Page 5 (1/2)

Para let out a sniff she’d clearly been holding on to “It’s… not anything big Just hi a creep like usual”

“Should I co head in?”

Para giggled a little, like she thought it was justserious If I’d known exactly where she lived, I don’t think I could have contained myself It pissed ood guy in public, pillar of his fucking community and all, and then once he closed the front door on the rest of the world he treated his daughter like a doll he couldhate two-faced people At least I can say for uy just because the whole world was looking at et in private

Honestly I didn’t knohy Para stayed at hohteen now, she could walk any ti her dad could do about it But her life was her business, I couldn’t go thinking I had the right to burst in and tell her ould be better for her I could think of lots of reasons sheherone—and I just had to hope if she got to a point where she really needed to get out, she would get out And that she kneould help her if she needed that, not that there was much I could do in my situation

If Para knehat had happened with Julia, she probably wouldn’t even want to haveI’d needed to worry about yet, so… I wasn’t worrying about it yet

“I had a shit day too,” I told her “Nothing like yours probably, but people having a go at me at school like always, and I’ether, take out some enemy defenses?”

I could alrin “I’m here, aren’t I, Badman? Do you think I’ve showed up to be a spectator?”

“I would never assume you were a spectator in any part of your life,” I told her, not entirely honestly I felt really fucking bad about it too, even though there was no way she needed to hear me tell her she was helpless in the face of her father’s bullshit Even I believe that lies are necessary so scuht?”

“Hell yeah,” said Para, in that soft little-kid voice of hers she’d had since she was fifteen

It was a good session Potatoes showed up about an hour later, probably just getting up or some crazy other-side-of-the-world deal, and he must have had a shitty day too, because with our co on the server by about fifty spots At soed on the door to letsome chicken in the oven, and he’d leave a plate outside my door if I didn’t coot it, how futile it was us getting together pretending to be soht fa

I’d kind of thought a Wild Duty session would coolso infuriated about what had happened with Ta some nobody whose face I saw in between classes now and then

But when I was finally done for the night and had gone off to bed, I was having trouble getting wound down from the adrenaline, and all I could think about was Tamara The way she had just interfered like that, and then acted like she was in the right, still hadbaby; it was bullshit that she needed a friend to hover around looking out for her just because she was female Nobody had ever done that for me, that was certain

Her outraged panic when I’d been holding her arm The way her eyes shuttered over a little, like she was trying to hide whatever she was feeling fro hold of her like that gotabout it because that was tootime to even start to feel sleepy

I’d decided so to be keeping a special eye on Tamara Hills fro ready for her

Chapter Four: Tamara