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Of course.
Miss Vivian fucking Russo.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I responded, letting out an exhausted breath. I didn’t think I would have to hear her name after travelling halfway around the world. Should’ve known, with my luck. “Maybe you got me mixed up with someone else.”
I prayed to God he’d fall for that.
“Look,” Tommy said, lowering his voice. He dipped his head down so that he was at eye level with me. “I know about it all. You bullying her—and I’d like you to consider this a warning. But—” His gaze became lethal. “If I hear about anything else, then you’ll be dead.”
I could only stare at him like I hadn’t heard a thing.
“What?” I said, blinking.
What the hell did he think I was doing to his cousin?
Other than defending myself, nada. I had only given to her what she had coming. Nothing more, nothing less.
Besides, I thought that was over, done with.
I no longer had any reason to mess with her.
“I know about what you did,” he continued, changing his tone as if talking to a two-year-old. “You might think that misconstruing her family life is funny and all, but let me tell you, darling, telling lies doesn’t make you any prettier.”
My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe the shit that was flying out of his mouth.
“Let me rephrase,” he said, leaning in even closer. “They don’t make you pretty. Or even decent.”
“Is that supposed to make me cry, or something?” I scoffed, trying to push past him. But he shoved me back into the bathroom. It was a weak retort to his comment, mostly because I felt like I was on the verge of crying my eyeballs out. “Hate to break it to you, but I don’t think you know anything about your cousin.”
“I know that you poked fun at her addiction,” he said, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. “I know that you humiliated her with it. Framed her as a drug dealer to get her kicked out of school.”
Addiction? Come on.
“What? No, I—” My back was up against the wall, and I could hardly think straight as the blood went rushing to my head. “I didn’t do that. She did it to herself. Her room was checked and they found whatever it is she had. I had nothing to do with that. She was the one who wanted me kicked out.”
This was insane.
He was just flipping the script—everything that Vivian wanted to do to me was suddenly my doing.
I just didn’t get it.
Why did this girl hate me so much?
“And on top of that …” Tommy continued, stepping closer to me. All of a sudden, his hands were pressed up against the wall on either side of me, suffocating me. “You prostitute yourself for revenge on someone who doesn’t deserve it. You’re fucked up, that’s what you are. Miserable.”
The tears were flowing down my cheeks now without shame. My lips were trembling. Because it made sense. He was only telling the truth—saying everything I’d been saying to myself in thoughts, in nightmares.
I was sick. I was messed up. All because, for once in my life, I had stood up for myself. That was the truth.
So be it, I was fucked up.
If being fucked up was what it took to be strong, to be resilient, then I’d take it.
“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Tommy muttered, his hand travelling down to my waist. “Who’s going to save you now, sweetheart?”
I was frozen, but my lungs were on fire. Inside, I was screaming.