A Little More Ruthless

By Zoe Cannon

Nicole used to be a shy little nothing. Then the confident and popular Morgan took her under her wing. Morgan taught Nicole how to stand up for herself. She taught her how to make friends and how to keep them, how to make enemies and how to defeat them.

 

She taught Nicole how to be ruthless.

 

But when you create a monster, you have to be careful your creation doesn't turn on you.

 

Morgan wasn't careful. Now Morgan is gone. And someone else may be next.

 

This short story is 10,600 words long. It can also be found in With Friends Like These, a psychological thriller short story collection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zoe Cannon
• Release date: Jan 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223950943

Book preview

A Little More Ruthless

Zoe Cannon

© 2023 Zoe Cannon

http://www.zoecannon.com

All rights reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and events are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

A Little More Ruthless

Nicole clutched her stomach, afraid she was going to puke up her Sunrise Special all over the checkered vinyl tablecloth. She didn’t know if her sudden nausea was because of the grease her eggs and bacon had come swimming in, practically enough to qualify the meal as soup, or if it was because she had just handed the scowling, yellow-toothed waitress a credit card that wasn’t hers. Her eyes darted toward the door the waitress had disappeared through, then quickly away. She didn’t want to be obvious about her nerves, couldn’t afford to look like she had something to hide. She had chosen this diner—instead of ordering lobster on Morgan’s dime like she had been tempted to—because it didn’t look like the kind of place that was likely to notice a rat running across the kitchen, let alone someone using a stolen credit card. But people recognized shifty eyes everywhere.

For what felt like the hundredth time, she looked down at her low-cut top and sequined skirt, checking for blood. Not that it would have been visible against the fire-engine-red shirt, anyway. The outfit had been Morgan’s choice, of course. Morgan always insisted on dressing her for those parties. You know you have no eye for fashion, Nicole, she had said with that little laugh of hers. Good thing you have me to help you. Here, try this, as she had swept Nicole’s pastel sundress off the bed and shoved this outfit into her hands. The pastels would have shown the tiniest drop of blood. Nicole had never thought she would be grateful for one of Morgan’s outfit choices.

A brown fleck on her thigh made her breath catch. Was that… No. It was a crumb of bacon, that was all. She let out a laugh of relief, too loud, and looked around furtively to make sure no one had heard her. Which probably made it worse. Why had she ever thought she could get away with this?

Please, she begged the god she had thought she didn’t believe in anymore. All I need is a second chance. I’ll be a different person. A better person. Not the one Morgan made me into. I’ll be anything you want me to be, if you just help me.

The waitress slammed her card and receipt down on the table. Nicole jumped. The waitress stood over her and gave a grunt Nicole interpreted to mean, Sign already so I don’t have to bother with you anymore.

Nicole didn’t need the encouragement. As soon as she was out of here, she could drive for another few hours before she needed to risk coming face-to-face with another human again. She could probably even skip lunch and push straight through until dinner. After all the diets Morgan had put her on over the years, she was an expert at ignoring her hunger pangs. That meant a whole day of just her and the open road, and every