The Coldest Summer✓

Thirty-six

"Bravo, Kira Jones!" Ignoring my rumble, Sam starts clapping. "Bravo! How easy to say, huh? You speak as if it's something simple." She grits her teeth with pure menace.

"What do you want to say, Sam? I don't have anything to say other than apologizing for hurting you." I stare beseechingly at her. "And I was going to tell you everything tonight. If you didn't open my—"

"Oh, shut up! Look at your face right now. You look like what you did is nothing serious! You look as if you weren't doing anything wrong all this time! You're thick-skinned, Kira, that's what you are! A shameless tramp!" Sam speaks despicably, stabbing me straight in the heart with her sharp words. "You were going to tell me today after all the fun you've had with him?" A laughter of disdain fills the air.

Oh God! I sigh softly, ignoring the slight migraine I'm suddenly feeling.

"Tell me something, Sam," I say, moving closer to her angry face. "Would it be fine if I told you about it from the start? Because I'm not sure what I had to do, honestly."

"Shut up!" Sam utters between her clenched teeth as if she's about to pull my hair out.

"Would you understand me if I told you that I'm feeling something to the same guy you keep saying that you love? Would you have listened to me and accepted that he's not feeling the same way you feel about him? If I told you that he likes me instead, would you have allowed us to discover what we feel for each other?" The more I talk, the more enraged Sam gets, but I don't stop. "Tell me truthfully, Samantha, would it have changed anything if you learned this yesterday instead of today?

"You're right, nothing would've changed," Sam says and her whole body shivers. "You know why? Because you're a backstabber from the very beginning. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't do the same thing with Jeremy. You always like what I like! Right?"

My heart shatters at her last remark, but I don't retaliate no matter how pained I am.

"Okay, let's go with that. I'm a backstabber who only steals the men you like." I can't argue anymore, and with this my eyes fail to hold the tears as this is a big slander. "But you know what? The last thing I wanted in my life was hurting you, Sam. I mean it."

"No, I don't think I know." She shakes her head in denial. "And you've succeeded to hurt me, just so you know, Kira. And I'll never forgive you for this."

I knew it would come to this, so I shouldn't be surprised.

"With that face of yours, everyone thinks you're a saint," Sam snarls with a fine deliberate to hurt me further, which works perfectly. "The nice one." She twirls around me. "The good one. Always the loved one." Now she halts and our eyes meet again.

I don't respond. I just let her let it all out.

"And of course I'm the bad one, right? So tell me, Kira, how did you seduce him?" she asks mockingly. "What were his kisses like?" she adds, and I swallow the anger that's slowly consuming my soul. "What about his caresses? Did you have sex with him? How was it?"

"Stop it, Sam!" Fists clenched, I grit my teeth.

"You're shutting me up? Why? Don't you want to talk about Mr. Darcy?" As if the mention of the name reminds her of something, she suddenly laughs heartily. "Mr. Darcy? So that was just an act? What a pro, huh? You're really something else, best friend. What else are you hiding? Do I even know you, Kira Jones? Who are you really?"

"Okay, that's enough!" I snap, taking a long breath of composure. "I'm not standing here listening to every bit of your insults!"

Her words pierce through my heart like a katana. Maybe I don't have any right to get mad at her, but then why am I so angry right now?