Veruca knows what it means to be selfish.
She's been doing it all her life, and she's gotten very good.
All she needs to do is trill her voice just so, and smile like a toothpaste commercial, and she gets everything she wants. She gets to be selfish. That used to be why she liked Violet. Violet is selfish, Veruca had thought. All she does is talk about her trophies; chewing her gum systematically, smiling her own toothpaste-grin. Veruca's grin was better, though. She practices more. That's why they got along. They were both so totally absorbed, so totally entranced with themselves. Well, that's what Veruca thought.
Violet pops her gum, making crackling sounds in her mouth. She brags about her new chewing trophy. She flips her blue hair haughtily. Veruca glances up. Ah, so they're pretending nothing happened. They've been doing that a lot. Every since Violet and her have gotten close, since Veruca has been going to Violet's karate tournaments, bubble blowing competitions, and now gymnastics events (thanks to new-found flexibility). Veruca has heard things. Things she knows no one besides Violet and her Mother knew about before they became friends. But now Veruca knows. Violet pops her gum. Veruca wants to reach over and slap her. She wants to scream. She wants to throw a fit. She wants to demand that Violet stopped listening to her mother. She wants to tell her that no matter what she's told, Violet's father didn't leave because she was a failure. Veruca wants to tell her that winning won't bring him back. That Violet's mother is lying.
Violet pops her gum.
Veruca just stands still and listens to her friend brag. She just lets Violet go on believing, go on feeling guilty. And why?
Because Veruca is selfish.
Even though Violet isn't.