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CHAPTER FOURTEEN! ( VULNERABILITY. )
JOAN DECIDED TO stop at the dock that hung over the river. She just prayed that none of Welton's employees were looking out their windows this late at night. She let yourself cry, taking comfort in the fact that nobody was around to see except the moon. Joan laid down on her back and stared at the dark sky. After a few moments, her peaceful solitude was broken by the sound of quick footsteps. She turned her head to see Violet's concerned face. Joan breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want it to be Charlie, but at the same time, she wished it were him. She wished that he would've at least tried to show her he cared. Did he care? Was this all just a fun little joke to him?
"Hey," Violet said softly. She sat down on the dock beside Joan and dangled her feet over the edge. "He wanted to come, but I didn't let him," she explained. "I just thought maybe you'd want to talk to someone else right now, but if you want to talk to him I'll go get him."
"No. I don't want to, at least not now," Joan sighed. Violet sat in silence with her for a while before she wrapped her arm around Joan and resting Joan's head on her shoulder.
"I don't think he meant for it to go this way, I think he just didn't think things through. You were right when you said he was a flirt, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about you. What he did was just idiotic and I think if he knew how it would make you feel, he would've never even said hi to those two fools," she comforted. "Y'know, I'm not a violent person, but if you wanted me to punch him in the face I would gladly do so," she added. Joan chuckled dryly.
"I think I'd rather do it myself."
"At least let me watch," Violet smiled. She gently removed her arm from Joan's shoulders and subtly turned her head to at a point beside the river. "I think the culprit is behind that tree," Violet whispered, pointing to a large oak that stood beside the dock. Joan caught a glimpse of Charlie's brown hair glinting off the moonlight.
"If he wants to apologize he's gonna have come to me himself, I'm not gonna chase after him," she stated. "In fact, I'm going to bed."
"Just wait, I'm coming too," she said, standing up. Joan smiled at Violet and grabbed her hand.
"Thank you, I need a friend like you," Joan smiled. Unwillingly, Joan let another tear fall from her eye. "God, I gotta pull myself together," she muttered, wiping it away.
"Hey, it's okay to cry," Violet said gently. Jo looked up at her and shrugged.
"Not over boys, and not this much," she replied.
"You can cry over boys, you can cry over the stars, you can cry over books and over little animals you see on the street. I do it all the time. In my opinion, vulnerability is strength, not weakness. If you have the strength to show that you're human and emotional, you aren't weak. It's a common misconception really," Violet said earnestly.
