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Bex nods and heads back inside the office, perching on the edge of the desk, but I hover aardly in the open doorway, crossing and uncrossing my arms

“So,” he says, in that sa it, or does it sound just the tiniest bit hollow? “I just wanted to chat really quick about the editorial you uploaded last night”

“Sure,” I repeat cautiously The essay was the last thing I thought about before I fell asleep and the first thing I thought about when I woke up—I think it’s one of the strongest things I’ve ever written—but so myself all of a sudden “Why, are you not into it?”

“No, no, I think it’s great,” Bex says quickly, holding his hands up “It’s really s is top-notch I guess I just wanted to les before we published it, that’s all”

I frown “What’s there to think about?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Bex says, tilting his head to the side “You’re taking some pretty bold positions, don’t you think?”

“I guess,” I say slowly “I mean, I didn’t think they were that bold”

“Look, Marin, don’t get ” Bex smiles “It’s a stellar piece This school is just full of a bunch of dopes, that’s all As your adviser, I want to ht come your way”

“You think I’et blowback?” I ask, surprised The idea hadn’t actually occurred to me, and all at once I wonder if that makes me completely naive “From who?”

“I have no idea,” Bex says immediately “Not frouard if people aren’t crazy about what you have to say, that’s all”

I nod, crossing hter until it al the distinct iether, and part ofI want is for people around school to think I’m some kind of militant feminist

The other part of me can’t help but wonder if somehow this is related to what happened in his apartment

“Isn’t that the point of being the editor of the paper?” I ask finally, forcing ht and push my shoulders back like someone who knows her ownstuff that makes other people uncomfortable sometimes?”

Bex looks ath,” he says, as the warning bell rings for homeroom “We’ll put it in the next issue”

The seed of doubt Bex planted inroots and leaves and flowers; by the time third period rolls around, it’s practically a national park I’s, but when she scurries into Bex’s classrooether