For a while, silence enveloped the guest room at Doctor Tyler's house until the tea he'd served grew cold. Lola stared at the still water in the cup, as if there were something in the ceiling's reflection she was trying to read.
When she finally swallowed, she lifted her eyes and met his. "Doctor, I think you know why I'm here."
Doctor Tyler pressed his lips into a thin line and stared at her.
"Melissa and Jasmine Young have been ridiculous my whole life," Lola said, her voice quiet and steady. "They can twist something small into something huge and make my life ten times harder than it should be. 'Crazy' is an understatement for those two."
"It took more than hard work or tears to get past the Lola they trampled at every turn," she continued, pausing to run her tongue along the side of her teeth. "And today, in one of their episodes, they said something very, very stupid."
