I stayed stuck below their window and listened to the whole scene.
“Would Verona do this for you?”
A low groan rumbled from the man upstairs. He gripped her chin, his voice a low threat.
“Talia, if you let Verona find out about this, I swear you’ll regret it.”
Talia just laughed and cut him off with a kiss.
“If it comes to that, I won’t give a damn.”
Through the lit window, their shadows tangled and writhed.
Talia was the one who led the others in bullying me back in middle school.
I spent years in and out of doctors’ offices, on and off medication.
Those three years were the lowest point of my life.
She set me up falsely, so I had to transfer. Yet I never escaped her for good.
“Verona Baker, you have such a pretty name. I really did think about having a future with you.”
In high school, it was Brennan, my deskmate, who pulled me out of that darkness.
He always showed up right when I was about to break.
And now, the girl I thought I’d never have to see again was in bed with my boyfriend.
I stood there trembling, my hands clenched so tight my nails broke the skin of my palms.
“You’re the one who bullied Verona in high school, right?”
“You’d better behave yourself in college.”
“If Verona ever tells me you’ve laid a hand on her, I’ll show you what it really feels like to be a target.”
I froze.
So, Brennan knew. He knew exactly who Talia was, and he slept with her anyway.
The night air was freezing, the wind cutting right through me. Upstairs, the sounds never stopped.
I stood there on the frozen ground, a hollow ache where my heart used to be.
