Page 68 of Jackass

“Sweetheart.”

“Don’t start with me. She deserved it,” I defended.

“What did she do?” my uncle asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, handing out pieces of cake.

“Baby girl.”

I closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for the lecture I was about to receive. For someone who missed out on twenty-five years, he was certainly making up for it with the way he liked to lecture me for every minor infraction.

Ok, so maybe this one time I deserved the lecture.

“Yes, Daddy?” I asked sweetly.

“Don’t even try it, little girl.”

I growled. He knew I hated being called a little girl.

“Nice shot, Beck,” Zero praised when I handed him a piece of cake.

“Shut it, Zero,” King barked.

“Becca, give the knife to Grace. She can finish. We need to talk.”

Sighing heavily, I relinquished my chore.

“You go, girl,” Grace whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. And my uncle too, apparently.

“Grace,” King growled.

“Shut it, big guy. Go bitch at the boss babe. She only did what the rest of us have wanted to do since meeting her,” Grace snarked.

“What?”

We all turned toward Samantha.

Shit.

“I’m sorry, Sam. I know she’s your friend. But the way she talks to people, especially the little girls, is not OK,” Grace explained.

“What do you mean by the way she talks to the girls? Samantha asked.

“She’s judgmental, condescending, and just plain mean,” Jade piped up.

“Charlie?” Samantha looked at her little girl. “Has Auntie Carrie been mean to you?”

Charlie buried her face in Jack’s throat. “Not to me.”

“Shortcake, who was Carrie mean to?” Jack asked his daughter quietly.

“Chrissy and Tabby. She told Tabby she was dumb cause she doesn’t talk.” Charlie cried then.

Chapter Sixteen

Jack

Standing there as Charlie cried in my arms, I looked over at Sammy. Total devastation showed on her face. She could no longer deny that something was going on with Carrie. I handed Charlie to her mother.

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