Page 74 of Girl Violence

Stopping, he shoves her up against a crumbling monument. Her back hits the concrete and her body shudders when he leans his hands on either side of her. He glares down at her, moving his body closer.

“How about wedon’ttalk,” he says low and dangerous. “How about we just do what Josette does best instead?”

Josette doesn’t have time to ask what he means before his mouth comes down onto hers. She gasps against his lips, head spinning, muscles seizing painfully. It doesn’t feel right. This isn’t him.

“Vince—no.” She pushes him away, breathing heavily as she presses her back into the monument. “What the hell is your problem?”

“My problem?”

“Yes, your problem!”

“My problem isyou,” he sneers. “It’s been my problem since I’ve gotten back; you’ve gotten inside my head and are fucking me up.”

Josette grits her teeth. “You were already fucked up, Vince. Stop blaming me for it.”

“I am blaming you for making me worse!” he snaps at her. “First, you say that I don’t tell you shit, and then when I finally decide to, I get tagged in a picture of you kissing Ian—”

“If you would just give me a chance, I can explain. He kissed me. He—” Her throat seizes up, eyes filling with tears. “It’s not what it looked like, I prom...” He tries to back away, but Josette grabs the lapels of his suit jacket. “I mean this promise, Vince. I came here to tell you that I didn’t post it. I didn’t tag you to hurt you.”

“Then tell me the truth,” he asks. “Tell me what happened that night.”

“I...”

Seeing her struggle to get the words out, he lets out a frustrated breath and grabs her chin, tilting her face upwards. Josette stares up at him, heart banging against her ribs. All the emotion that’s been building inside her is simmering, reading to spew over the edges any minute.

“Since you secretly like those stupid romance stories, here’s one for you. Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved a girl,” he says, stepping closer and cupping her cheeks. “But he kept his feelings hidden because his three friends at the time liked to mess with her to get the boy angry, so he’d do bad things to make them laugh. He had to move away for his dad, and when he did, he closed himself off from everybody there, and it only worsened. He lost himself. Years later, when he came back and saw the girl again, she was all grown up and made him feel things he didn’t want to. But that’s the thing. She made himfeelagain. And without realising it, he became hers. She was home whether he wanted her to be or not. When she needed him, he was there. When she cried, he wanted to hurt whoever made her. Even though she drives him crazy. Even though she lies to him.”

“Vince…” He places his thumb against her lips, moving his face closer to hers.

“But the jokes on her because the boy already knows everything she’s hiding.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

He turns his head, and she follows his gaze, heart sinking when she sees Jason leaning against a tombstone nearby. He lifts a cigarette to his mouth, and as he blows out smoke, he turns his head in her direction and smirks.

And Josette knows right then that it is the beginning of a storm.

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

The rain starts up again as Josette stares between Vince and Jason. She doesn’t have to ask what’s happening because she already knows. She knows Jason’s sudden appearance isn’t because he’s chatting with Jim Byrne—the dead man’s grave he’s currently leaning against. She knows this can only mean one thing.

That today has officially turned into a nightmare.

Knowing doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. Out of nowhere, panic grips her. It’s difficult to breathe, her body going hot and then cold. Before she knows it, she’s frozen, with pins and needles in the tips of her fingers and toes.

She wants to run. Wants to go home.

The strange part about panic is that, instead of crying the tears building behind her eyes, Josette bursts out laughing instead. Even though nothing is funny, and she’s in a graveyard surrounded by dead people, which is highly inappropriate, not to mention disrespectful. Even when both Vince and Jason are looking at her like she’s officially lost her marbles.

But that’s hysteria. It starts as one thing and quickly morphs into another. One minute Josette is laughing, and then the next, she’s gasping for air while her insides turn inside out. Tears trickle down her face, and anger erupts inside her because she’s been reduced to tears.

Because she didn’t want to fucking cry in front of them.

“What is this?” Josette steps back from them both. “You both decided to gang up on me or something?” Vince just stares at her, so she turns to Jason. “And what about you, you couldn’t help yourself for a bit more entertainment? Is your life that pathetic?”

Jason holds up his hands in surrender and chuckles. She hates that this amuses him. It makes her want to punch him. Even when he says, “I didn’t say a word.”

“Bullshit. You’re here!” she growls. “Why would you be here? You obviously told him what happened. Why?” Josette demands, voice rising. “You said so yourself. You don’t help girls who don’t give you something in return.”

---