“Okay, cool,” Leo said, turning to me. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“We’ll be just down the way at Renaissance.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said. “I’ll see you...later.”
I grinned. I just couldn’t resist adding, a little louder, “If you need me, you call me, honey. Okay?”
“Oh my god, Indy, I’m ignoring you now,” he said, stalking away.
Brianna giggled up at me. “You’re funny, Indy.”
“At leastyouget me.” I cupped her chin. “Ready for milkshakes?”
“Yep.”
I looked at Nicole. “Is it okay if I leave my car there for a little bit?”
“Sure. I’ll keep an eye out, but you should be good.”
“Thanks.”
Brianna and I left the shop, walking down to Renaissance Ice Cream, one of our favorite little escapes. We sat in a two-person booth and ordered, then I decided it was time for my girl to spill the tea.
“Okay, honeybee, what happened that freaked you out?”
She bit her lip and stared at the table.
“Did something happen at the house?”
She shook her head.
“School?”
She shifted in her seat but didn’t deny my guess.
“Okay, so something happened at school. Did you tell a teacher?”
She shook her head.
I reached over and squeezed her arm gently. “Baby, I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what happened.”
Her face reddened as she whispered, “A boy pushed me into the bathroom and touched me... down there.”
“Which boy?” I forced myself to ask gently, but really wanted to find this boy and rip his dick off.
“Joshua Felly. He’s fourteen.”
“Okay, sweetness, I’m going to talk to your principal on Monday and if she doesn’t fix it, then I will.”
“Do I still have to go to school?”
“No, honey. Not until Joshua Felly is gone.”
“You can make him leave?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes.”
Her entire body seemed to deflate with relief.
