Silver Stilettos

24 | the kangaroo court

Mom served coffee. I wished she hadn't, because it required all three of us to sit at the table, and with nowhere else to look but at the woman who sat across from me, I was helplessly subjected to her cold, shark-eyed stare.

"Cat," said Vera Norcross, still not touching her coffee cup. 

But the marks on her face didn't look like they'd come from a cat. The Norcrosses didn't have pets, for one thing. For another, the marks were spread too far apart. If that wasn't damning enough, I remembered Caroline's blunt nails. Shorn so short that the nail bed below was pink, like it had been recently bleeding. 

Punishment for attacking her mother? Mother says nails are a privilege.

Even though my mom hadn't asked about the crusted weals on our guest's face, she nodded and took a delicate sip of aromatic dark roast. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked.

Vera ran a manicured fingernail along the rim of her untouched cup. "I don't want my son caught up in anything that would take his eye off of his grades."

I didn't know whether she meant me or the investigation into Emily's death. From what we knew, the driver who had hit her was yet to be identified.

"I'm sure as a parent, you know how important senior year can be," continued Vera. Her blue eyes raked over my face and smile grew a smidge cruel. "It's hard enough to keep a teenager on track, let alone when they start dating someone who's being investigated by the police?" She raised one fine eyebrow.

"The police," I said, letting the scathing words pour out, "happens to be my dad, and I'm not being investigated for the accident."

Vera paused her circling finger. Her eyes were sharp and watchful. "Wasn't it a hit and run?" She chattered her teeth together. "That poor girl. How awful."

"I wasn't responsible," I said. "So, like, I don't know why you've come to intimidate me."

"Mayuri." Mom placed her hand over mine. "I'm sure that's not what Mrs. Norcross has come here to do."

I looked away. I knew that Mom might believe that Reed's mother had his best interests at heart, but I knew that Reed's grades, while not as good as mine, weren't low enough to prevent him from attending any state school he wanted. The lazy student routine may have worked on the other students, but I'd never bought his act, and the teachers didn't, either.

"The SATs are right around the corner and it could make a lot of difference to a boy like Reed," said Vera, her tone implying that she thought I was holding him back. 

From what? Reed wasn't attending the after school SAT prep and he openly mocked me for pouring over the practice exams on the weekends.

"I realize," said Vera, forcing a jackal smile, "that a boy doesn't want to stop seeing someone just because his mother tells him to. Children lack the awareness and discipline to do the right thing, even when it's in their best interest. In fact, sometimes they deliberately sabotage themselves by doing the opposite of what they should."

"I think this should be between Mayuri and your son," Mom said, meeting Vera's unblinking stare with a calm gaze and even tone. 

Pride swelled up inside me. I watched Vera's face tighten. Her hand jerked away from the coffee cup and she covered her face, obstructing her eyes like Mom's words had wounded her. Her fingers traced the faint red lines on her face. "I see," she said. Her chair scraped against the floor. "I won't take up any more of your time, then." 

Mom stood up a moment after Vera did. "I'll show you to the door," she said politely.

"Yes." Vera didn't spare me another glance. "Thank you for the coffee."