Page 118 of Vexatious Queen

Vicky being picked on was unnatural. The world had flipped upside down, the universe’s balance was out of whack, and gravity no longer held us to normalcy.

“I see you’re all just as shallow as I thought you were. Bunch of yappy hyenas, tearing apart one of your own the moment you see any sign of weakness. You all disgust me. Vicky may be arrogant and a pain in my ass, but she has always said what she meant and never lied about her feelings for me. Can any of you say the same?”

“You should be happy that we know the truth,” Raquel said.

“And why is that?”

“Because we’re on your side. She used us.”

Raquel held her hands out toward the others, like she was making some grand point, but it fell flat.

“No, it’s the other way around. You were using her. As long as you thought Vicky was next in line to inherit the Genovese throne, you were all too happy to kiss her ass and pretend to be her friend while you talked shit behind her back. I know that some of you even slept with Nash while they were together.”

A few of them looked down, faces going red with shock.

“Don’t look so surprised. Did you think he wouldn’t tell me?”

It was a half-truth. Nash said he’d been with a few of Vicky’s friends, but he didn’t give me their names. I hadn’t wanted them, but it was easy to see who was guilty now.

“I don’t need you sticking up for me,” Vicky said with a snarl, moving away from her former clique.

“I know, but this isn’t just for you. It is a reminder to all of you that none of you has clean hands. None of you are truly friends. Every secret, mistake, and insecurity can and will be turned against you by the person to your right.”

They all looked.

“Or maybe to your left.”

I stepped up beside my sister, blood or not, she was my family. And bitch or not, I would treat her as such.

“That’s the problem when you surround yourself with sycophants. None of you will ever be my friend. We will never be on the same side. And if you attack my sister again, even if she doesn’t want me to…”

I stepped up to Jennifer and gave her the full weight of my stare.

“I will crush you.”

She swallowed hard and backed up. One by one, they slowly filtered out, leaving Vicky and me alone. I didn’t look at her. I just walked back to my locker and started to get dressed. I pulled on my jeans, socks, and sneakers, but Vicky never said a word.

“I know you want to bitch me out for doing that, and you’re probably building up for an epic rant, but for once, can we just not?”

I pulled on my school hoodie and twisted my hair up into a wet bun. Looking over my shoulder, I froze. Vicky was standing where I’d left her, tears streaming down her face.

“Oh my god, Vicky, are you okay?”

I marched back and grabbed her by the shoulders as her crying worsened.

“Why,” she asked through the tears. “Why are you nice to me?”

Her voice was so broken that I could hardly understand her.

“Because life is too short. You’re my sister, for better or worse, and neither of us asked for this. I wished for more family for so long, and now that I have it, I’m not letting go. Even when you try to push me away.”

I hugged her hard, but in typical Vicky fashion, she pulled away and took off out the door.

A second later, Rory stuck his head in, hand covering his eyes.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, and I’m clothed.”