Age of Consent by Amanda Brainerd

Author:Amanda Brainerd [Brainerd, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2020-07-14T07:00:00+00:00

NINETEEN

The trees outside Justine’s room were black against the steely sky. The absence of Eve was as if a vital organ had been removed. But her pain was nothing, she told herself, compared to what her friend must be suffering.

Justine was about to put on her jacket when Clay walked through the door.

“Hey, how’re you doing?” he asked.

“I should have told them I did it too,” she said.

“That wouldn’t have helped anything,” Clay said, pulling her into his arms. After a moment, she pushed him away. She didn’t deserve his affection. His or anyone else’s. The dance had been her stupid idea, and she needed to pay the price.

“Everyone hates me,” Justine said bitterly.

“Wrong. They totally admire you.”

Justine shook her head.

“Seriously. You’re the brave girl.”

“You mean the slut.” She struggled into her jacket and grabbed a scarf. Clay’s scarf. She was going to be late to the radio show. Hers and Eve’s.

“Can I at least walk with you?”

Justine nodded and they headed into the cold.

Students were hurrying back for curfew, and they passed Damon talking to a bunch of junior girls. They all went quiet as she passed.

“Yo, Gypsy,” Damon called. The girls giggled.

“Why do they keep calling me that?”

“Barbara says Gypsy was some famous stripper.”

“You told your mother what happened?”

“I was telling her about my girlfriend.”

“Shit!” she said as she slipped and Clay reached out and caught her arm. Justine regained her balance. The snow had melted, only to be refrozen in a treacherous glaze.

Girlfriend? Nobody had ever called her that before.

Clay’s breath billowed in the cold air.

“Can you come to the city?” he asked, still holding her arm. “My New Year’s party.”

Yes, Justine wanted to say, yes. But the train fare, the cabs; she couldn’t afford any of it. And she had spent all of the money Cressida had sent her. “Remember the last time I was at your house?” She saw Clay nod. “You try to erase that.”

“I know, I know. But he’s going to be in the Caribbean.”

She stopped walking. Clay sure knew a lot about Bruce’s comings and goings.

Clay put his hands on her shoulders. “Look, it’s just that you have to try to see the whole picture. I know he’s awful, but his parents . . . He’s had a really bad time.”

“Lots of people’s parents get divorced! They don’t all end up leaving girls tied to bedposts.”

Clay’s arms dropped to his sides.

“I can’t understand it,” Justine said. “He’s an evil person, and you’re so, so . . .” She wanted to say pure, but he’d probably take it the wrong way.

Clay looked down at the icy ground. “I’m just trying to help him,” he said quietly.

Was he trying to save everyone?

“You have so many options, you can’t understand,” he continued.

Options? What was he talking about? “You’re the one who has money,” she muttered.

“Money?” Clay spat the word out like a bad piece of fruit. For the first time since he had found her in Barbara’s loft she saw real anger on his face. Anger she had caused.

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