Page 96 of Now and Forever

“I have to buy something sexy for dinner the day after tomorrow,” she whispers.

“You’re having dinner with a guy?”

“Yes,” Marta says, laughing.

“Look at that! And who’s your date?”

Amused, Marta looks at me and murmurs, “Arthur.”

“Arthur? The hot server?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, great!” I say.

“I decided to follow your advice and give him a chance. Maybe it’ll work out, maybe not, but, hey, you can never say I didn’t try!”

“Olé, girl!” I exclaim, happy for her.

She tries on several dresses and decides on an electric blue one. Marta looks amazing in it. Suddenly, a voice draws my attention. Where have I heard that voice before? I walk out of the changing room, and I’m left speechless. A few feet away, just standing there talking to another woman, is the person I’ve wanted to slap in the face for months: Betta. My blood boils, and my thirst for vengeance takes hold.

Unable to contain my most murderous impulses, I go up to her, grab her by the arm, and pull her to face me.

“Hey there, Rebeca! Or should I call you Betta?”

She goes white as paper, and her friend goes even whiter. She wasn’t expecting to see me here, and even less for me to react like this. I may be small, but I’m a bruiser, and this idiot is about to find out who I am. When she sees what’s happening, Anita rushes toward us, but, unwilling to let go of my prey, I push her into a changing room.

“I need to talk to her. Would you give us a moment?”

I close the changing room door, and Betta looks at me, clearly horrified. She has no way out. Without another word, I give her a slap that spins her head around.

“That’s so you’ll learn, and this,” I say, giving her another openhanded slap, “is because you haven’t learned yet.”

Betta screams. Anita screams. Betta’s friend screams. They all scream and bang on the door, and, ready to give this bitch what she deserves, I twist her arm and shove her against the wall.

“I’m not an aggressive person, but when people are that way with me, I’m the worst. And I’m sorry, sweetie, but you have awakened the monster in me.”

“Let me go ... Let me go; you’re hurting me,” Betta screams from the floor.

“Hurting you?” I repeat sarcastically. “This isn’t hurting you, you nasty bitch! This is just a warning not to mess with me. You had an advantage last time. You knew who I was, but I didn’t know you. You played dirty, and, like a fool, I didn’t see you coming. But don’t mess with me again, and if you do, be ready for payback.”

Marta, frightened by the screams, comes up to bang on the door with the rest of them. She doesn’t understand what’s going on. She doesn’t understand why I’m acting this way. That throws me off, and before letting go of Betta, I whisper, “Let this be the last time you come anywhere near Eric or me, because I swear, if you do it again, you’ll get more than a warning. Remember that.”

That said, I let her go, and she falls flat on the floor. I open the door and walk out. Marta looks at me, horrified. Then she sees Betta and understands everything, and just when Betta’s getting up, Marta walks up to her with all her anger intact and gives her a slap of her own.

“That’s for my brother, you bitch!”

At that moment, Anita stops asking for explanations and figures out what Marta is talking about. Betta’s friend, horrified, helps her up.

“Call the police, please.”

“Why?” Anita asks indifferently.

“These women attacked Rebeca. Didn’t you see?”

Anita shakes her head no.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t see anything. I just saw a rat on the floor.”

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