Chapter16: Sincerely Yours

Brook I can hardly believe what I’m hearing. For a moment, I just stand there, staring at Maerilee, waiting for the punchline. But the way she’s looking at me, with those wide, earnest eyes, makes my stomach twist. This has to be a joke. It has to be. But why would she do that? Why would she play with me like this? “You’re making fun of me,” I say, my voice hard and flat, even as my heart clenches painfully in my chest. “You’re just like the others, aren’t you? I should have known better.” The words taste bitter on my tongue, but I can’t stop them. I can’t bear the thought that she’s like everyone else who has ever dismissed me, ignored me, or used me as the butt of some cruel joke. I turn on my heel, already halfway down the hall before I even realize I’ve started walking. My pulse is pounding in my ears, a mix of anger and hurt driving me forward. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let myself believe, even for a second, that Maerilee was different? That she saw somethi