No Mercy for the Merciless

r I felt was a hot, solid thing in my chest. I wanted to scream at them, to order them all ou

s in the back, who finally b

d, his voice quiet but firm. "Y

e him. "Shut up, Kevin! You don't know

ng at me with an expression that seemed genuinely apologe

ng out the window, refusing to make eye contact. Jessica was whispering wi

ping with fake sweetness. "I'm just so stressed ab

strategic retreat, not an admission of guilt. But what coul

drive was silent, but it was a heavy, hostile silence. When we finally pulled

assenger side door, right where their backpacks and bags had scraped agains

t. A fresh wave of anger washed over me. It was small, but it

spered something to Tiffany. Tiffany shot me a venomous look before pulling he

demand they pay for the damage. But I could already imagine the scene, the denials, the a

school, and decided to let it go. It was easier.

k you up from this same spot at 1 PM. Do not be

favors, no more flexibility. This was a

ext came back, not from

would it be possible to meet at the coffee shop across the street inste

st, a small olive branch. Maybe h

back. "The coff

morning's events replaying in my mind. I pulled out my phone

told him everything. The demand for an SUV, the insult

his silence a comfortin

, Sarah," he said when I fi

I confessed. "I want to drive home

you abandon them now, they'll have a story. They'll twist it and say you left them stranded. They'll report you t

I hated that

o?" I asked, fe

pletely. Don't give them a single thing they can use against you. Be polite, be professional, and then you c

the angles. I was the one who ran on emotion, and right now my e

oice small. "Okay, I

emotion, just function. That's how