“Has she apologized to Emily?”
“She’s em.bar.ras.sed.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Vanessa said nothing.
“Then she doesn’t feel terrible about what she did,” I said. “She feels terrible about what happened afterward.”
“That’s unfair.”
“Maybe. She can prove me wrong.”
Vanessa left.
Three days passed.
Then Chloe came over alone.
She stood on the porch in jeans and a gray hoodie, looking much younger than she had on the afternoon of the incident.
“Is Emily home?”
“Yes.”
“Can I talk to her?”
I called Emily downstairs and let her decide. They sat together in the living room while I stayed in the kitchen.
I could hear only pieces of their conversation.
Chloe spoke first.
“I did it because I was jealous.”
Silence.
Then Chloe continued.
“Mom kept saying everyone acts like you’re perfect. And I was already upset because I didn’t get into Northwestern and you got your scholarship. When you showed me the dress, I just wanted to ru!n something you were excited about.”
Emily said something too quietly for me to make out.
Chloe answered, “No. She didn’t tell me to spill it. That was my decision.”
Another long silence followed.
Then I heard Emily clearly.
“You laughed afterward.”
“I know.”
“You recorded it.”
My hand froze above the coffee mug.
Recorded it?
I stepped into the living room.
Chloe’s face immediately went pale.
“What recording?” I asked.
Emily looked at her cousin.
Chloe pulled out her phone.
