Sierra’s Reviews > The Girls I've Been > Status Update

Past: after they got rid of knitting needle dude, Abby acted like it was all Nora’s fault, even had her convinced getting mollested was a mistake on her- the 11 year old!!
Abby allows her to be herself for their next “con”, lets her use her real name- Ashley. By this point Nora/Ashley doesn’t even know who her true self is since she’s spent her entire life pretending to be these characters her mom comes up w.
They’re staying at a hotel w a tennis club to scout their next target when they meet Raymond…Ashley pickpockets men there to keep her & Abby afloat, Raymond notices, is impressed by them, tells Ashley that he knows they’re scammers. She freaks out telling her mom, thinking it’s her fault & they’ll have to leave again. Raymond leaves flowers for Abby at the front desk w a note asking her for dinner…Abby is smitten, wants to settle down w him after only a few dates, Ashley is just pushed to the side now that Abby has a new fixation.
Abby & Raymond quickly get married, she moves her & Ashley into his house. Raymond is abusive asf, leaves bruises all over Ashley- Abby does nothing. She tells Ashley he’s her father now, complains when she’s not fully adjusting to this new lifestyle. Ashley realizes how selfish her mom is, how strong her sister is..she gets a burner phone, a knife & a gun- decides she’s gonna be free too like her sister, makes a running-away box & hides it.

Past- the night she got away:
Ashley falls asleep on the couch in the living room w Raymond & Abby- she doesn’t like leaving her mom alone w him cause he beats her too. She wakes up to the sound of them arguing in his office..goes in to see her mom covered in blood..him accusing her of stealing money, pointing a gun at her! Abby does nothing, just allows the abuse, cowers in the corner like a child while 11 year old Ashley sticks up for them. She lies saying she stole the money & buried it under the dock on the beach, they go out there & she digs up her box- he doesn’t know she has a gun so when she hands him the box, she drops it last second & shoots him instead.

Present- the bomb successfully works, lighting the bathroom on fire. Red cap comes to let them out, they throw another bomb thingy at him, it explodes on his stomach, he’s all bloody.
Iris & Ashley are trying to get outta there when Duane comes in & hits Ashley w his shot gun, shoots & kills Red Cap! He knocks Iris out, flings her over his shoulder, forces Ashley to leave Wes inside the bank & they all exit through the basement. Duane is using Iris as a human shield…Ashley realizes he has a grenade in his coat pocket- screams to the cops trying to warn them but they don’t hear in time.
The grenade goes off, Duane shoves them into his car parked behind the bank, starts driving to a barn.
Ashley throws herself out of the car, trying to get him away from Iris who’s still unconscious in the backseat. Ashley tuck & rolls out, runs as fast as she can toward the barn so Duane will chase her & get away from Iris.

They’re in the barn, Ashley is trying to come up with an idea on how to get outta this, things aren’t looking too good- he has a gun & she has a knife.
Then she sees Iris up in the little loft area- she woke up & found a latter outside, climbed up there. She likes to dress in vintage dresses w petticoats- lights her petticoat on fire & throws it at Duane! He’s busy trying to stop, drop & roll- Ashley is able to get the gun from him.
Cops rescue wes & the rest of the hostages, they find Iris, Duane & Ashley in the barn, Duane is arrested.

Past: Ashley shoots Raymond but that doesn’t kill him so she grabs the box & smashes his head in. Lee already had a plan in the works to get her a fingerprint kit so they could access his safe & provide authorities w evidence of his crimes. Now that she’s screwed up the plan she’s gotta cut his hand off to get in his safe…once she’s finished she calls Lee. Her mom just sits in bed asking where Raymond is, doesn’t care what she put her daughter through just wants to be comforted by her abuser.

Ending is dragging on- everyone makes it out safe. Ashley/Nora is afraid that Duane will blow her cover when he gets to prison by telling Raymond where she is, she doesn’t tell Lee tho cause she doesn’t wanna move away again.

Sometime later Nora/Ashley visits her mom in jail. Her realll name is Natalie- girls got 50 “real” names!
She tells her mom abt the hard drive she kept from Raymond’s safe, she had to figure out how to decode it but found that it was his blackmail folder- from priests to businessmen, other criminals- tons of dirt people. She says if he sends anyone after her that she’ll make sure it’s leaked & everyone will know it was from him so he’ll have a ton of hits on him.
Her mom is still the same- makes too many excuses for her behavior, doesn’t acknowledge the abuse, still considers herself a good mom after everything- they even hint that Lee was molested as a kid too…she’s still in love w Raymond, takes his side on it all. But she does tell Nora/ashley/natalie lmao to run, get a new identity, to never stop hiding from him.
Nora’s proud of herself for out-conning her mom.
Books ends w her final name being Nora lol !