“It’s nice to see I can still rile you up.”
“This isn’t riled. This is fucking angry.” God, where was Skye?
“That’s a shame, I thought you’d at least want to hear what I had to say.” He pushes his hands into his coat pockets. Fuck him for being so goddamn handsome. He has no right when I know he’s so evil on the inside. If I ever get to heaven, I’m going to have a serious talk with the woman in charge of this shit. I have to assume there’s an upstairs if there’s literal demons inhabiting my roommates.
“What could you possibly have to say to me that would make me want to listen to you. Remember that time you kidnapped me? Good times. The best.” People are starting to look, but I don’t give a shit. I’m just proud of myself for not strangling the life out of him right now. I deserve a metal for the restraint I’m showing.
“Hey what’s- oh holy crap!” Skye says seeing me standing with Emmet.
“Right? What a fun surprise. You ready to go?” I ask, sliding my arm through Skye’s and pulling her with me.
“I’ll see you later at home then.” Emmet calls out and I bite my tongue so hard I feel blood well up. I will not make a scene here and give them what they want from me. The new headmaster and Emmet could go to hell, I’d worked too hard for my grades, and I would not falter.
Once we are far enough down the path back to our house, I fill Skye in on the day I’d had. Starting with getting back my group project with Pierce’s name scratched out and ending with the shitshow of dealing with Emmet.
“The guys aren’t going to like this.”
“I know. But what choice do we have. Headmaster Hart pretty much threatened to kick any of us out if we don’t ‘play nice.’ Fuck! I hate this.” I kick at a loose stone on the ground, sending it flying into the woods.
I pull out my busted phone and manage to unlock it without causing any further injuries. I type out a text to Walker, telling him Emmet is back. I watch the bubbles pop up and disappear a few times.
When his text finally comes through it just says…
Walker: Fuck!
Yeah, that about sums up my feelings too.
We get home, and head straight to my room even though I’m starving.
“Tell me something happy to distract me from all this bullshit. Tell me about you and Graham.”
“Oh my god, he’s amazing.” Skye says, her face turning a bubblegum shade of pink. “I don’t think we left the room for more than five minutes all weekend. I can’t believe I’m up and walking today, I was so sore this morning.”
“Same. Walker had me twisted up like a pretzel. My whole ass was on fire with how hard he hit me with the belt.”
“His belt?”
I smile remembering how delicious the pain and pleasure felt mixed together. “Yeah, I highly recommend it, if you’re into that thing.”
“I can’t imagine Graham ever hitting me with a belt.” Her face betrays her, and I know she’s thinking Lukas would totally oblige.
“Have you talked to him?”
She crinkles her nose, knowing exactly who I’m talking about. “Not at all. He’s been avoiding me, but I have to go back to our room at some point. All my stuff is in there. I got lucky sneaking in there yesterday to grab a few things, but I can’t live like that.”
My stomach chooses right then to make a loud growling sound, surprising us both.
“We should go get you some food.” She laughs. I follow her into the kitchen as I try to enjoy the calm before the storm.
ChapterThirty
WALKER
SONG: FAMILY LINE BY CONAN GRAY
Having my father here, is bringing up all the memories I’ve tried so hard to suppress. His fists pummeling into my flesh as my mother sits in the next room drinking chardonnay, hearing my tiny voice scream out for help. After a while I stopped asking for help, going to a place in mind- the only place that felt safe. I’d had a blissful two-year break from him, but now he was back with even more power over my life.
I’ve been spiraling all day, especially after that stupid Intro to Business class I’d been shoved into. It felt like being suffocated and deprived of the one thing that made me tick. Music was such an integral part of who I was and now he’d tried to remove that from me as well.
