Page 84 of Girl Violence

His eyes lift to hers. “For what?”

“For stepping in.”

He breathes a laugh. “I was getting bored of the talking.”

He’s lying, but Josette doesn’t call him out on it. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to find a gift for my mum. I’m going to visit her this week,” he says and sighs. “Women are hard to buy for.”

“Try a necklace. Or perfume. Can’t go wrong with either.”

“Thanks. Did Vince finally find his balls and ask you out?”

Josette laughs. “He did.”

“Great. Now you can leave me alone, even though I’m better than him.”

Josette knows he’s joking, but she still cringes. “I’m sorry.”

His forehead creases from the sudden seriousness. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” she replies embarrassingly. “Using you those times?”

He bursts out laughing. “You sound like we fucked or something. We just hung out.”

“Yeah…What was exactly on that video I wasn’t apparently seeing?”

“Notseeing,” he says with a dark tint in his gaze. “But hearing. You didn’t watch the first clip to the very end, did you?”

“It was a black screen.”

“Because it’s a recording.”

“Of?”

“Why don’t you have a listen for yourself?”

Josette rolls her eyes. “Why can’t you just tell me now?”

“It’s better if you just listen. Here.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his phone and earphones. Nodding his head, Josette follows him off the street, leaning against the side of a building. She feels weird, but she has to know what was on there. “Put these in.”

Doing as she’s told, she plugs the earphones into her ears as Jason taps on his phone. The same strange crackling sound comes, and when ten seconds pass, she huffs out a frustrated breath. “There’s nothing—”

“Shut up and listen, would you?”

She does and waits. After a minute or so passes, she finally hears what sounds like a door opening and slamming shut, and then Alyssa’s voice says, “What’s with the look?”

“It’s that stupid fucking bitch—” Ian’s voice is distinctive, making Josette’s gut twist. Ian getting beaten by Vince, Austin and Jason hasn’t erased what he did to her. She feels less uncomfortable knowing he won’t come near her again, but she will never forget it. “Making me sit in the police station answering pointless questions about that one time we hooked up.”

“Who?”

“You know who. That slut from Shawton High at that party last year.”

“The blonde one?”

“Of course, the fucking blonde one.”

“What did you tell them?” Alyssa asks seriously.

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