whipped after you get married, are you?” “Don’t you dare embarrass us! A man’s the head of the house; if your woman acts up, you gotta teach her a lesson.” Derek couldn’t take that kind of jab. He puffed out his chest, avoiding my gaze. “Who’s worried about her? She needs to be put in her place, always making a big deal out of nothing.” I couldn’t breathe. I desperately tugged at Derek’s sleeve, guttural “gasping” sounds escaping my throat. “Help… me…” Seeing me like that, Derek hesitated. But Chloe spoke up again. “Alright, alright, Aria, we’re all just regular guys here. Nobody’s falling for your damsel-in-distress act.” Knowing it was useless to talk to him, I tried to leave the room. But just as I managed to get myself up, Chloe pushed me back down. “The party’s not over yet, how can you leave? That’s rude!” Her grip was surprisingly strong. Before I knew it, the back of my head hit the wall. *Thump!* My head spun even more. I didn’t even have time to react. Chloe screamed first.
She covered her mouth, speaking in an exaggerated tone. “Oh? You’re so manipulative!” “I barely touched you, and you went and hit your head on the wall just to frame me!” Hearing that, Derek’s gaze turned even more impatient. “Aria, you’re going too far.” I bit my lip, trying to stay lucid. “I have severe asthma. If you don’t want someone to die, then stop this right now.” My throat burned, every breath felt like inhaling broken glass. Chloe, however, ostentatiously dangled the inhaler in front of my eyes, then took a big, exaggerated puff from it. “Can’t give it to you, my throat’s dry.” “And I gotta say, you get what you pay for. This thing feels amazing.” I struggled to lift my hand to grab it. She laughed, raising her hand high to avoid me. “Nope, not giving it to you, nope.” I was so furious, my vision swam black again. Derek watched from the side, arms crossed. “Look at you, acting like you’re begging. Chloe’s just using it for a bit, don’t be so petty.” “Chloe even saw your medical report; you don’t have asthma, you just get a little short of breath sometimes.” I forced myself to calm down. “Derek, haven’t you seen me have an attack before? What reason would I have to lie to you?” Before Derek could answer, Chloe cut in. “Of course, it’s for attention. These days, there’s always some attention-seeker faking an illness.” “Hehe, Aria, are you like those ‘little princesses’ online who also claim to have depression?” Hearing that, Derek’s bros around us roared with even louder laughter. Some of them whistled. “Derek, your girlfriend is so petty, not even half as cool as Chloe.” “Yeah, you’ll have your hands full after you get married.” I gasped for air, using my last ounce of strength to reach for the inhaler in Chloe’s hand. But just as my fingertips were about to touch it, she deftly dodged backward. I lost my balance and fell forward onto the carpet. “Oh my, she’s really good at acting, isn’t she?” Chloe exclaimed dramatically. Then she crouched down and whispered, her voice audible only to me. “Hehe, just die already. If you die, it’ll clear the way for Derek and me.” She stood up, deliberately raising her voice. “Aria, stop messing around, get up! Everyone’s waiting for you and Derek to share a drink!” Derek looked a little uneasy. He stepped forward and helped me up. “What’s wrong with you? Are you really not feeling well?” “Help me…” I managed to croak out a few words. My hand gripped Derek’s wrist tightly, only broken gasps escaping. “In… inhaler…” Derek’s brows furrowed, and a flicker of panic and struggle finally appeared in his eyes. He looked at Chloe. “Chloe, maybe just give it to her.” But Chloe’s face immediately fell. She stubbornly hid the inhaler behind her back, stomping her foot in frustration. “Derek, are you blind? She’s clearly faking it! Have you forgotten how she used to throw her little tantrums?” Then, she suddenly looked at the others and yelled, “Look, these drama queens always put on an act! Derek totally fell for it, didn’t he?” The guys immediately backed her up. “Derek, Chloe grew up with all of us. She wouldn’t try to hurt you, would she?” “Girls like her, they just like to make trouble. You can’t spoil her.” Derek’s expression changed. His hand, which was holding me, loosened a little. I could feel his hesitation. On one side was my agonizing attack, on the other, Chloe and their provocations. “But… her face really does look pale…”
Derek seemed worried, his gaze falling on my bloodless lips. Chloe suddenly slapped her own head with an “oops!” “Oh, I saw her go to the restroom earlier with a pad. She’s probably just having period cramps.” She then adopted a sympathetic tone, as if genuinely concerned for me. “Aria, if you’re having period cramps, just say so! Why lie to us and say it’s an asthma attack? You’re just needlessly worrying Derek!” Hearing her, Derek visibly relaxed. His gaze toward me was now filled with reproach. “You can’t joke around like that again. You almost scared me to death.” I didn’t have much strength left. Luckily, I had taken a preventative pill before leaving home. Otherwise, with them stalling like this, I would have been dead already. Chloe, hiding behind Derek, smirked at me provocatively. Then she pulled out a small bottle from her bag. “Here, have some throat lozenges. Aria, isn’t your throat bothering you? Pop one in!” She shoved a lozenge into my mouth without asking. The strong mint flavor rushed into my nasal passages, making the burning sensation in my throat even more intense. I tried to spit it out. But she clamped my jaw shut. “Swallow it! What’s wrong with you? You really are just faking it for sympathy!” Only when I was dry heaving uncontrollably did she let go, turning to Derek. “See? She won’t even eat it. What else could this be but an act?” Derek looked at me, then at the lozenge I had just spit onto the floor. The panic in his eyes vanished, replaced by pure annoyance. He just thought I was making a mountain out of a molehill, being dramatic for no reason. He sighed heavily and roughly pushed me onto the sofa. My back slammed into the armrest, and I gasped in pain. “Alright, let’s just drop this. You can’t do this again in the future.” “No, I…” I wanted to argue, but only ragged gasps escaped my throat. Chloe patted Derek’s shoulder. “Come on, forget her. Let’s go drink. If no one pays attention to her, she’ll be fine in a bit.” Derek nodded. As he walked away, he gave me one last look. His eyes were full of impatience and irritation, but no concern. Chloe pulled him towards the crowd, and before he left, he didn’t forget to throw out a last remark. “Behave yourself, don’t embarrass me anymore.” The rest of the group dispersed too, heading off to drink. I huddled in the corner, watching Derek and Chloe being cheered on to share a drink in the crowd. “Come on, share a drink!” “Don’t be a party pooper, drink up!” “It’s just a game, your girlfriend won’t be that petty, right?” Through my blurry vision, I saw Derek glance at me from afar, then wrap an arm around Chloe and kiss her… I felt the air slowly being sucked out of my lungs. I really couldn’t breathe anymore. My phone lay where Derek had thrown it on the floor. But I didn’t even have the strength to crawl to it. In despair, I suddenly remembered that last month I’d put an asthma pill in my bag. I used my last shred of strength to grope around. My heart leaped when my fingertips brushed against my bag’s strap. I desperately clawed at the strap, pulling it out, the leather rustling against the sofa. The bag was still open. I flipped it. A pill rolled out and landed on the carpet. That was it! It was just an emergency extended-release pill. It wasn’t as fast-acting as the inhaler, but it could buy me more time. I was almost in tears. But as I reached out, my fingertips about to touch the pill—a high heel stomped down.
Right in front of me, the heel repeatedly ground the pill. It was Chloe. She smirked, watching me, her foot still grinding. “Oh, almost got to your medicine, didn’t you?” All the blood rushed to my head. “Get lost! I’ll kill you! My mom won’t let you get away with this!” Suffocation surged. After yelling that, I collapsed back onto the sofa, like a dying animal trapped in a cage. “Hehe, I’m so happy watching you rage like this, so helpless.” Chloe crouched down and poked my face with her long nail. “You deserve this, always trying to steal what’s mine. Derek is mine, even if I don’t want him, he’s certainly not for you.” Then, she grabbed my hair forcefully. “Alright, you can die now.” My scalp burned with pain. I wanted to struggle. But I didn’t even have the strength to lift my hand. “I’m… Sterling—” Through my blurry vision, Chloe’s face was a distorted, grotesque mask. She cut me off. “Derek’s over there drinking,” She leaned close to my ear, her voice sickly sweet. “He’s hardly paying attention to you, is he? Do you think he’d be sad if you died right now?” I tried to bite her hand, but she easily dodged away. She stood up, patted my face, then called out to Derek in the distance. “Derek, come see! Aria looks really angry!” Derek came over when she called. He looked at me, slumped on the sofa, his brow furrowing deeper. “What’s wrong with you now? It’s just period cramps, don’t act like you’re dying. What woman doesn’t have cramps?” “I… I really have…” My voice was barely a whisper. “Have asthma…” Derek’s gaze swept over my pale face, then he looked at Chloe. Chloe helplessly threw up her hands, indicating she could do nothing. Derek fixed his gaze on me, his eyes full of disappointment. “Aria, I’m really fed up with you. If you keep this up, we’re breaking up.” With that, he turned and left, annoyed. Chloe scampered happily behind him, not forgetting to turn back and give me a ‘V’ sign with her fingers. I felt like my lungs were a deflated bellows, every breath tearing at me. The blurry specks in my vision grew denser. Chloe’s face in the distance, bathed in hazy light, flickered closer and farther, like a demon from hell. My eyelids were heavy. Over there, a crowd of people cheered around Chloe. In my peripheral vision, Derek and his bros raised their glasses. Chloe, feigning drunkenness, leaned into Derek’s arms. He didn’t push her away, but instead wrapped his arm tighter around her waist. “Derek…” I used every ounce of strength to call him. My voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. He, as if by some strange impulse, looked back. Chloe immediately stood on tiptoes and whispered something in his ear. He frowned, shaking his head impatiently. At that moment, the last bit of warmth in my heart turned to ice. I slowly closed my eyes. I had so many regrets. Why did I ever get involved with Derek? Derek was just a poor student from an ordinary family. My mother, on the other hand, was a billionaire entrepreneur. I was afraid Derek would feel inferior, so I never told him any of this. He always thought I was just from a slightly better family than his. Chloe came back. She crouched in front of me. “I heard you grew up in a single-parent home. If you die, your mom will be heartbroken, right?” “But it’s okay, Derek can handle your funeral as the quasi-son-in-law. Maybe your mom will soften up and give him all the family fortune…” Chloe was really dreaming. But before she could finish, the private room door suddenly burst open. “Aria!” It was Mom’s voice.
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