“I don’t know,” I say. “She’s the hardest person to read. What she said could only be a warning, or she’s being dramatic because that’s what Vienna does.” My voice wavers because I’ve been replaying that conversation for days and still can’t land on an interpretation that feels right. “She wants to be a gallery manager and you have to be cutthroat to buy and sell art. She’s perfect for that job. And… she just takes things too far sometimes.”
“Like when she keyed her ex’s car? That’s not ‘too far.’ That’s psycho.”
“A little, yeah. But he cheated. I haven’t done anything to her.”
Cinna grabs my arm, gentler this time. “You should call Carter. What if this horrible person texts him next?”
She’s right. The thought of Carter getting a version of this message makes me sick. Who knows if the person behind the attacks is posting the text on social media or gossiping. Carter could hear it from a stranger, from one of his Hargrove teammates. As in, “Hey man, is it true about you and your cousin?” He’s a positive guy, but he’s still vulnerable to humiliation. And he’d worry about me, because that’s what Carter does. He’d carry it quietly, never bring it up, and I’d never know it was eating him alive.
I scroll to his contact and press call.
“Hey, cuz.” Carter’s voice is warm and easy. I can hear a TV in the background and the creak of what’s probably the old recliner in our basement.
“Hey.” I swallow. “Quick question. Have you gotten any weird texts from a number you don’t recognize? Like, anonymous?”
He laughs. It’s a short, unbothered laugh. “What, you think someone’s gonna start spreading rumors about me? I don’t even attend Alaria. Well, only audit courses.”
“I’m serious.”
The laugh fades. He must hear the worry in my voice because his tone shifts, dropping into the lower register. “I haven’t gotten anything. What’s going on?”
I open my mouth and close it. How do I say this? How do I tell my cousin that someone is implying we’re… ugh, I can’t even think it.
“I’ll send you a screenshot,” I say. As I send it to him, Cinna’s hand presses against my back. I lean into it.
“Got it,” Carter says. “One sec.”
The silence on the other end lasts five seconds.
“What the hell? That’s disgusting,” he says. His voice is firm, and I almost never hear him sound like that. “That’s absolutely disgusting. You’re my family. You’re my sister.”
“I know.”
“Who the hell would write that? Who would even think it?”
“I don’t know. But they seem to know about our family, so this is getting more and more personal.”
He’s quiet again, and I can hear him breathing, the way he breathes when he’s forcing himself not to react. Again, a rare thing from him because he’s almost never quick-tempered.
“Okay, listen to me. Anyone who knows us and has spent five minutes in our house, knows that’s the most ridiculous lie they could come up with. You’re my little cousin. I watched you eat glue in second grade. There is nothing romantic there and there never has been. Anyone with eyes can see that.”
I stop walking and close my eyes, letting Cinna’s hand hold me steady. “I know. I just needed you to hear it from me before it gets around.”
“It won’t get around because it’s insane. And if anyone asks, I’ll set them straight so fast they’ll wish they’d kept their mouth shut.” A pause. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not. But that’s okay because you will be. Don’t let some coward with a burner phone mess with that.”
“I won’t.”
“Love you, cuz.”
“Love you too.”
I hang up. My hand is still shaking, but the fist in my stomach has loosened.
Cinna waits until I lower the phone. Then she steps closer, her expression leaving no room for discussion. “It’s Vienna,” she says.
