Page 96 of Major Penalty

My hands tighten around hers.

“By the sixth family, I stopped trying.” I finally look up at her. “I stopped smiling. Stopped eating. Stopped saying thank you. What was the point? They’d send me back anyway.”

Her eyes are shining now, her mouth turned downward.

“I turned seventeen, bitter as hell. Angry. Lost. I started hanging around the wrong people. Got into a lot of bad shit I shouldn’t have. Started spiraling, fast.”

I lean forward, elbows on the table, our hands still tangled in the middle.

“I was starting to become her,” I whisper.

Irene’s bottom lip trembles.

“That’s why I go to the youth center,” I finish. “Because those kids? I’ve been every single one of them. The angry ones. The quiet ones. The ones waiting by the door for someone who isn’t coming back. I see them. Iamthem. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make them happy. Give back with my time and donations.”

She doesn’t speak; she just holds my hands, the food forgotten.

Then she scoots closer, chair scraping softly until our knees bump.

Our hands stay joined as I turn toward her. “Don’t pity me,” I say. “I didn’t tell you this so you could feel sorry for me.”

Her brows pinch.

“I don’t,” she says, shaking her head. “I don’t pity you, Ares.” She leans in, eyes locking with mine. “I’m in awe of you.”

My chest pulls tight.

“I’m devastated for what you went through. I’m furious for the little boy who had to dig through the trash. But I’m not sitting here feeling sorry for you.”

Her voice trembles.

“I’m sitting here thinking…how did you do all this?”

I blink.With your father’s help.

“You pulled yourself out of all that darkness. And now, you’re turning around and making sure other kids know they have someone.” She swallows, eyes burning. “Do you even understand how powerful that is?”

She sees me, and there’s no judgment. Just understanding.

I study her. I look for pity. But it’s not there. There’s pain. Anger. Sadness. But no pity. None.

And then she stands and settles herself in my lap.

My body goes still. Her knees frame my thighs, her hands reach up, and suddenly, she’s holding my face with both hands.

“You’re incredible,” she whispers. “Thank you,” she says, her thumbs brushing my cheekbones. “For telling me.”

I can’t find words as her lips brush mine.

“Thank you for letting me in,” she murmurs into my mouth.

The knot in my throat threatens to choke me, emotion slamming into my chest so hard I almost flinch from it. I grab her, my arms wrapping tightly around her waist, dragging her fully into me.

I kiss her back hard, without restraint, years of rejection and alifetime of loneliness pouring out of me all at once. She moans softly into my mouth and wraps her arms around my neck, melting into me.

My hands move, gripping her hips, sliding up her back, tangling in her hair.

I drink her in, her lips, her breath, the little sounds she makes when my hands pull her closer. My teeth graze her jaw, and she tilts her head, offering her throat.

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