The Last Party

by A.R. Torre

Mortui vivos docent. The dead teach the living.

That family stuck out right from the start. We were all looking at them, even before it happened.

except for my husband, who glared at me, his face dark with anger.

Why? Is he jealous or is she not a doctor?

Mom hates the idea of me being an actress. She wants all of the attention for herself, and I want all of the attention for myself.

I can see how much she enjoys acting—but it’s not really acting. Like Dad says, it’s lying. She lies and I like to lie too,

“I didn’t tell them that. They assumed.”

Playing semantics can be a dangerous game

Saving a life had been thrilling. Too bad it couldn’t compare with the inverse.

MA'AM!

The problem was that some of our dreams were the stuff of nightmares.

provided a level of control that I relished.

The ultimate power in a marriage is the manipulation ability of knowing how and when your spouse will act and react.

She was so opportunistic, this daughter of mine. Always looking for an inch, a shortcut, a permission. She shouldn’t be asking; she should be taking.

If you waited for life to give you something, you’d never get half of what you deserved. If

They worry that I don’t understand when lying is acceptable, but I know more than they think. I’m smarter than both of them, and I’m smart enough to realize that I should keep that knowledge to myself.

Don’t let nobody in my cell. Don’t make friends. Period. Finish a fight if it’s brought to you, but don’t bring that shit to anyone else. Don’t appeal. I’m in here, so I’m in here. Don’t talk about what happened on December 6. Ever. Only read and write letters on Sundays.

I learned a while ago that anticipation and hope were half of the enjoyment of life.

maybes could kill you, but they could also keep you alive.

While no one else believed in him, I did.

Why? Because you're the one who did it?

We could have a real relationship, as adults.

Erm... did this man groom you?

“Piketo didn’t realize what she was doing, but her actions caused the death of everything that she knew and everyone that she loved. When we are told to keep secrets, Sophie, you must take that responsibility seriously. Especially the secrets of your family. Do you understand?

Passing down the villain origin story 😂

No male had ever made me feel the way Grant had, except for my father—and his love had come with conditions and boundaries and, always in the back of my head, the understanding that being a parent wasn’t a choice but often a chore.

framing the father for the murder

Did they nab the wrong father...?

There were certain things I didn’t handle well, and rejection was one of them.

You shouldn’t. You should just regret that you didn’t finish the job.

Who/What was left undone?

Though I wasn’t guilty—as least, not for the crimes for which I’d been convicted.

I tore off the page and carried it over to the shredder.

You should shred the next page or so as well so they can't make a stencil from the impressions of your pen (please don't put me on a list 😂)

For the first time in a long while, I was no longer bored.

I didn’t come to play unless I could win,

Chesters

Not Chester the Molester! Haven't heard that phrase since I was a kid.

But “sweet” had never gotten anyone’s panties wet.

😂😂😂

And I always liked the older boys.

Like Leewood Folcrum?

I wasn’t daft. I could recognize my own negative influence in her eager desire to lie with permission. Not that it was really lying . . . it was just doing what I liked to do—play a part.

So touching to see (read?) a generational curse get passed down

The scar was an uneven line, a result of hesitancy during the act. That, paired with the shallowness of the wound, was the only reason I was still here.

Is she the "unfinished business"?

proof that those who love you the most can be the ones who hurt you the most.

I spent the extra minutes lying on her couch and scrolling through Murder Unplugged’s forum, trying to find any mention of the email I had sent in.

Shocked she wasn't going through the notebooks of confidential client info

“I’m Grant Wultz. Lucy’s brother.”

Oh shiiiit

I refused to share him, in that way, with her. What I told Dr. Maddox was the truth: Grant was so nurturing and attentive during my cycle. For him to lavish that attention on Sophie . . . screw that. And screw her for trying to take that away from me.

so they would pass out in bed together all at the same time. I was right there watching,

This is not the flex you think it is, sir.

Leewood wasn’t a pervert,

We sure about that?

She probably had to have been, the lack of parenting requiring her to fend for herself from an early age.

I know that feeling.

I thought I would be able to use that power as a tool of manipulation. I didn’t realize that power was going to grow up and have its own ideas, its own desires, its own evil motivations.

They looked for evidence of an intruder.

I think the "intruder" was invited

When I had only had a father, one who worked long hours at a hard job, I was the one who had cooked. Who had cleaned. Who had made sure that his clothes were washed and my own lunch was packed. I signed permission slips and took money from his wallet when I needed it, and each of those small things fortified the woman I eventually became. Thanks to me, Sophie was independent, intelligent, and aware. She knew she had certain responsibilities, and she knew what the consequences of not doing those responsibilities were.

I would have my new life.

What are you even looking for in this new life?

There was something very dangerous about a woman with nothing to lose.

Perla. Back then, I wasn’t used to the name. It sounded strange, like a brand of tampon.

This can't be Jenny, right?

Something felt off about Tim Valden, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Is he secretly Grant?

Sad—that was the emotion I should assign to it. Emotions like sadness were harder for me. They were like communion wafers—void of taste. Envy, greed, passion—those I felt vividly. Those I savored. They were explosions of flavor, a spicy conch salad of emotion.

Grant was looking at me, his expression guarded, and I wondered what he was thinking.

This entire family is suspicious. They are all conspiring to kill one another.

I know which side I’m on.

I would like to know which side you're on

I never understood why Sophie wanted to play soccer instead of take ballet.

So she can Pele kick you in the head one day