Chapter 6: The Welcome

Brynn took the microphone at Northfield's welcome and called me a liar in front of the guests.

'Cassidy invited me here to embarrass me, not to hear my answer.'

The welcome program bent beneath my fingers.

A crease ran through the printed campus map, right across the building where I had just welcomed them.

I kept my eyes on the guests instead of Brynn.

She had chosen a room full of strangers to make my invitation sound cruel.

'You asked me here,' she said. 'You knew I would come, and now you want everyone watching while I answer for things you made up.'

Her accusation landed before I could answer, and several guests turned to look at me.

'Our family has always treated Cassidy fairly,' Brynn said. 'She knows that.'

A few people glanced from her to me.

The crease in the program cut into my thumb.

I loosened my grip before anyone could mistake shaking for guilt.

'You have a chance to say what happened,' I told her. 'You can answer the question I invited you to answer.'

'You didn't invite me to talk,' Brynn said. 'You invited me so you could embarrass me in front of your new friends.'

She held the microphone close and waited for the guests to agree with her.

'Brynn dumped my clean laundry on the floor in front of our relatives,' I said. 'Then she ordered me to pick it up.'

The guests stopped looking at their programs.

Brynn lowered the microphone a little.

'Cass, you always make everything sound so dramatic.'

'You put my clothes on the floor,' I said. 'You told me to clean them up while everyone watched.'

A relative stepped away from the group near the welcome table.

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