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There was that word: burden Her grandmother always tossed it in Kylie’s face It hurt worse than any other insult "Well, now I’ care of you, Nana Just like I should How are you feeling?"

"I hate this place" Her voice wobbled "Coht now"

"I can’t, Nana I wish I could I have to work"

"Then put your et et that from your father’s side"

Kylie’s head throbbed She hated these conversations If she told her grandet confused--or worse, cry "She’s in the bathroom, Nana I’ll have her call you back"

"You do that I have to go to work now"

"All right, Nana Talk to you later" Kylie’s throat felt like a dry knot when she hung up A call frorateful dirt

Count on the burden of family to kick you while you were down

TWELVE

By the tias show, Kylie had mostly relaxed

Mostly

She’d showered and fixed her hair into an elaborate set of sausage-curls and clips that would show off her newly redyed bright red ends She’d taken care of her roots, and her makeup was carefully done as well All of this was to hide the fact that she had rings under her eyes and a hangover pallor to her skin If she looked put together, no one would ask questions She wore a cute swishy navy dress with a striped top and fluffy skirt hemmed with red, and wore red and navy sandals with it Today, she supposed she’d look the part of Fat Marilyn And if the rest of her was a bit glas on every finger, or why the one on her ring-finger was turned inward, the stones hidden unless she opened her palan to feel better about things Cade would understand once he had a few hours to digest things, she told herself He’d coh like nor adults that just needed to step away froas, she told herself as she packed away the stage an to take out the palettes she used for Daphne’s postshow interview an to perfore area, Kylie sat in her chair and rubbed her aching forehead She could als were normal Almost Except when she rubbed her head, it provided her with a good look at the huge red-and-yelloedding ring she had turned inward The ring that wouldn’t come off noShe’d left it in her et a replaceer wasn’t speaking to her, either Every ti look and left the room She took Snoopy on smoke breaks with her instead of Kylie, and Kylie tensed every tier talk to Daphne But Daphne never freaked out and her er wasn’t saying anything

So Al in theback out to Botswana? More one back ho an annulave her, and the vague unhappiness

It wasn’t meant to be She needed to remember her priorities She should call her nana, see if she was lucid again Check with her caretakers to oing well See if Nana was screa at everyone still See if she still considered Kylie her "burden"

But of course she didn’t have her phone Cade did

As if her thoughts had conjured hireenrooeous and supremely pissed Kylie froze in the director’s chair at the aze scanned the room and then locked squarely onto her

--

Kylie didn’t want to play fair?

He’d fucking show her how dirty he could play, then

For the first tiry he could hardly think straight He didn’t get ally, selling poorly itimate products He siet mad when a massive donation of medical supplies to a war-torn country was stolen by local insurgents He resent the supplies and had his organization send along trained guards to protect the goods and ot to the people that needed the again He was just disappointed