Chapter 19: The Full Reveal
"Alright," Cassie said, her voice dropping into something mock-serious. "Let's get organized. We need a full inventory of what we're working with. Take it all off."
"What?" Mia blinked up at her.
"You heard me. Take. It. Off."
"Why?"
"Because the marks didn't stop at your ribs, sweetheart," Cassie said, gesturing at Mia's midriff. "We saw the scratches. We saw the hickey. But you're hiding half the story under that little waffle top. And the sweatpants? I've known you for three years, Mia. I've seen you change in this locker room a hundred times. You never keep your back to the lockers. You never turn away."
Mia felt her stomach flip. She hadn't realized she was that obvious.
"Take it off," Alyssa echoed, rising from her crouch. The girls had already formed a loose semicircle around her, cutting off any escape route. Rachel had folded her phone away entirely and was watching with the patient, unhurried gaze of a woman who knew the answer was coming, it was just a matter of when.
"You want me to strip for you?" Mia asked, buying time.
"We want to see the extent of the damage," Rachel said dryly. "For documentation purposes."
"Documentation."
"Mhm. Evidence. Visual confirmation. Whatever you want to call it."