Page 9 of Fine, Dork

His parents sentenced him to an entire month of house arrest after that day, but he kept telling me that it was worth it and that he didn’t care. He said, “I wanted to make sure you were safe, K.” And I’d never forgotten how loved he made me feel.

???

Thirteen Years Old

I sat alone in the middle school cafeteria, letting the sea of voices wash over me, but not hearing a word. The familiar smells of cardboard, cleaner, and unappetizing lunchroom food filled my nose, making it nearly impossible to eat. Or, maybe it wasn’t the smells. Maybe my stomach ached for a different reason.

Jaxon sank onto the bench next to me with his tray and poked me in the ribs. “What’s wrong with your face, K? You look sad or something.”

If it were anyone but Jaxon trying to talk to me right now, I would have told them to piss off. I rested my forehead against my palm and thought about my encounter with the seventh-grade biology teacher yesterday afternoon. “J, Mr. Green is a creep. He was staring at my chest again when I went up to ask him a question.” I frowned and picked at my chicken nuggets.

I saw Jaxon’s eyes fall to my chest and then quickly shoot back up to my face. “That’s bad, K. You should report him.”

I shrugged. ”He just looks. He doesn’t say or do anything inappropriate.” A lot of guys looked at my body lately, and it made my skin crawl. It wasn’t my fault that I had the curves of a sixteen-year-old at only thirteen.

Jaxon watched me with narrowed eyes. His eyes looked so painfully blue today. They always did when he wore white. I shrugged again. “I don’t want to go to biology today. I think I’m going to skip.”

Jaxon nodded. “Don’t you have like a C in Green’s class right now? Do you think it’s a good idea to miss?”

I rolled my eyes. C’s were as good as F’s in Jaxon’s world. “I don’t care.”

Jaxon nodded again. “Where are you going to go?”

“Maybe like the mall or the park or something. I don’t know.” I nudged him with my elbow. “Wanna come with me?”

Jaxon’s eyes widened. “No. I can’t. My parents would kill me.”

Of course. Jaxon’s parents lived up to their family name— Wood. They were rigid and unbending when it came to rules. They were suffocating Jaxon and locking him in a cage of fake perfection. He needed a break as much as I did. We should run away together.

We could be happy on our own. He could be the strong, smart one, and I could be the brave, funny one. J & K against the world.

“Please come with me?” I felt sick to my stomach, thinking about Mr. Green’s beady little black eyes settling on my chest again. But Jaxon always made me feel safe.

Jaxon chewed on his lower lip. “I’ll hang out with you after school, for sure.”

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. I sighed and stood to dump my uneaten meal in the trash. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and saluted Jaxon before walking away. He loved his rules, or maybe he was afraid of them. I couldn’t tell which. It was fine. I could handle being on my own.

I pushed open the front doors of the middle school and breathed a sigh of relief when the warm spring air hit my face. Mr. Green would have to stare at someone else’s tits today. I crossed the street and headed for the park since the weather was so nice.

“Kinley! Wait up!” Jaxon jogged across the street with his backpack and met up with me.

I grinned and flung my arms around his neck. “You came!”

He grinned back at me and nodded. “Yeah, K.”

“I love you, J. You’re my best friend in the whole world!” I planted a big fat kiss on his smooth cheek and then laced my fingers through his as we walked.

“I love you, too.”

6

Kinley

I brought my camera on our hike to a waterfall the next day and drove everyone crazy with how often I stopped to snap a photo.

“Kinley!” Lyla groaned when I paused to photograph a little gray lizard. “That’s it. We’re leaving you.”

I shrugged and laughed. “That’s fine. Good luck finding the waterfall then. And good luck getting back to the beach house when I have the only car keys.” I turned the camera toward Lyla’s angry face and snapped another picture.

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