Chapter 2 Becoming Blaire

"Why are you laughing Selina? "Do you think this is a joke?" Mom asked angrily.

I laughed again, to infuriate her further.

"Yes, it's a joke mum, a big, very big one at that. When would people start seeing me as a person? And not as a tool for cleaning up? "I'm not marrying him mom, please get that crazy idea out of your head," I told her.

"Selina, please, just once, do this for the family. For us, we will lose everything if you don't". She said, falling on her knees.

I rushed to raise her up. "Please don't mum, please don't make me do this," I begged.

"Please Selina, please you're doing this for us, we will forever be indebted to you"'she said, refusing my efforts to lift her off the ground.

"Okay, fine, but please get up"

After much persuasion, she finally stood up from the floor.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Since you've agreed, I think you need to do some touch-up, to look more like her."

I looked at her with what I hoped was disdain. She spoke quickly: "I don't mean it like that, I just mean to change your style to look like hers".

I picked up my phone and entered Instagram, searching for her. I finally saw her account, and I was able to see what she looked like recently.

Armed with the photo, I went to the nearest beauty salon I could find and asked them to dye my hair blond, then cut it into the same bob-cut I'd seen in the picture. By the time I was done, I couldn't recognize myself in the mirror, it was like I'd torn off my face and put on Blaire's. I hated it.

I called mom to come meet me at the salon so we could go pick up the dress. Immediately she saw me, she broke into a wide smile that extended to her eyes. "You look just like her" she told me, her eyes filling up.

"Mom, pull herself together, she isn't dead, she ran away knowing fully well the mess she left for herself. "If anything, you should be pissed at her, not cry like she's some 5 years old", I said harshly. I just don't understand Mom. Sometimes, here I was, agreeing to deceive and marry a total stranger while Blaire ran off with her boyfriend and not once has she asked me how I felt about it, not once has she said "thank you". I felt sick to my stomach.

We went to the dress shop together and picked it up. Thankfully, we were about the same size, so there would be no need to adjust.

On the drive back home, I took out my piercings, putting them in a small case in my bag. As we got back home, I went upstairs to lie down, trying to mentally prepare myself for tomorrow. I reached for my bag and removed the case of my rings, putting them on the dresser. As I did, I noticed a tiny square object lying where the note had been. I picked it up and realized that it was a SIM card. This could be Blaire's. I quickly removed mine and put it in and immediately a call came in. The caller ID showed "my D". Maybe the d stood for Damon, of course. I waited for the call to end, then I went to the phone settings and changed the message number to hers. I didn't want anyone to notice that she was gone. Immediately when I turned on the data, messages started flooding in, most of which were from "my D". I answered each one accordingly, letting him know my phone had fallen into water, so I had it replaced. After replying to the texts and allaying his fears, I switched off the phone.

Dad came home and apparently mum had briefed him already because he went straight to my room. On seeing me, he pulled me into a long hug, and I held him tight. It'd been so long since I'd seen him and I noticed that he had gotten much older than the last time we met. After some seconds, we broke the hug and he looked up at me.

"Are you okay with all of this, Selina? "You know if it were up to me, I'd damn the consequences and cancel the whole thing," he said with conviction, and I believed him.

"I'm fine with it dad, it would just be for a while, then I could ask for a divorce," I told him.

He sighed and held my hand. We sat there in silence and after a while he spoke. "Do you know she left with the papers? Of the property he gave her as an engagement gift?".

"I can't believe she could do something like this", I told him.

"It's probably Steve that's influencing her. You know how your sister is. Once she gets a new toy, it's all she thinks about for a few months until she gets another one. How long before she decides she's tired of him and wants someone else?"

We looked at each other sadly. He held my hand again. "I'm glad you're here Lina, regardless of everything that's going on, I miss you so much, you've really grown".

"Oh dad" I said, pulling his hand into mine.

"I missed you too".

At that moment, we heard the sound of the front door opening and voices that grew louder by the minute.

As I walked into the living room, I was greeted by a group of ladies, possibly Blair's bridesmaid.

"Hey, girls!" I said, trying to sound as much like Blaire as possible. "You guys are already here."

"We were just discussing the wedding," one of Blaire's friends, a tall, blonde girl named Tiffany, replied. "Have you finalized the seating arrangements yet? Also, I love the shade you chose for our dresses. It's to kill for."

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how Blaire would respond.

"Almost," I said, trying to sound confident. "I just need to confirm a few things with the caterer."

I began to feel more and more uncomfortable. I was starting to realize just how much I didn't know about Blaire's life, and how difficult it was going to be to keep up this charade.

But I knew I had to try. For my family's sake, and for my own.

"I'm so glad we're having the wedding in the vineyard," one of Blaire's friends said. "It's going to be so beautiful."

"I know, right?" I replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I've always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding."

"Yes girl!!" One of the girls screamed in my ear. And you're just getting married to a man, you are marrying Damon Martell. I would kill to be in your shoes.

I laughed nervously. Beneath the girls' smiles, I could smell the jealousy. I couldn't blame her. I would feel the same if I was her friend.

I feigned tiredness and anxiety in order to go up to my room and get some fresh air. The room was spinning, and I felt as if the walls were closing in.

I needed courage to do this. But it seemed like my courage was failing me right now. I was developing cold feet.