Page 66 of Defend Me

All are cruel whose power is so newly won

I clutched the edge of the toilet tightly as I retched. There wasn’t much in my stomach to begin with since I’d barely eaten this morning. The impending meeting with Ms. Whitlock had my stomach fucked up from the moment I got out of bed. Now, it was worse.

My hands shook as I wiped my mouth. After I’d brushed my teeth, I adjusted my bun, making sure the strands were in place. I stopped, taking a moment to listen to the little rebel in my head, then I ripped the tie from my hair and let it fall over my shoulders.

After snapping a picture with my tongue out and holding up a peace sign, I sent it to Tilian. He responded so quickly that it was almost like he waited by his phone at all times.

Tilian:Is it weird if I say u look gorgeous? What’s the occasion?

Brooks:Viva la revolution?

Chaos?

Fuck it, it’s Friday?

Tilian:I’ll do you one better. Anarchy.

Brooks:I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Feral.

Tilian:You’ve also said cute.

Brooks:Prove it in a court of law.

I was just about to search my fridge for something light to eat when my phone started buzzing. Tilian avoided phone calls like the plague, so I knew it wasn’t him.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t been expecting this one.

Consequences.

I tapped my earbud to connect it. “Yeah.”

“Brooks, what is going on?” my mom asked. Her voice was controlled, which didn’t mean she was calm. It could mean anything.

“Nothing. What’s going on with you?”

“You didn’t call me last night. I haven’t heard from you today. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom.”

“Good. Maybe you’ll tell me why Holly was being ambiguous when I asked her how your meeting went.”

I gripped the fridge handle tightly. “Couldn’t tell you.”

“Brooks. You’re always straight with us.”

“You don’t want me to tell you.”

“Of course I do. Did you offend her somehow?”

“If refusing to fuck her is offensive, then yeah, we’ll go with that.”

There was a long beat of silence. I used it to peruse the shelves. Nothing looked good. I was pretty sure if I put any of it in my stomach, I’d throw up again.

“She tried to sleep with you?” she asked in a pinched voice.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you didn’t read the situation wrong?”

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