goes into convulsions whenever a man comes anywhere near her? I am not jealous of any woman, least of all her .”
“Keep telling yourself that, McKinley. You may even convince yourself of it one day , but you don’t fool me. You’re jealous because she stole your spotlight. The whole world revolved around you until Serena was attacked and suddenly everyone’s attention was focused on her. Your parents and brothers devoted all their time to taking care of her and making sure she got everything she needed while poor, spoiled McKinley got shuffled to the background.”
“That’s not true,” she hissed.
“Deny it all you want, but your actions tonight just prove what I’m saying. It was bad enough that your family lost interest in the drama you created , but the kids at school and even the teachers didn’t want to hear about your wild antics anymore . T hey were more concerned about Serena and you resented her for it . But the real kick in the teeth was finding out I had moved in with her because somewhere in that warped little mind of yours, you believe she has taken something else that should have been yours.”
McKinley was fuming, her cheeks a brilliant shade of scarlet that matched the blood red lipstick she wore. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you? Did you honestly think you could goad me into losing my temper and admitting to that pile of crap you just unloaded? What were you hoping to hear, Will; that I was crushed when I lost my status as the most popular girl in school and became known as Serena’s sister? Or did you think I would pull a boo hoo about how I suddenly ceased to exist and hated her for getting all the attention?”
“Isn’t that how it was, McKinley?”
“No, that is not how it was,” she said so vehemently it almost rang true. Almost.
“You really expect me to believe that after the stunt you just pulled?”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you believe. If it makes you happy to think I have ulterior motives in coming here, there’s not much I can do to persuade you otherwise. Quite frankly, I think you’re attacking me to detract from your own selfish motives for being here.”
Will didn’t have a clue where she was going with this and might have been curious enough to see what crazy logic she applied to that statement if he wasn’t growing so anxious about checking on Serena. He’d known all along that McKinley’s heart was frigid; he just hadn’t realized it had reached subarctic temperatures until now.
“We’ll have to finish this conversation later,” he told her. “I’m going to check on Serena. If you plan on sticking around , I suggest you put on your concerned sister act because I won’t have you upsetting her any more than you already have.”
“Make my excuses, I’m leaving.” She got as far as the entranceway before turning back to Will. “Just so we understand each other, this isn’t over, not by a long shot. I want you out of Serena’s life and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.”
Will didn’t bother to respond. He would deal with McKinley later when he was capable of behaving rationally instead of lashing out at her, which is what he felt like doing at that moment. When she realized he wasn’t going to take the bait she’d tossed out, McKinley thumbed her nose up at him then made a production of stomping down the hallway and slamming the front door behind her. Only after he heard the roar of her engine and was sure she was gone did he head for Serena’s bedroom.
***
Serena fought the nausea that was still threatening to bring her dinner back up. It was childish to let what she’d overheard upset her so much, especially
“Keep telling yourself that, McKinley. You may even convince yourself of it one day , but you don’t fool me. You’re jealous because she stole your spotlight. The whole world revolved around you until Serena was attacked and suddenly everyone’s attention was focused on her. Your parents and brothers devoted all their time to taking care of her and making sure she got everything she needed while poor, spoiled McKinley got shuffled to the background.”
“That’s not true,” she hissed.
“Deny it all you want, but your actions tonight just prove what I’m saying. It was bad enough that your family lost interest in the drama you created , but the kids at school and even the teachers didn’t want to hear about your wild antics anymore . T hey were more concerned about Serena and you resented her for it . But the real kick in the teeth was finding out I had moved in with her because somewhere in that warped little mind of yours, you believe she has taken something else that should have been yours.”
McKinley was fuming, her cheeks a brilliant shade of scarlet that matched the blood red lipstick she wore. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you? Did you honestly think you could goad me into losing my temper and admitting to that pile of crap you just unloaded? What were you hoping to hear, Will; that I was crushed when I lost my status as the most popular girl in school and became known as Serena’s sister? Or did you think I would pull a boo hoo about how I suddenly ceased to exist and hated her for getting all the attention?”
“Isn’t that how it was, McKinley?”
“No, that is not how it was,” she said so vehemently it almost rang true. Almost.
“You really expect me to believe that after the stunt you just pulled?”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you believe. If it makes you happy to think I have ulterior motives in coming here, there’s not much I can do to persuade you otherwise. Quite frankly, I think you’re attacking me to detract from your own selfish motives for being here.”
Will didn’t have a clue where she was going with this and might have been curious enough to see what crazy logic she applied to that statement if he wasn’t growing so anxious about checking on Serena. He’d known all along that McKinley’s heart was frigid; he just hadn’t realized it had reached subarctic temperatures until now.
“We’ll have to finish this conversation later,” he told her. “I’m going to check on Serena. If you plan on sticking around , I suggest you put on your concerned sister act because I won’t have you upsetting her any more than you already have.”
“Make my excuses, I’m leaving.” She got as far as the entranceway before turning back to Will. “Just so we understand each other, this isn’t over, not by a long shot. I want you out of Serena’s life and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.”
Will didn’t bother to respond. He would deal with McKinley later when he was capable of behaving rationally instead of lashing out at her, which is what he felt like doing at that moment. When she realized he wasn’t going to take the bait she’d tossed out, McKinley thumbed her nose up at him then made a production of stomping down the hallway and slamming the front door behind her. Only after he heard the roar of her engine and was sure she was gone did he head for Serena’s bedroom.
***
Serena fought the nausea that was still threatening to bring her dinner back up. It was childish to let what she’d overheard upset her so much, especially
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