Page 166 of Broken by my Bully

I glance at the rushing water. “It’s going too fast.” I scrunch up my face. “You’ll die.”

She pouts. “Maybe I want to die. You don’t know.”

“Oh, gawd,” I drawl, dragging my hand down my face. “Not this again.”

“My foot’s numb.”

“Why didn’t you say so? Don’t want your foot falling off.” I huff as I drag my weapon out of my underpants to cut her free. It’s less cutting and more jamming the knife into the knots to loosen them, though.

I really got to get my hands on a sharper knife. I keep asking Haven, but she gets this look in her eyes, and says she throws away all the knives at her house so no one gets hurt.

Runs in the family, I guess.

Only nine but already talking about dying like it’s normal. That’s messed up.

Haven giggles when the last rope is free and shoves me as she runs past, straight to the creek. “Fooled ya!”

“Filthy liar!” I yell, running after her.

She hesitates at the edge of the creek, wobbling as she balances on one of the big, flat rocks scattered about.

I stop beside her, waving at the water. “Go on.”

“Itisgoing fast, isn’t it?” she whispers.

“Yeah, ‘cos I’m not a filthy liar like you.” I give her a little shove. “Go on.”

She looks down at herself. “What about my new shirt?”

I look at the grubby white t-shirt she’s got on. “Is not new.”

“Is too!”

I poke my finger through a small tear at the back of one sleeve. “Got a hole in it.”

“Yeah, fine,” she mutters, so quiet I can barely hear her over the thundering creek.

Her eyes are glazed as she stares at the foamy water. “Will I really die if I go in?”

“Probably.” I shrug, and jump in. The water rushes around my feet, almost tipping me over. “But heaven’s gotta be better than this dump, right?”

“No such thing as heaven,” she says firmly.

I look over at her and see that familiar set to her jaw. She gets it whenever I tell her she can’t do anything. That she’s too small, or too weak, or too girly to do it. I suppose I shouldn’t tell her that, but she’s just a kid, and skinny as a twig.

And a girl at that.

My big brother Ezra says females are useless, that the only thing they’re good for is sex. He’s already getting laid, so I guess he’d know.

“Only one way to find out!” I yell at her, making a point of splashing around in the water. It’s so cold it’s making my teeth chatter, but I love the way it hits my body, pounding against it so hard, but it doesn’t hurt at all.

Unless it hits my bruises. Those always hurt.

Haven peels off her t-shirt and lays it carefully on the rock beside her. Jeez, her ribs stick out like a xylophone. Kid needs to eat more.

She squares her shoulders and jumps into the raging creek.

“Whoo!”