Page 37 of Break

“I appreciate everything you’re doing for me here. I truly do. There are no words to express how thankful I am that you’ve opened your home and allowed me a day of safety and peace. But please don’t insult me by insisting you were my friends. The day we met, and you all discovered that Danny didn’t like me, you sided with him and never gave me a chance.”

Ethan stands up, moving toward her. She takes a step back from him, halting his movement. “Mina, we never meant for you to think we didn’t like you.”

“You’ve all done nothingbutshow me you didn’t care for me,” she says, then looks at me. “Danny held the fact that I went to prom with you over my head foryears. But not after he ridiculed me because I was a joke to all of you for thinking I could have fit in your group. That turned to him accusing me of thinking you were more attractive than him when I’d asked why none of you ever came to see him after we got married. You all picked on me and teased me relentlessly for years, right along with him.”

Her rant has me feeling defensive, because I know part of what she’s saying is true. She didn’t fit into our group, but so much of what she said is wrong. “Weneverthought of you as a joke. I don’t understand why you ever married him if he was always treating you so terribly.” It’s a question I’ve always wanted an answer to.

“Youalltreated me terribly, not just him. And I married him because I didn’t have a choice.” With that, she turns back around to set her plate carefully in the sink, then walks out of the room.

Fucking Walter follows her without a look back at any of us, like he’s chosen sides in a battle I’m just now realizing we’re fighting.

When we hear her footsteps disappearing up the stairs, I shove my hands into my face. “Fuck. What the fuck was that? I don’t remember being that terrible to her. Do you?”

More memories of calling her names and throwing things at her over the fence come to mind. Standing behind Danny as he lit her up for breaking one of his toys. Teasing her for sitting in the corner of the room at birthday parties she was likely was forced to attend. Laughing while our girlfriends pushed her around the hallways.

We weren’t her friends. We were her bullies.

“I don’t think she’s wrong,” Ethan adds unhelpfully.

“Damn. I’m feeling about two inches tall right now, but not gonna lie, kinda loved being told off by her.” Vincent is even more unhelpful.

My mind whirls on how to handle this, and the brief idea of moving her some place where she’ll be more comfortable comes to mind. I immediately shut it down. Aside from the fact that I know she’s safest here, I want to show her I’m not that asshole I was back then.

“We’ll work on that while she’s here,” I say, then ask Vincent, “You bring her file?”

“Yeah, I got it in the car. Want me to grab it now?”

Nodding my head, I say, “Yes. Let’s see what else we’ve been blind to.”

~The File~

PHOTO EVIDENCE:

TEXT MESSAGE EVIDENCE:

EXAMPLE #1

Danny: Where are you?

Danny: You’re not at the grocery store. Your location says you’re on the other side of town. Why are you over there?

Mina: I had to stop by and pick up some rolls for your mom from the bakery. She asked me to grab them for dinner tonight.

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