Here to Slay

“I’m only here to win.” I practiced my speech before going on stage.  I knew this was an important competition and needed to win to get in the vicinity of where I wanted to go.  

“I’m here to slay.”  The lines swept through my mind and I wondered what Kristi was doing now.  Would she make it to the competition?  If she did, would she still compete?  I knew what had happened was not my fault, but I couldn’t help but sweep between cautiously optimistic she was not here and wanting her to be here so I could finally beat her. 

Kristi used to be my friend until I finally realized I was not important to her and never had been.  I had just been too desperate to be her friend to realize what she had always been doing to me.  Too desperate to realize how many times she had thrown me under the bus.  Too desperate to make a stand. 

But I was finally here.  Finally on the cusp of obtaining all my dreams and was too sure of myself to worry about Kristi.  I knew I could win this competition and knew I could finally win the scholarship so I could get out of town and on with my own life.  Without Kristi and without her demons following me around.  It would finally be my future instead of the one everyone else had planned for me.  Kristi – my best friend, confidant, cousin – would never know what hit her.