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Chapter Thirty-Five
Juno
Justin did not cometo cooking school on Monday. Not that I cared, but on our walk home I turn to Bode and say, “What exactly did you say to Justin the other night?”
He laughs and shakes his head.
“What?”
“I told him I overheard him the other day in the garden, and that I was going to call the President and repeat everything I heard.”
“Oh.”
“I think he nearly pissed himself,” he says.
I laugh. “Serves him right.”
He grabs my hand. “I should have punched him in the face.”
I lean into his shoulder and say, “I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Yeah, for the best.”
I look at him and ask, “Did you tell him not to come back to the cooking school?”
He nods. “I told him if I ever saw his fucking face again, I’d wouldn’t wait for the President. I’d take care of him myself.”
“Oh.”
“Seems like he got the message,” he says.
“Seems like he did,” I respond.
He stops walking and cups my face in his hand. “What he wanted to do – use you like that, I don’t think any thing has ever made me more angry. And that’s before I knew you were a virgin. I can’t even imagine if he’d taken you home.”
“I know,” I say quickly. “I was really naïve, wasn’t I?”
He looks right in my eyes. “It’s not your fault. Unfortunately he was a dick. It’s just that you’ve got a target on your back. That’s what worries your brothers.”
“I know. It sucks,” I respond.
“It does. I’m sorry,” he says. His hands are still on my face. It’s making me feel warm and tingly inside.
“You have it too, you know?” I say.
He looks confused. “What?”
“The target.”
He drops his hand and sighs. “You’re right. I do.”
“I’m sure a lot of women would enjoy your bank account,” I say.
“Don’t I fucking know it. It’s hard to trust people,” he says.
“I guess I’m just learning that,” I respond. Honestly, I’d thought about the physical threats before, but I’d never considered the other ways people might want to hurt me. I’m realizing how incredibly naïve that made me. I don’t want to walk through life afraid of everyone, but I’m going to have to learn to protect myself.
He looks at me with such sadness that it makes my chest hurt. “I wish it wasn’t that way.”
