Emotional Outlets | ✓

56

Theresa doesn't quite know what she expected from him, but a lack of surprise was definitely not it.

Frowning, Jake looks at her.

Her heart's erratic, she can't speak. Why hasn't he said anything?

Almost as if he reads her mind, he softens his frown and grabs her cold hand from where it lay dejected on the table.

Theresa looks down and speaks quietly. "So you see, what I do – it's easy money, pays the bills and I don't need to worry about any potential complications."

He's back to frowning, but instead of looking at her, he just stares out the window. Then he looks at her inquiringly, "Who made you believe you were worthless?"

Theresa's eyes shoot up.

Jake smiles a little. "My grandfather believed in nurture, not nature. He was a psychologist in a time where people didn't get away with saying 'you were born that way', everyone had a reason."

Jake's hand still lies in hers, squeezing her gently. "I was sixteen when I began to suspect that there might be something wrong with me, my period still hadn't come and my parents," she chokes on the word, "my foster parents didn't have the money to...to help me get it checked out. My school nurse paid for the tests."

Jake opens his mouth –

"When I got the results back, I only told my best friend, Charlotte. Let's just say she was more jealous of the boys flirting with me than concerned for my emotional wellbeing."

Jake's eyes cloud with anger and he withdraws his hand to cross his arms.

"I should further mention," she laughs humourlessly, "how sympathetic small-town conservatives  are to foster children and girls who can't bear their golden boys' children."

"You were shunned." It would seem like a question but Jake states this kernel of truth.

Theresa nods. "I attended community college for Biology in instate New York, far, far away from my previous reality. I drunkenly told a friend in college about all this – she was very supportive, showed me a way to have fun and earn some cash of the side. And when graduation came, New York City seemed like the obvious choice for med school & side-hustle."

"And to avoid relationships."

"There's no point in a relationship with me."

He frowns again. "Did your high school best friend," he spits out the term, "convince you of that?"

"She had a point."

"You do realise, that there's no point in having feminists campaigning for ordinary women's rights if ordinary women still believe their only worth is in being able to bear children. And you're studying to become a doctor for fuck's sake!" He slaps the table and immediately points a finger at her. "I hope you know by now what a piece of shit Charlotte was."

Her lips twitch at the corner. "Yeah, she was a piece of work."

He soft smile, just for her, eases all of the tension built upon her shoulders.

↬ A U T H O R ' S N O T E ↫

This might be my favourite chapter yet <333