Chapter 70

　　In the apartment, we sit drinking coffee; we don’t talk about what happened. Instead, I tell him about Sophie and that I want to help her. I can’t tell him why, though, without explaining about my mother’s injuries. I know if I tell him Ray is the reason that she’s in the hospital, he will go back out and find him and drag him to the police station or worse, and I know it’s pointless. My mother will never point a finger at Ray. I already know that she won’t even break up with him despite what he’s done. Instead, she’ll be angry at me for letting Jake beat him up.

　　Such is the twisted logic of my mother.

　　“Isn’t that what your mother does, help kids like Sophie?” he asks gently. I watch him carefully, realizing I’m still scanning his face and hands for injuries obsessively. I’ve been doing it since we walked into the apartment, and I still can’t rest despite seeing no evidence aside from some bruised knuckles. He’s indestructible, like a hero should be.