Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 550(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 550(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
She is trying to hurt me. My survival instincts kick into high gear, and I raise my arms, pushing her back.
She tries to catch my shirt, but I dodge, running toward the door. She is faster, though. And she reaches there first, blocking my way out with her body.
I open my mouth to yell for my parents, and she slaps a hand over it, her eyes manic.
“If you want to get out of here alive, you better not fucking scream, Bailey.” She removes her hand from my mouth slowly.
I stare at her in horror. Her eyes are filled with tears. She’s shaking inside her skimpy clothes. “Let him go.”
“What?” I sputter. “I’m not the one clutching on to him, Thalia. I have no ownership over him.”
“Stop being so greedy,. Her voice spikes up. “You are surrounded by many rich, handsome boys. All of them can make you happy. I only know one. I only have a chance with one. And you’re ruining it for me.”
Is this what it’s about?
Securing a cushy future for herself?
I’m not trivializing poverty or struggle, but Lev is more than a paycheck. He is my entire world.
I shake my head. “No can do, Thalia. I will fight for him with everything I have in me.”
“How lucky for me that your everything is not much,” she hisses out.
With a growl, she grabs on to my dove bracelet and rips it from my wrist.
It’s torn and tattered on the floor between us, a fatal blow in one shot. I drop to my knees on a gasp, frantically looking for the pendant between the shards.
My heart is pounding in my ears. Where is it?
“You’re a silver-spooned princess,” she accuses, standing above me, glass crunching beneath her, while I’m searching for the unspoken love declaration Lev gave me. “No wonder you were perfect all the time. It’s easy to be when you have the entire world in the palm of your hand. As soon as shit started becoming real, you fell apart. Look at you.” An icy laugh bubbles from her throat. “A scrawny, purple mess. Just because Lev is confused, doesn’t mean he isn’t going to realize he made a mistake. We will get back together.”
“Jesus.” I heave out a sigh. “You’re the one who is high if you believe that. Lev would have never fallen in love with you, with or without my presence in his life. He is a kind person. An expansive thinker. Your souls are oil and water. Mix them together, and they still won’t stick.”
Thalia towers over me, a scorn painting her face. “Look up, Bailey.”
I do. And that’s when I see the pendant dangling from between her fingers.
“Our souls don’t need to match. Love is a story they sell privileged idiots and you eat it up and ask for seconds. The only thing that needs to fit is his dick between my legs, and we have no problem in that department.” She lets out a manic laugh.
I stand up before she kicks me while I’m down—while kicking me while I’m down.
“Plus, now that I have this, maybe I can convince him I’m his true love.” She puts the pendant to her heart, grinning. “Like Cinderella’s slipper…”
“You’re nuts,” I whisper.
“Nah, you’re just slow to catch up on the plot. I guess every good story needs a villain.” Thalia’s mouth hooks in a miserable smile. “And I’m the villain in yours.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask, even though I know. Why do we do things we shouldn’t do? From pain. From desperation. From anger.
The question seems to sober Thalia, who actually responds in earnest.
“I wanted the fairy tale for myself, and with you gone to the East Coast, I thought I could have it. I wanted hearts and roses. Love declarations and neck kisses. I wanted the glitzy life, the nice cars, the year-round vacations. And I watched from the sidelines, seeing how all the Coles and Followhills and Rexroths and Spencers married young. Married well. You all seem so happy, so fortunate. I wanted that for myself. To write my own destiny. Lev is extraordinary. And you? You’re as ordinary as they come.”
“Ordinary and extraordinary aren’t antonyms, Thalia,” I say sadly. “They coexist beautifully. You cannot have beauty without ugliness. Love without hate. A rainbow without the rain. Being special is nothing special. The things that make us great are the things that we control. Our choices. And you?” I shake my head. “You’re not a good person. He could never love you.”
She looks left and right, as if searching for hidden cameras.
A horrible feeling crawls all over my skin. She is planning something foul.
Thalia pushes a hand inside her bra. She takes something out and throws it into my hands.
I catch it instinctively and hold it in my fist. I can feel what’s inside it without even opening my hand.