Page 13 of Under Rusted Stars

“What about the assault?” I ask.

“Liv…” he sighs. I know it wasn’t him who attacked me that day, so I don’t know what he’s being weird about.

“What?” I ask.

“Dad was the one who attacked you,” he says. “At least he said he did.”

“What did he say?” I ask.

“Ah… he said he saw the picture and had to… test you out,” he says carefully. “I got pissed, and he said I can’t be mad when I didn’t even like you… You hated me for what I did, and I didn’t want to make it worse. And then you left. You were away from Dad, so I just… I should have told someone.”

“If it counts for anything,” I say with a smirk. “He didn’t like… fully rape me.”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“He fucked my thighs,” I say, and Bodhi laughs heartily. “He was drunk as shit and knocked me down flat. Maybe he meant to do something else, but he just humped my legs for a few seconds before getting off.”

“Christ, that doesn’t even surprise me,” Bodhi says, still chuckling. “Even so, I’m sorry it happened.”

“Jason did so much worse,” I say.

“It doesn’t matter,” he says. “You deserve to be happy, Liv. Don’t settle for less.”

“I just… I don’t know. It feels so foreign to me,” I say. “Jason was so amazing in the beginning. I was so young and didn’t realize that grown men shouldn’t want an eighteen-year-old like that. He took ten years away from me. He turned me into profit and a punching bag. Hell, the clients that paid to rape me treated me better than he did.”

“I’ll be honest, Olivia. I don’t know if I have anything nonviolent to say,” he says. “I want to fucking kill him for hurting you.”

“Why?” I ask. “I thought you hated me?”

“I could never hate you, Liv,” he says softly. “I hate myself for ever thinking you deserved anything but the best.”

“Kiss ass,” I say. He chuckles and just smiles at me. “What?”

“You’ve always had the prettiest smile, Liv. I can’t wait to see it more.”

“Oh? So, are we friends now?” I ask.

“Do you want to be my friend?” he asks.

“Hmm,” I say. “Yeah, I think I do.”

“Good, because I already made friendship bracelets,” he teases.

“You are something else, Bodhi,” I laugh.

“Thank you for hearing me out,” he says.

“You’ll be forgiven when Luke stops talking about my tits,” I laugh.

“Jeez. So never?” he laughs with me.

“You’re right. He has been talking about tits since he was eleven.”

“You aren’t wrong,” he laughs. “Like Mrs. Frazier. I don’t know if he ever looked that woman in the face.”

“I don’t know if any boy back then did,” I laugh. “So, class reunion is Friday?”

“Yes, ma’am. You going?” he asks.