Page 58 of Leo
“Alright, alright.”I sighed, pushing away from Leo with a rueful smirk in his direction.
He rolled his eyes, busying himself straightening his clothes and pretending not to be embarrassed while I headed for the kitchen.“Seriously,” Bethany snapped as soon as I stepped across the threshold.“I told you I was fine with you two dating but oh mygod!”
“Okay, come up with another invective.”
“Holy shit?”she suggested.“Would that one work for you?As inholy shit, a child lives here, for fuck’s sake!”
“Okay, bridge too far, Bethany.”
She opened the microwave door, then scowled, realizing her rolls were still frozen, that she’d never turned the device on in the first place.“God.”
I sighed, reaching out to touch her arm but freezing when she shifted away.The pang of worry, of impending failure, ofgoddamnit how do I fix thisblazed hot and bright.“I want to help, Bethany.”
My voice wavered just a little, and I hated it.My job was to be the strong one, the one in control of all the things but nottooin control.To protect Bethany and keep her safe but not smother her.And I was pretty sure I was smothering here, but I couldn’t figure out how to stop.
Bethany closed her eyes and leaned her head against the fridge, curling in on herself just a little.I held my tongue, not wanting to push but desperately wanting to know why the sudden shift in her attitude, why was she mad at me now, what was going on that she wasn’t telling me about…
“I had a really bad day,” she finally said.“Taylor told everyone the only reason Mr.Donaldson chose my poem to be read at the festival next month was because my parents are dead, and he felt sorry for me.I told him to,” she paused, then muttered, “fuck off and eat a bag of dicks.Hedidn’t get in trouble, butIgot detention after school for two days and I have to sit out the rest of the poetry club meetings this semester.”She reached in her pocket and drew out a poorly folded sheet of paper, shoving it at me.“The principal’s office was supposed to call you, but they might’ve just left a voice mail at the bakery or something.”
I sighed, reading the official notice of her detention for Monday and Tuesday of next week.“They gave you two detentions for cursing?Seriously?What the actual fuck?””
“Well,” she said, shrugging one shoulder but not bothering to hide her small smirk at my swearing, “I cussed at him but then I also kind of pushed him a little.With the back of my hand.Against his face.”
“Youbackhanded him?I know I’m supposed to tell you not to do things like that but… kudos, really,” I said.The school would definitely be getting a pissed off visit from me on Monday morning.I seriously considered abusing my internet connection to look up the home address of the principal and the parents of the kids involved, but no matter how much I wanted to pay them a personal visit to reenact Bethany’s backhand, I was fairly certain going to jail for assault wouldn’t do any of us any good.So angry guardian it is.
“He was saying gross things about me, and about how Mom and Dad would think I was a loser and how you were too busy…” She blushed furiously.“That you were too busy doing stuff with Leo to care that I was a…” She trailed off.“Well.And he was making fun of the shop and the videos and I just kind of…” She made a backhanding motion at about face-height.“He was okay.I barely tapped him.”
“Bethany Anne.”I sighed.“I love you so much.So goddamn much, you know?And Mom and Dad would be so fiercely proud of you and how amazing you are and the person you’re turning into.But I don’t need you to smack a snot-nosed brat for me.”
“I kind of did it for me,” she admitted.“I feltgoodafter.”Her lips curved into a beatific smile.“I almost don’t mind detention, but I’m kind of afraid it’ll look bad when I apply for that internship junior year.”
“I don’t think it’ll be more than a blip, really, and so long as you don’t go around laying out every asshole you meet, I think you should be okay.”I sighed again and let my head fall back.“Okay, so this is the part where I’m supposed to tell you not to do shit like that and to be mature and blah blah blah and violence isn’t the answer.”
“Consider me told.”
“Will you remember, though?”
Bethany smiled faintly.“I’ll remember.Now, will I apply that knowledge, that’s a different matter entirely.”
“Beebs,” I groaned.“Come on.Only hit in self-defense, okay?”
“Or in defense of others?”
I narrowed my eyes.“Only if you’re defending them from actual, immediate harm.Not defending my honor against a pubescent dork.”
“Fine, fine.Do I have to apologize to Taylor?”
“Probably.I’ll call the school on Monday and talk to the principal find out what the plan is.The fact they’re punishing you for defending yourself is bullshit but youdidhit the kid… If this crap sticks,” I waved the ISS notice at her, “you’re going to do your actual schoolwork in there, okay?No dinking around on your phone or spending the day doodling.Give ‘em one less thing to ride your ass about until I get this sorted.”
“That’s what I usually do in class,” she said innocently, breaking into a laugh when I made a face.She fidgeted with the end of her plait for a moment, and I waited.I knew that fidget—she was about to ask for a favor, and I wasn’t disappointed.“Could you maybe see if I can still go to after school clubs?Because we’re working on a chapbook in poetry club and I really want to be able to help and Mr.Abernathy, one of the club supervisors, saidtwoof my poems are really good and—”
“And,” I said gently, holding up a hand to stem the flow of her words.“We’ll see.”She jutted her lip out, annoyed, but I shook my head.“This isn’t me being a dick, Bethany.I don’t know what she’ll say but I’ll do my best, okay?”
Bethany nodded, a bit of her excitement about poetry club dimmed for the moment.
“Everything okay?”Leo asked tentatively.He was in the kitchen doorway, glancing between us with a very apprehensive expression.
“We’re good.Bethany just had a bad day.”
