Tips on getting rid of it are appreciated. I don't believe in book burning so we're gonna have to be creative.
We skip ahead a few weeks. Ella does nothing. She contemplates an upcoming fundraiser party.
Y'know, here's a thought. There were no protesters outside of Greenwich Kennels when John and Elise drove her home. This is in some vague modern day world (I still have no idea when it's supposed to be). This extremely controversial bill went through both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Supreme Court was like "yeah, sure, that's cool" when the suits and controversy inevitably reached them, and the president didn't veto this egregious violation of human rights. The fact that there aren't protesters in a place where people engineer and enslave young women is more evidence that the author did not think any of this shit through.
I guess there's lots of reasons why you could explain that away, but whatevs. I'm going to nitpick this trash til my fingers bleed.
Also, what office exactly does John hold? Everyone just calls him congressman, so I'm wondering if he's in the House of Representatives, since they call other politicians Senators. This is all unclear. I would imagine his power and wealth to be more in line with a key state Senator than Representative (my representative goes to my church).
Ella is chilling on the patio and Penn comes up wanting to talk to her. He gives her a bouquet of flowers he stole from the party stuff. Okay, that's kinda sweet. Like "FUCK MY DAD have some flowers".
Penn sits down for a chill sesh when his dad cockblocks him yet again. Penn peaces out. John is all handsy and it's gross.
Mostly just squeezing her arm and stroking her hair, but we all know he wants to stick his manbanana into her.
I figure I should give you some context for THAT reference
John treats Ella like a 2 year old and tells her to take a nap so she's not "distracted". Then he steals her flowers like a dickhole and peaces out as well. Elise comes over and starts talking about the fancy party and how important it is. She runs a charity for Ghanan Orphans. Goddammit, Elise, I want to like you but you're making it hard for me.
Elise tells Ella that people from her charity aren't happy with the fact that they own a human being. She straight up tells Ella to not make a spectacle of herself. Ella is like "ya ok" and agrees to not tell John that Elise asked her to be subdued.
Also apparently Ella is wearing a silk and organza gown first thing in the morning. WTF damn girl, go full on Padme Amidala.
I'm still mad at Elise for basically being like "I totes know my husband is going to rape Ella, let's get her 'spayed'". Headcanon for my problematic homegirl Elise is that she's doing this to distract John, also with the knowledge that if Ella gets pregnant she gets murdered, so she's also trying to do everything she can to save her life. IDK, I'm just trying to make this absolute bullshit palatable. I miss Ruby.
Later on Ella goes to the party and spends a lot of time describing it. It's a fancy party.
Penn finds her, and he's wearing a tux. Ella is twitterpated. He brings her champagne or something. At least I hope it's not champagne, because Ella is gonna get trashed. Or hate the taste. IDK.
They talk and Penn is bitter, as usual. He compliments her hairstyle and wants to dance with her. Ella won't because of what Elise asked her to do. So Penn is like EFF THAT and starts dancing with her in the dark behind a party tent. Elise is probably all glad that Ella isn't seen at all.
They dance. Apparently she's never danced with a man even though she took lots of dance classes. So. They have "conversation" courses that do not prepare them for actual conversations and have dances classes that do not prepare them to actually dance with a dude. Seems legit.
A wild tingling spread through my chest, as if all those tiny bubbles in my drink had begun exploding inside me the moment he began to move me across the grass in a slow waltz.
Damn, girl's a lightweight. Also ow.
Penn apologizes for being a jerk a few times.
"When my dad said he was getting another pet from Greenwich... God, I was so pissed. Not just because of what happened before, but because I don't want us to be one of those showpiece families my dad wants us to be."
Not because owning a human being and treating them like a dog is disgusting. Like. What. Penn. What? He dredges up some token indignation over the fact that his dad raped a teenaged girl, but what?
"And I guess I thought you'd be another plastic girl, one more plaything for my midlife-crisis dad, or something, and it made me sick. But then I met you..." He paused looking down at me. "You aren't anything like that other one. I mean, when I heard you playing the piano the other day... You can't teach a pet to play that way, you know?"
Did this goddamn book just pull the "you're not like other girls" on me?
Penn, kindly go set yourself on fire. Just what the actual hell? Ella is actually not COMPLETELY flattered by this, because she's thinks that she IS a pet and that she couldn't be that much different from Ravenna. Though she is exhilarated that he complimented her playing so highly.
If this book is hinting that Ella truly is different because the other girls don't have free will or emotions, I'm going to light MYSELF on fire. It doesn't even matter because Penn is being such a raging douche.
And we race past THAT piece of crap by Ella being all IT'S A PERFECT NIGHT AND NOT JUST BECAUSE YOUR PARENTS THROW GOOD PARTIES TEEHEE.
They see John looking for her so Penn pulls her even further away from the party and down a hill. Apparently he wants to take her to a "secret garden".
ARE THEY GOING TO TEACH COLIN CRAVEN TO WALK AGAIN AND REUNITE HIM WITH HIS GRIEVING FATHER?!
Apparently these jerks have an orchard? Unless it's just in their neighborhood. It's all very unclear. Anyway, they go into the secret garden and it's all overgrown and no one goes there, not even the gardeners. Okay. Sure. So I guess all this shit belongs to the Kimballs? Wow. They have a huge amount of land if they have an orchard too. Do they live near Washington D.C.? I have no idea WHERE they are.
Ella likes the garden and they bond over it. She is all THE PLANTS ARE CELEBRATING and does a forced metaphor about how people try to make them into what they want but their true nature eventually come out BUT SHE'S REALLY TALKING ABOUT HERSELF GET IT.
I guess she's really NOT going to dwell on the fact that Penn hates pets and she's a pet, but it's okay because she's not like other pets. Dammit, Penn. This is why so much YA bothers me.
Chapter Twelve
When they go back to the party, Elise is like "where you been at, yo?" because John has been looking everywhere for them and she's been stalling. Elise. Please. Just poison your husband, inherit all his wealth, let Ruby be a kid, and reverse the legislation about human pets by going public with his disgusting rapist ways, and be the fabulous fifty-something woman I know you are.
John rolls up and takes Ella to go introduce her to people. Before he does, he tells her not to distract Penn. I don't know how she's distracting, she has about as much personality as a napkin.
They go to a table and John sits in the last open seat. No. No no. No. This is not going to happen.
The other men talk about how pretty she is and it's obviously John trying to get them to fund something to do with the kennels.
"Come here, love," he said, pulling me down into his lap.
IT HAPPENED. DAMMIT BOOK.
STOP IT RIGHT NOW.
Ella is internally freaking out and totally disgusted, so at least she's not a total simpering fool, but ugh.
DUDE HOW FAR UP ON HIS LAP IS SHE?
I wanted to scoot forward so I couldn't feel the way his belly pressed against me with each breath that he took.
He's not fat. He wasn't described as being fat. HOW FAR UP ON HIS LAP IS SHE. I AM SO GROSSED OUT. NO. STOP IT BOOK. NO NO NO NO NONO.
This entire book is pointless, but you know what I mean.
A peer (friend?) of Penn's comes over and introduces himself as Collin. Apparently he's been checking her out all night. He kisses her hand like a weirdo and is all in her personal space. Sigh. Why do all the men in this book get so handsy with her? Penn was all holding her by the waist and leading her with his hand on the base of her spine, I just didn't mention it because I'm so tired of this bs.
"So, is it true what they say about pets?"
Sigh.
Ella is confused, and Collin is acting like a drunk dudebro trying to hit on her. He puts his hand on her thigh. She tries to leave, remembering what Elise said, and Collin won't let go of her leg.
This is all so Penn can save her, right?
Collin tries to get her to go into the house, obviously to get some, but Ella tells him to go on ahead.
This book totally surprises me by not having Penn swoom in and by having Ella be like "peace out bitch" and runs away.
Wow.
Was not expecting that. Ella is the flattest flat character and she actually showed initiative and didn't let everything just happen around her and actually did something for once. Well. okay then. Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
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