Page 13 of Christmas Criminal

We sit side by side at two computers and power them up with the login information Mrs. Nguyen left with Nick.

We could zip through them, bounce from one seat to another as the updates plod through, clicking 'Next' as soon as the button pops up on the screen.

But instead, we sit and wait, angled toward each other like the purpose of the day isusand not the computers.

He gives me a soft grin. "So are you ever going to tell me what your dad did to deserve The Great Egging?"

I purse my lips, clicking through another few prompts before turning to him. "He didn't care."

Nick’s brow furrows. "What does that mean?"

I let out a long breath. "He never really cared, honestly. When my sister and I were in high school, we found out he had a second family. One that apparently means more to him than his first. He left us to go live with them. Ironically, he had two little girls. Two new ones. Shinier and brighter than me and Christina."

"Wow, that's messed up."

“Yeah. Not exactly a fun holiday season, that one. Luckily, it was my sister’s senior year so she was leaving anyway. A yearlater, I followed her. Got my GED while living in her spare bedroom. I think we all needed that space, honestly. My sister and I needed to be away from him, and I think my mom needed some alone time to grieve her relationship and pull herself together. He was never there for her much, but I think there was a part of her that never gave up on having her big, happy family.”

Nick nods. “I feel for her. That must have been hard.”

“It was. I still don’t know why she stays in this town. The last thing I need is to run into my dad or his new family. And I can only imagine it’s worse for her.”

“You don’t talk to him at all now? Or… them?”

I shake my head. “Nope. I met them once when I was in high school. But otherwise, I don’t come back here. I don’t talk to him or them at all.”

He nods. “Well, I guess I can understand the egging.”

"Oh, that's not why he got egged." I sigh. "My sister is kind of my opposite. God, I love her to death, but she keeps trying to be a family with him. Like, always forgiving him for what he's done. And if that's what she wants to do, that's fine. But after Thanksgiving this year, she went over to his house to bring him a pie. She wanted him to feel like she was included. Turned out, they weren't home at the time. I think they were visiting the harlot's parents–"

Nick's eyebrows jump up.

"Sorry, that's what we've always called her. She's actually a very nice woman and we eventually found out that she was as oblivious as we were to the whole arrangement, but you know, the nickname stuck."

I take a deep breath, clicking into the next screen. "So they weren't home when my sister went over, and she figured she would leave the pie on the doorstep. No biggie, right? Well, when she left, she slipped on a patch of ice in the driveway and went downhard. Called my mom to come get her and take her to theER because she heard a snap and, sure enough, she had broken her leg."

"Ah," Nick says. "It all comes together."

"I was still at my mom's because I refused to take part in bringing him a pie. He can suck my dick, you know? So my mom and I went over to get her together, picked her up and took her to the hospital. She got a cast and everything, and she's looking at a full recovery so no big deal."

"And that's why you egged his house? Because she tripped?"

I shake my head. "No. Not at all. I mean, ice happens, you know? I egged his house because she called him first. My sister called our dad for help, and he said he couldn't leave right away. They were in the middle of Thanksgiving dessert."

Nick presses his lips together. "Oh."

"I don't think I've ever been so angry with someone in my life. You can disrespect me. You can tell me you don't care about me in as many ways as you want. But you donotfuck with my sister."

He rubs a hand over his chest, shaking his head. "I didn't expect to be so angry when you finished that story."

I laugh. "What, you didn't think I'd have a good enough reason to egg my own father's house?"

He shrugs. "I don't know what I expected. But I have to say, if I were you, I wouldn't be sorry either."

I nod. "I don't regret it. Even if that means I'm back here in this stupid town in this hellhole of a school, it was all worth it. Honestly, I wish I would have done worse."

"Twodozen eggs?"

"Exactly."

---