“I’ll burn you alive, and I won’t stop there. Your entire family will feel my wrath. On second thought, I’d kill them first and make you watch. Make you choose who I slice up first. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. That’d be an awful way for dear ole grandma to go. Oh, and your extended family will feel my blade too.” I grasp her chin with a thumb and forefinger. “Your entire bloodline will be wiped from this Earth.”
“I was afraid, okay?” she whispers through trembling lips. “I still am, but my baby—”
“Ourbaby,” I snap. “Never exclude me. It’s my baby too.”
“Our baby is my life now.” Zilphia places a hand over her heart. “Nothing else mattered after I heard our baby’s heartbeat. Our child deserves all the kisses, hugs, and cuddling we never got as kids.”
She seems sincere enough, but her words ring hollow. I can never trust her again—not after that night.
“God, I can’t believe he kept you handcuffed to his bed for an entire week,” Meela says, pulling her purse strap over her shoulder. “Someone should cut off his balls and stick them up his ass.”
Leah sighs and nudges her glasses higher on her nose. “Why must you say the most vulgar things?”
My eyes land on the tape holding the plastic frames together. Leah says everything’s cool, but I still feel guilty about her glasses—and about what Snake did to her. She ordered a new pair, but delivery takes two to three weeks.
“Someone should cut off his testicles and lodge them up his rectum.” Meela crosses her arms under her ample breasts and cocks a sardonic eyebrow. “Better?”
Leah’s eyes roll heavenward. “I’m sick of you,” she grumbles.
“Aw, darling, don’t be like that,” Meela croons, pinching Leah on the cheek. “You know you love me.”
Leah slaps her hand away. “With much difficulty.”
I laugh. “I’ve missed you two.”
“Duh, what’s not to miss?” Meela hooks her arm around mineand pulls me toward the exit. “Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
A smile curves my lips as we shuffle down the hallway. Honestly, I’m surprised Sandman didn’t change his mind about letting me come back to school. Of course, Snake watched me like a hawk all day. I even caught him standing outside some of my classes.
“I never thought I’d be so happy to be back at school.”
“Oh God, she’s delusional,” Meela gasps in mock horror and speeds up her steps. “Hurry, we have to get her to the mall ASAP.”
“Don’t forget, Leah is taking me to see my grandmother first,” I remind her. “Wanna come with? We’ll just be a half hour, tops.”
I miss my grandmother so much. I can’t wait to feel her wiry arms around me.
Meela scoffs. “Absolutely the fuck not. I can’t be in the same house as your bitchy cousin.”
“You and me both.” Deja hasn’t seen me in a week. For all she knew, I could’ve been dead in a ditch. And all I got was the stink face and a snarky“The whore is back”when we passed in the hall this morning.
“I’ll hang out with the ice queen for a bit.” She draws in an annoyed breath. “Just pick me up after. Ugh, I can’t believe she revoked my car privileges again.”
“Is it necessary to call your sister that?” Leah asks, always the voice of reason. “Anyway, what did you expect? You kept staying out past curfew.”
“Okay, Little Miss Ice Queen Number Two. I have a man to win, so fuck Tulip’s curfew.”
Leah clucks her tongue disapprovingly. “He’s so inappropriate for you.”
“What can I say? I’m a naughty girl.”
Leah shakes her head but says nothing.
“What happened to Levi and Theo?” I was afraid to ask Sandman.
He tasked the prospects with watching over me the day Islipped away to have the abortion. Sure, they aren’t pillars of society, but I don’t want anyone else’s blood on my hands.
“Heard they were taken to God’s Glory and got the shit beat out of them,” Meela answers me. “I haven’t seen them since, though.”
