Page 115 of The Right Kind of Wrong

All she’d understood was that her mom had iced her out, practically ignored her, for almost a week until Blake had come crying to her, begging for forgiveness.

She’d gotten it, but only after she’d promised not to embarrass their family again, and in the process, she’d learned that her own pride and self-respect weren’t worth defending.

That’s when Blake had learned that staying in line meant that people stuck around. If you played by their rules, everything would be okay.

She hadn’t thought about that moment in decades, and now, the weight of it was washing over her as she thought about all that had come as a result of her being so afraid to stand up for herself, for fear that she’d be rejected.

Quietly, Maisie said from next to her, “It sounds like he had it comin’.”

Blake looked toward Monroe, who gave Blake the nod to keep going.

The way her chair was angled, it was like she was in conversation with Maisie alone while Monroe and Denny watched.

“He did,” Blake said, choosing her words carefully. “But all that I really wanted was for my mom to understand why I’d done it. I know that I can’t solve problems with my fists. It just makes a bigger mess. Like, now Elijah and my doll were all muddy, and for a little bit, I felt better. But eventually, I just felt bad again because I don’t like to hurt other people.”

Maisie let out a suffering sigh. “I don’t like hurtin’ people either.”

Blake’s lips twitched, and she reached out to stroke Maisie’s hair. “I didn’t think that you did. It must have been something pretty serious that made you mad enough to do something like that.”

Blake saw in real time how Maisie cracked open, sighing deeply before her words spilled out. “I was playin’ Barbies with Maria. They were havin’ a wedding.” Everyone stayed silent as Maisie’s eyes got bigger. “Billy walked by and said it was wrong and stupid. He said two girls couldn’t get married. That his mom and dad told him that.”

Blake glanced toward Monroe, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

She kept stroking Maisie’s hair as Maisie started coloring again. “Sometimes it’s hard when people don’t know as much as you do but still think they’re right,” Blake finally said, after she’d tried half a dozen different versions in her mind.

Maisie stilled her crayon, mulling over Blake’s words. Then, she looked toward Monroe. “But they can, right? Nana said they could.”

Monroe’s whole face changed, and Blake could see her blinking hard. She wanted more than anything to stand up and take Monroe in her arms, but she stayed rooted in place.

Finally, Monroe said, her voice a little throaty, “Nana was right, sweetie. If I get married, it will be to another girl.”

“That’s what I thought,” Maisie agreed quickly, her head bobbing. “So he kept callin’ me a liar. Said it was wrong.”

Oh, good old casual homophobia in Cypress Falls. Blake could time her watch by it. By anything, really, that made these people feel like their carefully crafted walls weren’t as solid as they thought.

Misogyny and bullying and adultery were just fine and dandy, but god forbid—literally—that people want to love one another.

Blake pressed her lips together to stop herself from telling Maisie that she agreed with her. The reality was that Billy was just a product of his family’s beliefs, and hitting him didn’t actually help him understand anything.

Maisie started coloring again, but Blake could see the relief roll through her little shoulders now that she’d told the truth. “It’s hard bein’ smart. Am I in trouble?”

Monroe covered her mouth so that Maisie couldn’t see that she was holding back a laugh. It took her a few seconds, but she managed to say, “You had a good reason for doing what you did, but you still shouldn’t have done it. Does that make sense?”

Maisie nodded and then turned toward Blake. “Can I still go to dance class tonight?”

“That’s up to Monroe,” Blake responded, looking toward Monroe again.

“You can go to dance. But tomorrow, you’re going to need to apologize to Billy for hitting him. Can you do that?”

Maisie nodded again. “Yeppers,” she said confidently, like the matter had been settled.

“And no more hitting, even when we’re upset or angry?” Monroe confirmed, a question more than a declaration. “We have witnesses here, so Blake and Denny and I will all hold you to it.”

Another nod, this time paired with a pleased smile. “No more hittin’, even if they have it comin’.”

“Why don’t you pack up your stuff? Then we can head home.”

Blake realized, then, that Monroe was going to leave without Blake being able to touch her, even casually.