23

Laura crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall, giving me a look of pure contempt. "You know, Clara," she said slowly, "I'm getting really tired of your attitude. You're always trying to start drama or get people on your side. Well, newsflash: nobody likes a whiner."

I felt a lump rising in my throat. I couldn't believe she was speaking to me like this, after everything I had been through because of her whoring life. "I'm not a whiner," I said, my voice shaking with anger. "I'm trying to stand up for myself, because nobody else will."

Laura let out a harsh laugh. "Stand up for yourself? You wouldn't know how to stand up for yourself if your life depended on it. You're just a pathetic little girl who's always looking for attention."

I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but I refused to let her see me cry. "You don't know anything about me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "You don't know what I've gone through."

"I know everything I need to know," she said smugly. "