Shock coursed through my veins, I couldn’t believe that anyone could hit Paige, let alone her own father. I stared at her, wide-eyed, as she continued, her voice still bitter.
“I knew I had a black eye forming, and there was no way in hell I was going to school with a black eye.So I figured it was a good time to visit Nebraska and see how Cynthia’s boyfriend was fairing,” she suddenly stopped, looking at me with a mortified expression, “Oh God,” she whispered, “I didn’t mean to say that.”
I stared at her for a moment, shocked, “You… knew… me?”
She bit her lip, looking away, “Cynthia and I used to be friends, well, sort of. More after she left Florida and came here. I used to email her all the time, even though I never got a reply.When I finally did, all she ever talked about was you. And then she went silent. I didn’t know she… what happened until three weeks later.That’s when I first thought about leaving, to see how you were doing, try to help. I didn’t decide to actually move out until later.”