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For a second, she forgot to play cool She forgot who she was talking to “No way! That ”

“You think?”

“It’s like every sci-fi drea screen!” It was too late to pull back her overenthusiastic words She was always doing things like this to herself, even now that she’d been coached on how to behave in public by professionals

Noret so excited about movies Geeks did It made people uncomfortable, and no one else was really that interested That hat her mother had told her Daily Froirl who talked about how she wanted to ation controls on a spaceship from a futuristic movie and put them into cars someday

She’d been ee subjects constantly, no filter for her excite her norh that she’d bought Julia a prom date when she’d been sixteen

That had been the end of it The end of trying to be norht There was no protection in nor yourself vulnerable? That was the biggest mistake of all

She’d coer And when she’d taken off that ridiculous pink dress, the one she’d spent hours choosing, she’d put ar ever since On that, Ferro was right She didn’t really like that Ferro was right

Still, even with the ares to sh Not anymore She had a public face that was so et by in theto take too many pot shots

Which was fine with her She’d had quite enough growing up

Stupid bitch, I was doing you a favor No other guy will ever touch you

She shook off the memory It didn’t matter Those words, the touch of his hands, the way they seeer, didn’t matter She’d moved on Moved forward She’d kept her head down and worked hard, free froht, not after all that

It hy she’d succeeded And with all her money, she’d hired her consultants, consultants who’d helped ame heroine, who’d helped her learn to speak with poise and confidence