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~* Unmasked! *~ Normally I didn’t drink coffee, but I could use a jolt, so I took a sip then slid it back to her. “Thanks. I needed that.” “Sure. So?” Allison grinned, “Robin’s going to make her own Aria Blade costume for Nikki’s party.” Margie raised her mug, enjoying a slow, contemplative sip before she answered. “Sounds like fun. Hey, you said last night that Nikki’s taking her driving test this afternoon. Why don’t you come over to Touch of Style after school while she’s distracted with that? I mean, I’m no world-class dress designer like Mom, but if you don’t mind, I’d love to help.”

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I laid awake in bed for what felt like hours thinking about a lot of things, but mostly about Jason’s mother. I knew how difficult things were for me, never knowing if the next call could be Kelly with bad news. I think I eventually cried myself to sleep but it had to have been well past midnight. At least, midnight was the last time I looked at my alarm clock.

It didn’t excuse Jason’s actions, and from what Nicole had told me, he had always been kind of a jerk, but I still wondered how much worse it all had become with this news. At least now I knew why he had been at the hospital that day. I had to put it out of my mind though, as I slowly rolled out of bed.

After picking out my clothes for the day, I sleepily plodded into the bathroom, and by the time I finally emerged from my morning shower, Allison had already arrived to catch a ride to school with me. Hopefully Nicole could give us a ride tomorrow if all went well with her driving test, though.

“Wow, Robin, are you okay?” Allison asked as we met at the bottom of the stairs. I gave her a wry, sleepy smile as I shook my head.

“Yes and no. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

She giggled. “I’ll bet. That party was off the hook. My phone rang like, six times after I got home with people wanting to know if I could get HD for a party for them.” She rolled her eyes and smiled, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her why I really had trouble sleeping. I just gave her a hug and wandered into the kitchen to get some breakfast.

Already, the heavenly scent of scrambled eggs and maple-flavored sausage filled the room. My stomach protested angrily, eliciting a laugh from my mother, who immediately turned to hand me a plate. As if on cue, the second serving of toast popped up as she dropped the first onto my plate alongside my eggs.

“Allison, how do you like your eggs?” she asked as she glanced to my best friend. Allison smiled warmly.

“I wasn’t really hungry, but that smells reeeally good. Over easy if it’s not too much trouble. Sunny side up makes me queasy.”

“I’m the same way. It’s as though your breakfast is staring back at you,” I heard Mom respond as I took a seat at the kitchen table. As she approached to set a freshly poured glass of milk beside my plate, she rested her hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong sweetheart?”

I smiled sleepily as I looked up at her, Allison answering for me. “She didn’t sleep well. Truthfully I didn’t either. I was like, so pumped after the party, getting to meet the band, plus people calling my house asking if I knew the band.”

Mom glanced at me for a moment as if trying to decide if she believed that that’s all it was. For now she left the subject alone, returning to preparing Allison’s eggs, even as Allison sat beside me, tearing into a piece of sausage.

“So what are you planning to wear to Nikki’s party? I thought about recycling my Fiona costume from last year, but I think I want to do something new and interesting.”

For the first time this morning, I actually managed to brighten a little. I knew exactly what I wanted to do for Nicole’s party, but I hadn’t told anyone yet, and now that I knew Nicole would understand, I didn’t feel guilty about it anymore to boot!

Allison giggled at my sudden grin. “I’m going to make my own costume. I learned a little bit about sewing at Girl Scout camp, and I’ve had a little time to practice here and there over the summer. You have to keep it a secret though.”

Allison nodded, anticipation practically tattooed on her face. “I know that look. You’re up to something big. So what is it?”

“I’m going as Aria Blade.”

Allison covered her mouth as she giggled. “Oh my God. That’s perfect!”

I didn’t hear Margie come into the kitchen, and while I’m not sure if Allison did or not, she at least didn’t jump when my sneaky older sibling unceremoniously plopped down at the head of the table beside me, steaming cup of coffee in-hand, “What’s perfect?” She giggled at my startled glance. “Sorry. Coffee?” she offered her cup as a peace offering.

Normally I didn’t drink coffee, but I could use a jolt, so I took a sip then slid it back to her. “Thanks. I needed that.”

“Sure. So?”

Allison grinned, “Robin’s going to make her own Aria Blade costume for Nikki’s party.”

Margie raised her mug, enjoying a slow, contemplative sip before she answered. “Sounds like fun. Hey, you said last night that Nikki’s taking her driving test this afternoon. Why don’t you come over to Touch of Style after school while she’s distracted with that? I mean, I’m no world-class dress designer like Mom, but if you don’t mind, I’d love to help.”

“Really?” I asked, not even trying to hide my excitement. “That would be awesome!”

Margie laughed. “Yes, really.” She paused for another moment, setting her cup aside. She stood, offering me her hand. “Robin, there’s something I want to show you. You too, Allison. I was going to wait a few months, but I think you deserve to know the truth.”

I gave her a puzzled stare, but took her hand, letting her pull me to my feet. I glanced back to be sure Allison was coming too, as Margie led me up the stairs. We stopped outside her bedroom for a moment.

“I’m honestly surprised you’ve never stumbled on this before. I had been using Linda’s bedroom – well, formerly my old spare room – as a studio before you came to stay, and had to do some quick rearranging when she moved in.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” I offered, to which she simply grinned, pushing open her door. Her bedroom seemed much as I remembered it before, with the faux-Victorian four post bed, dusty rose bed linens, and mauve plush carpeting. She stepped inside and motioned for us to follow her as she approached her walk-in closet.

She pushed the door open, and there, among the clothing racks and shelves, at the center of the room, a drafting table had been set up, with what appeared to be a prototype poster of Aria Blade and Raven Wing fighting zombies with their backs together as though protecting each other.

Allison and I both looked at each other and then at Margie. She giggled, nodding. “I’m the anonymous author. I’m sorry for lying to you before, but to tell the truth, I never expected you’d take such an interest in my little side-project or I would have told you from the start.”

“Oh my God…” I whispered, practically stunned silent. I slowly approached the drafting table and rested my hand on the sketch. Somehow I think I just expected it to disappear at my touch, that maybe I was still asleep. It remained as tangible and real though, and I turned back to Margie, who was still grinning at me.

“I told you that you worry about money too much. Between my clothing business and writing this comic as a side-venture…

“Of course, I had to get Bob and Gina’s permission to use Nikki’s likeness as Raven Wing, but I didn’t figure you’d mind if I borrowed yours. When you told me how you and Allison met, I couldn’t resist adding a new heroine with an unusual history to the fold.”

I couldn’t help myself. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I wrapped my arms around her. “Margie, this is so cool! I figured it might be a neighbor or something, someone that I didn’t really know that well. I never dreamed it might be you!”

She giggled as she hugged me back. Allison finally managed to find her voice at this point, kneeling to admire one of the storyboards propped against the back wall. “Margie, this is amazing.”

“Thanks. I’m actually working on another teen hero who’s going to be making her appearance in the next issue after the special Halloween edition I’m writing right now. I haven’t decided her powers yet though. I want her to be special because she’s modeled after Robin’s best friend.” She paused, waiting for those words to sink in.

Allison’s eyes grew wider. “You mean…”

Margie nodded. “Uh-huh. With your permission, of course.”

“Absolutely!” she practically squealed, hugging Margie. “Ohmygod. This is so cool.”

“Glad you both approve. Now that things are settling down I’ve been putting some of the proceeds away toward a secondary college fund for Robin. Her inheritance will only go so far though she has a lot more time to let the interest build than I had so that’s going to help a lot too. And speaking of school, I’d better get you girls there!” She abruptly announced.

“Oh, shoot, you’re right!” Allison replied as she glanced at her faux silver-chain watch, rushing back out of the room.

I had to stop off at my room to collect my things, joining her along with Margie downstairs a minute later. After some quick goodbyes and have-a-good-days with Mom, we were off to school.

I couldn’t help feeling better about everything, with Margie’s little surprise revealed. I still thought about what Mom had told me last night at the back of my mind, and continued to wonder if we could do anything to help her, but for now I needed to focus on getting through the coming day, which wouldn’t be easy, especially now that everyone probably knew Heedless Despair would be playing an encore at Nicole’s party in a couple of weeks.

Rather than just heading straight into the lobby, we joined up with Jennifer first then met up with Nicole, who was chatting with Laura and a familiar-looking boy with medium-length brown hair. Laura seemed all smiles again today as we approached, and to my surprise, the boy met us halfway to hug me.

“Hi Robin,” he offered warmly, grinning.

“Trent! I didn’t even recognize you.” We both giggled as the four of us walked back to Nicole and Laura. Nicole laughed as she wrapped me in a hug.

“Hey cutie. We were just talking about you.”

“Uh oh. Um, if it’s about the party, it was all Ally’s doing. Seriously.”

Nicole giggled. “Oh no, this was about last weekend.”

Laura nodded, “I just wanted to thank you again for supporting Trent. We’ve been best friends since we were kids, but…”

Trent grinned as he wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing her cheek before turning back to me. “I never had the courage to tell her how I felt because I didn’t want to screw with our friendship, or how she’d feel about the ‘other’ stuff, but knowing she was okay with it…”

Laura smirked, poking him in the ribs, “No more secrets. This doesn’t mean I won’t be a frost bitch to everyone else, but I’ll make an exception for you guys now.”

Nicole laughed, “Now where have I heard THAT before? Just wait, Laura. Next year we’ll be carting you off to girl scout camp.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “Yeah um, no offense, but I’ll leave that to you guys. I have to keep some rep intact.” she teased. “But I won’t give Nikki a hard time about it anymore.”

Nicole laughed, sticking her tongue out. “S’alright. I know it was all in fun. Anyway, are you guys ready for the longest school day of your lives?”

“Oh that reminds me,” Jennifer interrupted, “What’d Shadow mean by ‘look at the back’?”

“Oh right! Y’know that bass they gave me? They all signed it! I’m thinking about getting a display case for it, but it just doesn’t feel right not playing it.

I mean, it’s Shadowfang’s freaking bat-wing. To just shove it behind glass and never use it again would be kind of sacrilegious.”

“You could always do both,” Allison mused. “Keep it in a display case to protect it when you’re not using it.”

Nicole giggled as we ascended the stairs. “I love the way you think, Ally. Oh,” she glanced back at Trent and Laura, “You guys are coming to my Halloween party right?”

Laura nodded, but Trent shook his head. “I’m not going to be able to make it. But my ‘cousin’ Trina’s psyched.” He grinned.

I couldn’t help giggling. I had to wonder, as things moved forward, how he’d handle keeping up the whole dual-persona thing. For me, once I became Robin there was just no going back, but he seemed to enjoy both equally.

He certainly seemed more comfortable as Trent than I ever felt as Robert, and in a way, I think I envied that much about him, but I quickly quashed those thoughts with the realization that it didn’t really matter at this point. I was happy, and more importantly I loved myself.

Much as we expected, the ENTIRE school seemed to want to know more about our alleged connection to Heedless Despair. No one could believe they really did do all this just because we asked nicely, at least not with Nicole getting a new guitar out of the deal as a birthday present.

At lunch we found Maria and Chelsea at our usual table giggling over a copy of the local newspaper. I peeked over their shoulder to see a rather lovely photo of Nicole and Shadowfang, eye to eye “dueling”. I knelt closer and grinned. “Nice photo.” Maria jumped, squealing with surprise and glaring at me.

“Don’t DO that!” she laughed.

“Sorry.” I giggled as we sat down to join them.

“Last night was so amazing,” she continued dreamily. “I even met this cute boy, but he disappeared while I was in the bathroom.”

“I still don’t know what you see in that loser,” Chelsea shook her head. “He’s seriously bad news.”

“Please, please tell me you’re not talking about who I think you are?” I asked, glancing at Chelsea. She looked between Nicole and me, smiling wryly as she nodded.

“What?” Maria asked, confused.

“Jason?” I asked flatly. She nodded, and I exhaled slowly. “Listen, Maria… Things with Jason are complicated.” I paused, reaching out to squeeze Nicole’s hand before she could say something. “Until last night, I just thought he was a total ass. He’s the guy that you heard that rumor about me getting in a fight with.”

“Mother of God… THAT was the guy who attacked you? Robin I am so sorry. He seemed like such a nice boy. Well if I see him again I’ll tell him where he can stick it!”

“Wait, Maria, there’s more. My mom told me last night that… his mom’s really sick.” I had to pause to gather my thoughts. She frowned, leaning closer.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s… dying. She has cancer, and the doctors gave her six months to a year – that was back in June.”

“Oh Jesus…”

“Yeah. So I’m like, really confused about everything right now. On the one hand, I want to hate the guy for being a pig-headed jerk, but on the other hand, it’s like, really hard to blame him for wanting to lash out at me. I DID attack him first, even if I was just defending myself when he grabbed me.”

Chelsea shook her head slowly. “If he grabbed you first, then technically you didn’t attack him first. But I understand what you’re getting at. That’s pretty heavy.”

Maria nodded. Nicole just sat there staring off into the distance as we talked.

“A day ago I would’ve told you to stay as far away from him as possible, but if you really think you can get through to him, don’t let me stop you. Just… promise me you’ll be careful okay?”

Maria smiled a little as she nodded. “I promise. I mean, I’ve got you and Chelsea to back me up if the grease hits the fire.”

I glanced back at where Nicole had been sitting a few seconds ago to find she was gone, though I caught side of Allison’s ponytail bouncing along as she ran through the lunchroom. I turned back to the others with a frown. “I’ll be right back.”

Without waiting for a response I stood and ran to catch up to Allison. She ultimately led me to the girls’ bathroom, where Nicole stood at the mirror, just sort of staring at herself. We slowly approached her, putting our arms around her from the side. She jumped, startled by our sudden presence, smiling sheepishly at our reflections.

“Sorry. I just… I didn’t realize she was that sick. I told you guys before she wasn’t exactly mother of the year material. The one time Jason actually opened up about her he said they were always fighting, but then he acted like it was no big deal, so I left it alone. But to think she might be…” she trailed off, turning around and hugging us both. “It just freaks me out a little.”

“I know. I almost lost my mom a few months ago. The thing is, I’m afraid to try and reason with Jason because we do have a bad history with each other. I don’t want to make things worse, but I still want to help.

“I was thinking maybe we could talk to our fellow scouts and organize a fundraiser or something… Just some kind of token gesture to get her to get help, you know? Show her that she can’t give up hope or… something.”

“That’s a good idea,” Allison offered. “We have a meeting coming up to discuss plans for the party anyway. That’d be a good time to bring this up as well. The scouts are all about helping people, and even though you and Jason, and Nikki and Jason for that matter, have a bad history together, that doesn’t mean you – and we – shouldn’t try to help.”

Nicole reluctantly nodded. “Yeah… Maybe Jason isn’t boyfriend material for me, but at least we’ve pretty much established why that is.” She smiled wryly even as we giggled, and I leaned over to give her a friendly kiss on her cheek.

“You okay now?”

She nodded. “Yeah. M’okay now. It just kinda shook me up ya know? Hey, what are you doing this afternoon?”

“I was going to see if I could come be your cheerleader for your driving test, but I had a change of plans this morning. Margie wants me to come to her shop after school so she can get my measurements. She’s going to help me work on my Halloween costume.”

Nicole brightened at that, as we walked out of the girls’ room together, heading back to the lunch room to gather our things. “Ooh! What are you going as?”

I glanced at Allison and giggled, “That’s a secret! But trust me, you’ll love it.”

“Aww, fine, but I won’t tell you my costume either.” She winked playfully as she squeezed my hand. She at least seemed to be feeling better. She looked over at Allison. “What about you Ally?”

“Well I thought about wearing my Fiona costume from last year, but I think I’m going to do something different. I’m not sure yet what ‘different’ is though, but I’ll figure something out. I still need to find the right dress for the scouts’ party too.”

“Oh gawd,” Nicole groaned. “I forgot about the Princess theme for that one. I can’t believe I let you guys talk me into that.”

After school, after wishing Nicole luck on her driving test, Allison and I walked out to the parking lot together.

During our history class our teacher had taken a break from the usual boring lesson plans to talk about the history of theater and how we were all blessed to have been graced by the “theatrical antics” of Heedless Despair, despite what our parents were sure to think of the band.

I admit I had fun learning about Victorian era theater, and the fond memories of the night before in our fifteen seconds of fame as Scarlet’s ‘minions’ was still fresh in our minds.

“I have like, zero musical talent, but being onstage was still a lot of fun,” I admitted as we approached Kelly’s car. The day had been typically brisk for the season, and a chill wind had been picking up, so Kelly waited inside the car this afternoon, presumably with the heater running.

Allison giggled as she pulled her heavy white coat a little more tightly around herself. “You should consider drama club. It’s probably too late for this semester, and with basketball and Kenpo you’re probably overloaded already, but there’s always Spring.”

As I pulled the back door open and slid inside, I had to laugh. That actually sounded kind of fun. “That’s not a bad idea Ally. I’ll have to see what my schedule’s like next semester.”

“What’s that?” Kelly asked, glancing back at me. Allison hopped in the front seat, pulling the door closed.

“Oh man, it feels good in here! Oh, I was just telling Robin she should consider drama club next year, since she enjoyed working with Heedless Despair.”

I nodded in agreement as I pulled off my gloves. “Yeah. I don’t have any musical ability to speak of, but being on stage with them was so amazing. Even the rehearsals were a lot of fun.”

Kelly nodded as we pulled out of the parking lot. “You’re braver than me anyway. Even after my transition, I couldn’t set foot on a stage without going totally blank, and that was just for tryouts.” She laughed. “Then again, I was trying out for the part of Juliet, and the idea of kissing a boy freaked me right out at the time.”

Allison giggled loudly. “That didn’t last long.”

Kelly stuck out her tongue, “Oh hush you!” she playfully elbowed her sister then looked up at the rear view mirror to smile at me. “So I’m supposed to drop you off at Margie’s store. Do you need me to swing back or are you going to get a ride home with her?”

“I can get a ride with her I think. She’s usually pretty casual about business hours unless the store’s on fire or something.”

“Alright then. So how does it feel knowing she’s the woman behind the proverbial mask?” She grinned.

“Amazing. At first I didn’t want to know because I thought the magic was all in the mystery, but the truth is the magic is in the suspension of disbelief, like Nikki told Heedless Despair last night. It’s not in not knowing, but in how much you’re willing to just close your eyes and take on faith for a little while. I’m really, really proud of her.”

“That makes sense. I felt kind of guilty for not being able to say anything, but this whole ‘anonymous author’ thing sort of grew out of the cult fan base. It wasn’t something she originally intended. The comic just kind of exploded in popularity on her.”

As we pulled into the parking lot in front of Margie’s store I gathered my things, and after leaning forward across the seat to hug both Kelly and Allison in-turn, I hopped out of the car, waving goodbye even as I entered the store.

A brunette sales-lady in her early 20s smiled cheerfully at me. “Welcome!”

“Hi there. Is my sister here?”

“Your sister… Oh! You must be Robin right? I’m sorry. I just started working here.” She smiled sheepishly, her cheeks turning a bit red as she stepped around from behind the counter to approach me.

I shook my head and smiled warmly back at her, “It’s okay, really. Yes, I’m Robin. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise! I’m Claire. Your sister told me you’d be coming by. She just stepped out for a few minutes, but she said she’d be right back. In the meantime I’m supposed to show you to the backroom. So,” she continued, as she led me through the store, “were you at that big concert last night?”

I giggled. “Yes. I was onstage at one point.”

“Really?! Were you with the band, or were you the lucky girl I heard got a new guitar?”

“Technically with the band, but just for the one night. But you’d think we were going to be permanent members the way the kids at school kept asking if we had any connections. The whole thing with setting Nikki up and all that was entirely the band’s planning. We just went along for the ride.”

She giggled. “I’m sorry I missed it. Normally I’m a classic rock gal, but it’s not every day a big-name band comes to a sleepy little suburb like Alpine Springs. Anyway, I’d better get back up front. Margie said to treat you like I would her though, so um… just don’t fire me?”

She winked playfully, motioning her hand toward a comfortable chair in Margie’s office, with a small TV nearby. “Really though, just make yourself comfortable, and let me know if you need anything!”

She turned to leave again, and I settled in to wait. I had never been a big television watcher anyway, but even if I was I still had homework that needed to be done.

I had been deep in a complicated algebra equation at Margie’s desk when the door opened. She approached, McDonalds bag in one hand and two cups in the other, one of which she sat in front of me.

“It’s a little chilly out there, but I figured you’d still appreciate a flurry.” She grinned, opening the bag next even as I gratefully accepted my sweet treat, and handed me a hamburger.

“You’re the best!”

“Claire didn’t give you any trouble did she? I don’t expect that she would, but I’m still training her.”

“Not at all. Actually she was really nice, and even helped me with a couple of math problems earlier.”

She smiled broadly at that, sitting down in the comfy chair across from her desk without a second thought. She had to be a fun boss to work for, to be so relaxed and down to earth. I raised my flurry in faux toast to her and grinned.

“So, after we eat I’ll go ahead and get your measurements. I don’t normally tailor clothing except for a very short list of clients, but I’m happy to make an exception for you and your friends anytime you ever need it. I just wish Mom was here. If I’m adept at this sort of thing, she’s a goddess by comparison.”

We laughed and giggled for awhile as we shared our humble fast food meal, and now that the secret was finally out, I could ask her how she got the inspiration to draw Raven Wing, and what her plans for the future were.

Of course, she stone-walled that line of questions with “It’s a surprise”, but I couldn’t really complain. My sister drew freaking Aria Blade and Raven Wing!

After taking down my measurements, she led me to another part of the store that, up until now, I had no idea even existed. Shelf upon shelf of both bolts and sample swaths of material awaited us, as well as a number of racks of clothing, from the mundane to the glamorous.

“Now,” she began, as she moved from shelf to shelf, “how ‘real’ do you want your costume to be?”

“Real?” I asked, glancing up from a cute, if somewhat overly-frilly for my tastes pink formal dress.

“Yeah, I mean do you want to look like you’re actually wearing armor?”

“Oh! I dunno. Aria’s costume seems pretty complex. Wouldn’t that be a lot of work?”

She grinned over a clothing rack at me, holding up a flimsy tape-measure. “C’mere. Actually a lot of her outfit is made of composites designed to replicate the suppleness of leather while providing a little more protection.

“Only her shoulderpads should present any real problem, but I’m planning on updating her look with the Halloween issue anyway, so that won’t really be a problem either. Though a few people will wonder how you knew to make your costume to look like her new one, rather than the classic style.”

I laughed, as I held my arms up for her to take my measurements. “That’s okay. As long as they don’t think I’m the genius behind the work.”

“Aaw… I wouldn’t say ‘genius’, but that’s still sweet.” She paused to smile, hugging me. I hugged her right back.

“It’s true though. The characters are deep and complex, and it’s like every time you think they’ll finally be together something new interferes.”

She nodded as she continued her measurement-taking, writing each down on a notepad as she did, “That’s what I was going for, yeah. It’s going to get even worse soon. I can’t tell you exactly what’s going to happen, except that I plan on putting them through hell before I wrap up the current storyline.

“After that I’m going to let fans decide whether to keep Raven a ‘villain’ or let her find redemption.”

“That’s so cool,” I offered, then giggled. “Hey, that tickles!”

“Sorry!” she laughed, setting her tape aside and taking me aside. “Hey, you took a leather tooling class at camp didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I learned to make some really neat things. It’s been awhile though.”

“Do you think you can do some pattern-work then? Here, let me show you what I have in mind.” She turned a page in her notepad, and I watched in awe as she quickly sketched off a chestpiece and battleskirt.

“The sewing I can handle easily enough with a little help from a few contacts of mine, but I don’t know anyone else who could work with the leather and create these kinds of inlaid designs to replicate Aria’s armor like this. Each of these will have leather dye applied to make them look like they’ve been inlaid with gold.”

“Oh wow. This is her new armor? It’s gorgeous! I mean, her old armor looked good, but this is amazing.”

She beamed. “Hey, if you’re interested, I could use a model for the posters to show off the new armor.”

“Really?! That would be awesome! I’d love to!”

“Great! I’ll go ahead and start making some calls tonight and see if I can get my hands on the tools we’ll need, then we can start work on your costume from there. Sound good?”

“That sounds great. Oh, hey, is it okay if I ride home with you?”

She nodded. “Absolutely. Go ahead and get your things, and I’ll let Claire know I’m taking you home.”

We parted ways back at her office, as she left to let her newest trainee know she’d be ‘on her own’ again, while I meanwhile gathered my things. This had been an interesting day from start to finish, but at least now I had affirmations that I wasn’t alone in wanting to do something to help Mrs. Beaumont. Now maybe I could get some sleep tonight.

Was Maria serious about Jason seeming like a nice boy, though? Everyone I’d ever talked to about the guy seemed to think he was an unrepentant jerk. Maybe true love does conquer all, or maybe he’s just using her. As I slid my arms into the sleeves of my heavy brown suede jacket, I resolved to let the issue rest for now, but I’d have to keep a close eye on the situation going forward.

Just one more thing to worry about. If he hurt her, I didn’t know what I’d do, but I knew it wouldn’t be pleasant, but for now, I stepped out of the office to meet up with Margie again, and head home.

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