"By the way, you've been uninvited."

Nene broke down.

Those were the words that she heard right out of her friend's mouth. Just for context, Nene and Becca had known each other for quite a while now. Six months, but it was almost as if they had known each other since birth. They clicked when they met. It's a rare occurrence for Nene. No wonder it hurt her when she found out that she had lost a special friendship. 

A social gathering, or rather a cocktail party filled with the rich and famous, was going to be hosted by Becca. Nene was ecstatic to find out and wanted to support her as soon as she heard the announcement, but... She was definitely a little suspicious already when Becca told her not to stay too close to her when she would be getting to know her guests. 

At that moment, Nene should have seen that as a red flag. In hindsight, Nene should have confronted her on the spot and questioned it, but she didn't. No idea why. 

Few days after getting the hint that Becca wanted nothing to do with her, Nene decided to do some digging for information. There's more to this, Nene thought to herself. Most of those six months spent with Becca were really great so it was just weird for her to all of a sudden cut Nene out of her life. It was super unexpected... And for Nene, it was pure betrayal. 

This party was only a few days away. Nene decided to go anyway and see what all the hype is about, and also why she was out of the blue uninvited like that. Is someone being a negative influence to Becca? It's possible. Nene was noticing that her mood and behaviour before the incident was kind of strange. Aloof. Distant. Or is someone holding Becca hostage? Telling her what to do, when to do it? Who knows... 

***

March 21 - 8:00 PM

She decided to come over to a friend's house for company. Strider. Maybe she could convince him to help her?

Strider had just finished his dinner and was going through the newspaper when he heard a knock at the door. He walked towards the door wondering who could be visiting at this late hour.

"Oh Nene, its you." He notice the distraught look on her face and asked her "What's wrong Nene. Is everything alright? Come inside before you catch a cold".

Strider sat down on the couch beside Nene and listened to her as she poured over her troubles. She explained her situation with Becca, about her betrayal and her odd behavior. Strider had run into Nene and Becca on a few occasions but he didn't know much about Becca, other than what Nene had told him about her. When she was done, Strider patted her hands and comforted her.

"A hostage? Don't jump to any conclusions Nene.  There might be a much simpler explanation for all this." Strider got up and walked over to the shelf and picked up a pack of cigarette. He lit one and moved towards the window, he looked outside and was deep in thought.

"Could it be that she is meeting someone at this party that she doesn't want you to know about? A lover perhaps?"

A lover? 

The possibility ran deep through Nene's mind. With her eyes now on the ground, her eyebrows were furrowed as she shook her head lightly. Confusion flooded her veins. "No.. I don't think so. I mean, whenever I brought up the topic of dating or relationships around her, she would quickly change the subject. I just though she wasn't interested and found it boring." 

Well, if it is a lover that Becca doesn't want Nene to know about, then it led her to believe that this lover could be someone that Nene knows very well. The thought scared her. 

Nene stood up and paced the room. She brought her fingers to her mouth and bit on her nails, it was a nervous habit. Her free hand was rested on her hip. "Okay, so maybe you're right.. I could just be complicating things. Um.. I have one favour to ask of you though."

Strider took another puff of his cigarette before tossing it out the window."I don't know much about this girl Becca, but if she was evading questions about her relationship then she probably was in one.  Moreover from the way she is acting, it looks like she was seeing someone dangerous. At this points its all mere speculation."

Strider could see that Nene was getting restless. He went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of cold water. "Here, drink this and calm yourself down Nene. There could be a hundred reasons for the way she is behaving , but we need to find out more about what is going on in her life before we come to any conclusions"

He sat down facing her as she sipped her drink and he listened to her before replying " A favor? Do you want me to knock her off?" Strider chuckled. He had a bad habit of introducing humor at inappropriate situations. "Sorry, forgive me. Tell me what you need of me Nene."

Her unnerving behaviour got the better of her because she started to panic even more when Strider mentioned Becca's supposed lover to be a dangerous man. Nene took a seat back down on his couch, hands to her temples and it was obvious that she was frustrated. Nothing that a glass of cold water can't fix, right? 

"I mean, you're right. This could all just be speculation. Thanks for the water." She thanked Strider, and luckily it did calm her down so she was able to go back to her normal somber and bubbly self. She set the drink down in her lap as both her hands were cupped around it. Nene stared intensely down at her drink, as if the answer to her problems could be in the water.

Nene caught his joke, but she wasn't laughing. She did appreciate his lightheartedness of the situation, though. She took one last sip before she continued. 

"Yes, um... Can you come with me to the party that Becca's hosting? Pretty please? I just want to take a look at who's going to be there. Maybe I'll recognize someone and they can give me any leads. I'll try to disguise myself somehow. I have some wigs at home..."

Strider kept a close eye on Nene and he was relieved when she started to calm down. He dared not give her any alcohol for the incident at the Hangman bar was still fresh in his mind. A bull in a china shop would have caused less damage than what she did to the bar that day under the influence of alcohol. Strider wondered if that old geezer was still alive, it was doubtful. He gulped and shook his head bringing himself back to the present.

"You want me at that party? In a disguise?" Strider asked as he ran his hand through his stubble. "A fake beard might hide my features.. Hold on a minute" He remembered that he barely knew Becca "I don't think Becca would remember me. We met once and that was a couple of months ago."

He went over to Nene and stood in front her giving her a once over and then he said "I don't think a wig might cut it Nene. We need a professional to give you a makeover and I know just the guy. We could pay him a visit tomorrow." Strider went quiet for a while before speaking again "He is a busy guy but he owes me one. He will have you looking like a completely different woman Nene, you will see."