Page 78 of Cruel Dominion

Summer frowned. “What do you mean, you never went? You were gone for six years.”

I took a deep breath. “I was in St. Louis, actually. I wasn’t building houses. I was a cocktail waitress.”

James and Summer exchanged glances.

She barked a laugh, putting her hand on mine, waiting for me to say I was joking.

I didn’t.

She stopped laughing.

“Oh,” she chirped. “So…maybe start at the beginning?”

I ended up spilling the whole story. My job at the Butterfly Room, how I left St. Louis after a bad breakup, and Dad’s insistence that once I got back, I had to stick to his fake story about charity work. I glossed over exactly why Josh and I broke up, but otherwise, I told them everything.

When I was done, James started laughing. He had a huge, deep chortle that filled the room and managed to completely disarm me at the same time.

“Oh man,” he said between guffaws. “Your dad is nuts. He didn’t just make up a backstory. He rewrote you to make you into freaking Mother Teresa. Fuck that noise. What a jerk. He does not have my vote anymore, by the way.”

I gave him an apologetic look for my earlier ‘performance.’

“The house-building story was a bit over-the-top,” Summer admitted. “Considering that back when we were kids, you couldn’t even figure out my Lego blocks.”

“Hey! My Lego buildings weren’t supposed to be structurally sound,” I said with mock offense. “They were supposed to be creative expressions of my imagination.”

Summer shook her head. “Thank God you were lying. Those poor Malawians had enough problems without you being their architect.”

She did not just say that.

“So? Can we see the real photos?” James prompted.

I nodded and took out my portfolio. I carried it almost everywhere with me now, in a little satchel bag with my wallet and phone. I was too afraid to leave them at home. Unable to imagine my father’s rage if he found them.

“Oh shit, you actually, like, have them on you?” Summer chuckled with eager surprise.

Summer and James flipped through and carefully examined each photo, pointing out what they liked and asking stories about some of the women.

“Wow,” James said finally. “You weren’t kidding. She’s good.”

“Really freaking good,” Summer said loyally. “Seriously, Anna. These are amazing. You should be so proud.”

My heart swelled. I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear her praise. Jaden’s attack had rattled me, but so had his words. When he called me a spoiled rich girl with a hobby, I actually started doubting my talent. I needed a real friend like Summer to pull me out of it.

And I realized that was what she was all along. A real friend. I just hadn’t been able to see it because I didn’t want to.

“You totally have to submit these for exhibit. I bet there are a hundred galleries who would love to host this.”

“Oh god. No way. These are okay, but they aren’t that good. I…I have a long way to go before I get to that point, I think.

“Are these the negatives?” she pointed to the envelope, spilling film onto the counter. I didn’t trust leaving those at home, either.

I nodded.

“So cool. I haven’t seen film like this since I was a kid. Can I…?”

“Sure, just, carefully.”

She pushed up from her chair, taking the envelope to the window to look at the captured images with the light from the afternoon sun.

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