Page 103 of Victorious: Part 2
Hehasto know.
“Are you and Phoenix… involved? Romantically?”
Clover’s eyes go wide, her face draining of color. She looks at me, panic written across her features.
“I…” she starts, then stops.
“Clover,” Maverick’s voice is gentle but firm. “I’m not angry. I just need to know. Sadie thinks she’s picking up on some vibes, and I want to hear it from you.”
Clover is struggling, torn between lying to her brother and telling him the truth, between protecting what we have and being honest with the family she loves.
So, I make the decision for her.
“Yeah, Mav,” I say, my voice clear and steady. “We are.”
The silence on the other end of the line stretches for so long I wonder if the call has dropped.
“Phoenix,” Maverick finally grumbles, his voice deadly quiet. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me,” I reply, reaching for Clover’s hand and squeezing it. “Clover and I are together.”
“Togetherhow?”
“Together in every way that matters,” I state. “I’m in love with your sister, Mav. And she’s in love with me.”
Anotherlongsilence.
He finally breathes out a long breath. “Jesus fucking Christ, Phoenix. She’s nineteen years old.”
“She’s old enough to make her own choices,” I say firmly.
“She’s my baby sister.”
“And she’s my…” I pause, looking at Clover. We haven’t talkedabout how much to tell him.How much truth can he handle right now?
“I’m his girlfriend,” Clover interrupts quickly, stemming the flow of information we give him while squeezing my hand back. “We’re dating, Mav. And I’m happy.”
“How long?” Maverick asks, his voice tight with barely controlled anger.
“It’s new,” I say. “Recent. But it’s real.”
“Define recent.”
“Mav,” Clover says softly. “I know you’re upset, but—”
“Upset?”His voice explodes through the speaker. “I’m fucking furious! I trusted you, Phoenix. I sent you to protect her, not to… not to fucking seduce her.”
“It wasn’t like that!” I growl, my own anger starting to rise. “This isn’t some casual thing for me. I love her.”
“You barely fucking know her!”
“I know enough,” I snap. “I know she’s brave and smart and funny and stubborn as hell. I know she lights up every room she walks into. I know she sees the good in people, even when they can’t see it themselves. I know she makes me want to be better than I am.”
“That’s not—”
“I know she takes her blood sugar medication at 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. every day,” I continue, not letting him interrupt. “I know she has nightmares about losing the people she loves. I know she puts honey in her coffee instead of sugar, and she can’t sleep without checking her phone one last time to make sure everyone’s okay. I know she hums when she’s happy, and she gets this little crinkle between her eyebrows when she’s concentrating.” The line is quiet. “I know she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” I say honestly. “And I know I’d rather die than let anything hurt her. Including you being pissed at me.”
“Phoenix…” Maverick’s voice is different now, still angry but something else too. Resignation, maybe.
