A Scholar's Fury: The Road to Justice

ht, fake smile of hers, she said, "Sarah, you look stressed, finals are coming

icket out of this small town, my way to a real u

sounded

rning, her dad' s new shiny

ation caked in red dus

nd," Jessica toasted

drink, the sod

ely, the edges of the dusty store blurr

thing, j

thin and stained, the spr

mold, stale food, and somethin

my mouth tasted

, her face hard, her

ig, her a

" she grunted,

s aunt's guest room,

d sharp, clawe

ouse, it felt... familiar, but wro

stories about, the kind of place my Grandpa John used

eek County, or somewhere j

as it sparked, because if this was his ol

jolted me fully awake, p

snarled, yanking my arm so

, hitting a damp

sons I guessed, lounged in the do

ice hoarse, "What do you want

name was, as I' d learn, la

hair, yanking

sweet thing," Brenda

you, fair

ened, tears pr

me? Fo

Brenda said, a cruel satisfaction in her voice, "And a

and I stumble

runaway, no family to m

ho I' d known since kindergarten, who' d copied m

and absolute, s

e said, to one of thos

scream

niversity, pre-law maybe, like Grand

to be some bac

then louder, "No!

t away from these people, fro

uture, my life, it w

Brenda turned to yel

ar, showing a sliver

olt

my head still fuzzy from

uddy yard, the cold

ust a few

and I collapsed in the mud, gasping for air,

hauling me up by my arm agai

ya?" she sneered, dragging

e onto the

nowhere, girl,

her bulk blocking o

my boy, whichev

e like stones

clothes, rain plastering my hai

lease, let me go, my parents will pay you, they have money, not rich l

desperate, off

her sons ju

ible sound, f

riend Jessica said you got nothi

was a stray dog, someth

mall, so ut

n county, felt a m

og of pain and fear

that twang, the specifi

d clay soil under the mud, th

all so

Willow Cr

John'

d protected fo

ere his name

t of stark, unbelievabl

ohn, the ret

k, and even the surroun

esence filled a room, hi

as formidable, fiercely protective, sharp-witted,

because my dad had moved for work years ago, I h

ds, but I wasn't a constant, visible presen

dden strength,

, they lived in his shadow,

speration and dawning real

wincing as my brui

, my chin high, despi

," I said, my voice

big mi

raight in her c

ohn. Retired Sheriff

like a weapon,

s with me, you mess with them, and yo

, just a sec

e

widened, her

topped their snickering,

' still carried weight

a physical b

, "Sheriff John? Ma, she

gone ashen, slowly regaine

n, taking in my torn clo

neer returning to her lips, "Dressed like tha

f doubt still there, bu

hand you over to us for a beat-up truck? Rich f

d as it was, seem