Right after leaving St. Gabriel Reform Academy, Emily was nervous all the time. Every stare felt like a weight, croads made her freeze-up, and a matter what she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being on edge and uncomfortable.
Friends and family had tumed their backs on her, treating her as a and helped her malize she wasn’t as bad as everyone saki.
is a disgrace and a joke.
The only one who stuck by her was Austin, who believed in
Suddenly, Emily understood that her life wasn’t the total wreck she had convinced herself it was
At her darkest hour, she found a group at St. Gabriel Reform Academy willing to risk everything for each other. When she hit rock bottom, Austin showed up. And Charles and Bob never gave up on her.
Perhaps seeing a reflection of herself in Lily, Emily softened her tone. “Don’t be nervous. I’m just here to ask a few questions.”
She had already done her homework on Lily, so she know exactly what she was dealing with now. After the Norris family’s bankruptcy, her father, an Norris, died in a car accident. Her mother, Elaine Norris, survived but lost a leg.
Elaine and Lily, burdened with millions of dollars scraped by with whatever jobs they could find. Lily, who used to spend freely on outings, had been worn down by life.
Now, facing Emily, the one she used to pick on in the past, Lily just lowered her head and nodded, with none of her old pride left.
Emily set aside her emotions and got straight to the point. “Back in high school, you were always by Yvonne’s side. You must know quite a bit about her, right
Lily suddenly litted her head, her nervous vibe flipping into a glare filled with hate. The change was so sudden that Emily’s words got stuck in her throat.
She had always known just how close Lily was to Yvonne. When the Norris family went bankrupt and debt collectors came after them, it was Yvonne who helped pay off the debts.
Emily wondered, “Why did Lily react so strongly at the mere mention of Wonne?
While Emily was still puzzled, Lily suddenly said, “What do you want to know about Yvonne? it was as if she couldn’t wait to spill everything she knew.
Emily didn’t dig into what happened between her and Yvonne. She asked instead, “Do you know a girl named Qulana who jumped off the roof the day before the SAT?””
Lily’s eyes suddenly widened, panic flashing through her face. “Why do you want to know?”
Emily had been watching her closely, and seeing her reaction, she couldn’t help but tighten her gip on her coffee cup
She thought, ‘Could Lily be involved in this too?‘
She leaned forward slightly, voice low but direct. “Quiana killed herself because you guys bullied her, right?”
“It wasn’t me. It was Yvonne.” Lily suddenly grew emotional, her voice rising enough to draw glances from other customers in the café,
Emily stared at her, face blank and totally unfazed by the outburst. She was thinking hard, and she had got the answer she wanted, but the more questions.
She asked, “What exactly happened back then? Why did Quiana commit suicide?”
She thought, “With the SAT just a day away, what could push Quiana to that kind of desperation?”
Lily’s face went pale, and she avoided Emily’s gaze as it reluctant to revisit those memories, However, before Emily could press further, she said, “Quana was driven to death by Wenne.”
She took a deep breath and slowly revealed i
Quiana was the only student admitted to Shandell High School with scholarships, but from freshman year onwards, Yvonne started picking on her alot No one knew exactly why, but Yvonne’s harassment became constant.
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