Page 101 of The Players We Hate
But this time, I didn’t fold.
I stared down at the phone in my hand, the screen gone dark. I braced for the panic I knew so well—the guilt, the urge to fix it before it all unraveled—but it didn’t come. It wasn’t peace, not exactly, but it was solid. Strong enough to carry.
For once, I’d told her no.
Alisa shifted away, settling on the other bed. She sat cross-legged, watching me, waiting to see if I’d crack. She didn’t push, didn’t ask. She just stayed there, giving me space but making sure I wasn’t alone.
“You okay?” Her voice was soft, testing.
“I think so.”
I looked up, bracing for pity or judgment, but all I saw in her face was pride.
“You didn’t have to pick up,” she said.
“I know. But I needed to. I needed to hear myself say it out loud.”
“To finally put yourself first,” she said gently.
The words hit something deep.
“Exactly.”
She propped her chin in her hand, eyes tired but burning. “That was badass, by the way. The way you shut her down? Iconic.”
A shaky laugh broke out of me, more release than humor. “I don’t know if it was badass or just a long time coming.”
“Both,” she shot back without hesitation. “Definitely both.”
I glanced at the window. Morning light pushed through the curtains, dust hanging in the air. The world outside kept going, but something had shifted here.
“I’ve always tried to make them proud,” I admitted. “Even when it meant swallowing how I really felt. Being who they needed instead of who I am.”
“And now?”
I met her eyes. “Now I’m tired of pretending.”
Her nod was slow, steady. “I’m proud of you.”
I pulled one leg under me. “You know what’s strange?”
“What?”
“I think I’m proud of myself, too.”
Her smile warmed. “You should be.”
“I just… I worry about what comes next,” I said. “What if it was for nothing? What if my dad spins it, finds someone else to blame, and walks away clean?”
“Well, then at least you told the truth,” she said firmly. “You pulled the curtain back. That’s more than most would do.”
I nodded, slow and heavy. “He’s already been sworn in. Governor William Perry. He got what he wanted. I want to believe this changes something, but I don’t know that it will.”
“Doesn’t mean he wins everything,” Alisa said. “What you did leaves a mark. Even if he covers it up, it’s there.”
I dragged my thumb across my lip. “He’s gotten away with so much for so long. It’s hard to believe this time will be any different.”
Alisa didn’t argue, just stayed quiet, and somehow that helped. The weight pressing on my chest loosened enough for me to look at her. “Thanks, Alisa. For being here.”
