Page 78 of One Life to Loathe

“Full House?” His brow furrowed. “You mean that terrible television show with Uncle Jesse?”

“That would be the one.”

“That’s okay. I still want to hear about it. I’m not asking for terrible memories.”

“Just something embarrassing?”

“That would work.”

I didn’t have to think on it long. “I could tell you about the time I first got my period and told the counselors at the camp I was at for the week that I was hemorrhaging.”

He chuckled.

“That story is only funny for about a minute, though,” I continued. “I guess I could tell you about my senior prom.”

“Did you wear pink?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it.”

“I didn’t actually make it to the prom, though.” This wasn’t a happy memory, which was why I’d landed on it. He needed me to be vulnerable, and this was the best option I had. “I was really excited for the prom—Tad Daily invited me, and he was the most popular boy at school—but I never got the dream dance that I thought I would.”

He frowned. “What happened?”

“It turns out he only invited me because all the boys in school had a bet to see who could … deflower, for lack of a better word … me before we graduated. When I informed him that my parents weren’t going to let me stay at the hotel with everybody else, he decided that he wanted to take someone who he could score with and he stood me up.”

Leo’s lips turned down. “This is not a fun story.”

“Your story wasn’t fun either,” I reminded him.

“No, but now I want to find Tad Daily and punch him in the face.”

“Oh, I would like that.” I managed a soft smile. “It hardly matters, though. I spent the entire weekend in bed after I was stood up—my mother kept bringing me brownies to try to perk me up—and when school rolled around again, I didn’t want to go. I was certain that everybody would be making fun of me when I walked through the door.”

“Your parents didn’t let you stay home from school?” Leo looked appalled at the news.

“Well, if I skipped, I would’ve missed my perfect attendance certificate.”

“Oh, geez.” His smile was back. “I should’ve known you were the one in your school to get that certificate.”

“You really should have,” I agreed. “I got it every year. I could’ve had malaria and still made it to school. That’s who I was.”

“I almost got charged with truancy when I was still living with my parents.”

“Yes, well, I was encouraged to be a good girl. You became a good man all on your own. That’s the better accomplishment.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” He was firm. “Tell me what happened with Tad the cad.”

“Nothing happened. He didn’t even apologize. Everybody laughed because they thought it was funny I believed he could be interested in me. I cried when I got home. Then it was done.”

“And yet even now you want to make everybody happy, even if it’s at your expense,” he mused.

“I am a people pleaser. That’s why I think being here will be good for me. This is something I really want. This place … it just makes me feel good about myself.”

“You should always feel good about yourself because you’re the best person I know.”

“I think that’s a bit of a stretch. What about Officer Sturges? Are you still in touch with him?”

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