Page 25 of Pretty Nightmare

The people here. The grown-ups. They like it when you cry. It’s what you’re supposed to do. So they think you’re with the program when you cry.

Why do you say that?

Because. It’s just true. If they say, ‘We’re gonna put you in a cage with a tiger outside. You’ll be just out of reach so it can’t maul you to death, but close enough to get snagged by those claws a few times and bleed,’ well… that’s something you should cry about. It’s normal. So I don’t cry when they say that shit to me. And it pisses them off. But that’s OK. I kinda live to piss them off.

Hmm.

What? Why ‘hmm?’ And you do realize I’m not like… under, right?

Let me worry about that.

Why did you say ‘hmm?’

I’m making a note about this. We’ll talk about it later. But now I want to know what happens next. After you leave Anastasia with the tiger. And by the way, yeah. She should’ve known better. I didn’t like that girl. She whined too much.

Right?

What happened next?

Well. It’s a long drive out to the snake garden. And it takes a while before I can get out of the truck because the snake is close by. And the cage wasn’t really ready because the stupid men in charge of it were afraid of that thing. I mean… what the fuck? I was ten and I wasn’t moaning about no snake.

Can you try to stay in one tense, Indie? Either present, or past?

Why’s that matter?

It just does. Now. Why weren’t you moaning about the snake?

I’m just not afraid of snakes.

Not even thirty-foot-long anacondas? That would absolutely try to swallow you whole?

That’s funny.

Why?

Because. If they really wanted me to be eaten by that snake, they’d have fed me to it.

I’m not saying this to be a dick, Indie, but I’m pretty sure everyone wanted to feed you to that snake.

Yeah. That’s probably right. But… they couldn’t. I knew my worth. Even before you spelled it out to me.

Wait. What are you talking about?

When we were talking. You told me something like, ‘Everyone’s gonna be bidding on you tonight, Indie. But I’m gonna make sure only one gets to take you home.’

Hmm.

There’s that ‘hmm’ again. What’s it mean?

Did I say that?

Yup. You did.

I don’t remember.

Well, you did. You told me that all the time.

Hmm.