Andy flushed a light shade of red and lowered her head. She couldnāt look Edie in the eye. She was just playing with her head and didnāt really want to hurt anyone. Her mind was circling around the questions Edie asked her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Edie interrupted her, "What you tried to do, Cecil. What would you do if I did the same to you?" Edie looked at her with a serious expression on her face. "Would you not want revenge?" she said, her voice cold as ice.
A tear of frustration and fear glittered in Andyās eyes as she looked away. "Iām....." She swallowed and said, her voice very small.
"Did you not just get married? Tell me, are you going to have any children? Think about it!" Edie says with a huge grin on her face. "What would you do if someone tried to do something to your child? Would you sit back and watch, or would you fight back?"
"Please....forgive....." Andy stuttered. She hated suffering as much as she hated those who made her suffer. Andy looked at Cecil and noticed how white and terrified he was becoming. Heās just an innocent child. She began, inching away as she tried to find the right words. "I shouldnāt have involved your son. I made you guys suffer for my mistakes, and from the bottom of my heart, I truly am sorry." She would have to face the consequences of her actions. Can she get sued or sent or sent jail?
Edie shook her head in disgust. "I donāt accept your apology." She had no sympathy for Andy or the other women. Slowly she poured the water on top of Andyās head. "Next time, the punishment will be worse." Edie quickly released her hair.
Andy screamed in pain and instantly fell to the floor. "Why would you do that? I said I was sorry!" she cried. Her anger was rising as she caught sight of Edieās averted face. It flushed crimson, her eyes full of intense emotion of some kind.
"Fight fire with fire. Is that not the ancientsā wisdom?" Edie smiled. "Did you really think I would let you off so easily?" Edie paused, taking a deep breath. "As far as the men go and my relationship with Cecil, itās none of your or anyone elseās. If I hear any more gossip about me, Iāll see you in court." She lifted her head and looked at everyone in the room. "Do we have an understanding?" she demanded in a voice as angry as any she had ever used before, spacing the words for emphasis.
No one said a word, and they lowered their heads in shame. They all knew they played a part in the gossip. Edie turned around and took Cecilās hand. "Letās go," she said.
Cecil looked at her with sad eyes and said, "Why did you do it?"
"Do what?" Edie asked curiously.
"Protect me! No oneās ever done that for me before," he said, sounding surprised. "Are you okay?"
Edie smiled as the tears formed in her eyes. "Iām okay! Donāt worry about me." She wiped away the tears because the pain in her back was nothing compared to the one in her heart.
Cecil struggled to get his next sentence out. "I was supposed to protect you." His face grew serious. "Stuartās going to be mad at me."
Edie laughed. "Donāt even think about it. Iāll take care of him," she said, reassuring him.
Tears brimmed in his eyes, but he didnāt wipe them away. He nodded. "Letās go home." He turns and points his finger at Andy. "My cousin will take care of you," his voice when he spoke to her was suddenly full of hatred.
A shivered of fear trickled down her spine. She didnāt understand what he meant. Who would come after her? Was it the man Edie was sleeping with?
***
But what no one knew was two men were watching the whole thing in the surveillance room. The expression on his face was serious. The other man in the room hurried to explain, "Mr. Spear, this had never happened before. I will deal with this matter immediately."
Mr. Spear never said a word. His eyes remained on Edie. When he could no longer see her on the monitor, he turned his head and looked at the man. "Whoās that woman?" he said firmly.
"Edie Lara," he said quickly.
"Edie Lara?" Mr. Spear said, repeating his words.
"Are you going to punish her because of what she did?" the man asked him with a concerned tone in his voice. He was so nervous. The only reason Edie was accepted into the college was that someone paid thousands of dollars to get her in. He quickly tried to explain. "She canāt be punished. She has...."
Mr. Spear nodded his head and smiled. "No! Iām not going to punish her. I have some auditions that would be perfect for her."
The man in charge looked at him with a confused look on his face. "Because of the fight? Is that why you want her to audition?" he asked Mr. Spears, but as he turned to look at him, he headed out the door. "Where are you going?" he said, raising his voice slightly, but it was too late, Mr. Spears was gone.
Cecil and Edie stood outside the building. "Itās too early for the driver to come, Letās take a taxi instead," Edie said. "I think weāll stop at the hospital on our way and have my back checked."
Arriving at the hospital, the doctor said, "You only suffered superficial burns. Youāre a very lucky woman. Hereās a prescription for ointment. Apply it at least three times a day." Edie thanked him, and then he left.
Cecil stared at Edieās back. He threw his arms around her neck, fighting back in tears, which he could no longer hold. "Why was she so mean?" he cried.
Edie smiled and said, "Because they think I donāt belong in the school. Have you seen the movie Cinderella?"
Cecil nodded his head. "Yes, itās one of my favorites."
"Iām Cinderella in their eyes. They think Iām poor, and they hate and envy me at the same time. In the movie, they do all they can to stop her from finding happiness. I guess thatās what they were trying to do to me," Edie explained.
"Why....would...she do such awful things to us?" Cecil stood by Edie, wiping a tear from his eye. He opened his mouth, but it was like a million different things weāre trying to come out at once, the tangled words more sob than sentences. He stopped taking a deep breath and tried again. "I donāt understand?"
"Because theyāre jealous of me. They judge people without knowing the facts. Some people thrive off gossip. They hear it and then enjoy spreading it to other people." Edie gave Cecil a serious look and said, "Donāt ever judge anyone when you know nothing about them. Words can be cruel and ruin peopleās lives."
Edie tried her best to make Cecil understand. She didnāt want him to think all people were as cruel as Andy. She remembered the struggles her mother faced when Edie was growing up. People would be nice to her face and then snicker and talk behind her back. It humiliated her mother, and in the end, it destroyed her. From that day on, Edie mainly kept to herself and tried not to be noticed by anyone.
"Spoken words are more powerful than people imagine," Edie said sadly.