Page 53 of Pretty Broken Wings

I hear Raven open her mouth, then nothing comes out. Then her voice tones low, “You really want me to answer that?”

I snort. I mean, kind of. I just grunt, “You have to be hungry. Eat.”

“Hell no.”

I stare at her for a second. She’s still stiff. Okay, so she’s still afraid. Slowly, I reach out and grab the sandwich, taking a bite. “You can’t be one of those people who only eat ‘breakfast’ food for breakfast.”

The woman is quiet as hell, probably wondering how to choke me from afar, which only makes my dick problem worse. I try to shift so she can’t see it, putting one half of the sandwich down and then taking a bite of the other.

It’s silent for a while, just me chewing and Raven wondering how she can kill me. Then, I sense movement and watch as Raven slowly drags the plate toward her.

Elation moves through me. Fuck yes. A victory!

I feel that victory for about one second before I sense movement again. Then, the food whirls toward my head.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The plate hits me with a crack, food flinging onto me. For a second, all I can do is sit there.

Did she really just throw her sandwich at me? Disbelief runs through me, and I stare at her. I have pesto on my face. The oily splotches smear on my glasses. Little chunks of pine nuts and mushy spinach are also in my hair.

Then, reality hits. All I can picture is throwing her over my knee and spanking some respect into her.

Raven moves before I do. She jumps on the bed, trying to use it to get around me. I dart toward her, grabbing her before she can get out the door.

“Help!” she screams.

There’s a glancing blow to my head, and I laugh, lifting her up and throwing her on the bed. “Oh, you’ve done it now.”

I drop down on top of the struggling blur of movement. This close, I see Raven’s face, and for a second, it’s twisted in hate.

“I’ll teach you some respect,” I say playfully as I try to pin her arms down. We fight for a second, and then I get her small body restrained under me.

Instantly, Raven’s eyes widen, the whites showing, and her body stills. She stops fighting, and her body is like stone. She looks through me like I’m not even there. Slowly, the look fades from fear to glassy. Her body relaxes, and her eyelids drop, but she’s still not looking at me.

The look is haunting. It’s like she’s there, but she’s not. It’s a familiar look.

That look. It’s like she’s seeing everything and nothing.

My stomach twists, and I let her go.

“Raven?” I back off the bed. My stomach doesn’t feel right.

Suddenly, I’m a child again.

“What’s wrong?”

Gage’s voice sounds like it’s coming from behind a shower curtain.

My knee is jostled, and I blink. We’re in the car going to school.

“What’s going on?” Gage whispers.

What’s wrong? Nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking about… nothing. My mind was finally a blank wall.

“Nothing.” I fold my arms and look out the window. The outside moves by in flashes of dirty white. It snowed last night, on Halloween, and the snow is dirty from the roads.

And now I can’t stop thinking. About last night. About how Rich and I had a special night. About how he told me how much more mature I am than Gage. My body hurts today, but Gage wouldn’t understand. No one would.