"Ugh, what an annoying ending. What the hell was the author even thinking?" BAM! A book slammed against the bedroom wall. Groaning, she got out of bed and trudged downstairs, muttering curses under her breath. She opened the fridge, grabbed a Pepsi, and took a long sip, exhaling as she tried to calm her simmering frustration. Ring, ring. The phone rang. She sighed and walked over, glancing at the screen. Her expression immediately softened when she saw the name. "Hello?" she answered. The moment she did, a shrill scream blasted through the speaker, forcing her to yank the phone away from her ear. "You nerd! Why weren’t you picking up?! I called you like nine times already!" Wincing at the volume, she rubbed her nose and put the phone back to her ear. "What is it? Some kind of emergency?" The voice on the other end suddenly went meek, followed by an awkward cough. "Uh... Betty, I need toilet paper. I swear there’s no one home... and I’m stuck in the toilet. Can you come?" Betty blinked, her lips twitching. She rubbed her temple, trying to soothe her furrowed brows. "Seriously, Cassie? Do you even realize how far your house is from my apartment?" she asked, exasperated. "What? It’s just 40 miles. You can come. Please hurry—I don’t want to sit here anymore!" Cassie’s voice suddenly shifted, turning bossy and demanding. Betty sighed, a sly smile tugging at her lips."Ughh, Cassie... I’m already furious at someone. I swear, I’ll arrive late just to spite you." "W-What? Please come quickly! Are you angry at some author again? Should I curse him for you?" Hearing her meek voice, Betty smirked and nodded to herself smugly. "I’m coming, don’t be so dramatic." "What do you mean I’m being dra—" Click. Betty ended the call before Cassie could finish and casually strolled toward the living room. Picking up her jacket, which was casually tossed on the carpet, Betty headed outside. She closed the front door and turned to walk away when a familiar voice called out. "Hey, Betty! How are you, kid?" Betty turned and smirked when she saw the old woman. "Wow, Grandma, I’m good. And where are you off to? Want me to give you a ride?" The elderly lady smiled kindly."Ride? You don’t even own a bicycle. How are you going to drop me off anywhere?" Then she added with a sweet but sharp tone,"And you better be ready with the rent—it’s the tenth of the month, and you haven’t paid yet." Betty clutched her chest dramatically as the old woman turned to leave. "Ouch. I was just trying to be kind!" she called after her. Then she muttered louder, "And that offer was just a formality—I wasn’t really asking!" The woman didn’t even turn around—just raised her hand in the air and waved without looking back. Watching the old woman vanish down the street, Betty started walking toward the convenience store. A few minutes later, she emerged, holding a small white packet in one hand, the other tucked into her pocket. She hummed a soft tune under her breath. Glancing up at the dark sky glittering with stars, she sighed. "Great. Now I’ve got twenty more miles to go." Shaking her head, she began walking again. "Paam, paam!" A loud horn suddenly blared, sounding far too close for comfort. Startled, Betty turned to her left—"Baam!" In an instant, she was hit with terrifying force, her body thrown across the sidewalk. She crashed into the side of the store, shattering the glass on impact. As the world faded into darkness and her body went numb, she muttered weakly, "W-What? I didn’t even step onto the street yet..."