know,” Daddy says. “The attorney also wants pain and suffering fees, whatever that means. I’m going to have hire an attorney of my own.”
“What about Grace’s pain and suffering?” Imperia asks in spite of her best intentions to keep quiet. Because—jeez—this just pisses her off (pardon her French, whatever that is. [“Pardon my French” is what Janie says whenever she swears]). “Grace was crying every day. Now she’s happy. That’s gotta count for something.”
Daddy softens, just like Imperia knew he would. Mention Grace, mention Grace happy , and Daddy kinda melts. He sees Grace as a kindred spirit and maybe she is. Although Imperia doubts that Grace can ever get as fierce as Daddy is right now.
“This is one of those fights that can go on for years,” Daddy says, but he’s speaking quieter now, as if he’s talking more to himself than to Imperia. Now she can see just how worried he is.
“No, it won’t,” Imperia says. “Just tell that lawyer guy that you have evidence of how mean Skylar really is and how it was only a matter of time before someone gave her a dose of her own medicine.”
“She hits people?” Daddy says, with a little hope in his voice.
“No,” Imperia says. “What she does is worse. She says really bad things about them, and that destroys them and then she makes everyone else act mean to them.”
Daddy glances at the door, and Imperia can tell he’s thinking about Grace and how sad she was. “I don’t know how telling this attorney that Skylar is mean will help.”
“You tell him you have proof that she’s mean, and if they decided to do this legal thingie, you’ll take the proof to the tabloids. Tell him it’ll embarrass the whole family.”
Daddy looks at her as if he’s never seen her before. He frowns just a little. “Do we have this proof?”
“I think my friend Janie does,” Imperia says, “but if she doesn’t, I can get it no problem.”
“How?” Daddy asks.
“I can video Skylar on my phone. It won’t be hard.”
“She’s that mean that often?” Daddy asks.
“She’s horrible ,” Imperia says.
Daddy sighs. “Poor thing.”
Which throws Imperia completely. “Poor thing? How can you say that? She nearly destroyed Grace.”
Daddy looks at Imperia. “She had to learn it somewhere, Imp,” he says. “Kids tend to learn that kind of stuff at home.”
It takes Imperia a minute to understand him. “You mean somebody’s doing this to her? At home?”
He nods and sits down. “Probably a parent.”
Or a grandfather, Imperia thinks. But Grandfather never said any of that horrible anti-girl stuff to Imperia’s face. He would just frown at her or command her to leave his presence. He would say that stuff to other people, who would then try not to let Imperia hear.
Imperia suddenly feels sorry for Skylar, and she doesn’t want to. She really really doesn’t want to. So she thinks about the ways that Skylar picks on Grace, but she can only imagine someone picking on Skylar, so she tries to think about Grace crying, and even that isn’t working right now.
So Imperia bunches up her fists, straightens her shoulders, and says, “So I solved it, right, Daddy?”
He looks up at her as if he’s forgotten she’s in the room.
“Actually, no, Imp,” he says. “You probably deflected the court case—I keep forgetting how important this publicity stuff is here—but you haven’t resolved the issue with Skylar at all. People who get hurt retaliate, as you well know.”
“As I know?” Imperia asks.
“Skylar hurt Grace and you retaliated, right?”
Imperia let out a breath. Her cheeks are suddenly growing hot. “You told me to defend her,” Imperia says, and doesn’t like the fact that her voice sounds like a whine.
“But I wanted you to—ah, hell.” Daddy runs a hand through his hair. “Yes, I told you to, and I didn’t tell you how.”
Uh-oh. He’s starting into that he’s-a-failure-as-a-parent crap. Imperia hates
“What about Grace’s pain and suffering?” Imperia asks in spite of her best intentions to keep quiet. Because—jeez—this just pisses her off (pardon her French, whatever that is. [“Pardon my French” is what Janie says whenever she swears]). “Grace was crying every day. Now she’s happy. That’s gotta count for something.”
Daddy softens, just like Imperia knew he would. Mention Grace, mention Grace happy , and Daddy kinda melts. He sees Grace as a kindred spirit and maybe she is. Although Imperia doubts that Grace can ever get as fierce as Daddy is right now.
“This is one of those fights that can go on for years,” Daddy says, but he’s speaking quieter now, as if he’s talking more to himself than to Imperia. Now she can see just how worried he is.
“No, it won’t,” Imperia says. “Just tell that lawyer guy that you have evidence of how mean Skylar really is and how it was only a matter of time before someone gave her a dose of her own medicine.”
“She hits people?” Daddy says, with a little hope in his voice.
“No,” Imperia says. “What she does is worse. She says really bad things about them, and that destroys them and then she makes everyone else act mean to them.”
Daddy glances at the door, and Imperia can tell he’s thinking about Grace and how sad she was. “I don’t know how telling this attorney that Skylar is mean will help.”
“You tell him you have proof that she’s mean, and if they decided to do this legal thingie, you’ll take the proof to the tabloids. Tell him it’ll embarrass the whole family.”
Daddy looks at her as if he’s never seen her before. He frowns just a little. “Do we have this proof?”
“I think my friend Janie does,” Imperia says, “but if she doesn’t, I can get it no problem.”
“How?” Daddy asks.
“I can video Skylar on my phone. It won’t be hard.”
“She’s that mean that often?” Daddy asks.
“She’s horrible ,” Imperia says.
Daddy sighs. “Poor thing.”
Which throws Imperia completely. “Poor thing? How can you say that? She nearly destroyed Grace.”
Daddy looks at Imperia. “She had to learn it somewhere, Imp,” he says. “Kids tend to learn that kind of stuff at home.”
It takes Imperia a minute to understand him. “You mean somebody’s doing this to her? At home?”
He nods and sits down. “Probably a parent.”
Or a grandfather, Imperia thinks. But Grandfather never said any of that horrible anti-girl stuff to Imperia’s face. He would just frown at her or command her to leave his presence. He would say that stuff to other people, who would then try not to let Imperia hear.
Imperia suddenly feels sorry for Skylar, and she doesn’t want to. She really really doesn’t want to. So she thinks about the ways that Skylar picks on Grace, but she can only imagine someone picking on Skylar, so she tries to think about Grace crying, and even that isn’t working right now.
So Imperia bunches up her fists, straightens her shoulders, and says, “So I solved it, right, Daddy?”
He looks up at her as if he’s forgotten she’s in the room.
“Actually, no, Imp,” he says. “You probably deflected the court case—I keep forgetting how important this publicity stuff is here—but you haven’t resolved the issue with Skylar at all. People who get hurt retaliate, as you well know.”
“As I know?” Imperia asks.
“Skylar hurt Grace and you retaliated, right?”
Imperia let out a breath. Her cheeks are suddenly growing hot. “You told me to defend her,” Imperia says, and doesn’t like the fact that her voice sounds like a whine.
“But I wanted you to—ah, hell.” Daddy runs a hand through his hair. “Yes, I told you to, and I didn’t tell you how.”
Uh-oh. He’s starting into that he’s-a-failure-as-a-parent crap. Imperia hates
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