I woke up late. I slowly got out of bed, dragged myself to the shower, and let the warm water wash over my face for a long time. I tried to push away the nagging thoughts about the Handbook. Maybe it's not too late to back out? I could tell Ishani I have a stomachache.

I wiped the steam off the mirror with my hand. "Time to start running again," I told myself, pinching my once-super-flat stomach. Good thing I let Bianca talk me into joining the basketball team.

Wrapped in a towel, I went back to my room and looked at the mess with even more dread. It looked like a clothes-obsessed poltergeist had ransacked the place.

I grabbed the first pair of high-waisted jeans and a black tank top. I didn't want to wear a dress; I always looked weird in them, like a cow wearing a horse saddle.

I found my phone under my pillow. Not my best habit. Bianca had left me a message last night... just one word and an emoji: «Goodnight 🌝» and nothing about her birthday, not a single word. She definitely doesn't want me there.

I fell asleep early and didn't reply to her. Should I respond now? No... that ship has sailed.

Opening her IG, I saw no birthday posts, like she was hiding something. Maybe she's busy with preparations? She has tons of followers but follows only a few, mostly some celebrities. Let's see... Alisha, well, that makes sense, Veronica! Crap. I have to go to the party even if she kicks me out. I need to see with my own eyes who she's dating and stop feeding my heart false hopes.

I'd totally forgotten about my own account. When I checked, I gasped. Wow! In just a few days, so many people had followed me just because I'm on queen bee's follower list. They didn't even care who I was; if the queen followed me, the followers had to as well. Ishani had followed me too, and even Irene! How terrifying... with that profile picture?!

Maybe I should do something with my hair? Put on some makeup? I'd have to ask mom, but then she'd start asking a million questions about where I'm going and why, ask for Bianca's parents' numbers, and then it would come out that I wasn't even invited. Total fiasco!

Mom's not an option. I'll just say I'm hanging out with Ishani and a guy from my team, stay at the party for a couple of hours, and then quietly sneak back home. It's only 15-20 minutes walk from my house. Better to stay away from her; she's a seasoned lawyer who'll definitely notice my guilty eyes.

Mom's already started hinting about my birthday tomorrow, but I pretended not to understand. They really hurt me last time, she and Jess.

God forbid they throw me a surprise party. I hope Ishani isn't involved in this. We agreed to just grab a milkshake and take a walk by the lake like two old ladies.

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