Page 9 of Bad for You

But I know he too is the victim of Father Merry’s cruelty.

He has a blackening eye, and his lip is split open.

“Why did you take the blame?” I whisper, chewing my bottom lip.

He reaches out and gently releases my lip with his thumb. “Because it was the right thing to do.”

I blink once, unsure what that means.

“What’s your name?”

“My name?” I ask, confused.

“You have a name, don’t you?”

I nod, but I explain my cause for concern. “No one has asked me before.”

“Well, their loss,” Lennon says, folding his arms across his chest. “So what’s your name?”

“It’s Valentina,” I reply, my voice small.

He mulls over my strange name but smiles.

“What’s your name?”

“Lennon Shepherd, but you can call me Lenny. What happened?” he asks, gesturing with his chin toward my many cuts and bruises.

Instantly, I feel my cheeks redden because, to someone like Lenny, I’m nothing but a weak coward.

“What you did today took guts,” he says as if reading my thoughts. “Don’t ever forget it.”

I want to ask him so many questions, but I’ve not spoken to anyone in a long time. I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like.

He reaches for the mop and wrings it in the bucket before he starts mopping the hall.

“What are you doing?”

“Mopping the floor,” he replies with a mischievous grin.

“But why?”

“Do you always ask so many questions?”

I can’t help but smile. It feels foreign.

“I saw you last night.”

“I saw you too.”

“Where’s the kitten?”

He looks up and down the hallway, ensuring we’re alone. “He’s in a safe place. Want to see?”

I nod happily.

“Okay, I’ll come get you tonight.”

My stomach drops as I remember Father Merry’s words. “I can’t tonight.”

---