Page 9 of Reaper

A tear streaks down my cheek before falling onto my sleep pants, making the material darken. Then another dark spot appears, and another as I sob.

I’m not sure how long I sit there as I cry, but it takes me a while to realize I’m not alone.

Wiping my cheeks, I reach up and grab some toilet paper and blow my nose before turning toward the door.

Another sob rips through me as I see Miracle standing in the doorway along with my other best friend, Khloe.

“What are you guys doing here?” I manage to get out as Miracle reaches out, clasping my hand and hauling me up off the floor.

Like usual, Miracle is dressed in black skinny jeans that hug her curves, a few rips decorating the legs of her jeans. She’s paired them with a dark, navy-blue t-shirt that has a deep v-cut, allowing a few of her many, and I do meanmany, tattoos to show. Over her t-shirt, she’s wearing her signature black leather jacket, and she has on her usual black heeled boots that almost remind me of biker boots, but for women. Her chocolate brown eyes are lined with black liner and she’s left her long red hair down today. Like me, Miracle has curves, but unlike me, Miracle is more comfortable in her skin and shows off her curves more than I do.

Next to her stands my other best friend, Khloe Covington. Her family moved to Junction Creek the summer before kindergarten, and when Miracle and I saw her sitting by herself at lunch the first day of school, we went over and introduced ourselves. The rest was history. Miracle usually dresses on the darker, edgier side. Khloe tends to go more for dresses and colorful shirts and today is no exception.

She’s wearing a bright floral shirt that’s almost like a dress and she’s paired it with black leggings and sandals. Her long, brown hair is pulled up into one of her usual fancy ponytails that I can never remember the name of. Like Miracle, her green eyes are lined with eyeliner and her eyes also bore into me with concern. Unlike Miracle and me, Khloe is slim, but she’s never made either of us feel bad about us being heavier than her.

“What do you mean ‘what are we doing here’? We’re here to support you and help you burn that asshat’s shit,” Miracle says as she pulls me into a tight hug.

A second later, Khloe’s arms wrap around both of us, which has a few more tears leaking out that I hastily try to wipe away.

When they pull back, I wipe my cheeks again, drying them fully. Khloe puts her hands on her hips and gets a stern look on her face.

“I know you feel like shit right now, but we’re not going to let you wallow.” She pauses as she cocks her head slightly. “Not yet, at least. Grab some comfy clothes, hop in the shower, and come downstairs for brunch. After that, we’ll start tackling the nasty shit before making a good stiff drink to watch that shit burn.”

I huff and shake my head but grab the clothes off the dresser I’d picked out last night. After giving both of them another hug, I head back into the bathroom and shut the door.

Walking over to the shower, I turn it on to let the water warm up. As I strip out of my pajamas, a little tension bleeds out of my body at the knowledge that I have my friends here to help me deal with the fallout of Aiden’s and Kelly’s mess. Especially Miracle. Not only am I closer to her, but since it’s going on almost eleven o’clock and I know she doesn’t get home until about three, I bet she only got a couple hours of sleep before getting in her car and driving the almost three and a half hours to get here from Madison. I didn’t realize how much I neededthem until I saw them, and fuck am I glad I still have two really good friends at my side.

Once the water is warm, I step in and stand under the hot water for a few moments, letting the heat work its way into my tense muscles. My eyes sting and my heart clenches again at Kelly and Aiden’s betrayal. My mind keeps playing last night on repeat, but I do my best to box those emotions up for now. I can process things later because I don’t want to waste time on them right now. While I see Khloe almost every day, I very rarely get to see Miracle anymore, and I’m not about to spend the little time I have with her wallowing in the shower. I’ll process things later.

One thing I do know though, my bow is definitely going to be getting a workout today.

Chapter 4

Lark

AfterIfinishinggettingready, I throw my hair up into a messy bun and ignore the dark circles under my eyes. I have a feeling that I’ll be needing another shower after dealing with... everything... today, so I don’t even bother with makeup to try and hide them.

Pocketing my phone, I force myself to ignore my messages and leave the room before heading downstairs. My stomach rumbles at the smell of bacon and eggs wafting from the kitchen. Even from here, I can hear the voices of my family and friends, and it brings a small smile to my face that they are here for me.

I head into the kitchen, but when I enter, all conversation stops. Swallowing thickly, I avoid eye contact and make my way over to the rack that holds our coffee mugs and pour myself a cup.

Arms circle around my shoulders after I place the pot back on the burner, and I relax into Ma’s familiar embrace. She places a kiss at my temple, and then, after giving me a gentlesqueeze, she walks back over to the stove and starts talking to my grandparents about the supper club. Relief fills me that they aren’t trying to get me to talk about last night right away. I need a lot more caffeine before tackling everything.

Coffee in hand, I make my way to the table and sit down in between my friends. Raising my mug, I take a much needed drink of the liquid gold that I’d pump into my veins if I could.

“How you doing, girl?” Khloe asks and I exhale heavily as I set my mug down.

Guess we’re doing this now.

There’s no point in lying to them, so I tell the truth, especially since I know Ma and my grandparents are listening in even though they’re trying to pretend they aren’t.

“I slept like shit because images of them kept rolling through my mind and it wouldn’t stop.”

Miracle slaps a hand down on the table. “Well, after brunch, we’re gonna help you erase any trace of them from your room. Then we’ll purge them out of your life.”

I take another sip of my coffee. Staring down at the mug in my hands, I bite my lip as my nerves threaten to take over.

There’s no way Aiden and Kelly will keep their mouths shut about this.