“That’s harsh coming from a training guard, calling a recruit a girl,” Squirrel scoffs.
“It’s not harsh if it’s true. G’s my sister,” Jeremy adds. While I struggle to remove my face from Darwin’s armpit, I hear a clatter followed by a loud thump.
Chris barks, “Darwin, take Jessica to her room. Skunk, Jeremy, get Squirrel to the clinic.”
Emily laughs hysterically over our video call. “Wait. Let me get this straight. You got sent to your room just for standing around your two naked brothers and a naked Skunk?”
I roll my eyes. “Pretty much.”
“I wish I was a fly on the wall when that happened.”
“You’re mean.”
“You know what I think? I think you should just show up to dinner as you. Screw it. It’s been almost a year. You’ve been kicking ass, right alongside all of them. I think it’s time that they see what they’ve been competing against. Besides, no one said that you had to be a boy to be in the recruit program, lucky bitch. You chose to do that all on your own.”
I scrunch up my nose. “I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t mind that all of the recruits think I’m a scrawny boy. If they find out I’m a girl… I don’t want things to change. I want to keep training like I have been with them.”
She shrugs. “The way I see it, I don’t think things will change much, other than giving you the mad respect that you deserve for taking their shit with grace.”
I wave my hand, dismissing her words.
“Don’t wave me off. You know I’m right. You took all of their shit—the pranks, the bullying, the jokes at your expense—and on top of all of that, you continue to stay in the top ten. I’m pretty sure when they all learn that you’re a girl—the Princess, might I add—they’re all going to shit themselves. I wish I could be there to see their faces.”
“I wish you were here and having this conversation in person. I hate that you’re leaving me,” I confess.
“Trust me. I hate most of my classmates. I would rather be there with you and kicking Shadow’s ass than on this senior class trip. Oh, speaking of, any word since I last checked in?”
I frown and shake my head, “No. I don’t have a good feeling about this,” I whisper.
“Look, he’s crazy about you, and he loves his job. I’m sure there is a perfectly good explanation. I’m betting that there’s an issue within the family because I can’t even reach Troy, Trevor, and even that man-slut, Travis. So, hang in there. Okay?”
I nod.
“I have to get going before the bus leaves me behind. I love you, babes.”
“I love you, Em.” I end the call, missing her even more.
Almost immediately, she sends a group text message.
Emily: I have an idea. Go to dinner with your tits hanging out. Tell one of the twins to take a video and send it to his phone. That will piss him off, and he’ll show up as scary Shadowand threaten everyone who looked at you. There! Two problems solved. I’m a genius!
Me: I am not going to dinner with my tits hanging out.
Emily: But why??? You have the best tits ever! Yours are bigger than Sixes’s.
I snort. My phone buzzes with a text from Sixes. Sixes left yesterday for a business assistant internship with W&P Corp. Not having both of them close by right now just sucks.
Sixes: Why do you always have to compare our tit sizes?
Emily: Because I’m a boob girl.
Sixes: I don’t know why I even asked. Anyway, subject change: Jess, did you talk to Owen? I think he has a crush on you.
Me: He doesn’t have a crush on me. We’re just friends.
Emily: You need to talk to him. Shadow is going to kill him when he sees that necklace.
Sixes: Agreed.
