Chapter 98

Chapter 98
Raven and Blair stood awkwardly outside the police station until Raven decided to break the silence. Raven turned to Blair.

"Did you mean what you said in there?" She asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Blair replied cautiously.

"When you said you were jealous of me," Raven clarified.

Blair sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Yeah, I was. I always thought your life was perfect. You seemed to have everything... beauty, good grades, and guys attention. While I had to work so hard for any of that. Mom never scolded you for not standing straight or not smiling. I wasn’t allowed to eat too much so I wouldn’t get fat. I wasn’t as smart as you, that's why I was always so angry at you so much. Modeling was all I had. I'm sorry for all the mean things I've said and done to you."

Raven stared at her, completely stunned. "It's hard to believe. I always thought you were perfect. I used to wish Mom gave me half the attention she gave you. I felt invisible."

Blair laughed softly. "Perfect? You wanted the attention, and I wanted to be invisible. Funny, isn’t it?"

Raven's lips curled into a faint smile. "Yeah."

The sisters shared a brief smile, the first genuine connection they’d had in years before Blair’s voice turned serious.

"Raven, do you think I’m like her?"

Raven hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Honestly, I don’t know you well enough to say. But I believe people can change. Even if you are like her, you don’t have to stay that way."

Blair nodded. "I admire that about you... how you say what you think without sugarcoating it but not coming across as a bitch either."

Raven looked thoughtful a moment before looking at Blair one more time.

“Lenora’s wrong about something else,” she spoke carefully.

“What’s that?”

Raven smiled.

“We are sisters and she can’t change that.”

\~~~~

Meanwhile, Julie was in the passenger seat of Justin’s car, her thoughts racing as they drove toward Raven’s penthouse. She fiddled with her phone before glancing at him.

"So," she began hesitantly. “How are you doing?”

Justin glanced at her briefly before turning back to the road. "What do you mean?"

"You and Mia broke up. I just wanted to check on you, things didn’t exactly end well."

“Do things that ever really end well?” he responded, his tone neutral. “I’m fine.”

Julie pouted. "I’m worried about you. It's your first heartbreak, it's okay to admit it hurts."

Justin chuckled dryly. "Who said it was my first?"

Julie’s eyes widened. “Wait... someone broke your heart before? When? How did I not know about this? Who was it?”

“Why? You wanna hunt her down and defend my honor?”

Julie chuckled.

“No, it’s just there’s this whole part of your life I never knew about and it’s strange to think about.”

"It's ancient history, Julie. Forget about it."

"Okay," Julie said softly, though her curiosity lingered. “Why didn’t you ever want to be part of our lives? Mason told me once that he wished you were closer.”

“That’s something I hope to get the chance to talk to him about one day. If he ever finds himself again, this version of him doesn’t seem like he would accept any sort of change in me. He seems more of an…”

Julie waited for him to finish, and when he didn’t, she encouraged him.

“More of a what?”

“An asshole.”

They laughed together, each feeling something different and yet so similar at the same time.

When they pulled up to Raven’s house shortly after, Julie rang the doorbell, and Blair answered.

"Hi, Julie," Blair said, her gaze shifting to Justin.

"It's been a while, Blair," Justin said with a faint smile.

"Yeah, it has." Blair stepped aside. "Come in."

"Is Raven in?" Julie’s eyes scanned the living room.

Before Blair could answer, Raven appeared in the hallway.

"Who's at the..." her eyes landed on Julie, and her expression hardened. "Oh." Raven turned to leave.

Julie hurried after her, leaving Blair and Justin alone in the living room. "Wait!" She called after her.

Justin and Blair exchanged glances, silently agreeing to give the two privacy.

"So," they said simultaneously before laughing and relaxing a little.

Justin gestured for Blair to speak first.

"How are you?" Blair asked awkwardly.

"I'm good, thanks. How about you? How are you handling everything... with your mom?" Justin asked gently.

Blair sighed.

"It's tough. I don’t exactly know how I’m supposed to feel, you know? I mean, she did such horrible things and ruined so many lives. I’m not exactly innocent with some of the things I’ve done to Raven, but I can’t imagine doing the things she’s done. On the other hand, I’m the one that turned her in and I don’t know if I should feel proud of myself for finally drawing a line between us or guilty for putting my mother in jail. But, you know how it is, I’m managing.”

“Yeah, I know how that is, except that I’ve never had to make that kind of decision or find out that the person who was supposed to love me more than anything committed multiple murders and kidnapped a baby. Get what you mean,” Justin teased lightly, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Blair smiled, appreciating the effort at lightening the mood.

“What about you? How are you after Mia? I heard you guys broke up."

Justin shrugged. "I'm fine. I'm sorry about how I reacted back then when Mia lied about you. I should’ve trusted you, I can’t believe I couldn’t see through her crap! The things she did to convince me you were this horrible person who would do all those things to her… I can’t believe I was so gullible. I was such an idiot!"

"Don't worry about it. She was convincing. Anyone would've believed her-"

“You wouldn’t have. You have this way about you, where you consider everyone so carefully-”

“I get that from Lenora – she doesn’t deserve to be my mother, she doesn’t deserve to be my anything. She taught me not to trust anyone; that’s very different from being careful… Everyone was either useful or worthless, that’s how she raised me. But I didn’t see her for what she is.”

“She raised you; of course, you couldn’t see it.”

Blair shook her head.

“I don’t know if I’m any different to her. She told Raven I’ll turn against her… Raven told me I don’t have to be like Lenora if I don’t want to be.”

“I don’t think you’re like her at all.”

“Really?”

Justin grinned.

“Kidnap any babies lately?”

Blair laughed.

“What about them?” Blair nodded in the direction Julie and Raven went, changing the subject as she realized how close they were standing. "Do you think they will work things out?"

Justin glanced toward the hallway. "I hope so."