"Good. I like the black underwear," I confess softly, realizing that my cheeks warm at the words.
Jules’s grin widens even more. "Yeah, black underwear can be quite something."
A little uncertainly, I return her smile before glancing at the pile of clothes in my hand. "Where should I put these?"
"Do you want to keep them?" she asks, raising her eyebrows.
I consider it for a moment but decide that I prefer the new ones. Above all, I want to know what life is really like. It seems wrong to continue wearing the clothes my mother chose for me, so I shake my head.
"Okay, then… Shall we throw them away?"
It’s just clothes,I think.And I never really liked them that much.
I nod and hand the pile to Jules as she holds out her hands. She then walks to the kitchen, opens one of the cabinets, and throws everything into a trash can hidden inside it. "We’ll buy you some new stuff," she declares as she comes back to me. "You can choose for yourself what you want."
I like the idea. Very much so. I’ve never been shopping, and I’ve never been allowed to choose anything for myself.
"There’s one more thing," she says as she steps up to me.
Before I can ask her what she’s talking about, she has already taken out the hairpins at the back of my head so the knot loosens, and my hair falls down my back. It’s a strange feeling since I never wear it down. It’s impractical, my mother used to say, and I agreed with her. Besides, there was no reason to wear my hair any other way. After all, no one saw me but her, so I didn’t have the desire to please anyone, even if I didn’t find the simple knot pretty.
Jules’s fingers run through the long strands, tug at them gently, and eventually lay them over one of my shoulders. "That’s much better. But I’m afraid I have to cut and dye them." She grimaces apologetically. "The police are looking for you, andfrom what I understand, you don’t want to go home. At least for now. So we’re going to have to change your look a tiny bit."
I think about her words for a moment. My mother and the police are looking for a girl with long blond hair. Since I don’t want to hide, I guess I really need to change something about my appearance.
"Can I choose the color of my hair?" I ask, to which Jules laughs.
"Of course."
"Would purple be okay, too?"
She brushes a strand behind my ear and nods. "Whatever you want."
The smile that spreads on my lips almost hurts.
"But first, let’s eat something. I’m starving."
"May I ask you something?" I want to know after we’ve eaten, and Jules is rubbing her belly contentedly.
"Sure." She props her elbows on the table and rests her chin in her hands. "Fire away."
I frown because I don’t know what that means, but I don’t ask further. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-one," she answers.
"And Cole?"
"He’s twenty-three."
"How long have you known each other?"
"For a very long time."
"Are you a couple?"
Jules’s laugh almost startles me before she shakes her head. "No. We’ve never been together, either. He’s more like a big brother to me." She falters and stares down at the tabletop for a moment. Then she looks at me again, her eyes suddenly taking on a sad expression. "Cole’s past is complicated, but he’s a goodguy, even if he can’t see it that way himself. So don’t take it to heart when he loses his temper like he did earlier."
Her words raise a lot more questions. "So he’s not angry with me?"
