Page 22 of The Brat: Prequel

Victoria: Yes.

Maxim: Then to college you’ll go

Victoria: And if I room with Shay?

Maxim: Is O’Donnelly your boyfriend?

Victoria: Jealous?

Maxim: Of children? No.

Victoria: I don’t understand you

Maxim: You’re not supposed to

Victoria: I’m not a child!

Maxim: To me, kotik, you are. One day, you’ll be grateful that I know the difference and set the boundaries. One day, you’ll know it’s because I care that you’re treated right. When I say that you’ll be untouchable soon, I already included myself in that mix

Victoria: So, you’ll only treat me like an adult at midnight on my birthday?

Maxim: I’ll stop treating you like a child when you stop acting like one

Victoria: Fuck you

NINE

WHY DO THEY THINK THEY CAN TOUCH ME?

“You okay?”

“Yes.”

Shay chucks me under the chin. “You don’t look okay.”

Rather than answer, I slip my arms around his waist and let him hug me as we dance.

This whole night’s been a disaster and Shay doesn’t know the half of it.

“Why did you want to cut out of Homecoming to come here again?”

I’m not about to tell him that my date, Ronan Kirkland, only asked me to the dance because he plays on the city’s U18 hockey team with Janek Sibirsky.

Nor am I about to explain that my old school thinks I’m some kind of free-use fuck doll and they wanted Ronan to know exactly how easy I am.

“We could have gone home.” Shay breaks into my free-falling thoughts at the right moment.

Over the years of our friendship, I’ve learned that Shay’s good at that. Most of the time, it’s inadvertent but still hella useful.

From over his shoulder, I see him—the reason I wanted to come tonight. The reason I didn’t just run off back home to lick my wounds.

Aela told me he’d be attending her Citizens for the Arts fundraiser.

Only, that hasn’t worked out either.

Maxim’s swarmed. Women, from young socialites to their moms, are hovering around him like an infestation.

I figured I’d see him, dance with him, and talk to him—in person. For the first time in years. That maybe I could tell him about Ronan and Janek. That I could share how I froze up at Ronan’s touch. Speak about things I find impossible to text him about.