Page 85 of A Scandal in Homeroom
“Right. She’s still your girlfriend. So you don’t get to be angry because I’m hanging out with Sinjun. Do you?”
“No,” Ed said, the word like it had to be pulled out of him. “I don’t.”
“Good. Fight over. Sorry,” Janie announced to everyone. “I’m not hungry.”
With that, she strode off, but not before I saw her wipe a tear from her cheek.
“I’ll go after her,” Irene communicated to Beth, who was also out of her seat. The two girls exchanged a look and Beth seemed to concede that Irene was better for this particular job.
Irene ran after Janie, then there was a tense silence where Ed was just staring at nothing.
Finally, he turned his head in Beth’s direction. “I know you think I’m an asshole, but I’m only looking out for her. Sinjun St. John is not a good guy. He walks around all day telling everyone howwokehe is. And he wears Birkenstocks!”
“Yes, Ed. I’m sure you’re doing an excellent job of saving Janie from guys who wear Birkenstocks.” She sighed and shook her head. “I should go after them, too. The sisterhood and all.”
She also stood as if to leave.
“Wait,” Ed called to her. He reached across the table for the lunch bag Janie had left behind. “Take this to her. She doesn’t get much…she’ll be hungry. Once she’s done being pissed at me, she’ll be hungry.”
Beth took the bag, patted Darcy on the shoulder in lieu of goodbye, and left.
“Well, that was entertaining,” I mused.
“Fuck you, Locke,” Ed retaliated.
“For what it’s worth, I haven’t been in the boyfriend business that long, but I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to call the girl stupid. I’m told they don’t like that.”
Ed practically snarled at me from across the table, and Darcy, who was seated next to him, put a hand on his shoulder to settle him down.
“Relax, Ed. And you, stop egging him on.”
“Me?” I said innocently.
“I would rather talk about what happened at the game on Friday night,” Fitz said. “Did you get in?”
I nodded.
“Was Beth’s dad there?” Fitz asked me.
“He was,” I answered truthfully.
“How bad is it? I mean, do you have any sense of what kind of trouble he’s in?”
“No,” I answered. This time not so truthfully.
I didn’t think Darcy was ready to know what I was only beginning to suspect. That Mr. Bennet wasn’t so much in trouble as he was a troublemaker.
“What’s your next step?”
“Simple,” I answered. “The next step is always the one in front of me.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Precisely that.” I stood then, eager to get to it.
“I want answers, Locke,” Fitz said. “When you know something, I want to know first. If only so I can prepare Beth for the worst. You get me?”
I did get him. It was odd, but that protective instinct was suddenly strong inside me, too, when I can’t say I’d ever felt it before. Darcyneededto protect Beth. To cushion whatever blow might be coming, because her pain was his pain.
