Page 75 of Girl Violence

Vince turns to glare at him, and Jason shrugs, that same arrogant smirk stretched over his mouth. Vince shakes his head in disgust. “Fucking rat.”

Jason laughs then. “I may be a rat, but at least I’m not a coward, Vincey.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Vince sneers at him. “Don’t forget that I don’t evenwantyou here.”

“I get it.” Jason flicks his cigarette butt to the ground and leans off the gravestone. “You’re mad at me for kissing her. Always on standby to beat up anyone who glances her way. You’ve always been easily triggered when it comes to her. We all knew it, all seen it, and one of us even wanted it for himself.”

Josette’s eyebrows draw together in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Should I tell her, or do you want to continue story-time?” Jason asks, and when Josette glances at Vince, his fists are clenched, and there’s a dark look in his eyes, like any moment he’s about to punch him, too.

“Tell me what?”

“Fine, I’ll tell her.” Jason looks back at her. “Remember when I told you that we all used to be friends back in school? Me, Vince, Austin?” Josette nods. “Well, there was another one of us. Ian.”

Josette frowns. “But Ian’s older. I don’t remember him in Chestwood.”

“You wouldn’t. Ian was one of those who used to hang out with younger kids at school because no one his age wanted to be friends with him. Can’t imaginewhy.” He snorts. “I mean, we didn’t really like him either, but he had smokes, and it was that simple. Little did we know the cunt was playing us off each other for years.” He looks at Vince, who is now staring at the ground, lost in thought. “Vince thought I messed with you at the bowling alley that day, but it was Ian. He was the one who constantly picked on you. The one Vince fought with.”

“That’s why I tried to stop you from coming around us,” Vince finally says, and she leans back against the monument.

Oh...

This is a lot to take in. The more Josette tries to remember that day, the more that boy’s face morphs into Ian’s. That’s why he was always foggy in her mind. Ian looked different back then than he does now.

“When I saw Ian the night you first dragged me to that party in the park, I didn’t recognize him—”

“Because he isn’t morbidly obese now. He even changed his name. He used to be Chad until he started making everyone call him Ian,” Jason interrupts, pulling out another cigarette from his packet and lighting it up.

“I should have noticed.” A crease appears between Vince’s brows. He’s obviously mad at himself for not recognizing Ian. “When he offered me that drink, it was like he knew me, only I didn’t realise he did. Then when that picture of you was leaked all over social media, and Tyler said a guy called Ian was the one who took it. I don’t know why it didn’t click with me that it was him. And to think you’ve been hanging around with him all this time.”

“The guy has been obsessed with you for years.” Jason shakes his head. “It’s a surprise nothing happened sooner. He could barely contain himself when you started coming around the group.”

She swallows hard, heart beating faster, remembering all those times Ian asked her out and said no. Has she just been making it worse?

“This is so weird,” she says, feeling sick. “Why me? There’s nothing to be obsessed about. I mean, you guys should see me on my Netflix binge days. And that still doesn’t explain why you told Vince when I said not to.”

“I haven’t told him.”

“He’s right. He hasn’t,” Vince adds. “He was going to, but I stopped him. All I know is something went down. And I know instead of telling me, you told him. I know Ian and Tyler are involved because of the picture, but I don’t know what they did that shook you up this bad. I don’t want Jason to tell me, though. I want you.”

“And then what?” she asks. “There’s nothing you can do. I won’t be the reason you get hurt or locked in jail. You’ve been in jail before. That’s why your mum hit you that day we were arrested.”

He grinds his teeth together, from either that she worked it out or that she questioned him. “That doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” she argues, hearing the emotion in her throat. “Because you’ll leave again.” Silence falls between them, and Josette wipes tears or rainwater from her face. This is too much, and she’s tired. So damn tired. “I’m going home. I can’t do this.”

She goes to walk away, but Jason steps in front of her, his amusement gone. “Stop running away. Tell him, or I will. You don’t know how much this guy deserves it.”

“Why wouldyoutell Vince anything?” She pushes his chest to get him away from her. Not that he moves. “You two aren’t friends anymore. You both clearly hate each other. So why are you even here?”

“I’m not doing it for him.” He grits his teeth. “You don’t get it. When I was hanging out in that group, back before I fell out with Austin because of Alyssa, you started coming around with blondie. I saw the way Ian looked at you. How he wouldn’t stop when he found out it was you, and there was no Vince anymore. I thought he’d gotten over it, but you were all he would talk about. The things he’d say about you were sick. Austin laughed it off, thinking he was joking, but I knew he wasn’t. The moment you told me what he did that night, it reminded me of something Alyssa told me—”

“Oh, here we go. Queen Alyssa has spoken, everyone, so we should listen up!” Josette says theatrically, unable to stop herself. “You call Vince out on being transparent, yet I think you’re here because you need an excuse to go after Ian for fucking Alyssa, too.”

Josette goes to walk away, but Jason grabs her arm. Vince’s eyes drop to his hand, and his jaw clenches. Jason notices and rolls his eyes, letting go. “It’s about you, Josette.”

Josette’s eyebrows crease. “Come again?”

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