"Keep this up, Thea!" Ray's voice sliced through the afternoon air, sharp with ridicule and brimming with confidence. He took a deliberate step forward, his lips curling in contempt as he looked her up and down. "Everyone in Syracuse knows all it takes is one look from Mr. Dike for you to come running like a dog. What exactly is the point of this performance?"
The words were calculated, meant to sting, to remind her of an image they had all grown comfortable with over the years. An image of Thea as desperate, as pathetic, as someone who would do anything for Osita's approval.
Ray's smirk widened as he waited for her reaction, expecting the usual trembling, the tears, the inevitable capitulation.
Thea did not flinch.
She stood perfectly still, her posture calm and collected, her face u
