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“S-sorry, ma’am,” the other girl said to Pippa before hurrying out the door with Christie at her heels.
“I’m telling my dad. You’re going to regret treating me like this!” Cara screamed and stomped out of the store.
Pippa turned back to Aspen and Rachel. “You girls okay?”
Rachel nodded timidly before standing and gathering her things. “I better go too. My mom is probably done at the gym.”
“That was awesome. I wish I had it on video.” Aspen beamed at Pippa as Rachel gave them a quick wave and disappeared out of the store.
“Well, I want you to know you’re safe here, especially since you and your father did the same for me last week,” Pippa assured her.
“I want to be you when I grow up.” Aspen sighed.
Pippa’s belly fluttered. She’d done what she wished someone had done for her just once. Growing up with a plus-size body and a disability had made her the target of many bullies. People like Cara had preyed on any weakness they found. Add on to that the fact that she, too, had lost her mom, and that her dad had been in prison for a while, and Pippa had been outcast numero uno.
“Did you like the new episode?” Pippa motioned to the comic on the table.
Aspen’s eyes lit up as she hugged it to her chest. “Definitely. I’m already halfway through.”
“It’s a pretty cool comic. What do you love about it so much?”
Aspen gushed about the heroine and her abilities to see other people’s true self. “I wish we could all see people for who they were. I don’t understand why people can be so terrible.”
Like Cara? “Me too.”
Aspen swiped a strand of hair behind her ear. Pippa’s gaze snagged on the red scratch marks on her forearm she hadn’t seen earlier. She reached out and grasped her wrist, turning the girl’s arm to get a better look. “What are these from?”
Aspen tugged her arm away, hiding it behind her back and shrugging. “The 3Cs strike again.” Aspen’s earlier cheer was gone from her voice.
“The 3Cs?”
“Cara, Christie, and Crystal. They’re on my soccer team, and when we had a scrimmage the other day, well, I don’t know. It happened, but I still got the ball and scored.”
Worry cinched Pippa’s gut. Aspen was a sweetheart, and she didn’t deserve this. Did Mason know? “Did you tell your dad about them?”
Aspen rolled her eyes. “You’re almost as protective as he is. Is that your boyfriend?” She pointed to Troy at the front desk.
Boyfriend? “Troy? No. He’s my new employee.”
Aspen smiled mischievously. “So, you don’t have a boyfriend?”
Pippa shook her head and laughed.
“You should totally come to my house again sometime and see the cool tree house my dad and Finn built for me. It has a built-in bookshelf and everything.”
“That sounds amazing. I know I would have loved one of those when I was your age.”
“Your dad didn’t build you one?” Aspen asked.
Pippa shook her head. They’d never lived anywhere with room for a structure. “Nope. So I built my own.” She opened her arms and spread them out towards the bookstore.
“That’s awesome.” Aspen’s eyes lit up. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is my first Saturday off in so long. I plan on spending it at the beach.” Pippa would splurge and order an Uber to take her. She needed to get out and feel the sand between her toes.
“Which one?”
“Shattered Cove Beach is the closest. Probably that one.”
