Mom steps into me, her jaw clenched as she raises her chin, trying to appear taller. “You sound just like your father,” she spits. “You better watch your mouth, or I’ll have no choice but to—”
“To what, Mom? Hit me again?” Her eyes slightly widen, showing the tiniest hint of regret, but it’s gone in a flash. I scoff, not giving her a chance to go on. “When are you going to realize what you’re doing to our family? You used to be the first person I’d want to see after school, but since moving here, you’re nothing but a stranger to me, and I don’t want anything to do with you. I want my mom back.”
Tears well in my eyes as my mother stares back at me. A painful moment of silence passes between us, and just when I think she’s about to embrace me and tell me that everything is going to be alright, she turns her chin up. “The wedding is at 3 p.m. sharp next Saturday, and I expect you at the church standing at my side. You will wear the gown I pick out for you, and you will stand beside me as my maid of honor. You will smile at all the right times and boast about how much you love our new family and home. When people ask, you will tell them that Orlando has gone out of his way to make you feel welcomed and that you are so grateful for the life you’ve been blessed with. Is that clear?”
Clenching my jaw, I glare up at this perfect stranger, feeling my heart breaking in my chest. “Crystal.”
“Good,” she says. “I have included a plus one for you, not that you are deserving of it. Am I to assume you will be bringing that wretched boy from next door?”
Venom spews from my glare as my hands ball into fists at my side. “Tanner is the best person I have ever known, so if he’s wretched, then that sure as hell says a lot about you,” I spit, and with that, I storm right out of the formal dining room, determined to never see her again.
If only she weren’t my mother …
Unable to handle the raging emotions running rampant through my body, I barge out through the front door and get only a few steps down the front path when a familiar yellow Beetle pulls to a stop on the front curb. The rage intensifies, and I hate that my tears begin to fall free. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I growl, storming toward the car.
Erica pushes out the driver’s side, her hands out as if terrified I’m about to beat her ass to a pulp. “Please, just—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I roar. “How dare you show up here!”
“Please, Bri,” she begs, moving around until she’s standing right in front of me. “Please, I know I fucked up, but I miss you. We’ve been friends for thirteen years. Surely you’re not going to throw that all away. We can get past this. I was messed up and taking shit I had no business messing with, and I was a shitty friend, but I can’t lose you.”
A throaty laugh tears from deep within me. “You think I’m the one throwing this away?” I question. “You’re the one who climbed into bed with my boyfriend. You’re the one who stood by to allow an innocent girl to get hurt. You’re the one who put the blame on me. You’re the one who threw it all away, Erica. You didn’t need my help.”
“It’s not like that,” she says, moving closer, tears in her eyes. “I didn’t know she was going to get hurt. We were just screwing around with pills and when she turned up, Colby was telling me that she was the sister of some dick who’d been fucking with him, and I thought it’d be funny to mess with her. I didn’t know that he was going to go that far. I swear, Bri. You have to believe me. If I knew he was going to rape her, I never would have had anything to do with it. I’m not the monster you think I am,” she urges, pushing into me and grabbing my hands as though they’re her only lifeline. “Please, Brielle. We’ve been friends for too long. I need your help. I’m buried so deep, and I don’t know how to save myself.”
Tearing myself out of her grip, I stare at her with disgust. “You’re messing with me, right?” I breathe, unable to believe what I’m hearing. “Am I just some stupid bitch you can walk all over? You gave me up to the cops. I was arrested and slammed down against my desk in the middle of class after Colby broke my fucking ribs. Do you have any idea what that’s like or how fucking terrified I was? They were going to charge me with rape, Erica. Rape! I would have been locked up for years all because of you, and now you have the fucking audacity to show up here, thinking that I’m just going to shrug it off. Hear yourself, Erica. A real friend would never have done the things you’ve done to me, and a decent human being would never have suggested messing with an innocent girl.”