Chapter 38

• No, I couldn't risk it. I didn't want to give my father any reason to escalate his beatings further this time, as that would be the inevitable consequence if I arrived home long after the bus.
• "Damn," he was attractive, I thought as I watched him pull himself up onto the dock. He resembled a sculpted statue of the ideal man. Every contour beneath his olive, sun-kissed skin moved with elegance, until he abruptly turned to look at me.
• Seated on the dock, he regarded me with amused astonishment. "What did you just say?"