Jia Li couldn’t help but laugh – and laugh hard – when Kaydence told her that seeing the guy in his boxers made her lose her focus. She laughed hard enough that her running slowed a little until she could calm herself down and get her breathing back to what it had been. “That’s so funny. I hope you don’t lose your cool next time you see him.”
The dryad thought about what Kaydence had said. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. I don’t like him. He’s a complete jerk, and even though I don’t think I’d ever go so far as to kick a man right where it hurts unless he’s trying to rape me or something, I won’t just stand there like an idiot and let him kiss me if he tries it again. Not that he will or anything. I’m just saying.” Was that true? Yes. It had to be. The very idea of him made her stomach clench and her cheeks flush with anger. He was no good, and she didn’t need his drama in her life.
“I can’t enjoy it. I mean, maybe for two seconds when I heard the sound of my palm connecting with his face, but I’m a pacifist. I’m actually really bothered by the fact that I was so angry that I wanted to hurt him at all. I mean, I could have totally just walked away because that’s exactly what he was doing. He was already a good distance from me, but I closed that distance just to try to hurt him. It’s really unlike me, and it makes me feel sick just to think about it now.” Sometimes, Jia Li really wished she could just be one of those girls without such a major conscious, but no. She had a hard time letting things go, especially when it was something that disgusted her about herself. This was one of those things.
Jia Li nodded when Kaydence admitted to being an only child. That was another thing the two had in common, but it was probably for different reasons. By the way she talked, it was obvious that she had both of her parents, and they were probably still together. The dryad had been raised by a single dad because of her mom’s death.
“Um… The beach? As in to swim and sun bathe and whatnot?” Panic started to pool in her stomach. She liked this girl, and she didn’t want to offend her by declining, but she also didn’t want to walk around with her in a swim suit. The huge scar marring her entire outer leg left a huge question mark about what the hell had happened in her life, and even if Kaydence was too polite to ask about it, it would still be the huge, pink elephant in the too-small room. “It’s not really my thing. I mean, I’d love to hang out with you elsewhere, but I’m not a fan of the beach. I already have a natural tan anyway. I’m good without a darker one.” It was a huge lie. Going to the beach with someone always sort of sucked because of the car ride there. Anyone who knew even a tiny bit about the dryad would know that cars seriously freaked her out. She much preferred to travel faster and safer through trees.
Jia Li welcomed their slowing their pace a bit. They’d been running for a while, and talking took a lot of the breath needed to keep up her stamina with running. Kaydence called her a cool new friend. That was interesting. Usually, the dryad kept new people sectioned off into the “new acquaintances” category, but she really had spoken a lot to the siren, things she normally wouldn’t just reveal so suddenly. Hell, even Alissa had had to wait a good, long while until Jia Li expressed her first complaint about life to the elf and they were roommates. Maybe her sophomore year of college would be the marker of improvement on her life and outlook, like a way to start over from the hell that had occurred her sophomore year in high school?
“So, where do you want to go grab something to eat?” Jia Li asked.