“W-what are you doing, Stephanie?” Roger asks me, his face much paler than it was just seconds ago.
“Nothing. Just talking.” I grab the waistline of my skirt and pull it up further, to the middle of my stomach, showing my lace panties to him, and when Roger backs away, his back hits the wooden cabinets, slamming one of the doors shut.
“What’s wrong?” I ask with a laugh. My stomach is in a knot and I feel like I’m going to pass out any freaking second, but I feel amazing and powerful at the same time. Adrenaline, it must be. I love it. I want more of it. I step even closer and reach for the zipper on the front of my shirt.
Roger covers his face. “Stop it, Stephanie.”
Fuck this, he’s actually a loyal puppy like I thought. Knowing this adds to the burn of my jealousy.
“Come on, Roger, don’t be such a—”
“Stephanie! What the hell are you doing?” Olivia’s voice fills the kitchen.
I look over to the doorway to see her leaning there. She changed into pajamas, flannel ones with blue lining. She’s pissed.
After a few seconds, she turns to her husband. “Roger?”
“I don’t know, babe, she just came in here and started trying to take her clothes off.” He tosses his hands up in the air in a frantic plea for his wife to see how crazy her slutty sister is.
She turns in my direction, glaring a hole through me. “Get out, Stephanie.”
“You didn’t even ask me if it wasn’t true,” I tell her, getting pretty pissed off about that fact. I toss my purse over my shoulder and pull my skirt back down to cover my body.
“I know you,” she says matter-of-factly.
She knows me? She doesn’t know me at all, actually. If she did, she would know better than to be such a selfish cunt.
“And . . . ?” I look at Roger, and he inches back like I’m a snake. Like he can judge me? If he wasn’t afraid to get caught, I guarantee he would have me bent over their shiny granite counter.
“Well, did you try to come on to my husband or not?” Olivia’s mouth is trembling; she’s holding back tears. I should deny it, flip the script on both of them and blame him. He’s pathetic enough that she would believe me. I can cry on demand, too, and if I wanted to, I could convince her of anything.
Oh, please.
“You’re such a spoiled bitch!” she yells at me, and Roger crosses the kitchen and wraps his arm around her shoulders.
I’m a spoiled bitch? Is she serious? She gets everything she fucking wants, and it’s bullshit. I’m sick of being the runner-up to her. She’s lucky I didn’t do something worse. I could have hurt him, or her, in a far more serious way. Even some of the thoughts I’m having now are surprising me . . . and I like it.
“Get out, Stephanie.” Olivia shakes her head as her husband rubs her trembling hands.
I do just that. I won’t have to put up with any more of this shit soon.
I’m going to college soon.
And once I’m there, I’m going to run that fucking campus.
part two
DURING
Hardin
.seoD enaJ dna saruaL dna sharaS fo pool sseldne na gnimoceb seman rieht ,rehtegot gnidnelb erew nemow ehT .secneuqesnoc emas ,snoitcaer emas ,snoitca emas eht fo pool citobor a otni nwod efil sih delian eH .emoh morf yawa tneps eh thgin hcae htiw yawa gnihsaw ylthgils saw tnecca sih taht gniveileb neve—ecalp ngierof taht ni efil ot desu oot gnitteg saw eH .flesmih fo snoitatcepxe muminim htiw efil hguorht gnivom ,dediugsim saw eH
.tuo yad dna ni yad ,yaw siht eunitnoc dluoc efil sih woh erus t’nsaw eH
.nuf ni tsuj lla saw sihT .elinevuj erom ,tnereffid saw sihT .erofeb sa semertxe emas eht ot og t’ndluow eH .derugif eh ,emit siht dab os eb t’now tI .efil s’lrig rehtona niur ot ,ecneconni rehtona laets ot tes saw eH .adnega na dah eh dna ,gnieb rof nwonk saw eh nosrep fo dnik eht ,saw eh ohw wenk—ti ro—eH .mih tnuat ot—mih naht lufrewop erom gnihtemos ro enoemos yb lartneC notgnihsaW ta decalp yllacigetarts saw ehS .reh tem eh ,raey txen eht fo keew tsrif eht neht dnA
.thguoht yreve ¸htaerb yreve sih rof reh no yler ot nageb eH .noil a fo raor eht ekil mih hguorht pir ti tlef eh . . . ti tlef eh tuB .ti gninigami ro ti gnileef yllautca saw eh fi erus t’nsaw eh taht tsaf os saw ti tsrif ta—reh rof drah gnillaf saw eH .dam mih evord spil reh fo knip eht dna peels sih detnuah seye reh fo yarg eht litnU .ecaf reh dnuora deppihw ti dna riah reh thguac dniw eht litnu ,saw ti dnA
• • •
.thgiarts kniht enola tel ,thgiarts ees ylerab dluoc eh dna ,irpaC droF dlo sih fo leehw gnireets eht gnippirg erew sdnah siH .tol gnikrap eht ni enola tas eh ,etercnoc eht gniteknalb ,gnillaf wons eht ,lla ti fo elddim eht ni thgin enO
.ydaerla ti gnitterger saw eH .ti terger dluow eh taht wenk eh dna ,ti enod evah t’ndluohs eh taht ,flesmih fo edisni nwod peed ti tlef eh ,wenk eh tub ,erus t’nsaw eH ?tsaf os raf os og ti did woH ?siht enod evah eh dluoc woH
.nosrep retteb a eb ot tnaw mih ekam ot desoppus t’nsaw ehs dna ,reh htiw evol ni llaf ot desoppus t’nsaw eH .meht dniheb gninaem ro htped dloh ot desoppus t’nerew taht seye deroloc-ddo dna elims tneconni na htiw lrig lufituaeb A .tegrat ysae na eb ot desoppus saw ehS
.erofeb enif saw eh taht thguoht eH
.esol ot gnihtemos tuohtiw efil eritne sih gniog retfa ssol a hcus raeb ot elba eb t’ndluow eh wenk eh dna ,flesmih gnisol tnaem reh gnisol rof—reh gnisol fo deifirret saw eh taht hcum os reh devol eh ,hguoht ,reh devol eH .dlrow eritne sih emoceb ot reh gniwolla fo ekatsim lufituaeb eht edam eh erofeb—erofeb enif tsuj yb gnitteg saw eH
.reverof reh peek ot—gnihtyna yletulosba—gnihtyna od dluow eh taht ,sraef sih gninword tol ytpme eht fo ecnelis eht htiw ,tnemom taht ni dezilaer eh dna ,etarepsed dna lanoitarri erom emaceb eH .delbmuj erom emaceb sthguoht sih ,leehw gnireets kcalb eht tsniaga etihw denrut selkcunk sih dna redrah deppirg sregnif sih sA
.detsixe ti wonk neve t’ndid eH .erofeb tlef reven dah eh taht epoh fo epyt a leef mih edam ehS .gnorw esle enoyreve dna thgir reh evorp ot detnaw eH .reh rof doog eb ot tnaw mih edam mih ni htiaf reH .nwod reh gnittel pots dluow eh gnipoh ,mih htiw evol ni llaf reh dehctaw eh dna ,gnihtyreve mih evag ehS .taht reh wohs ot slevon etirovaf reh fo dnasuoht net morf segassap thgilhgih dluow eh dna ,rats yna naht rethgirb denrub reh rof evol siH .reh devol eH .ti teg etiuq t’ndluoc tsuj eH .dewollof taht shtnom eht revo niaga reh dah dna ,reh tsol ,reh dah eH
