@oddsfavorcd sent: it's good to be aware that the world is blatantly unfair. β
Growing up, Jake's mother had made sure to instill in him the value of dignity. It comes, she had told him, from changing yourself when you cannot change the world around you. Something you can only obtain by protecting it inside of others. She had told him that it was an easy thing to forget in times like this, &&. afterwards that was all she had ever needed to say when he had strayed from grace. Taken a book from his school without asking; kicked over his brother's fishing tackle in a fit of anger. Nothing had reeled him in faster than her stern face going ' it's easy to forget. '
Jake was keenly aware that, compared to others, he had had it easy growing up. Back home, it had been the only argument he'd ever had with his best friend. When Marco had said ' nothing bad had ever really happened to you, ' he had wanted to hit him, but he didn't. He still had his mother's voice in his head.
Here, people talked about his ' easy life ' in a different way. They praised how tall he was for his age; they marveled at his broad shoulders. Both he &&. Rachel were sunkissed &&. smooth ββ they didn't look sick. Standing next to other kids their age, they even looked strong.
His fingers knotted around his shoe laces &&. despite having lived by his mother's words up to this point in his life, Jake was beginning to feel stubborn. He wanted someone to look him in the face &&. tell him what his best friend had meant. He wanted them to explain that little sigh of pity when he'd gotten reaped that was stifled by guilt. He wanted to know why the shoes he'd just put on his feet were nicer than any he'd ever owned. He wanted to know what people thought an ' easy life ' was when it still ended with him here.
Jake wanted all that. The only problem was that when Blight came up to him &&. said it clear as day, he suddenly found himself wanting it from anyone except him.
β . . . ππΆπ³π²'π π―π²π²π» π½πΏπ²πππ π΄πΌπΌπ± ππΌ πΊπ², β he said. Jake smiled ββ it was the kind of answer that the cameras had liked, according to his mentor. You're naturally sincere, she had said. Apparently humble &&. grateful was a good look for him, which suited Jake just fine. He wasn't surprised at all that that was what had sold when it had already been the show he'd been putting on for most of his life. Pardon him if he didn't feel like giving Blight anything else when he smelled like alcohol at one in the afternoon. β I don't think fair has ever had a lot to do with it. Or do you think I still need to learn that? β
