n a fatherly authority he had never posses

human barrier preventing him from entering. Her expression was un

placating her. "Look, let's all just calm down. Wh

ised an eyeb

. Brenda came flying up, her face pale with a

he was recording me!" Tiffany'

e crack in the door. "Delete it!" she hissed, her voi

amused smile. "Video? I have no

s little snake!" Brenda spat. "You p

ad a tantrum all on her own. I was just a documentarian. And second, you're the one

were thick. But their guilty faces

isfied. "You want me to delete t

bbed at the lifeline.

ehind her. "It's mine now. Tiffany can come get her t

I expect to be treated like a 'real' Miss Pri

he video was the priority. Tiffany's reputation, their reputation in th

. "Fine. We agree. N

gain." She casually pulled the phone from her pocket and gave it a little wave. "And don't even think about tryi

t technical enough to sound terrifyingly plaus

ely. He turned to Brenda, his voice heavy with de

d stomped down the stairs. A few moments later, she

the doorframe, arms

ed over every sequined top and every bottle of perfume. Every time Tiffany shot her a hateful loo

undercloud, his authority in h

ed, a landscape of empty shelv

rying. "I want a steak. Medium rare. With a sid

request. It

y, he pulled out his own phone and dialed. "Patty," he said into the receiver, his voice str

anging. When he hung up, she gave

o the room and shut the d

fade down the hallway. There was no joy in the victory, only a cold, hollow space in her gut. This was jus