The Kiss that Sparked it All

“Bitch,” scolded Mara.

Victoria couldn’t believe her ears as she whipped around, “Excuse me?”

“I called you a bitch, Victoria.”

“Say that again, I dare you!”

Never in her wildest dreams had Victoria thought that such a word would spill from her sister’s lips to describe her.

She had never laid a finger on Mara or even raised her voice to her, and now her sister was slinging mud at her like this.

“Do you like being called a bitch that you asked me to repeat? I said you’re a bitch, isn’t that the truth? You tell me to stay away from Balfour, but really it’s because you’ve fallen for him too, right? You just want to clear the field. It’s always been your way, Victoria. Anything I ever wanted, you’d eventually find a way to take it from me. But not Balfour. Not this time, Victoria. I won’t let you.”

Victoria could see Mara’s lips moving, her face expressionless as she spoke, but Victoria couldn’t take in a word she was saying. Her sister had called her a bitch.

“Stop playing the saint around me. I’m not buying it. Now, get out of my room.”

Mara pointed to the door, and Victoria was still reeling from the shock.

“All this over some guy? You’re throwing insults at me because of him? We’re sisters, Mara. To the world, we’re supposed to be two peas in a pod, and now you’re tearing into me over a boy- Ha, never

thought I’d see the day when my own sister would call me a bitch. You’re being so foolish.”

Victoria turned on her heel and left. As the door clicked shut behind her, her tears fell unchecked.

She had never imagined such venom from Mara. She had thought today’s spat was just a silly jest, but it was clear now. Mara had been harboring deep resentment. Maybe she really did despise Victoria.

After wandering around school for hours, Victoria was emotionally and physically drained.

And on top of it all, the slap she had received from her father when she got home had pushed her to the edge.

Elton himself had realized he’d been rash. Victoria was always so considerate; it wasn’t like her to just abandon Mara at school. He shouldn’t have raised a hand to her. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

When he saw Victoria standing outside Mara’s room, silently weeping, his heart ached even more. He took Victoria to his own room.

“Victoria, I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you today. You were right last time. I’m getting older, and sometimes my emotions get the better of my judgment without even hearing you out. I’m really sorry, I’ll try to do better. Please don’t be sad, okay?”

Seeing the streaks of gray in her father’s hair made Victoria feel even more wronged.

She threw herself into her dad’s arms and sobbed loudly, “Dad, what happened today… it’s not what you think.”

But she couldn’t bring herself to say more. The events were just too unexpected, beyond what a teenager could cope with.

“What happened? Tell me, Victoria. Didn’t we agree? You have to share your troubles with your family. If you don’t tell me, how can I know what’s wrong?”

Elton was worried sick. He always had a soft spot for his eldest daughter. She was attractive and smart, and he knew she must have a lot of boys interested in her at school. Fortunately, Victoria was sensible, she knew better than to accept any messy romantic advances.

Could it be that she was bullied outside the safety of their home?