friggin’ time. I don’t have all fucking night to sit around and listen to you piss and moan like some pansy-ass about how you don’t remember what went down. Especially after Wanda, you know, the sister you don’t spend two minutes on the phone with unless it’s a timed phone call from jail, begging for cash—the one who just spent an ass load of money to bail you out. Now spew, Sybil, or I’ll beat it the fuck out of you.”
“Nina!” Both Marty and Wanda yelled.
Casey felt her eyes narrow, her chin jut upward, her posture stiffen, all while she stared up at Nina—who, lo and behold, she quite suddenly wasn’t so afraid of.
Well, huh.
A shot of pure adrenaline rocketed through her veins with such a swift surge it jolted every muscle in her body—invigorating her. As if the opportunity to spar with the menacing, überscary Nina was a full-on smackdown she’d invite.
What. The. Fuck?
But abruptly, her mouth opened and words spilled out. “Were I you,” Casey said in a tone that was deep and filled with condescending arrogance, “I’d back off, bitch .” She pointed up into Nina’s face, letting her index finger rest just under her nose.
Casey heard the room fill with more gasps, but her vision had narrowed to nothing but Nina’s beautiful face. A face she wanted to ram her fist into—but good.
Nina’s eyebrow rose to a perfect arch, but she didn’t budge. “Were I you, I’d watch my hindquarters, Miss Priss. I so know you didn’t just call me a bitch. You’d better hope I didn’t hear right, bitch , because I’ll shove my fist so far down your throat they’ll have to get the Jaws of Life to extract it.” Wanda and Marty hovered behind Nina’s right shoulder, but she held her hand up with an angry flip of her palm.
Casey crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. “Oh, but you heard me per-fect-ly.”
Nina’s lips thinned. “Hookay, I’m gonna to give you one last op to shut that yap of yours because your sister’s my friend. But if you don’t knock it the fuck off right now, it’s on, Princess. Got that?”
For the briefest moment, she warred with herself, an odd struggle of socially acceptable decorum and the need to take Nina out so rife it was palpable. Casey fought it for all of maybe two seconds before the rising fury, so unexpected and uncharacteristic, consumed her. Her last semi-sane thought was, omigod, she was totally going to call her sister’s friend a bitch to get a rise out of her. And then—she did—with a roar so earsplitting and fierce, Nina’s long, wavy hair ruffled from the whoosh of her breath. “I’ll say it once more for those in the room who struggle with English comprehension— back—off—bitch !”
So it was on.
Nina planted her hands on either side of Casey’s smaller frame and let her face loom mere inches away. Her mouth, tight and pinched, sneered; her next words became a snarl. “You do know we’re game on, don’t you?”
Cockily, she jammed her face in Nina’s. “Guess what, badass? This is me not afraid of you.Yeah. That’s right—I went there!” She flicked a finger in the air, grazing Nina’s hair.
Nina snarled. “This is me telling you, you should be very afraid, little girl.”
“Nina! That’s enough—you know better!” Marty yelled, yanking at her shoulder from behind while Wanda tried to get between them. “Back off! You’ll hurt her if—”
“Bring it, bitch !” Casey bellowed, shoving at her so hard, she heard the crack of her palm against the leather of Nina’s jacket. Out of nowhere, Nina was easily ten feet away from where she’d been almost plastered up against her.
And Casey was staring down at her.
Which was undoubtedly odd because Nina was at least five inches taller than she was.
“Nina! Nooooooooo! You’ll kill her!” Casey heard Wanda scream.
Yet, she found she cared little because she pointed her finger at Nina again when she attempted to round on her once more. “What about back
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