I reached up and ran one of her brown curls through my fingers, feeding off the hatred that flowed from her. She panted out her breaths, keeping her venomous glare fixed on me. “It’s cute that you think you affect us.” I released the curl then placed my hands flat on the wall either side of her head. “That you think you have any control here. But you don’t.” I pushed forward into her mass of soft curly hair, inhaling the scent of vanilla as I whispered into her ear, “You need to remember who you’re talking to. Respect is earned, never given.”
