Page 81 of Soul So Dark

Before Rory can respond, I storm across the room and grab the front of his shirt, jerking him off the bed and throwing him to the floor with a bang. I straddle his torso while he fights me, but I slam his chest back down and throw my forearm across his throat, pinning him to the floor.

“I’m going to make this really simple for you,” I snarl. “I’m going to let you walk out of here and not mention to Col that you were in here, lying in wait like a fucking ghoul.”

“Or what?” Rory sneers from beneath my arm.

I only have one response, and that’s to rip my knife from my pocket. I flip it open as Aiden steps in front of me and crouches down, grabbing Rory’s forehead with one hand and seizing his jaw with the other.

Holding him immobile, Aiden hovers over him. “Do you honestly think whatever juvenile shit she did to you is going to matter once Alex starts removing your teeth?” He pries Rory’s mouth open as he struggles. “You know we’ve done it before. And practice makes perfect.”

I adjust the black handle for precision and focus on one of his premolars, inserting the blade just past his lip.

“Last chance to reconsider, Ror,” Aiden glares down at him.

He replies with a garbled, “Fuck you!” and Aiden tightens his grip, pulling his lip up to give me a clear view of his tooth.

I slip the tip of the knife into his gum line and apply pressure. Immediately, his body goes rigid and he lets out a guttural howl. I press harder until blood starts beading at his gums and seeping across his tooth.

“Had enough?” I say through clenched teeth, to which he gives a sharp nod. I extract the knife and lean closer. “Mark my words, if you ever look at Dallas again,I’ll fucking kill you.”

I let my words sink in for a few seconds before letting my arm relax and moving to stand. Aiden releases Rory’s head and does the same as I flip my knife shut and replace it in my pocket. Rory snaps his mouth shut, tonguing the wound while glaring up at us. When I’ve decided he’s not moving fast enough, I grab the front of his shirt and jerk him to his feet. He tries to come at me, but Aiden grabs the back of his neck and gives him a shove out the door.

I start to follow, but my legs don’t move, frozen in front of Dallas’s bed. All I can do is stare at the indentation from Rory’s body on her comforter. Once I hear the kitchen door shut downstairs, I know that Aiden and Rory are out of the house. But I keep staring at the bed for nearly a minute, until I force myself to move.

I start smoothing out Dallas’s comforter until there’s no sign anyone was ever there. And when I finally leave and shut her door behind me, I can only think about one thing.

What if I wasn’t here…

What if I wasn’t here…

What if I wasn’t here…

CHAPTER TWENTY

Dallas

I think Colson’s losing it—like,reallylosing it.

“You’ve never invited me to go out with you and your friends.”

“What are you talking about?” He sounds slightly offended. “I’ve been saying you should skip school with us for two fucking weeks.”

I shoot him a side-eye before I turn back to my game. I thought he would leave me alone once he saw that I’m back to playingWitcher 3—as far as anyone else knows…

My mom and Scott are visiting Scott’s mother, Evie’s grandmother, and will be gone until Sunday morning. My mom spent an inordinate amount of time telling us about food in the refrigerator and repeating where they would be and for how long, as if we’ve never stayed home alone before and don’t know how to use phones.

Maybe it sounds terrible, but I’m glad they’ll be gone for a couple of nights. Every time I talk to my mom or Scott, I’m reminded that they’re not the same people anymore, and nothing will ever be the same. I thought that this would be an opportunity to get some space and clear my head—play my “new” PlayStation games and disassociate some more.But, instead, Colson came banging on my door again.

He’s only inviting me out because he thinks that if I’m with him, then nothing bad will happen to me. Hanging out up at the old railroad bridge with a bunch of his friends sounds boring, but I also want to make him happy. Colson can be annoying as fuck, especially when he’s being overbearing and getting all up in my business, but he’s so much better when he’s happy.Weare so much better when he’s happy. I also kind of hate that my own happiness hinges on other people being happy.

Speaking of which, Colson’s still in my room, staring down at me expectantly.

“Who’s going to be there?” I squint up at him.

A wave of relief washes over his face, taking my question as confirmation that I’ve accepted his invitation. If I refused, he’d probably blame me for ruining his night anyway.

“Mason, Aiden, Alex,” he rattles off the usual three, “Josh, Rory, Bryce, and a few other girls.”

Good, at least I won’t be the only girl with a bunch of his soccer friends, even if I am the only freshman.