Page 69 of Girl Violence

Her voice cracks and Josette holds her tighter. “I hate you, you know? I can’t argue or stay mad at you.”

Jenna pulls her head back, and despite crying too, she giggles. “We look stupid standing on the street crying right now, don’t we?”

Josette wipes her eyes. “Yeah, we do. You also look like you’re homeless.”

“I really am sorry. I do trust you, and you know you can trust me. We’re just fucked up, that’s all.”

“I know,” Josette agrees. “I’m sorry, too. I should have been there for you more. Since my mum, I’ve been out of it. Except for today, I guess.”

“And it’s only Monday.”

Josette sighs. “Maybe one day we will tell each other everything, but right now, neither of us can, so until that day—”

“We’ll continue to be absolute melts with emotional issues and insecurities.”

“Forever questioning if we’re good enough for the assholes we give our hearts to,” Josette adds, and Jenna smiles.

“But hopefully, one day, we will question if they’re the ones good enough to have our hearts. We will find ourselves and will be rocking at life.”

Josette smiles and squeezes her hand. “Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

After promisingto see her before she leaves tomorrow, Jenna waits until Josette’s bus arrives. Saying goodbye, she takes a seat, leaning her head against the window as the bus starts moving.

As she sits there, staring out of the window, face vibrating from the engine, she smiles at how strange she and Jenna’s friendship has developed. They didn’t sort anything out today, but at least they both agreed that they would mend whatever went wrong once they got their shit together.

When it’s time to go, Josette stands and gets off. As she walks down the street, she’s relieved Vince’s car is parked outside his house. She’s nervous to see him as she walks to his front door. But as she’s about to work up the courage and knock, it opens, and Diane steps outside, looking pale and tired.

“Oh, hey Jo,” she says, not her usual, chipper self.

“Hey...” Josette pauses. “Is, um, Vince home?”

She nods, picking up a leaflet left on her doorstep from a pizza company and throwing it into the trash. “Yeah, he’s upstairs. You can go ahead up if you like. I’m sorry, I have things…things I have to do.”

“I’m sorry to hear about David,” Josette says uncomfortably. “It sounds awful what happened.”

“Yes…” She pats Josette’s shoulder absently before walking away.

Turning, Josette takes a deep breath and pushes the door open. It smells of fresh paint and new carpet as she makes her way upstairs. Her heart kickstarts, tension building as she walks down the hall to Vince’s bedroom. His door is slightly ajar, and she goes to push it open; she stops when she hears talking coming from inside. “—I don’t know what you expect to happen here.”

“I expect you to be honest with me,” a female voice interrupts him. Josette freezes. “I expect you to explain to me why.”

“Why do you think?” Vince asks. Josette can’t see him, but he sounds pissed off.

“I miss you,” she says. “I want to be there for you, but you’ve pushed me out—”

“Because I can’t deal with the fucking guilt of what we did whenever I look at you, Elizabeth,” he says. “All I see is him and what we did to him.”

“He’s gone, Vince!” she says, sounding frantic. “You knew him, what? A few years? Try knowing him your whole life!”

“He trusted me.”

“What happened wasn’t our fault. We can be together. I know you still have feelings for me. You wouldn’t have let me into your house otherwise. Your bedroom...”

There’s movement, then Vince saying, “Elizab—”

Josette pushes open the door, seeing Elizabeth’s lips on his, her body pressed into his, fingers clinging to his hair.

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