Page 117 of Home to the Hollow

I lead the way, using Kali and Hecate to growl off anyone who isn’t compliant enough to get out of our way. When we reach the front, I stop short, sucking in a breath when I see what the commotion is about.

Standing at the front of the orchestra are the former mean girls of WHFS dressed as multiple Harley Quinns. That’s not surprising. What is shocking is the woman standing toe to toe with Tilly dressed in the modern version of the Cruella de Vil outfit. She’s smirking like the cat that ate the canary and clinging to the arm of a scrawny asshole dressed as the idiot from that zombie show.

Tilly is white as a ghost and she looks like she’s going to pass out at any second. Isis and Benjy are probably the only reasons she’s not on the ground in one of her blackouts.

I don’t know who the guy is, but no one who went to school with us could ever forget Antigone Lisel Beauregard. She’s the reason Jolene is traumatized; she created the catastrophe with her betrayal.

Mydrugaris facing down her nemesis—alone, in the place she was destroyed as a teen.

No one said life in a small town was boring.

Not Your Barbie Girl

Isense the guys arriving, but it’s like I’m encased in a bubble of fury. The rage within me is flowing through my veins as if it’s replaced the blood, and my entire body is sparking with energy. My ears are ringing and the dull throb of my speeding up heartbeat pounds along with the shrill sound. It’s as if time has stopped around me, and I’m merely existing as a physical representation of the emotions swirling within me like a wildfire of pain and vengeance.

Antigone Lisel Beauregard is the last person on thisplanetI ever wanted to cross paths with again.

Of course, Amy Matilda and her cronies know that. They’re the ones who convinced her to commit her first betrayal. That they broughthimalong means they know what bullshit she pulled at State U. For all I know, they helped orchestrate it.

People can grow and change, but mean girls like Amy Matilda derive their power from controlling others. Their entire identity is based in the reality where they are the top of the food chain at all times. It was a culture shock, I’m sure, for Amy to arrive at Brown and not be the Queen Bee she would have been if she’d stayed at State U. Meddling with the lives of her ex-peons back home would have satisfied her desire to destroy anyone who dared to pick themselves up after she squashed them.

Hell, I wouldn’t even be surprised if those bitches had a bet going about how long it would take to make me crumble. Bored rich kids are like that everywhere—selfish, self-centered, and cruel.

“Oh, Jolene. What a turn on the old song… it was me who tookyourman,” Antigone crows, shaking her long wavy red tresses off of her shoulder. “I’ve been waiting to say that foryears! I even spoiled my costume theme so I could have flowing red locks to make it even more ironic.”

I blink, still not able to speak because of the amount of absolute murder coursing through my mind and heart. Isis tightens on my waist, and I feel the rest of my companions step into the bubble I’m trapped in. Soft snarls and growls escape the servals and hounds, followed by a screech and a caw from the birds above me. The connection between me and the animals intensifies as they move closer, and it’s like my brain is ping-ponging from them to the guys.

Why do I feel so weird? Why can’t I speak?

I want to scream at the woman who almost destroyed my psyche twice, but I can’t get anything to come out.

“No witty retort? Nothing to say from the great savior of losers everywhere?” The man next to Antigone cringes, and I look at him with curiosity.

Trevor hasn’t aged well in the past decade—likely a product of being married to a shrew like her. His clothes are designer, but he’s gained weight and his skin is sickly pale. The goatee on his chin looks ridiculous; he never could wear facial hair well. His expression is defeated, like he has no choice but to stand here and watch her try to destroy me one more time.

He was a coward then, and he’s a coward now.

What surprises me most is the lack of emotion I feel looking at him. When he walked out on stage with her, descending the small steps like the King and Queen of prom, I thought my heart would try to rip itself out of my chest. But all I feel now is a dull ache where love once was and pity for the man who died when he made his choice all those years ago. I’m not even angry with him—only her—and that’s puzzling.

“Sugarplum, we’re here!”

Wolfie’s cry snaps me out of the trance. The violence within me channels itself from my feet to my head, and tears form in my eyes. They aren’t tears of sorrow, though; they are tears of fury. All the emotions dancing over my skin like sparks converge in a shield over my skin, pushing words out of my stomach into my mouth like a fist.

“Who do you think you are?!”

My voice booms in the room like I’m using a megaphone, and my body feels weightless as I lift my hand to point at the woman in front of me with a sneer gracing my lips. I turn my head, hoping to give a panicked look to my boys. It feels like I’m not in the driver’s seat in my skin and I have no idea what is happening. Am I getting ready to black out again? Fuck, I hope not.

“Tiogair, you need to breathe and let it happen.” Doyle’s words echo in my mind as his hand rests on my shoulder. “Don’t fight it. I can sense your fear, but what is inside of you will protect you. Let go, and I promise, you will be okay.”

Closing my eyes, I do as he says, letting go of the tenuous grip I keep on my emotions in public. I vowed never to let people who sought to harm me see how I felt again, but with the boys forming a half-circle around me, I feel stronger. I can handle the pain if it’s coming.

“Well, isn’t this sweet! The Catastrophe has a stable of men she services. It doesn’t surprise me to find out you’ve become the town whore, Jolene. You were always running after men like you had an itch to scratch when we were younger,” Antigone laughs, waving her hand carelessly.

Her friends watch from a distance, and I wonder why they aren’t stepping up like my guys. I knew Amy and her crew were vicious, but I didn’t realize they were cruel enough to weaponize someone and leave them stranded to take the blame. More’s the pity for her, though, because I’m not the lonely girl I was the first time a scene like this occurred.

I’m stronger, smarter, and I have a cadre of people behind me. My ex-best friend and ex-fiancé no longer hold the power over me they did when Trevor broke our engagement to be with Antigone. The years of therapy and work on my self-esteem will not be destroyed simply because this bitch exists in my stratosphere again.

“I asked who thefuckyou think you are, Antigone. Have you gone deaf or is the space between your ears echoing?” I growl, stepping forward to get in her face.

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