Once they’d been friends. Well, mentor-mentee buddy-buddies. That was impossible now. He could never look at her again, breathe the same air, or listen to her voice recounting the joys of living her dream, without rage building inside.

She hadn’t said she was living the dream when he’d seen her last. That meeting ended closer to a nightmare. No massive amount of shine, shine, shining going on back then.

Her final contact with him was the absolute kicker, considering she’d walked away from him. A text message had appeared on his computer screen a year ago and appeared innocent enough. He’d clicked on it expectantly. Her enthusiasm and cheeriness had once warmed his heart, but that was when he could afford generous goodwill.

First thing that bothered him: No mention of an apology. Later, when he studied her words, he felt their derision. She was giving him the finger. That’s what she was doing.

Thought of u. Things amazing. (thumbs-up icon) Living the dream. (Pina Colada drink icon) #1 on all major charts UK/US 4 3rd week. Hope all gr8 w/u. TK 4 yr early help. U changed my life. xox (kiss icon) (wink icon) Orelia

William had leaned back in his chair and stared at the words and the stupid, little icons. Orelia had always peppered her messages with them as if she was thirteen.

She must know what had befallen him? His agent Morris was now hers too—the dysentery/stomach bug-afflicted man. Not only did they share him, but they shared the same publishing house. Although the Mystery Romance imprint published Orelia’s books, they still had the same main publisher.

In fact, after rereading her message, and copying out the words long hand to better decipher their true intent, he became certain she’d heard of his career stumble. The text was to taunt him, to rub salt in his wounds. Otherwise, why was there no offer of help? Of payback?

Why didn’t she say:

Sorry heard about your bad run on the charts. What the? Let’s catch up. I can help. (wink icon) (kiss icon) Orelia

This was her gloating; plain and simple in emoticons and tedious abbreviations. He understood a winking face icon. Her message shared only her good fortune, and no mention of his luck’s downhill plummet.

Downhill was inaccurate. That word implied a gradient to his fall, whereas his misfortune was akin to the Challenger shuttle explosion with no survivors. His career had gone up in a puff of smoke entitled Flying Toward the Sun.

Orelia’s though, had traveled upward and onward like Voyager entering interstellar space and traveling farther than any earthly object, ever.

He’d read in the paper that her book Back to that Day was a nominee for the National Book Award. This was the book’s fourth nomination for a prestigious prize (he kept check). She’d already won the previous three. The article, ironically in the same section as his novel’s review by asshole critic the Great Shitley, was a sign fate hated him.