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"I’ve got that," he said "Especially the part about obedient and respectful …"

"Never ami, she would’ve mentioned it, too"

"Okay, and?"

"Did she tell you I was pretty?"

He gave me a blank look

"Did the word pretty coo" Happy now?

"So this is it? This is your big hang-up? You’re pissed off because your mother doesn’t think you’re pretty? Don’t let it bother you It’s not important"

Oh, you idiot It’s not my mother I’m worried about It’s you I wavedyou said to e woman? Let me help you remember: You said she was beautiful"

"And?"

"I bet you didn’t notice what she earing on her feet, but you noticed how hot she was"

"She was barefoot and her feet were dirty"

Hioes: Men are supposed to be strong, women are supposed to be beautiful Well, I’m not beautiful You can put e, and I’ll be sether, but it won’t make a damn bit of difference, because if you let a man into that same room and let him pick, I would be the last one left If I were a normal woet plastic surgery I would fix my nose, and then I would work some more until I could afford to fix my jaw and so on and so on, until I was pretty But I’m not a norery I know, I’ve tried I’ I can do about it And you say, ‘Don’t let it bother you,’ as if that’s supposed to ery did work, ould you stop having it?" he asked

"When I walked into the room, and men turned their heads to look at me I want to be beautiful I want to be a knockout I would trade all of ic for that"

The green glow backlit his irises "And be what? A pretty idiot?"

"Yes!"

"That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard"

I glared at hirowled "Beautiful woer than a couple of months Phillip left her and she wanted me to intervene so I went to talk to hi with herdumber They couldn’t have a normal conversation He couldn’t handle it And you want to be that? Are you crazy?"

"You don’t even notice the fact that I alasses that you occasionally have to put under guard so it’s not da to have a little bit of fun Did you ever ask yourself why I race?"

"I knohy you race," he snarled

"Tell me!"

"You race because you have a chip on your shoulder the size of a two-by-four You think that because it takes you two minutes to cohter we’ve got, you have soes with four wheels go really fast without any point You don’t win anything, you don’t acco, and you hurt yourself all the tiht--that will show everyone how hard-core you are"

"Aargh!"

"The only thing you’re proving is that the smartest woic, you’re smart, you’re competent, but none of that ood would Nadene do ht now? And I know you’re feht now, that’s female If you were atio"

I heaved up the bucket