Page 7 of My Favorite Girl

“He died when I was a baby.”

Dan frowns. “I’m sorry to hear that. My mom died giving birth to me. My dad has always resented me for it.”

My mouth opens and closes with shock, not knowing how to respond. “I don’t know what to say. That must be so… difficult for you.”

“Won’t lie, I’m pretty fucked up over it.”

Asorry for your lossdoesn’t seem appropriate in this moment. I don’t know what does. Surely Josh doesn’t resent Dan, but it doesn’t feel right for me to comment on that topic either. With my heart pounding, I reach out and place my hand on Dan’s as an offer of comfort, relieved when he doesn’t pull away.

Dan looks down at our two hands then up at me, his throat working. His fingers curl around mine and give a little squeeze. “I don’t talk about her. Ever. Can I hear the rest of your story?”

Respecting his privacy, I continue. “Has Josh told you about my mom’s last boyfriend?”

“Me and my dad don’t really talk.”

I kind of figured things were tense between them. There have been a few snide comments made here and there, fromboth father and son, but for the most part, they seem pleasant together whenever I’m around.

“Well, my mom was a victim of domestic violence. The last man she dated… I was just a kid when they were together. We lived with him for a few years and he was terrible. He hit her many times. I’m confident he would have…” My voice trembles and my throat restricts. The words are too painful to speak out loud, that he would have killed her if she hadn’t found the strength to leave.

From the shock on Dan’s face, I get the impression he understands exactly what my silence is hinting at. It feels a little strange sharing these intimate details of my mother’s life, but the domestic violence was a part of my life too. Mom’s ex never laid his hands on me, but having a front row seat to him abusing my mother has left its scar on me in other ways.

I take a steadying breath. “My therapist says what I witnessed made me retreat into myself. It affected my confidence and social skills. I’ve dealt with ongoing panic attacks because of the abuse. And, well… I suppose it’s impacted my school life. The other girls think I’m too quiet and… strange, I guess. They’ve done some pretty terrible things to me.”

“Fuck them. Seriously.” Dan speaks the words too loud, and with a little too much frustration, earning us glares from nearby people. He squeezes my hand again, controlling his voice this time. “We’re friends now. I’ll meet you at your school gates every afternoon.”

I lick my lips, tingling from the way he looks directly into my eyes. “Everyafternoon? What about your friends?”

“I see them all day at school. They can live without me in the afternoons.”

I retrieve my hand from his and look down at my textbook, though there’s no way I can focus on anything but what Dan hassuggested. “Don’t you have other commitments, like, a girlfriend and stuff?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“You have girls, though. I… hear things about you.”

Dan laughs, my gaze flicking up to him and seeing his lips tug into a grin. “Yeah, like what?” He folds his arms across his chest, deeply amused, and I blush all over again.

“You’re a Blackwood. Do I need to say more?”

“Yeah, I think you do.”

I throw my pen at him, laughing. He dodges the attack. “Are you just trying to make me say more dirty things, like sackbut?”

“Yeah, I am.” He grins. “You seem innocent. Too innocent.”

He’s got that right. The way Dan hassexwritten all over him, I’m sure I read asvirgin.

“You ever been kissed?” he asks.

I frown with terrible memories coming back to me. “Yes. Once.”

“What, the guy didn’t treat you right or something?”

“Um… the bullying I told you about? At one point, turns out the girls had asked a guy to pretend to be into me. They all thought it would be funny if they dared him to kiss me and caught it on camera.”

His brows pinch together. “What the fuck, Ally.”

“Yeah.” My voice retreats. I grab a pen from my pencil case, twisting it between my fingers as an outlet for my nervous energy. “I don’t have a good experience with guys. Even men, after what I witnessed with Mom’s ex. That’s why I like Josh. He’s kind to us and he cares. He treats me like I imagine a dad would treat his daughter.” I bite my bottom lip, worrying that I’ve said the wrong thing. “Sorry if that’s hard for you to hear. I know things between you two aren’t good.”

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