"Congratulations to our dear Thalia on receiving her Master's Degree! We love you!"

Everyone had raised their champagne glasses honoring a toast to the young graduate. It was an important event for Thalia to share with her family and friends- The day had finally arrived when she was officially closing a chapter in her life. The woman was able to call it a day; She took her deep breaths making her loved ones proud. 

"Mamas you did it!" Thalia's best friend Isabelle had hugged her tightly. "This is what we have been waiting for- And you finally got it!" 

"Thanks girl. I still cannot believe it!" The celebrant exclaimed. "Thank God." She sighed of relief and drank out of her champagne glass. Another best friend of hers, Julian, had embraced Thalia close. "Julian, I'm so glad you were able to make it!" 

"On GOD I wouldn't miss your accomplishments for the world, big sis! You freaking did it!" Julian hugged his close friend tightly, knowing that everything they'd been through together; From high school to community college, they were inseparable. 

Thalia would have lied saying she didn't like being the center of attention- But it would only be valid for two reasons; It was either her birthday or a huge accomplishment she's worked hard for. But there was one thing she loved celebrating with- The people that gave her the unconditional love and outpouring of support. 

As the celebrant headed outside of the banquet hall to get fresh air, she saw a woman standing in front of her- Wearing a nice blouse with a blazer and dress pants. Thalia's vision had cleared up and the beats of her heart had almost stopped by seeing the lady. She was not afraid, but willing to rip out that person's hair; But Thalia knew that wasn't her personality to do so. 

"Hi, Thalia." The tone in the lady's voice was shaky. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Thalia stood tall and her voice was filled with rage yet pulled herself together to not yell and make a scene. 

The known lady walked closer to her and the celebrant took a step back. "I just wanted to congratulate you." She softly said.

"Are you leaving now? Since that's what you're always good at." Thalia gulped and started to feel regret saying harsh things, but she knew she had a right to do so. 

"Thalia, I-"

"No, Kairi. You listen to me." Thalia cut her cousin off quickly. "For years, you hurt me without saying a word! Don't you know how offended and lonely I was?! And just now you suddenly appear thinking everything is okay between us?" The celebrant was holding back her tears, but in the end she was still on the verge of shedding them. "You must be out of your goddamn mind."

"I didn't want to talk to you- I was angry at you-"

"Angry at me for WHAT, Kairi? For all I know is that I was ALWAYS on your side!" The tone in Thalia's voice had gotten higher which was not helping her body stance- She was shaking out of nervousness and fury. Out of all the emotions she was feeling, she had to let it all out once and for all. 

"You were everything that my mom wanted. She'd always compare me to you saying why I couldn't be more like you and it freaking annoyed me. I didn't want to talk to you because every damn time that I looked at you, the things she says about me echoes in my head! I couldn't even stand to breathe next to you. It was like my mom was begging you to be her daughter instead." Kairi took a deep breath. 

"But it is NOT and has NEVER been your place for you to take your anger out on me! It is not my fault that your own mom does it to you- What am I supposed to do, really? You already know HOW she is, why are you surprised?!" Thalia scratched her head out of frustration and looked back at window where she could see her loved ones partying. This was the day she was supposed to have fun- But if she was going to have negativity revolve around her, she knew that she was not going to back down again. 

"In that moment, I knew that I didn't wanna talk to you anymore. I had friends that surrounded me with love and support and said things that I ACTUALLY wanted to hear; Good, positive sayings that helped me." Kairi softly said. "My friends make me happy where at least they don't stalk my socials." She was throwing deep shade towards her cousin.

"Okay, yes. I did stalk you- Why? You shut me out for so long I was so freaking desperate to know what you were doing with your life!" Thalia was tearing up and on the verge of shedding them down her cheeks. "All we ever did with each other was always communicate everyday. Now, the only way to communicate with you was to go through your social without interaction- And that freaking hurt me." She started to cry and take deep breaths in between. The pain in her heart had been set free after years without communication with Kairi. 

"Kairi when I moved to my dorm, I've always put in your address to see how far it was away from you. 30 miles." Thalia whispered softly. "It takes 30 miles to reach out to you. 30 miles of pain. 30 miles without you." 

Kairi started to tear up, making her body shake. She was speechless to hear what her cousin said, knowing that she was part in making her go through a wave of misery. Without a doubt, her anger was always thrown upon Thalia; But the built of jealousy had consumed Kairi to grow a grudge towards her cousin.

"I'm so sorry, Thalia." Kairi took a few steps closer, wanting to reach out for her cousin's hand. "I'm sorry." She started to tear up and looked down in shame. 

"I'm not a perfect person, Kairi," Thalia took a deep breath. "But I'm also not a bad person." She turned away from her cousin. "Despite many years of you hurting me, I will always love you." 

The 30 miles had broken a strong relationship between the two:

While Kairi hoped to revive it, Thalia finally managed to survive without her.