Page 234 of One Bossy Disaster

Meghan Cerva stands there with her red hair gnarled, dressed in a threadbare pajama top and shorts that expose her midriff, looking younger and more bird-thin than ever.

Her eyes, the same color as her mom’s, are even wilder.

They’re haloed by red, deeply etched tear tracks.

Dess pushes her chair back as Meghan glares at us, right before her gaze falls on her mother.

“Mom, stop. Stop lying!” Her voice breaks on the force of that word. “Tell them. Just fuckingadmit it. They have everything and even if they don’t, I’ll... I’ll give them the rest if you won’t. I hate that I ever went along with it, but it’s over. You’re done now.”

“Meghan, Meghan, you’re still sick, aren’t you?” Adriana’s harsh laugh sounds like it scrapes through a cheese grater. “Go back to your room.”

“Not this time, Mom.” Meghan shakes her head, splattering tears on the floor.

When Destiny approaches her, she backs away, throwing her hands out, her eyes still leveled on her mother.

“You’re going to listen to what I’ve got to say for once. You tried tokillthem.”

Adriana storms toward Meghan so forcefully I’m under a second away from throwing myself between them.

“You’re such a little mess when you’re off your meds, dear. Go back to bed. This doesn’t involve you.” Adriana flattens her hand against her daughter’s forehead like she’s feeling for a fever.

Meghan swats her hand away.

“Shut up. Shut. Up! I know what you did and you—you can’t lie to me again. There’s no way out of this.” Meghan turns to Dess, who’s standing right behind her, so much sorrow in her eyes. “Mom engineered the whole campaign. She was livid when I got passed up for Young Influencers, and she launched this gross pressure scheme. She coached every video. She wrote the scripts. But I did her bidding and I feel so much ick. I can’t do it anymore. I won’t. If they want a statement, they’ve got mine.”

“Ignore her!” Adriana screeches, pulling at her bleached hair.

Goddamn, what a mess.

I grab my phone and punch a single contact covertly under the table, still ready to step in at a moment’s notice if this boils over.

“When that guy she got to steal the drone blew it, she panicked. She sabotaged the boat to cover her tracks. I swear, I didn’t know she planned anything that awful. Whatever she had coming, I knew it wasn’t good, but oh my God...”

Meghan almost doubles over now with grief, reaching for Destiny.

Like the perfect angel, Dess takes her hands, holding her up.

“There’s plenty of time to sort this out, Meghan. Don’t worry. It’s okay, it’s okay...”

“Get away from my daughter now,” Adriana whispers, contorting into the perfect narcissist.

I only have a split second before she launches herself at them.

Fuck, she’s unhinged, her hair whipping around her face.

I push back from the table, roaring Destiny’s name.

She twists her head, sees Adriana moving, and spreads herself protectively in front of Meghan.

The girl is in pieces, screaming and sobbing incoherently.

I knew there was a real chance this could be a total shit show, but I never imagined this.

It’s like time slows, and my brain does the math.

It knows before I do that I’m not going to beat the rampaging demon.

Not before Adriana grabs Destiny by the hair, tearing her away from Meghan. Her other hand crashes down in a slap that echoes.

---