Jioni stood up, carrying with her the embarrassment and shame of Tracey’s kind gesture. Though she wanted to feel relief that it was all solved, Jioni couldn’t ignore that she had found a new way to disappoint Tracey, making her job and life even more stressful. Jioni struggled to get any word out, but she forced herself to, regardless.
“But what about next month? I don’t know how to pay you back.”
“Pay me back by passing that exam in July.”
Jioni’s stomach dropped. The feeling stirred with uncertainty. She couldn’t pass the exam the first time; she could barely fight the Tenebris outside, and to top it off, she was damaged. How had Tracey not realized she was damaged? The debt could never be paid back, and the thought tormented her. Deep down, she wanted to follow through, but she didn’t know how. She headed for the door.
Tracey said something. It sounded mumbled and frantic.
Jioni couldn’t hear. Exhaustion and humiliation took hold of her thoughts. Her actions appeared robotic; all she wanted to do was leave before the shame grew into a full-on meltdown.
