37. Anonymous

37

ANONYMOUS

S he really was that stupid. And now, instead of coming up with a proper, logical, something-that-might-actually-work plan , she’s at the neighbor’s house getting laid. Needless to say, her priorities have always been a little fucked.

It makes no sense, and knowing her, it makes complete sense.

She doesn’t care about keeping things “clean” anymore, given she thinks she’s about to die, and her head’s always clearer after sex.

Little does she know.

She’ll wake up in the morning, feeling the familiar, soothing ache in her body that she deludes herself into thinking only he can give her, and she’ll believe it’s all fine. That everything’s back to some semblance of normal. She’ll think it’s a release, something she needed, when really, it’s just a distraction.

But what happens when the distraction wears off?

She won’t have any of the answers then, will she? No, she’ll be left wondering why she let herself get caught up in something so fucking pointless when she had bigger things to deal with. Things she was too stubborn to address. Things that, in the end, will get her killed.

And in the meantime, her youngest is busy with her own little scheme. Cute, really. I’m sure Charlotte has no idea, but Hayley’s been researching how to poison that boy back in Texas. Trying to figure out the most effective way for his girlfriend to slip him something without making it too obvious. You know, just your typical teenage rebellion, the kind that keeps mothers on their toes.

Honestly? I can’t help but laugh. Because Hayley should know better. Her mother’s rule has always been: Poison is for cowards.

If you can’t look someone in the eye while ending them, you’re in the wrong line of work. A lesson Charlotte’s tried to hammer into both her daughters, though Hayley’s still not getting it. You can’t hide behind poison and call it skill. Charlotte would never stoop to something so...clinical. But Hayley, with all her angst and “trying to do the right thing,” just doesn’t get it. If you can’t even bring yourself to face your target, what the hell are you doing?

So, when she inevitably fucks up—because, let’s be honest, she will—Charlotte will probably give her the talk about her “form” and how poison is for the weak, making sure to remind her that the real art is in watching the life drain out of someone’s eyes as they realize they’ve been played. Dark, sure. But Charlotte’s always had a flair for drama.

Still, Hayley should’ve known better than to try something that chicken shit. She’ll learn soon enough. Doing things half-assed gets you nowhere. I just hope she doesn’t end up in prison first.

And when Charlotte finally figures out that she’s fucked up, that she’s been playing in the wrong game—when she realizes it’s too late to change anything—she’ll know it was me all along.

Then, when her world collapses, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces.