“You shut up,” said his sister. “That stuff was fucked up. She hit that boy hard enough to leave a bruise on his face. You could see his cheek turning red.” Her voice caught in her throat when she described it; she hadn’t been able to look away. Ed felt so proud of his daughter; someday she’d stop seeking the high ground all the time, and she’d be happier for it, but it would mean that the child he’d known so long ago was finally gone forever. It gave him such joy to see her putting that moment off for as long as she could.
