Page 15 of Margo

Margo looked around the room and felt like crying herself. What in the world had happened to them and how had it gotten started? Ellie and Tessa were twin sisters and best friends. They never fought. Mariah was bleeding, albeit just a tiny droplet of blood on her lip where one of her teeth had knocked into it when Margo’s elbow made contact. Jade was sitting on the floor hugging her knees, looking like she might attack at any moment, and Jilly was tearfully attempting to sort puzzle pieces into the correct boxes.

And Margo… Well, she didn’t know how to feel. Confused at how things had escalated so quickly, sad that her friends were all upset and fighting, worried about what Knox would do when he saw the mess, and mad as hell that she’d basically been set up.

She looked at Tessa. “So is he coming or not?”

Tessa shrugged. “I mean… I didn’t hear him or anything. But he will be eventually. Look at the clock.”

They all swung their gaze to the oversized clock on the back wall. Margo’s heart sank. It was almost 12:30. Tessa was right. Knox would be here any minute to make them lunch.

“Crap on a cracker,” Margo swore. “You guys all suck. Seriously. If I get blamed, I’m never gonna forgive you for this.”

She regretted it almost instantly, but she didn’t take it back. Nobody else said a word. They all tried to clean, but it was futile. The mess they’d made would take days to properly clean up. Not minutes. Finally they heard the ding of the elevator, followed by the heavy footsteps of Knox’s work boots. The doorknob twisted. Margo held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

“What in the world?” Knox roared, his voice louder and meaner than Margo had ever heard him sound.

“Girls!” he barked. “Please tell me I missed an earthquake or some other perfectly logical explanation for such chaos.”

Nobody spoke, and Margo heard him move closer, stomping toward them. “For heaven’s sake. Is that… is Mariah bleeding?”

“It’s just a little bit. I bit my lip. It’s okay!” Mariah squeaked. Nobody else said a word.

“Somebody start explaining right now!”

Still nobody spoke. Margo’s stomach churned and bile rose up in her throat.

“Okay. If we have to do this the hard way, we will. Line up in a row in front of me.”

Margo’s legs felt like Jell-O as she pulled herself to her feet, taking her place in the center of the line with Jilly and Mariah on either side of her, Jade beside Jilly and Tessa and Ellie on the other side of Mariah.

“Somebody explain now,” he commanded. “I don’t really care who it is.”

Margo shifted from side to side, a whimper escaping her lips. She couldn’t believe her friends weren’t speaking up. She sure wasn’t gonna. It wasn’t her fault.

Knox

“Oh, you’ve done it now, haven’t you?” Knox looked out at the row of guilt-ridden faces, zeroing in on one in particular. Margo squirmed underneath his gaze, but like the others she said nothing, clamping her lips tightly together.

Knox wasn’t sure what to make of the disaster he’d walked into. It wasn’t just the mess. There was a tense undercurrent in the room that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Were they just refusing to cooperate because they erroneously thought it would keep them out of trouble, or was it something else?

He looked down the line of girls again and tried to determine who looked the guiltiest. If he went by facial expressions, it was Jilly, but she always looked guilty when there was trouble. It was because she was so sensitive and tender-hearted. Moving on from her, he studied them all again. If he went by body language, Margo looked the guiltiest and given her reputation, she was a safe bet.

If he went after her, and he was wrong, and she wasn’t behind it, accusing her would be a good way to smoke the other girls out. They were all fiercely protective and quick to stick up for each other. Hedging his bets, he took a step closer, singling her out.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to keep up the good girl act for long. After all, spankings are your love language. Prepare to feel very loved, little one. Go into my room and wait for me.”

Margo stared him down for a full minute before stomping off. He frowned. Something felt off. He addressed the other girls.

“The rest of you march your butts to your rooms and stick your noses in a corner. I’m setting a timer for ten minutes. After that, you’re all writing your naughties down in your journal for Mister Daddy to read about when he comes home, getting yourselves changed and going down for a nap.”

“What about lunch?” Jade asked quietly.

“You’ll spend lunchtime reflecting on your behavior instead of eating,” he informed them sternly.

Again, he waited for some sort of protest or explanation that would point a finger at someone. Obviously, whatever had happened had not happened in a vacuum, but there had to be a catalyst. If anyone knew what it was, they weren’t saying.

Mariah opened her mouth, and he inhaled, waiting to see what she would say, where she would place blame, and who she would stick up for.

“But Margo doesn’t have to have a nap?” Mariah pouted. “That’s not really fair.”