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Half an hour later Lacey was still sitting there, listening to Tressa talk about a ular basis, that she wished Tressa had never been born, that Tressa had ruined her life, that she was the devil—and then, in another breath, when Tressa was agreeing with her or taking her side, hug her and call her a princess A et what she wanted Whose love was clearly conditional

About a father who’d ask her ht about killing her, and then would hold her hand every time they went out Who would take a typical childhood ers in an atteain

And about the brother who’d fly off anyti he didn’t want to hear The louder the yelling got, his or anyone else’s, the s in order to cope

The ot, the more everyone in her family hurled horrible insults at each other

And theto one another, as well Clearly Tressa had loved them

Her parents had been killed in a car accident shortly after she’d es

“He was my rock,” Tressa said now, an almost dreamy smile on her face “In some ways he still is”

“Whose idea was it for the two of you to divorce?”

“Mine As good as he is to et my intensity I can’t really be myself with him, you know? I had to continuously cla

on the radio to issues on an election ballot I bring equal passion to everything” She paused, then grinned “I’ve done a lot of work on myself Faced h our relationship isn’t sexual We hang outher first, over Jem, I knew that wasn’t fair to him”

“Did you discuss this other woman with him?”

“Of course That’s the one thing aboutto myself”

Lacey was beginning to see that She set upset, and you’re drama ridden, do you ever lash out like your parents did?”

“Absolutely not I ht say what’s on my mind, but I’m not cruel like they were I threw a stick once It flew through the air and hit my friend on the arm I felt sick about it She wasn’t hurt, but the look in her eyes, when she looked at her ar”

“How old were you when that happened?”