Cat (Wildflowers 4)

search my eyes and see the deception. I bit down on

my lip and held my breath in anticipation.

"However, she liked hearing she was right to

teach me all about dinner etiquette and such and for the remainder of the ride home, she congratulated

herself on being wise enough to prepare me well. "'Your father wouldn't know the first thing

about it,' she told me, 'despite his sophistication in

business.

When he saw all I had done for you, he laughed

and thought it was ridiculous. Now he'll see,' she said

nodding. 'Now we'll see how smug he is.'

"When we arrived home, I was able to go right

upstairs, claiming I was tired. She didn't question it.

She was too eager to tell my father how well she had

prepared me for the dinner. I crawled into bed as

quickly as I could. When I thought about what had

happened, I cried. How embarrassing it was and how

terrible it was that the other girls didn't come to my

defense. It was almost as if I had been invited there

just to be abused. When would I ever have a real

friend, someone who cared about me and my feelings? "It made me feel so dirty to recall their hands

over me. I think that was a major reason why my

stomach turned over and I got so sick, that and the

rum. How much had I drunk? Did the girls know what

the boys were doing to me and let them?"

"I wish we knew you then," Star piped up. "I'd

pay them a visit for you."

"Very immature behavior," Jade commented. "It was cruel," Misty agreed.

"The hardest thing about having something

unpleasant happen to you is having no one to tell at

the time," I told them. "It festers like a sore, an