Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 44

After that, things got a little distant and fluffy around the edges. I remember being taken out of the car. Remember Eve yelling and fighting, then going quiet.

Remembered being bundled into the van and the door sliding shot. And as my head began to clear up again, except for monster size headache send it right over my eyes, I remembered the van too. I've seen it before. I've been in it before.

And just like before, Jennifer was driving, and Monica and Gina in the back. Who was holding me down. The girls look flushed. Crazy. Not good.

"Eve" I whispered.

Monica leant closer. "Who, the freak? Not here"

"What did you do to her?"

"Just a little cut, nothing too serious" Monica said. "You ought to be worried about yourself, Ana. My daddy wanted to get a message to you"

"Your...what?"

"Daddy. What, you don't have one of those? Or do you just not know which John was the sperm donor?" Monica sneered. She was wearing a tight pair of blue jeans and orange top, and she looked as glossy as a magazine page. "Oh, don't bother, mouse. Just stay down...you won't get hurt"

Gina pinched me, hard. I yelled, and Monica grinned in response. "Well" she amended, "maybe hurt a little. But a tough chick like you can take it, right, genius?"

Gina pinched me again, and I gritted my teeth and managed to keep it to just a whimper this time. Easier, since I was already prepared for the pain. Gina looked disappointed. Maybe I should scream my lungs out no matter what, save myself the trouble of Gina having to work harder for it.

"You were following us" I said. I felt nauseated, probably from smacking my head into the dashboard, and I was deeply worried about Eve. A little cut. Monica wasn't the type to do anything halfway.

"See? I told you she was a genius, didn't I?" Monica sat down in one of the padded leather seats that line the van, and crossed her legs. She had on cute platform shoes that match her orange tank top, and she inspected her nails for signs of chipping. "You know what, genius? You're right. I was following you. See, I wanted to bring you in quietly, but no, you and zombie girlfriend had to make it more difficult. Why aren't you in class, anyway? Isn't that, like, against your religion or something, cutting class?"

I struggled to sit up. Gina glanced at Monica, who nodded; I edged away from Gina and put my back up against the sliding door of the van. I rub my stinging arm where Gina had given me pinches.

"Justin" I said. "That's what your dad wants to see me about, isn't it?"

Monica shrugged. "I guess. Look, I don't like Justin; that's no secret. But I never intended for his sister to get killed in that fire. It was a stupid school thing, okay? No big deal"

"No big deal?" With everything Monica had ever said to me that was maybe the worst. "No big deal? A kid died, and you destroyed their whole family! Don't you get it? Justin's mom-"

"Not my fault!" Monica was suddenly flushed. Not used to being blamed, I guessed; maybe nobody had ever blamed her except for Justin. "Even if she remembered, if she'd kept her mouth shut, she'd have been fine! And Jazzy was an accident!"