Off the Record by Camryn Garrett (read more books TXT) 📕

were both so mad. You came home and wouldn’t talk to any of us. It was kind of—I don’t know. Scary.”

I bite my lip. For a second, I hate Penny for making me think about all of this, but I swat that thought away fast. This isn’t her fault. None of it is.

“So, yeah,” Alice says after a second. “There you go. Something happened to you.”

I squirm in my seat.

“Not really,” I say. “It’s way different. Like, my thing was a kid fooling around. Hers was an actual adult man harassing her while she was at work.”

“Well,” Alice says, “they’re both assaults.”

“Not really.”

“Josie.” Alice gives me a look. “What happened to you is literally the definition of assault. You know that, right?”

“It was in middle school.”

“So?”

Ugh. I don’t know how to make her understand. What Ryan King did to me was horrible, but lots of kids were mean to me in middle school. I always got stuck with “bad” kids. That was one of the worst things about being quiet. Teachers put the guys who acted up around me, like my presence would make them simmer down.

Middle school wasn’t exactly the brightest time in my life.

“You don’t have to be assaulted by a creepy man for something to count,” Alice says. “I hope you know that.”

The Fasten Seat Belt sign lights up. I lean back and close my eyes.

“Do you know that, Josie?”

“Yeah, Alice,” I sigh out. “I know.”

I try not to think about it for the rest of the flight, but it’s impossible. Even though I’m bone-tired when we land, I pull out my phone to search for Penny’s number.

She was brave enough to share with me. I can do the same for her.

@JosieTheJournalist: i’m not mature enough for any of this

“Josie.”

I groan into my pillow. It’s Alice’s voice, but that doesn’t give me any more reason to get out of bed.

“Josie. Your phone keeps ringing.” She shoves my back. I barely move. There’s drool on my pillow. Ew. “I don’t know who it is—it’s an unknown number—but you can’t be that tired. You’ve been sleeping for forever.”

I know I fell asleep as soon as we got to our hotel room, but I have no idea what time it is now. I sit up and rub my eyes. Alice frowns at me.

“Mom wanted to know where you were,” she says. “I told her you were sleeping. You’re welcome.”

I roll my eyes. My scarf is falling off my head, the blue-and-green design blurring my vision.

“And it’s noon. For all I know, you have an event or something that you’re missing.”

I open my mouth to say something, but my phone’s shrill ringing cuts me off. Alice stares at the bed. I yank my scarf all the way off my head and hold the phone up to my ear.

“What?” I snap.

“Oh. Is this Josie?”

“Penny?” I blink. “What’s up?”

Alice slips into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

“I got your text,” she says simply. “Anyway, I wanted to see if you were available for lunch or something.”

Honestly, I didn’t think about what would happen after I sent Penny the text about Ryan King following me into the bathroom and tearing off my shirt, the part I didn’t want to talk to Alice about. It felt right in the moment. Like we were on even ground. Like I was showing her that she’s not alone. But now I’m not so sure.

“Oh,” I say, reaching for my computer. “Yeah, just let me check.”

I open the itinerary up on my laptop. We’re at the beginning of the second week of the trip, and most of the days say, “Up to your discretion.” It’s weird, going from being super scheduled to having to figure out what to do on my own. I’m supposed to interview Marius back at the hotel later today, but I should probably lock down more interviews with him. There’s also the fact that thinking about Penny makes the anxiety in my belly flare up. It’s like I should be doing something to help. Something I haven’t figured out yet. That she’s inviting me out—doing something for me when I’m not doing anything for her—just makes me feel worse.

“Um,” I say. “Do you have anything scheduled for today?”

“I did,” she says. “Some news show. It was at six this morning. I wanted to die.”

“That sucks,” I say, rubbing my eyes. “Um. Okay. Where should we meet?”

The best thing about Atlanta is that there are so many Black people—all shades, different hairstyles, together and apart, walking around like they own the place. I love driving out here with my family whenever we find the time. This is the closest I’ve been to home the entire trip.

I look up at the sign out front to make sure I’m at the right place. It’s smack in the middle of a cluster of stores, all sleek and black, with signs in different fonts. Posters are plastered on the windows. One in particular makes me freeze.

It’s him, with his salt-and-pepper beard, staring into the distance. ROY LENNOX: A LIVING LEGEND appears in big red letters above his head. Below are the details of the documentary: a two-day televised event featuring interviews with celebrity fans, collaborators, and the man himself. My stomach rocks like a ship at sea.

“Josie!”

Penny presses me to her chest. I blink in surprise.

“I’m so glad to see you,” she says, drawing back. “How are you?”

Penny’s face is open, eyes searching my face like she’s actually interested in my answer. I look away.

“I’m good,” I say. My eyes are drawn to the poster behind her. There’s no way she hasn’t seen it. “What about you?”

I want to ask what it’s like. She knows what Roy Lennox has done. He hurt her and no one else knows. Or maybe they do, but they don’t believe her.

I don’t think I could stand it.

Penny’s eyes dart to the poster. It’s only for half a second, but I notice. She