Page 63

“Bullshit,” Anthony growls, closing the distance between us. “You’ve lied to me, and to yourself, since the moment I met you. I might be fucked up, but at least I’m dealing with my demons.”

“Fuck you.” A solitary tear slides down my cheek and I see Anthony’s resolve falter.

“Kali …” He lifts a hand as if to comfort me, but I slap it away.

“I mean it. Go fuck yourself. I’m done.” I snatch up my bag from the ground and march across the floor, smacking the front door open so hard it bounces off the outside wall.

34

KALI

I bargethrough the front door of my home with the force of a bison protecting its young from a pride of lions.

Hazel jumps up from the living room couch, alarmed. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

“No, everything isnotokay.” I hurl my bag across the room and watch it collide with a vase, smashing it to pieces.

Hazel goes rigid. “Kali, what happened?”

“Anthony fucking Bonetti!” I shout. “I amneverspeaking to that man again. My radar for fuckboys is usually at platinum level. How did I not see it with him?”

Hazel’s hands remain faced out in the defensive position, like she’s about to jump onto a giant crocodile and wrestle it Steve Irwin style. “What did he do?”

“He’s sneaking around, being violent anddealingagain.”

Hazel’s mouth drops open. “What? No. No, that can’t be true.”

“It’s true! He told me he punched Nathan in the face and used a knife on him and I found an envelope of cash.”

She furrows her brow. “Aknife?Wait, you think the cash was from a drug deal?”

“He denied it, obviously.”

“And you don’t believe him?”

“No.” I throw my hands in the air. “I don’t know! He called me possessive and a coward. I told him to go fuck himself. I can’t even remember how it all happened.”

The last half hour morphs into a nightmare as I bury my face in my hands. The array of emotions I saw on Anthony’s face in the time we fought play on repeat, antagonising my anxiety.

“Do you really think Anthony’s dealing again?” Hazel asks. I lift my head to see concern etched into her face, but I’m too wound up to feel anything but anger towards him.

“I don’t know,” I snap. “But we need to ask ourselves how well we even know him. He admitted to using violence towards Nathan only after I caught him out. How do we know he hasn’t been pretending to be this reformed, nice guy this whole time?”

Hazel’s eyes narrow. “I know you don’t think that’s true.”

I hear the blood rushing in my ears again, my throat constricting as I gasp for breath. All I want to do is scream again, but I can’t think straight.

“Kali, breathe,” Hazel orders. “I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. Anthony adores you. He’s been your person for the past few months. Evenyoucan admit that.”

“He’s not my person,” I argue. “I don’t want a person! I don’tneedanother person to be happy.”

“That’s not-”

“I don’twantanother person! I’m fine not being some pathetic, heart-eyed woman obsessed with her partner and who can’t function without a man in her life.”

Hazel’s expression glimmers from sad to annoyed. “Kali, no one is saying that.”

“We slept together a couple of times, and he made me a piece of art. Big deal.”