I sat up straight, instantly on guard. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that I’d hidden myself from the rest of the party.
“Didn’t I?” Aundi looked to Pipa. “The day we saw you buzzing around Grayson, I said that girl is a lying, social-climbing whore.”
Pipa nodded. “You did.”
“What do we do with lying, social-climbing whores?” Aundi asked.
“Expose them.” Pipa shoved the plate onto my head.
They smeared jam into my hair, laughing. But their laughter soon faded from my ears, as every moment over the last few months played before me in my mind.
From the first time these two girls had thrown food on me and pushed me to my knees, to every humiliation after, every time I’d buckled and given in, to now, when I’d run from a room full of vultures picking apart my worst secret.
This time, I didn’t fall to my knees. This time, I stayed standing. Even as the jam fell into my eyes.
My uncle had a vision of my future. My child was almost done growing. How much longer was I going to let this happen?
When they were done, I wiped cake out of my hair, tossed it to the ground, letting out a sigh.
“Oooh shit, is Cinderella finally fighting back?” Pipa laughed.
I looked at the frosting on my hands.
I did itch to do something to them, to rip at their dresses and make their fake smiles fall, but I looked them in the eyes instead.
“None of you like me,” I said. “None of you will ever like me or ever accept me. And…” I sighed. “Thank you. What a relief to know I did something right. Because who wants to be respected and adored by someone like you?”
For the first time, Aundi and Pipa were speechless. They reeled like they’d been slapped.
“Throw cake on me, rip my dress, whatever you do to me, I’ll never come down to your level.”
I walked away from them, not waiting for a response. I went through the hedges, onto the beach, cake dripping from my eyes, until I was on the sand and hidden from view.
Where I could hide and cry.
Because despite what I’d said to them, I felt like I was going to vomit.
Everyone knew.
Everyone.
I’d never felt more naked in my life.
“I’m afraid I’ll never be able to see him as the villain,” I whispered into the dark, ocean air.
“I’m afraid…” I raised my voice. “I’m afraid that makes me the villain.”
“I’m afraid—” I gripped my stomach, raising my voice to a scream. “I’M AFRAID IT’S MY FAULT.”
It came out of me in a cathartic wail, but it was gone so soon, disappearing into the salty, dark air. I stared into the dark, like I could still see the words.
“What are you doing?”
I jumped at Lottie’s voice. “Oh, fuck.”
Behind me, Lottie watched from a few feet away, her hair blowing in the wind.
I shrugged. “I didn’t think anyone was around.”