“Jack …”
“No.” He surged to his feet and scrubbed a hand through his hair, pacing a short trek in front of me. “If I’d been able to, I’d have fucked up those guys who attacked me. Eye for an eye and all that. If she’s got the balls to shred your arm, then she should be ready to take the same. That’s bullshit!”
I shoved my sleeve into place, then held my arm to my chest. I wanted to agree, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt Sasha. I just wanted her to stop.
“That whole double standard or whatever is utter bullshit. What? You’re the guy, so you can’t fight back? But if it was the other way around, no one would fault her for slapping the shit out of you if you actually hurt her first.”
“Jack—”
He stopped in front of me, anger darkening his pale face. “What did you do? Anything? Or did you just stand there and take it?”
“That’s not fair.”
“No.” Jack dropped to his knees and took my arm into his hands. Even with the wounds covered, they still stood between us like beacons. “Thisisn’t fair. You need to find a way to stand up for yourself.”
He didn’t understand.
I stood and stepped around him, turning my back on him. “You don’t get it.”
“What?”
I spun around. “You. Don’t. Get. It.” He got to his feet, both of us breathing deeply now. “You were the smaller one when those guys jumped you. You were at the disadvantage. It’s not the same for me. I touched her once, and she said I hurt her. I can’t …” I swallowed as the first tear fell. “I can’t live with that on my conscience.”
“She’s a drama queen and a liar. You didn’t hurt her.”
“But I don’t know that.”
“I do!” Jack shouted. “You’d never hurt anyone without being hella provoked. And fuck me, did I ever try, but you never came at me, not for real. You don’t have it in you.”
Jack stumbled forward and cupped my jaw in both hands. His kiss was chaste and soft and smeared the salty tracks over my lips.
“Youarea nice guy, Princess. The sweetest, the most thoughtful, and the most selfless.” He kissed me again. “But you’re also very much a dipshit.” He chuckled halfheartedly. “Now’s the time to stand up for yourself, to be selfish. Show your dad. Tell your mom. Don’t let her do this to you again.”
At the mention of my parents, I coughed, and a fresh wave of tears let loose. “I can’t. They won’t listen.”
“Cal.” Jack pulled my head to his shoulder.
“Daddy thinks Sasha showing up is my fault. He told me to take responsibility.” Among other things. “He wants me to fix whatever I fucked up with her.”
“Did you tell him you’re fucking a guy and Sasha’s a monster?”
“I wanted to.”
Jack stepped back, and I nearly crashed forward into him. “Why didn’t you?”
“I … I got so mad and couldn’t get it together fast enough. Then, like always, Daddy shut me down. Yelling at me about everything: Sasha, me acting like Momma, and me staying here to go to college locally.”
“And give up on MIT?”
“He doesn’t want me to leave the state.”
“Fuck that. Tell him it’s your dream. You’ve got goals, Cal.”
“I did. He won’t listen.”
“Make him listen,” Jack growled.
“It’s not that easy.”
