Dad shoved me into the attic. And then the door slammed shut behind me with a hollow thud. He left me alone in that dark, suffocating, damp space.
The silence was eerie and deafening. I crumpled to the floor, feeling the sting of my scraped palms and the ache in my heart.
The tears came fast, hot, and uncontrollable. I tried to stop them, but it was like holding back a flood.
Everything hurt.
And then, I heard her voice.
Ginny.
She was standing there in the shadows. Her eyes glinted with that smug look she always had when she knew she'd won.
"Betty," she said softly, her voice dripping with false sweetness, "pretty soon, your dad, mom, and brother? They're all gonna be mine."
Her words hit me like a slap. I blinked at her, my mind reeling.
"Why should a fat girl like you get all their love while I'm an orphan?" she sneered, taking a step closer.
I couldn't move. I couldn't even cry anymore. I just stared at her, numb and confused.
Why? Why did she hate me this much? What had I ever done to her?
Before I could even process it, her hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of my hair. She yanked me down hard, slamming my head against the floor with a sickening crack.