QUEEN
I don’t know how many times I’ve checked my appearance in the mirror tonight, but it’s definitely more than I can count. Every glance feels like a mini-assessment. Is my eyeliner even? Are my lips too bold or not bold enough? My hair, it’s fine, right? I tuck and untuck strands, fluffing and smoothing until I want to scream.
Today is the day. The day I meet his family. And I want myself to be flawless. 
Excitement and sheer terror churn in my stomach, making my hands tremble as I adjust the neckline of my dress for the hundredth time. I take a step back and stare at my reflection.
"Hoo, I look pretty." I mumble, attempting to convince myself. But as the words leave my mouth, doubt creeps in.
My brows furrow as I lean in closer, squinting at my makeup.
"Wait a damn minute... I look ugly." Panic grips me, and I scramble for my makeup bag, determined to fix what I suddenly perceive as glaring flaws. But before I can redo even a single stroke of eyeliner, a knock sounds at the door, sharp and urgent.
"Queen your boyfriend's outside!" Oh no. My heart skips a beat.
"Oh, yes!" I shout back, my voice high-pitched with nerves.
"Are you still not done?" King asked and I almost shriek.
"I'm done! I'll be down in a minute!"
"Okay." I hear his footsteps retreating, but my panic remains. I take a few deep breaths, and almost cried because I'm still not satisfied at my look.
The truth is, no matter how much I try, I don’t think I’ll ever feel satisfied with how I look tonight.
When I was done calming myself I picked up my hand bag and went downstairs.
"Take care, okay?" King said. He was sitting at the couch and was reading a book.
"Yeah, I'll be back at 10." I reply with a small smile.
"10 sharp." he insists, his eyes flicking back to his book. I rolled my eyes and kissed his cheeks.
"Goodbye."
"10 sharp, Queen."
"Bye, King." I say with a laugh, rushing out the door before he can say it again.
And there he is. Vermont.
He’s leaning casually against his car, dressed in a dark suit that fits him. The soft evening light catches in his thick eyebrows and deep brown eyes, making him look like something straight out of a dream. His lips curve into that signature smile of his as he straightens, stepping forward to meet me.
"Hey," he says, his voice warm and steady. He offers his hand, and without hesitation I take his hand, and for a moment, the world feels still. "You look perfect, My love."
"Nah, I feel like there is really wrong in my make up. Take a look and see if you notice something wrong." Vermont then chuckled and shake his head
"I already said you look perfect." He said softly and grabbed my hand. "Don’t worry they would love you."
"You sure?"
"Of course." I take a deep breath and smiled at him. "You ready?" he asked, his voice gentle. I nodded even though my stomach churned. This was the first time I’d ever meet his family.
"I'm still scared." I whispered and want to bite my nails.
"I will be by your side. And I'm sure they would love you." Vermont squeezed my hand reassuringly, and for a moment, I let myself believe everything would be fine.
The drive to his family’s mansion was quiet but comfortable, the silence was filled with the soft music from the radio and I was able to breathe properly with his occasional brush of his thumb over the back of my hand. When we pulled up to the estate, my breath caught in my throat.
This is it!
The mansion was so beautiful, its was illuminated by soft golden lights. It looked like something out of a movie, intimidating and grand.
"You have a quiet beautiful house." Vermont then look at me and chuckled.
"This is my grandparents house and gave it as a gift to my sister." I nod at him and take a look at the grand mansion. There is a huge fountain in front of the mansion and it was filled with different cars.
'Woah, they must be filthy rich. Will they also give us a mansion like this if we got married?'
I blush at what I thought.
I shake my head and Vermont parked the car and came around to open my door. 
"Miss Ma'am," he said with a smile and offered his hand.
"Thank you, Sir." I chuckled and accept his hand.
"Ahh, you're so pretty." I am surprise when he suddenly kiss me. I gently hit him and he just laugh it off. "What?"
"You might ruin my make up."
"You still look perfect, my love. Give me a kiss-"
"No." I covered his mouth and glared at him. He gently remove it and kissed the back of my hand.
"Okay, I'll behave now." I look at him suspiciously and sighed. "Shall we go now?" I gulped and nod at him.
As we entered the mansion, my anxiety skyrocketed. The interior was just as grand as the exterior, marble floors, huge crystal chandeliers, and a crowd of impeccably dressed guests who all seemed to stop and stare the moment we walked in.
The whispers started immediately. I could feel their eyes on me, inspecting every detail of my appearance, every movement I made. My throat tightened, and the familiar weight of anxiety settled over me like a suffocating blanket. The voices in the back of my head began to echo, growing louder with every second.
You don’t belong here.
They’re judging you.
'Stop!'
You’re nothing compared to them.
I gripped Vermont’s hand tightly, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the noise.
I stopped and I take deep breaths when I felt that they were laughing at me.
HAHA. They won't like you.
'Please, stop.'
He turned to me, his brow furrowing in concern. He whispered something to me, his voice soft and soothing, but I couldn’t hear it over the storm in my mind. My breathing quickened, and I felt like I was unraveling.
Then Vermont stepped in front of me, his hands gently cupping my face. I look at him and blink a couple of times.
"You’re going to be okay," he said, his voice steady and clear this time. His beautiful brown eyes held mine, grounding me, pulling me out of the spiral of negative thoughts. "I'm here, Queen. You don't have to worry about something. Now, take a deep breath."
I nodded, swallowing hard as I tried to steady my breathing.
"Okay," I whispered back, my voice shaky.
He waited patiently, watching me as I followed his instructions. When he saw that I had calmed down, he guided me to a nearby couch and handed me a glass of water.
"Thank you." I murmured.
"You okay now?" He gently asked, his tone full of concern. I give him a smile.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." I said in a shy voice but he just stared at me with blank eyes.
"Do you always experience that?"
"Yes, back then but since I started staying here at Ravendale I think this is the first time this year?"
"I'm sorry, If you feel pressured. I want you to meet them but if you don't want to then we can go back " I shake my head and held his hand.
"No, that would be rude. And I also want to meet your family."
Minutes later, Vermont led me to where his parents stood near the center of the room. As we approached, I noticed their expressions shift, their polite smiles stiffening.
"Mom, Uncle," he began, his voice steady but firm, "This is Queen, My girlfriend. Queen this is my beautiful Mom and this is Uncle Jace." I stared at Vermont as he said that. He was smiling as he introduce me to his family.
"Hello, Ma'am, Sir. I'm Queen." I said with a smile and offered my hand.
His mother gave me a tight smile, the kind that didn’t reach her eyes. His uncle's handshake was brief and his gaze is assessing me. The awkwardness was palpable, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were uncomfortable with my presence.
"It’s lovely to meet you." I said softly, forcing a polite smile.
"Yes, Hello." his mother replied curtly. They nodded at me. The tension was thick. I gulped and I heard Vermont called someone.
"Sister!" A stunning woman approached us, her features sharp and striking. Beside her stood a tall man and I recognized instantly their faces.
"Queen," Vermont said, gesturing toward the pair. "This is my sister. Mabel Aloa Casanova-Prescott and this is his husband, Thanos Prescott."
'Mabel.'
The memory hit me like a punch. She was the woman who had slapped me in the face. I already forget that but now I remembered coz I saw this old hag's face. Beside her stood Thanos, the man I had met at the hotel, his striking features impossible to forget.
"Mabel, Thanos," Vermont said, "This is my girlfriend."
Mabel scoffed, her glare icy as her gaze raked over me.
"You really bring 'her' here, huh?" she muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough for me to hear.
I tensed, my hands clenched at my sides. Vermont leaned closer to his sister, whispering something I couldn’t make out. Her expression darkened, but she said nothing more.
"I'm sorry about that." Vermont said and pulled me out of that place. He made me sit at the couch and minutes later the party started, the formalities shifted to dancing. The couple, Mabel and Thanos took to the floor first, their movements elegant but cold.
I can see them whispering to each other with grim faces. Then I felt Vermont held my hand and smiled widely at me.
"We'll leave after I dance my sister." Vermont whispered, his lips brushing my ear. "Let's go on a date." He whispered and I chuckled.
"Okay." I smiled widely and the second to dance Mabel is with their uncle. 
"I'll go get you some food. Do you want something?"
"Uh, anything is fine."
"Okay I'll be back." I nod at avermont and watch him go to the table and get some food. When he was back he was smiling at me and told me to eat it, and finally, Vermont stepped in to take his sister’s hand.
I watch them take the dance floor and suddenly Mabel's husband take a seat beside me.
I stayed seated, quietly picking at the slice of cake Vermont had given me earlier. The sweetness did little to soothe the unease swirling in my stomach.
After I've taken a bite of the cookie, Thanos talked me. "How have you been?" he asked, his voice smooth but laced with something I couldn’t quite place.
"I'm good?" I said in an unsure voice.
"Good, huh?" he said after a moment of silence. "Are you happy with Vermont?"
I frowned, confused by his question. "Yes, I am. Why are you asking me this?"
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
He leaned closer, his voice low and sharp. "Don’t lie to me, Astrid."
"Why would you come back to him, Astrid?" I frowned harshly sighed. That fucking Astrid again.
"I’m not Astrid." I firmly said. I glared at him and he meet my eyes with the same intense gaze. Thanos’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing.
"Why are you denying it?" he snapped. "Do you think this will fix anything? You’re just confusing everything, you're giving me mixed signals." He hissed and I scoffed.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about," I said firmly, my confusion turning to frustration. "I am not Astrid. I don't know you, so please stop this." 
He leaned closer, his voice low and accusing. "We met last week. You and I. At the hotel. We had sex, you begged for it. Don’t pretend you don’t remember." He smirked coldly "Or are you pretending for Vermont’s sake?"
My heart stopped. Rage bubbled up inside me, but before I could respond, Mabel appeared out of nowhere and slapped me across the face.
"Fucking bitch!" she screamed, I was too stubbed that i just froze there after the slapped.
"Mabel." Thanos grabbed his wife who wanted to slapped me again.
"You're such a slut! Let me go, I'll kill this bitch!" Mabel shrieked, her voice echoing in the grand hall. She struggled against Thanos, who was holding her back.
The sharp sting brought tears to my eyes. My heart pounded in my chest, a mixture of shock, anger, and humiliation threatening to drown me. The room fell silent, the murmurs and laughter from moments before now replaced by a suffocating tension.
But it all went silent when Vermont’s furious voice that broke through the chaos.
"Enough! How could you hurt her, sister?" he roared, storming over to us. He pulled me to his side, glaring at his sister. "Don’t you dare touch her again."
Mabel was livid, shouting insults and accusations. "She’s a slut! A liar! A gold-digging whore!" she screamed, her voice dripping with venom.
Thanos grabbed her arm, whispering something urgently, but Mabel shook her head violently. "You’re a liar! I fucking hate you!" she screamed, hitting him hard in the chest. Her eyes darted between Thanos and me, brimming with anger and betrayal. "Why would you cheat? I fucking trust you! Liar!"
The room erupted into chaos, guests murmuring and whispering as Vermont’s mom and uncle tried to calm things down.
"So they are caught cheating?"
"Who?"
"Thanos and Lhance's girlfriend."
"That Astrid?"
"Hmm."
"Wait, that woman’s Astrid? The one from the scandal?"
"I thought she looked familiar. What a slut!"
The whispers swirled around me like a storm, each word slicing into my composure. Why would they talk to me like that, I'm not Astrid! My hands trembled as Vermont held me close, his protective arm around my shoulders.
His mother stepped forward, her face pale but composed. She raised her hands, commanding silence from the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for this disruption," she said, her voice firm but strained. "The party is now over. Thank you for coming, and please make your way out."
Staff members hurried into action, escorting the guests toward the exits. The room began to clear, though the whispers and side glances lingered like an unwelcome shadow.
Vermont’s uncle approached us, his expression grim. "Take Mabel upstairs," he ordered Thanos, his voice cold. "We’ll deal with this privately."
Thanos nodded stiffly, his grip on Mabel tightening as he tried to steer her away. But she resisted, her fury still boiling over.
"I’m not done!" she shouted, glaring at me one last time. "You’ll regret this, bitch!"
Vermont turned to me, his eyes softening as he cupped my face gently. "Are you okay?" he worriedly asked.
"Mm."
"Fuck you're not!" He angrily said and I flinched. "I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you. Let’s get out of here. You don’t deserve this."
"You’ve caused enough trouble," his mother hissed, her tone sharp and unforgiving. She was glaring at me.
"Mom, why would you say that?"
"What? This is her fault. Haa, just why would you bring her here? I thought you already broke up with her?"
"I told you she was not Astrid." Vermont said and Mabel laughed.
"See, that bitch really poisoned his head. He was already down bad for her!" Mabel shouted and pointed me angrily. "She's a fucking slut, a user!"
"Sister, don't you dare call her that!"
"What? I just stated the fact. She was fucking guys behind your back. You heard it right, they meet last week and fuck each other!"
"See you bring a mess in this family!" Ver's mom angrily said and I couldn’t take it anymore. The pressure, the accusations, the humiliation. It all came crashing down.
My head hurts as they continue to argue. They continue to accused me and Vermont defend me again and again.
I was so exhausted and the voices in my head won't stop.
"Fuck yeah, I am a user!" I shouted, my voice shaking with anger. "I just use Vermont! I’m fucking Thanos, and we have a relationship!" I am trembling as I said those words.
The room fell silent, everyone staring at me in shock. Vermont’s grip on my hand tightened, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Tears streamed down my face as I looked around at their faces as they mentally judge me. My chest ached, the weight of everything crushing me.
I look at Vermont who was stunned at what I said. I bite my lip and shake my head. I don't want to hurt him but I am done with this.
I laughed and just go with it. Why would I bother to explain when they won't listen to my words? I don't care what would they say, I'm fucking tired of this accusations again and again.
"I already admit it? Are you all happy now?" I stared at Vermont who look hurt.
I'm sorry, love.
Coz' fuck I'm no saint.
—IAmRoseee