Page 119 of Scream Little Sister

Come back home and let’s talk about this like adults.

I scrunch my nose and exit the thread.

Dad is out of his mind if he thinks I’ll crawl back home to talk. His version of having any discussion is to order me around and expect me to listen to him. I’m not doing it anymore. I refuse to allow him to control me.

The song switches, leaving the room quiet for a split second. Thunder booms, followed by lightning flashing through the drawn curtains.

Nova leaps from her spot, the bag of Twizzlers and the untouched bowl of popcorn dropping to the floor and scattering into a mess. I leap to my feet, my wine sloshing over the lip of the cup and drenching the front of my shirt.

“Be right back.” Nova races out of the room, her frantic footsteps pounding the stairs and fading once she reaches the top.

“Nova!” I set the wineglass on the table and chase after her.

I follow the flash of pink into her bedroom. Nova rushes to her gaming desk and grabs her headphones with pointed pink kitty ears at the top. She places them over her head and holds the muffs against her ears.

“Hey,” I say softly. “What’s going on?”

Nova plops onto her gaming chair and squeezes her eyes shut. “I’ll be okay. I just”—she swallows hard and looks at me with sad, pleading eyes—“need to listen to music for a while. Drown out all the noise.”

I nod and ease closer to her. “Do you want me to stay here with you?”

Her shoulders jerk up to her jaw at another loud clap of thunder. She squeezes her eyes shut. “You don’t have to.”

I stop and frown. “I will. You just need to let me know.”

Lightning flashes and lights up the right of the room. Nova whimpers and swivels the chair to face her computer, then shakes her mouse to bring the screen to life. She taps a few times and plays music that blasts through her headphones, but it’s loud enough for me to hear.

I awkwardly stand behind her, unsure of what to do. Nova keeps her back to me, her trembling lessening the more she listens to her music.

I’ve never seen her like this during a storm. Usually she goes quiet and has a faraway look in her eyes, but never full-on shivering and needing to hide.

The heater kicks on, cooling my wine-damp shirt to my skin. Goosebumps rise on my arms, and I suppress a shiver. I glance down at my top and wince at the large red stain.

“I’ll be right back,” I say, even though Nova can’t hear me. “I won’t be gone for long.”

Nova is a few sizes smaller than me, so I can’t exactly raid her closet.

I leave her bedroom and tuck my phone in my pocket before I head out the front door. Rain lashes against my face, stinging my eyes. I hunch my shoulders and jog down the street to Ryder’s house. Well,ourhouse.

“Please don’t let me get struck by—” I scream as lightning cracks close by and lights up the night with torrents of blue and white. “This wasn’t worth it. Fuck!”

I race down the sidewalk until I reach the house, then zig-zag up the driveway and barrel through the front door. My heart pounds erratically against my chest, and I check my phone to make sure there isn’t any water damage. The screen lights up, showing no sign of an issue.

I glance behind me and nibble my bottom lip.

I hope Ryder’s okay.

Maybe he hasn’t come home yet because of the weather.

That eases my mind just a smidge, but only for a split second before unwanted thoughts rush forward.

Did he get in a crash and that’s why he’s not here?

I pull up his name on my cell and hit the dial button before I hold my phone against my ear.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” I whisper.

I turn the corner into the living room and stop dead in my tracks. Two large figures sit on the couch. The one on the right has his leg crossed over the other, with his ankle resting on his knee. The other figure sits on the end of the couch like a king, legs spread and arm on the rest, with his thick fingers tuckedagainst his temple. It’s too dark to make out their faces, but I recognize the slicked-back hairstyles and business suits.