9781250209153

Thora snorts. “With her? She hit your car last week. And you said she
bullied you last year.”
I shrug. “Forgive and forget, right? People change.”
“Scots. Have you lost your mind? This bitch is gonna mess you up just
like Tally did.”
The car door swings open. Irene steps out, whipping her sunglasses off
with a move that suggests she’s ready for a death match. “Hi,” she says, her
voice level and cool. “This bitch’s name is Irene.”
Thora turns on her heel to face her. She’s several inches taller than Irene,
but Irene holds her own and returns the glare Thora’s giving her. I hover
between them, my pulse quickening.
“So you’re the one who’s messed with my sister twice now,” Thora says,
dangerously calm. She prowls around the hood of Irene’s car, examining it.
“Hmm. Seems like your ride is good as new. Wouldn’t it be a shame if my
hand slipped?”
She holds up her car key and mimes like she’s going to scrape the
driver’s side door.
“Thora, don’t—” I say.
Irene sets her mouth. “I would deserve it. So if that’s what you need to
do, go ahead.”
She takes a step back, clearing a path toward her car, and my brain
short-circuits. This is the first admission of guilt I’ve heard from her. Thora
narrows her eyes even further.
“We’re running late,” I say, striding toward the passenger side. “Thora,
please, we need to go.”
“Why did you bully my sister?” Thora asks.
Irene’s eyes flicker toward me. She has the grace to look ashamed. “I
made a mistake.”
“A mistake,” Thora says with a hollow laugh. “Bullying isn’t a mistake.
Have you apologized?”
By the way Irene exhales, I can tell how humiliating this is for her. “No,
I haven’t.”
Thora doesn’t reply at first. Then she tilts her chin and says, “I’m
surprised you can stand with a spine that weak.”