LITMIR.BIZ

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and whirled to face Raven, her cheeks hot with fury. “How could you say that to him? You called him a creep. You … you used that word. The F-word. He’ll never want to see me again.”

      “Please.” Raven made a sound of derision. “He is a creep, Julie. And the F-word is just a word. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. There, I said it four times and nobody’s dead or anything.”

      “Do you always have to be so crude? It makes me sick.”

      “Do you always have to be so easy? It makes me embarrassed for you.”

      Julie took a step back, feeling as if the other girl had slapped her. “Thanks a lot. I thought you were my friend.”

      “And I thought—”

      Andie stepped between them. “Stop it, both of you! If we don’t get out of here now, Julie’s sunk. What’s the matter with you guys? We’re supposed to be friends.”

      “I’m not going anywhere with her.” Julie folded her arms across her chest. “Not until she apologizes.”

      “Why should I? It’s true.”

      “It’s not! Ryan said he loves me. That changes everything.”

      The words fell between them like a dead cat. Andie and Raven exchanged glances.

      “What?” Julie asked, indignant. “Why are you two looking at each other like that?”

      “Julie,” Andie said gently, “you hardly know him.”

      “That doesn’t matter. With love, that doesn’t matter.” She looked from one to the other, knowing she sounded almost desperate. Sudden tears stung her eyes. “He said he loves me, and I know he meant it.”

      “How?” Raven muttered. “By his hard dick?”

      Julie sucked in a sharp breath, hurt. “You guys are supposed to be my friends. You’re supposed to stick up for me. You’re supposed to … to understand.”

      “We are your friends.” Andie squeezed her arm. “And we do understand, Julie. But friends are also supposed to try to protect each other. Guys will … they’ll say anything to get what they want. You know that.”

      “But, Ryan—”

      “Look, Julie,” Raven cut in, her tone that of an impatient mother with her toddler, “get real. You ran into the guy at the bowling alley. He’s never even asked you out.”

      “He said he liked me all last year. He didn’t ask me out because he was a senior and I was a freshman and—”

      “And time for a reality check,” Raven cut in, rolling her eyes. “Did you, like, take classes in being stupid?”

      “Thanks a lot,” Julie said, nudging her glasses up to the bridge of her nose with her index finger, her voice quivering with hurt. “I guess it’s hard for either of you to believe that a boy as cute and smart and … and as important as Ryan Tolber would like me, ridiculous little Julie Cooper.”

      “That’s not it at all.” Andie shot a warning look at Raven. “And you should know that. We think you’re the best. We think you’re too good for him. Isn’t that right, Rave?”

      “Way too good,” Raven answered. “He’s not even in the same league with you.”

      “Really?” Julie blinked back tears even as she glared at Raven. “Then why are you always so ugly to me? You act like you’re so much smarter than I am. Like you know so much more about everything. It makes me feel bad.”

      “I’m sorry, Julie. It’s just that sometimes you act like all you care about is boys and making out. You know, if you keep this up, people are going to call you a slut. Some already do. And it really makes me mad.”

      “A slut,” Julie whispered, her world rocking. “People are … they’re calling me a—” She looked at Andie in question, hardly able to see through her tears. Andie would never deliberately hurt her, but she wouldn’t lie, either. Andie never lied. “Are people … are they really … calling me that?”

      Andie hesitated, then put an arm around her. “We’re just trying to protect you, Julie. Because we love you.”

      Raven joined the other two. “I shouldn’t have said those things. I just get so pissed off when I see you setting yourself up to be hurt that way. You’re too good for guys like Ryan Tolber. He’s a user.”

      “I’m sorry,” Julie whispered, turning and hugging Raven. “I know you’re only trying to help me. But you’re wrong about Ryan. You both are. You’ll see.”

      “I hope you’re right,” Raven said, hugging her back. “I really do.”

      “Guys,” Andie murmured, glancing at her watch, “it’s almost nine now. Any ideas how we’re going to get Julie home by her curfew?”

      Julie looked at her friends, the full impact of her situation sinking in. “My dad’s going to kill me,” she whispered. She brought a hand to her mouth. “He’s going to … he’ll—”

      She started to run. Her friends ran after her, but she didn’t pause or glance back, just continued to put one foot before the other. She pictured her father, standing at the kitchen door, watch in hand. She could almost hear his lecture, his litany of criticisms and accusations. His disappointment.

      The clock on Thistledown’s town square began to chime, ringing out her defeat. She wasn’t going to make it. It was too late.

      Julie stopped, panting, swamped by tears. “Why am I even bothering?” She dropped to her knees, despair overwhelming her. “I’ve done it again. Screwed up again. What’s the matter with me?”

      “Nothing’s the matter with you.” Andie sank to the ground beside her and patted her arm. “Come on, don’t give up. We still have a chance.”

      “No, we don’t. Listen to the clock.” It chimed the ninth and final ring, the last of it vibrating a moment on the night air before leaving silence behind. “I’m dead.” She covered her face with her hands. “He’s right about me. I’m no good at all. An embarrassment. A stupid, vain—”

      “Don’t you say that!” Raven shouted and started to run. “He’s not right. He’s not!”

      Confused, Julie leaped to her feet. “Raven, what are you … We can’t make it!”

      Andie followed her up. They exchanged glances, then ran after their friend. “Raven,” they called in unison, “wait for us, we—”

      Even as the words were leaving their lips, Raven fell, landing on her knees, catching herself with her hands, skidding on the road’s gravel shoulder.

      With a cry, the other two raced to her side.

      “Are you okay?”

      “You’re bleeding!”

      Raven ignored them and eased into a sitting position. She gazed at her badly skinned knees and hands. “Not good enough,” she muttered, turning her gaze to the rocky ground. She selected a jagged-edged rock about the size of a lime.

      Even as Julie opened her mouth to ask her friend what she was doing, Raven drew her hand back and brought the rock crashing down on her leg. She barely flinched as the rock gouged a bloody path from her knee to her midcalf.

      “There,” Raven said, her voice quivering. “That should do it.”

      “Oh my gosh.” Julie brought a shaking hand to her mouth, gazing at the growing puddle of blood on the ground by her friend’s foot. “Raven, what … Why did you do that?”

      Raven lifted her gaze. “I’m not about to stand back and let you take another round of your old man’s shit. I’ve been watching you take it since you were eight years old, and enough’s enough. This should take the heat off you.” She

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