Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline Page B

table, and up close, she noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles underneath them.
    â€œHi.” Jason sat down heavily in the hard chair opposite her, slumping backwards.
    â€œHow’re you doing?” Bennie heard shouting in another room, and the air smelled dirty and felt cold, though the ancient radiators knocked constantly.
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œHow did you sleep?”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œYou should feel free to talk with me, even if you just want to complain.”
    â€œI’m no whiner.” Jason swallowed hard, his little Adam’s apple going up and down.
    â€œIt’s not whining.”
    â€œWhining and complaining are the same thing.”
    â€œNot when the complaining is to a lawyer,” Bennie said, gently. “In fact, every lawsuit is started with a piece of paper that gets filed with a court. You know what that paper is called?”
    â€œNo, what?”
    â€œA Complaint.”
    â€œReally?” Jason’s eyes narrowed with adult skepticism.
    â€œTruly. If you don’t tell me your complaint, I can’t do my job. Now, let’s start over. Did you sleep okay?”
    â€œNo.” Jason hesitated. “I was, like, afraid. It’s dark, and there’s weird noises, and these boys, they talk all night. They yell and I heard somebody crying.”
    â€œThat’s sad. I would cry if I were in here, too.” Bennie wondered if Jason had cried. “Did you have any classes today? They’re supposed to hold classes for you.”
    â€œThey said they’ll do that later. I don’t know how.” Jason bit his lip. “My teachers don’t come here, do they?”
    â€œNo, they have different teachers.” Bennie wasn’t sure how it worked, in fact.
    â€œMy grades, they’re going to go down. I’m already so far behind. We had to read a book over the weekend. The Giver . I didn’t bring it and I only got done eleven pages.”
    â€œI’m sure you’ll catch up,” Bennie said, though she was worried. She wondered if this was what being a parent was like, giving comfort you didn’t feel and reassuring someone when you were worried as hell.
    â€œI told my dad and he’s going to bring more books tonight. I can read in my room, I keep away from everybody, and Richie and the boy next door to me, he’s seventeen. They call him Wrinkles.” Jason lowered his voice. “I think he did something bad to a little girl. You know what I mean?”
    Bennie’s mouth went dry. “Stay away from him.”
    â€œOh, I will,” Jason shot back.
    â€œWhat about Richie? How is he?” Bennie realized she was worried about Richie’s being on the same hall as a sex offender. She never would’ve felt that way before, her loyalties newly confused.
    â€œI stay away from Richie, too. I stay away from everybody .” Jason’s eyes went rounder, his fear plain. “I just try to stay out of everybody’s way, like school, only worse.”
    â€œAre they bullying you already?”
    â€œThey call me names. The guard calls me Fats Domino.”
    â€œI could do something about that, you know.” Bennie felt anger tighten her chest.
    â€œNo don’t.” Jason’s expression changed, his eyebrows flying upward in anxiety. “Let it roll off your back. Like a duck, remember I told you?”
    â€œI won’t say anything, but you have to make me a promise. If you are in any kind of physical danger, I want you to go to the guard and tell him. If anybody shoves you, or pushes you, or tries to touch you”—Bennie was choosing her words carefully—“then I want you to go to the guard and I want you to tell him you want your lawyer. I will come, any time of day or night. You understand?”
    â€œOkay. I promise. So when am I going to get out? After you win in court, like in Law & Order ?”
    â€œNot exactly,