said carelessly. "It's probably true, anyway."
He pulled her against him. Even his face felt rough against her skin as he kissed her. When she tried to pull away, he only held on tighter.
Finally Enid managed to wrench free of his grasp. She twisted away from him, facing the window so he wouldn't see that she was crying. Hot tears dripped onto the hands she held tightly clenched in her lap, so tightly her fingernails dug into her palms.
"What's the matter?" Ronnie growled. "I don't rate up there with old Georgie-boy? You're not going to give me any of the same stuff you're giving him?"
Enid gasped as if she'd been punched in the stomach. "How--how do you know about George?"
"What difference does it make? The fact is, I know." His eyes narrowed with scorn. "I know a lot of things about you I didn't know before, Enid. I know, for instance, that you're not as pure as you'd like me to believe."
"Ronnie, don't ..." Enid put her hands over
her face, unable to meet his eyes. He hated her'. He really hated her.
He pried them away, forcing her to look at him. His fingers bit into her wrists, cutting off the circulation. "You've been deceiving me," he hissed, "I know all about it!"
"Ronnie, please, you don't understand! Let me explain!"
"Oh, I understand, all right. A lot of things. Like what an idiot I've been. All this time you were pretending to be in love with me, you were carrying on with someone else behind my back, writing him love letters. How could I have been so stupid!"
Enid felt as if her throat were being squeezed in a giant fist. She struggled against her sobs.
"Ronnie, please listen. George and I are only friends. It's true we used to date, but that was a long time ago. You've got to believe me!"
"Why should I believe you? You've been lying to me all along. Acting like Miss Goody Two-Shoes when the truth is you were hot and heavy with George and who knows who else."
Finally he'd gone too far. Giving a cry of anger, Enid yanked her wrists from his grasp. "OK, if that's what you want to think! It's obvious you don't even care what my side is! Why can't you trust me just a little?"
"Trust?" Ronnie sneered. "Isn't that kind of a funny word for you to use, Enid? Especially when all the time I was trusting you, you were
knifing me in the back. Forget it, baby. I'm taking you home."
Enid couldn't believe she was hearing Ronnie speak to her like this. It was as if he'd turned from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde. The nightmare she'd dreaded for so long was coming true, and it was even more awful than anything she could have imagined.
Ronnie drove her home in stony silence while she huddled in the seat beside him, desperately holding in her sobs. One thought scuttered through her mind like a rat in a maze, doubling the blow of betrayal she felt:
The letters. Liz must have told him about the letters.
Five
Elizabeth had never seen her sister in such a good mood. Jessica was making her positively dizzy, flying around the room like a hyperactive bumblebee as she got ready to spend Saturday night out with Cara.
"What do you think?" Jessica held up her ribbed burgundy sweater dress. "With that new belt I bought at the mall last month?"
"You're certainly going to a lot of trouble fixing yourself up just to go somewhere with Cara," Elizabeth observed. "What's up?"
"That's for me to know--and you, big sister, to find out," Jessica replied, smiling mysteriously.
She hummed as she launched into the task of untangling her hair from the jumble of electric curlers that sprouted from her head. Elizabeth
knew her game, though, and she wasn't going to play it.
She yawned. "Well, have fun--whatever it is."
Jessica stopped to glare at her sister's reflection in the mirror. "Aren't you even the tiniest bit curious about where we're going?"
"Not really." Elizabeth yawned again.
"You mean you're not even going to try to guess?" Jessica's lower lip edged out in a tiny pout.
"OK. Let me see ... you've been
He pulled her against him. Even his face felt rough against her skin as he kissed her. When she tried to pull away, he only held on tighter.
Finally Enid managed to wrench free of his grasp. She twisted away from him, facing the window so he wouldn't see that she was crying. Hot tears dripped onto the hands she held tightly clenched in her lap, so tightly her fingernails dug into her palms.
"What's the matter?" Ronnie growled. "I don't rate up there with old Georgie-boy? You're not going to give me any of the same stuff you're giving him?"
Enid gasped as if she'd been punched in the stomach. "How--how do you know about George?"
"What difference does it make? The fact is, I know." His eyes narrowed with scorn. "I know a lot of things about you I didn't know before, Enid. I know, for instance, that you're not as pure as you'd like me to believe."
"Ronnie, don't ..." Enid put her hands over
her face, unable to meet his eyes. He hated her'. He really hated her.
He pried them away, forcing her to look at him. His fingers bit into her wrists, cutting off the circulation. "You've been deceiving me," he hissed, "I know all about it!"
"Ronnie, please, you don't understand! Let me explain!"
"Oh, I understand, all right. A lot of things. Like what an idiot I've been. All this time you were pretending to be in love with me, you were carrying on with someone else behind my back, writing him love letters. How could I have been so stupid!"
Enid felt as if her throat were being squeezed in a giant fist. She struggled against her sobs.
"Ronnie, please listen. George and I are only friends. It's true we used to date, but that was a long time ago. You've got to believe me!"
"Why should I believe you? You've been lying to me all along. Acting like Miss Goody Two-Shoes when the truth is you were hot and heavy with George and who knows who else."
Finally he'd gone too far. Giving a cry of anger, Enid yanked her wrists from his grasp. "OK, if that's what you want to think! It's obvious you don't even care what my side is! Why can't you trust me just a little?"
"Trust?" Ronnie sneered. "Isn't that kind of a funny word for you to use, Enid? Especially when all the time I was trusting you, you were
knifing me in the back. Forget it, baby. I'm taking you home."
Enid couldn't believe she was hearing Ronnie speak to her like this. It was as if he'd turned from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde. The nightmare she'd dreaded for so long was coming true, and it was even more awful than anything she could have imagined.
Ronnie drove her home in stony silence while she huddled in the seat beside him, desperately holding in her sobs. One thought scuttered through her mind like a rat in a maze, doubling the blow of betrayal she felt:
The letters. Liz must have told him about the letters.
Five
Elizabeth had never seen her sister in such a good mood. Jessica was making her positively dizzy, flying around the room like a hyperactive bumblebee as she got ready to spend Saturday night out with Cara.
"What do you think?" Jessica held up her ribbed burgundy sweater dress. "With that new belt I bought at the mall last month?"
"You're certainly going to a lot of trouble fixing yourself up just to go somewhere with Cara," Elizabeth observed. "What's up?"
"That's for me to know--and you, big sister, to find out," Jessica replied, smiling mysteriously.
She hummed as she launched into the task of untangling her hair from the jumble of electric curlers that sprouted from her head. Elizabeth
knew her game, though, and she wasn't going to play it.
She yawned. "Well, have fun--whatever it is."
Jessica stopped to glare at her sister's reflection in the mirror. "Aren't you even the tiniest bit curious about where we're going?"
"Not really." Elizabeth yawned again.
"You mean you're not even going to try to guess?" Jessica's lower lip edged out in a tiny pout.
"OK. Let me see ... you've been
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