Insincerely

Mia thanked the barista for her drink and took a seat. She thought about how to play the cards she'd been dealt. Her sister was clearly taking advantage of her situation. It was yet another patronising life lesson from her. The last thing Lina wanted to do was capitulate.

She drafted a text.

Mia: “Dear my wonderful sister I sincerely apologise for borrowing your stupid shoes and I’m sorry I’m such an awful sister who might ruin these shoes if you take too long to get home. M”

Mia knew her random note probably wouldn’t encourage her sister back home to help any sooner, but at least it was therapeutic; it took her mind off the shoes she was trapped in.

As she taps send, she notices a weird feeling in her foot. A cramp? Her foot had definitely moved. Somehow she was even less comfortable. She rubbed her foot through the shoe.

It took her trying to stand up before she realised the extent of the damage. As she tried to stand, she found her center of gravity was unexpectedly off. She had to use the table to stabilise herself.

“Call that an apology? The heels are five inches now. Don’t make me add another inch because I don’t think you’d be able to stand (and we can’t have you stuck on your knees this early).

— justice”

She'd almost never worn shoes like this because they're as uncomfortable as they look. Her entire body weight was pushed onto the balls of her feet, mashing down on her toes. Mia was **** to sit back down, so she renewed her effort trying to get them off. It took her a few minutes before she was able to process that something behind her screen was somehow controlling her footwear.