Bianca's eyes landed on me. I think she expected me to jump up and argue, but I wasn't going to do that. I wasn't going to let her rile me up like that. She can have time to say her truth. "So, while you all pointed fingers at me for getting Millie fired, it actually had nothing to do with me. Until yesterday, I didn't even know my brother had complained," she said, "But you see, customer service is an important skill set. I didn't need to get Millie fired. A legitimate customer complained. No one forced you to leave the store unattended like that." OK, that mistake was mine to own. It's true. I let my personal drama and relationships completely take over my responsibilities. I shouldn't have abandoned work. Actions have consequences and if I needed that job, I should've acted like it. "One more thing," Bianca said, "Putting me on blast like that last night, was not cool. Millie, if you wanted to keep drama out of this vacation, you should've come to me one on one." That's also true. I lost it last night. I hadn't exactly been in a calm mood. Bianca raised her glass and sipped it, "And that's all I had to say." Then she went to share the armchair with Chad. We were all left staring at the fireplace that she had been standing in front of. "Millie?" Oma asked, sitting next to Austin on the couch, "Maybe you'd like a chance to respond?" I know Oma means well, but she doesn't know that public speaking isn't my forte. I'd rather sink in silence. "Go on, Minnie," Luke whispered, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, "Set the record straight." Does he know how terrifying this is? Luke raised his arm from around my shoulder and I slowly stood up. I felt like a caterpillar leaving a protective cocoon. My body was moving in the right direction and I hoped my mind would follow. I mumbled, "I'm not used to speaking in front of many people about something so personal..." But these last few months have made me grow up hella quick. I still get shaken by what other people say. I've been taunted and teased so many times and it's so hard to ignore. Sometimes, people can speak up for you. Seeing Austin, Cearra and Luke on the couch... I knew they would try to see my side. But no one can know my side except for me. So I have to communicate – without screaming, without looking insecure or irrational. "Should I start with a joke?" I nervously volunteered. "OK, tough crowd. I'll start by saying thank you." "She's going rogue," Cearra muttered to Luke, filling the empty space on the couch I had left next to him. Luke was watching me, waiting for me to continue. He replied, not looking worried at all, "She'll bring it full circle." I swallowed. This was harder to do than I thought. I closed out my insecure thoughts. I wished I could be on the couch, judging instead of being judged. "Thank you for solving a mystery, Bianca." I said, "There have been so many mysteries lately that I am glad to know the answer to this one." OK, I think I can handle this. I increased the pace of my mini speech, "I was wrong to blame you, but let's pause for a second to wonder why. You and your brother came into the store acting very rude. You've continually undermined me and my relationship. You've humiliated and threatened me for months. You may be innocent of this, but you're guilty of a whole lot more." And that's all I have to say. I liked how no one said anything. People started to move around. There was an awkwardness in the air, naturally, but no one wanted to be arbitrator. No one wanted to cast their judgement and I appreciated that. "What's your brother's number?" Luke asked Bianca, "I want to speak with him." I should've seen that coming. ** The boys continued to hang out downstairs, but the rest of us started to get ready for New Year's Eve. It was early evening and we wanted to spend extra time preparing for tonight. I knew exactly which dress I was going to wear; one that Nicole had lent me. "Bianca and I have reservations at a hairdresser in an hour. We're getting our hair and make up done for this evening," Oma told us, "Do you want to come?" Bonding with Bianca in a salon? Nope. And that's pretending like I actually have the cash to spend on a stylist. There's no way I can drop $100 on a look for one night. "You two have fun," Cearra told them as we headed towards her room, "Do they really think we have that kind of cash? Lucky for us, I have my make up set." I was so happy that there was a girl here I could relate to. "What color's your dress?" she asked me, swinging the door to her bedroom open, "We can match your make up to the whole look." "Thank you! I-" I paused when I saw Luke turn the corner of the hallway. He looked like a handsome statue sometimes, I swear. I mouthed at him, All ok? He nodded, but I could tell he wanted to talk. I told Cearra I would be back in a second and walked towards him. He was still in his gray sweatpants and I wondered what he would be wearing in a few hours. We were a few hours away from beginning the new year together. I hope. He had his phone in his hand. "I spoke to Bianca's brother," Luke said, his blue eyes gazing into mine, "He didn't know you were my girlfriend. He's going to call the store and retract his complaint." "Thank you, but I think the damage is done," I said, rubbing his arm so he could see that I was genuinely grateful. "It's hard to rehire someone after you fire them." "Hey," Luke said, brushing his finger against my chin, "Whatever she's done, we can undo. I haven't forgotten about the bloody jersey. We're going to solve that one too. Whatever comes at us, we'll take it on." I smiled and tried to avoid my smile from turning into a goofy grin. He said we.