Velvet Kisses(72)
If I ever need to engage in some serious weight loss, I’ll simply tape Cat’s picture to the fridge. I’d lose my appetite for weeks. In fact, maybe I should start that up as a business venture—the Cat Alice diet. Just stare into her cold countenance for thirty seconds at mealtime, and be amazed at how quickly your appetite vanishes! But don’t look too long into her dead, wicked gaze—she might steal your soul.
So this is what Will really wanted. I take a breath and try not to judge. Cat Alice is an asshole, but for reasons that stem from her personality, not her unfortunate looks.
“Well?” She snarls at me in her routine manner, so it’s hard to be properly offended. “What’s it going to be?”
“It’s going to be a confrontation.” My chest expands as if prepping for a fight.
“That’s right!” Jemma is quick to jump beside me, shoulder to shoulder, in a show of sisterly solidarity.
“What’s going on?” Mom says it with the smile still frozen on her face, but her eyes let us know she’s morbidly concerned.
“Did you publish that article about Wyatt in the school paper?” I shoot the words out like bullets, point blank.
A steady breath pushes from Cat’s cheeks as if she were expiring the air from an old tire.
“I can’t believe this.” A spike of anger sirens through me, violent as a lava burst. I jump over the counter, screaming, as I dig my hands in that rat’s nest she calls hair. My knee finds its way into her gut as I claw at her like an animal.
A couple of men from the kitchen rush out and pull us apart as I swing mercilessly in her direction.
“You bitch!” I roar so loud my voice rubs raw. “You can’t have anything for yourself, so you decide to take everything away from me!”
“Is this true?” Mom barks so loud everything stills around us.
Cat Alice heaves out of breath as she releases herself from the stronghold the cook has on her.
“You called me a slut!” She wags her finger in my face. “You said Will would never go for anyone like me! Why should I let you get away with everything? Yes, you stole Will from me, only you were too stupid to realize it!”
“What?” Do I need to slap her back to reality? “He dated me for two years!”
“He dated me first! And—he came back night after night. I was so fucking mad that day you had it out with the two of us. Who do you think you are speaking to me that way? You needed a fucking lesson, and I made sure I was the one to give it to you. You don’t get to call me whatever the hell you like, Marley. What exactly are the rules here? You get to be an asshole, and the rest of us have to sit back and take it?”
“Will cheated on me! You helped him! He slept with you while he was sleeping with me! I’m your cousin!” I bury my finger in my chest. “We were best friends! Honest to God, if you don’t get it, you’re an idiot! You should have known better. You are the asshole here, not me. And, not to mention—you tried to ruin Wyatt. He’s a great person, and he never deserved what you did.” I give a brief nod to my mother. “She had to go the extra mile and hack into my personal account at the paper. She stole private property from my laptop and reworded it to ruin my relationship with the only man I have ever loved!”
I slap my hand over my mouth as soon as the words slip out. I wanted the first time I verbally acknowledged my love for Wyatt to be to him. It should have been Wyatt who heard those words first.
“Oh, sweetie,” Mom softens toward me. “You love him?” Her eyes moisten with tears as she melts at the idea.
“Yes, I do.” A ball of pain fists in my throat. “And Cat Alice destroyed everything we had.”
“I don’t want to be like this.” Cat pulls off her apron and takes a step forward. “As soon as I hit publish I tried to take it down, but the article was locked. I knew I went too far, but I couldn’t help it. I’m sick of coming in second. All Will ever talks about is how he wants you back—how wonderful it is just to see you at school. He even asked if I would mediate, so the two of you could reconcile.”
“And is that what you were doing the day I saw you swapping spit? Putting together a game plan to get Will and I back together?”
Her gaze drops to her feet. “He wanted to break things off for good—stay friends. I tried to convince him otherwise.”
“Alice”—Mom pulls her in—“that boy isn’t worth your time. Do yourself a favor, and let him go once and for all.” Her chin dips. That I’m-about-to-send-you-to-your-room look takes over. “Apologize to Marley and mean it. Family doesn’t deserve to be treated that way.”