TweetyGram

35 - #CrimeAndPunishment

"It's not fair." I took Trish's photo down from my evidence board.

"What's not fair?" Bree asked, putting the clean plate in the dish rack.

"This." I gestured at the whiteboard. "This whole case is not fair. None of this would've happened if Trish Nash hadn't pushed Almond over the edge. I mean, I'm not saying Almond's innocent. She did the crime, so now she has to do the time. But Trish?" I held up the blonde girl's photo and pointed at it. "Bullies like her and Charity always get away scot-free. They don't have to go to jail for what they've done even though they indirectly drove others into becoming criminals. They should've paid for it too."

"I'd say they are," Bree replied, walking over to me.

I arched a brow. "They're not the ones scheduled for an arraignment, Bree."

"No, but look at them." She gestured at Charity's photo under the suspect list on the left side of the board. "How many cosmetic surgeries do you think Charity has had? She's twenty-two—"

"Twenty-three."

"Twenty-three, and her skin has already turned into a doll's."

Although some—especially Charity—would consider it a compliment, Bree meant the complete opposite. I supposed she had a point. It was one thing to go under the knife once or twice. It was a whole different thing to do it so many times one's face turned inhuman.

Even though there was nothing wrong with her God-given face, Charity must've hated it so much that she chose to undergo painful plastic surgery—multiple times—to change it; and even after she'd done so, she still wasn't content with her appearance. I could only imagine what else she hated in her life. That's not exactly a good life, huh?

"And that girl Trish." Bree pointed at the photo in my hand. "I know tons of narcissists like her. Obsessed with their looks, fame, and money. And guess what?"

"What?"

"None of it will last forever. What do you think would happen if she loses one of them? Or worse, all of them?"

She'd probably throw a tantrum and end up in jail, was the first thought that crossed my mind. Even though I didn't know Trish well, the way she reacted in that viral video told me she wouldn't be able to handle losing anything with grace. And I knew for sure Charity wouldn't either.

"Mean girls always lose in the end," Bree added. "It's just a matter of time before it happens."

Bree was right. Bullies like Trish and Charity might have a get-out-of-jail-free card for now, but that didn't mean they wouldn't receive their just punishment.

I snatched Charity's photo from the board, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash.

As my gaze drifted to Almond's photo on the board, Bree continued, "And I know you feel bad for her, but she made her choice. Not all who get bullied become a bully. You were bullied back in high school and you haven't committed any crime."

"Well, if breaking and entering isn't considered a crime, then yeah. I'm not a criminal."

A tiny chuckle escaped her. "People always have a choice, Linds. I had a choice, you had a choice, and that girl certainly had a choice. She could've exacted her revenge on the girl who bullied her and stopped. She didn't have to scam those other girls. She didn't have to scam you. But she did."

What Bree said gave me a new perspective on my life. Almond and I had been through a similar situation, but I was lucky I had Bree and a certain annoying friend-slash-neighbor who kept me from going down the same path as her.