"I invited Cinderella over to our house for dinner"
Jade stared at me like I was an idiot.
"Beck," she said slowly as if she was talking to a 3 year old, "You do know that Cinderella isn't real right?"
"Of course I know she's not real"
"Then how did you invite her to dinner?"
"You know Cinderella isn't real and I know Cinderella isn't real but guess who doesn't know Cinderella isn't real. Willow doesn't know that Cinderella isn't real"
"Well of course she doesn't know that. She's five years old"
"I want her to have a break from her r a p e and the horror she's going through. I also think maybe it will get her talking again"
She kissed me.
"Beck that's a wonderful idea," Jade said, "I love it."
"One more thing," I told her, "I bought us a new house"
"You what," she asked, "Why?"
"Do you remember what you had told me when you found out I was hired to replace Sikowitz? You said I was never under circumstances to give you detention"
"Well yeah," she said, "I was raped in that room"
"And Willow was raped in the RV. She would have bad memories of that place now. I bought us a nice 4 bedroom hour 20 miles away. I sold the RV"
"Smart thinking," Jade said, "GOD this is killing me that it happened to her."
"I know," I told her, "I wish it were me it happened to"
"Thank you for that gruesome imagine Beck," she said winching, "But I know what you mean. I wish it were me too. Willow did not deserve this. She's five and her life... it changed forever. It's not fair"
"Tell me about it," I said, "I honestly thought nothing could ever be worse then your rape. This makes your rape seem like a day in the carnival"