Gia Love And Oxuanna Envy: [exclusive]

That night, after everyone had gone home, Oxuanna returned to the square. She carried a can of black paint. Her hand shook as she pried the lid off. She doesn’t deserve this, Oxuanna told herself. No one works that hard and stays that happy. It’s fake. It has to be.

But she didn’t pour it.

Oxuanna, by contrast, lived in the shadow of that glow. She and Gia had been friends once, in the careless way of childhood, before envy took root. Oxuanna was sharp-tongued and quick to feel slighted. Where Gia saw abundance, Oxuanna saw scarcity—as if every smile Gia received was one stolen from her. gia love and oxuanna envy