Page 2 of Stay Toxic

“I’d never run,” Jolessa said. “That’s not something that’ll ever work out.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Why not?” she parroted. “Well, for one, if you’re in an abusive situation, you always run and get caught. It’s like every single thriller ever written. I’d rather be on my home turf.”

Jolessa did have a point, but…

I rolled my eyes. “Home turf or not, if you’re scared that your situation would hurt you or your baby.” I looked to Viveka, who was listening intently. “You run. And if you can’t run, or you’reafraid you’ll get caught, you go to the scariest man in the city and ask him to protect you and the baby.”

“Who would that be?” Jolessa rolled her eyes.

Jolessa lived in dreamland.

She had no clue that life was hard.

Sure, life wasn’t hard for Jolessa. Never had been or ever would be, but there were bad things happening all around her. It was like none of that affected her, though.

“I mean, here, right now?” I asked. “I’d find a scary person who you know you can trust with your child.”

“Like who, though?”

I thought about it for a second and then said, “That guy that recently made the national news. He’s a crazy dangerous millionaire. From some crime syndicate?”

“I saw some millionaire make the news recently,” Jolessa said, eyes thoughtful. “He spent years and years looking for his kidnapped sister and never gave up the search to find her.”

“You’d know that he’d watch out for your baby.” I nodded in agreement. “And has the means to pay for protection.”

“That’s all too fantastical.” Jolessa rolled her eyes. “Nothing like that ever happens in real life. You’d get caught, then suffer more. What’s the point in leaving?”

“Saving your unborn child from certain death?” I offered up sarcastically.

She waved that away. “It’s a book. It’s just drama for drama’s sake.”

I didn’t think this was all made up. I thought maybe this was Viveka trying to get some advice without actually outright asking for it.

“What is?”

I smiled at my boyfriend, Rupert, as he came into the room. “Hey, Ru.”

“Ru-Ru,” Jolessa chirped, smiling so wide at him that I rolled my eyes. Those two and their weird, quirky relationship. “Why don’t you give us your opinion?”

“What opinion would that be?” he asked as he came to sit between Jolessa and me instead of just taking the free seat on my side.

Jolessa laughed and scooted over.

I didn’t scoot over, but I did lean into his warmth.

He didn’t put his arm around me like I expected, but then he covered it up by reaching for his lunch that was still dangling from his shoulder.

“If you were trying to save your baby from an abusive father situation, what would you do? Try to run, or try to stay home and work it out?”

Rupert unzipped his lunch box and said, “I guess I’d need to know more details.”

I sighed.

Rupert and his details.

By the end of the discussion, Rupert and Jolessa were in agreement. The woman couldn’t run.

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