Stay and talk to Clarice

You shake your head. "I think I'll stay and talk to Clarice, if you don't mind."

Erika hesitates, glancing at her fiance who gives her a single nod. "Fine. Play nice you two."

"I'll help you Erika." A mutual friend, Freddy, offers.

"What do you want to talk about?" Clarice asks and you glance at the rest of the group, all eyes focused on you.

You meet Clarices eyes, squeezing your hand into a tight fist. "I want us to be friends."

Clarice knows slowly, her eyes moving away from you. "Mkay."

One of the surrounding listeners takes a sharp breath in and walks over to the cooler full of water. "Anyone want to help with this?"

Two more of the gathered people nod and rush over, helping her lift the cooler off the counter and walk it through the ktichen.

Once it's just you and Clarice you take a breath. "What does that mean?"

"It means you can be friends with me, but I won't be friends with you." She clarifies, a tight smile on her face.

You narrow your eyes. "I'm being serious. We're both important to Erika and I want us to get along for her sake."

Clarice lifts an eyebrow, taking another drink. I'm insulted you think I would ever cause my fiance a problem."

"Well, you're a jobless daddys money rich girl who is getting married to her with a ring you didn't even purchase." You snap. "I have every right to be cautious of you, especially because my friend deserves better than some gold digger who has decided to leech off her inheritance because her father stopped paying for her manicures."

Clarices face falls into an offended expression, her lips in a tight line. "You're going to regret saying that."

You hesitate, wondering if she'd really tell Erika what you said. "Look I didn't mean that."

"Oh, yeah. You did. You meant that 100 percent." A smile slowly creeps onto Clarices face. "And I'm going to forever remember it."

A sudden feeling of dread hits you in the stomach as you hear screaming coming in from the yard followed by loud pops.

You look at Clarice in shock as she sets down her drink and pulls on a pair of black leather gloves.

"Its starting."

Find Erika

Run out the back door

Face Clarice