Whipping was hard work. Mary stepped inside, closing the door firmly behind her. Lille closed her eyes. She’d known Mary wouldn’t let her get away with not telling, not when she’d heard something was wrong. The chair squeaked as Mary sat down. Lille stayed in front of the air-conditioner. “So.” Mary tapped her fingers on the arms of the chair. “Tell me.” Lille gave a deep sigh. “It sounds so dramatic, so stupid, when I say it out loud. You know?” Mary made an affirmative noise. “So tell it like it’s a story. Like it happened to someone else.” Laughing lightly, Lille turned away from the air-conditioner and faced her oldest friend. “In a way, it did.” Mary’s brows rose curiously. “Now that is interesting.” “Indeed.” “So who did this ‘it’ happen to?”
