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Eve remained quiet knowing what was yet to come.
“Seriously, Eve.” Nola’s voice rose. “I didn’t hurt that dog. I promise. It was already dead.” Nola paused for a response. She wasn’t going to get one. “Fine, don’t talk to me. I don’t care. You’re supposed to be the mature one but you’re not. You’re just like everyone else. Mean and stupid and judgmental!”
Eve wanted to laugh. How could Nola not understand how twisted and awful her actions were?
“You’re a horrible sister and I hate you!” Nola screeched, kicking at the door.
For a second, Eve thought the door was going to splinter but it held. Nola gave a few more kicks and then stopped. Eve could hear her breathing on the other side of the door.
Eve knew she couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever. She put her ear to the door to see if she could hear Nola. It was quiet. Slowly she opened the door, looked to the left and to the right down the hallway. Nola was nowhere in sight. She stepped lightly so as not to let the floorboards creak beneath her feet and hurried to her bedroom.
She opened the door to find Nola sitting cross-legged on her bed. “Jesus, Nola,” Eve said, pressing her hand against her heart. “Get out of my room.” Nola stayed put, her fingers digging into the bedding as if to prove she wasn’t going anywhere without a fight. “I mean it. Get out of my room.” Eve crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I can’t even look at you. And you better call Mom and tell her you’re home. You don’t want me talking to her right now.”
“It’s not what you think,” Nola said, and there was a desperation in her voice that Eve wasn’t used to hearing. “I didn’t hurt the dog. It was already dead,” Nola explained again. “The school here is terrible. I don’t get the chance to study real animals. Not really...”
Eve looked at Nola with disgust. “It doesn’t matter why you did it, Nola. It’s weird and creepy. You better hope that this doesn’t get out or it will be another thing you’ll never live down.”
“You’re not going to tell anyone.” Nola said this, so sure of herself. So certain that she would get what she wanted.
“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t,” Eve said. “Now leave. I need to get dressed.”
Nola hesitated as if wanting to argue some more but Eve didn’t give her the chance. “Get out! Or I’m going to call Mom right now.”
Nola slid off the bed and sidled past Eve, a knowing smile on her face. Eve slammed the door behind her.
Even if Nola was telling the truth about finding the dog already dead it was still wrong. Normal people did not behave this way.
Nola had always been fascinated with anatomy, had talked about studying to be a vet since she was little, but to dissect a dog? Surely the dog belonged to someone, had a name. This was someone’s pet. How had it died then, if Nola wasn’t the cause? Of old age or from being struck by a car? Maybe when she wasn’t so mad at Nola, she’d ask.
Eve dressed in her only other pair of jeans and a clean sweater. She trotted down the stairs to see Nola putting on her purple coat. “Where are you going?” Eve asked.
“None of your business,” Nola snapped, pulling on a pair of gloves.
Eve went to the window and looked outside. “I think Daryl is back at it. Be careful. Have you seen anybody hanging around here? Nick or another strange man? An old guy wearing a red sweatshirt?”
“Paranoid much?” Nola asked. “I haven’t seen Daryl and no, I haven’t seen Nick or Hobo Santa Claus either.” She opened the front door and stepped outside into the cold.
“Ha, ha,” Eve deadpanned. Behind her the phone began to ring. She lifted the receiver and placed it to her ear.
“Listen, bitch,” Nick hissed into the phone. “No one walks away from me.”
