Country Mile

OLD HABITS DIE HARD

Genna raised an eyebrow to that. She leaned forward and placed bent elbows on the table with her hands folded in front of her.

"Okay. I beat up a girl at the party."

When that was all she said, Adam coaxed, "And why did you do that?"

"She was starting sh-stuff with Delilah, mainly because she's jealous of me 'cause her ex is now my boyfriend. I stepped in. Words were exchanged, she slapped me, so I punched her. Repeatedly."

Adam nodded while quietly absorbing her words. He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair and then rubbed the stubble on his chin. He was still biding his time for the moment she divulged everything.

"So this was in self defense?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then I ain't got nothin' to say other than I'm proud of you for standin' up for your sister, and yourself."

One side of Genna's mouth turned up into the same half-smirk Adam does when he's happy. Seeing her's made his own lips do the same.

"Thank you," she softly murmured.

Adam leaned back in his chair. "Now, tell me 'bout what's been goin' on. Today, this week.. this past month," he added pointedly.

Genna tilted her head to the side, and Adam could tell it was in genuine confusion. He sighed heavily.

"Would it jog your memory if I told you I received a rather interestin' email from a certain algebra teacher today?"

A cold shock flooded Genna from head to heel. Adam was so technologically challenged, she didn't think he even had an email account. Her stomach dropped at the realization she didn't cover her tracks well enough and now every little lie, half-truth, and deceitful thing she had said over the last month regarding that damn algebra class was going to come back to bite her.

She stiffened in the chair and her mouth opened and closed like a suffocating fish out of water as she struggled to form a response. And that was the moment Adam had been waiting for: when her body language was undeniably telling him he had caught her. Now he just had to carefully reel her in.

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table like her. "Care to explain?"

Since there was no talking her way out of this one, Genna decided there was no use in talking period. So she resigned herself to the fact she had been caught, and gave up. Adam already knew the whole story, so having her explain it was merely his way of making her admit her own guilt to him. A useless tactic she had seen him use on Delilah to make her realize her wrongdoings, yet Genna already knew her's and she still wasn't sorry about any of it. Knowing her lack of remorse wasn't going to sit well with Adam, she decided fuck it. Go big or go home.

"No."

Adam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "No?"

"No. You obviously know everything. Why even go through these bullshit formalities of making me tell you shit you already know?" Genna leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Maybe I don't know everything," Adam said calmly, "maybe I wanna hear your side of things."

"Oh please, you just wanna hear me admit I've royally fucked up so you feel justified in punishing me."

"Are we really back to that?" Adam glared darkly. "You gonna sit there and act like I'm some sorta bully just lookin' for ways to pick on you?"

"Well," she shrugged, "if the shoe fits."

Adam let out an audible scoff at that. "Look, you throwin' the victim card around ain't gonna save your hide none, so you best quit before I decide to jerk a knot in your tail first and ask questions later."