Page 1 of Beautiful Revenge

PartI

The Past

Eight Years Old…

Jerk.That’s totally what he is. A big, mean jerk!

Kicking the ground, I look around at where I’ve ended up and realize I don’t know where I am now.

Daddy is going to kill me. Well, not really considering I mean too much to him, but he’ll make it hurt. He always does.

I feel the tears beginning to fall and violently swat them away.

I wish my daddy loved me. Why doesn’t he love me like a parent is supposed to? Like the ones I see on tv. The way he loves me hurts, and it’s scary.

I don’t know why he insists on calling it love. If that truly is love and the stuff on tv is made up, then I want no part of it.

“Be Daddy’s good girl, Briar. Don’t cry.”

“You’re Daddy’s sweetheart, aren’t you? So sweet for Daddy.”

Every word of love he mutters to me is followed by incredible pain that I don’t understand. I just want it to stop. I wonder if Mommy would have made it stop if she’d still been here, but he said she left when I was a baby. Why didn’t she take me with her?

“Hey! What are you doing?” a boy hollers behind me, and I get angry.

Turning to face him with tears streaming down my face, I poke him in the chest. “None of your business!” I yell, lifting my gaze to look at him.

There’s another boy beside him, and they look the same. Am I seeing things?

“I beg to differ,” the mean one I poked says. “This is our spot.” He pushes my arm away before crossing his over his chest.

“Dude, go easy on her,” the other one says, and I actually smile at him.

“I think I like you,” I say with a watery smile.

He smiles right back at me. He moves beside me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, but I flinch away, making him frown. “Are you okay? I won’t hurt you,” he promises, and I narrow my eyes.

“How am I supposed to know that? Your look-a-like here doesn’t seem to have the same attitude,” I point out, popping my hip.

“Hey! I wouldn’t hit a girl. Mama would have my hide,” he growls, looking offended.

“Guys hurt girls. It’s what happens,” I tell them, looking at them like they’re lying to me.

They look at one another with wide eyes, blinking before the soft one shakes his head.

The mean one turns back to me. “I don’t really know about all of that,” he says, looking uncomfortable. “But we’d never hurt you.” He seems serious, and I feel myself relaxing a little.

“Why are you all the way out here? And crying?” the soft one asks, and I sniffle.

“I don’t know where I am,” I cry, getting mad at the tears. Daddy says I’m not a baby, and I shouldn’t cry. “I got lost and just ended up here.” I stomp my foot in anger and see the mean one’s mouth twitch like he wants to laugh at me.

“I’ve never seen a girl so spunky,” he says, smirking at me, and I frown.

“Spunky? What’s spunky?” I ask. I’ve never heard that word before.

“It means you have attitude, but the good kind,” he explains, and I smile.

“Oh,” I say. “I like that.” I nod my head, deciding I’m going to be spunky from now on. Well, maybe not all the time. Maybe just when I’m not around my daddy.