Page 68 of The Villain

“What would it hurt?” I urge her.

“A lot of people, I think,” she laughs back.

She has a point. I don’t find that as negative as she does, though. I shrug.

“Teach me sign language, right now,” Max demands, pulling Tera onto his lap with an ease that should frighten her. It doesn’t. She snuggles into him instead.

“I’m missing so much, I know it!” Max starts glaring at me.

“Teach him only the curse words.”

“No way!” Tera squeals. “He curses in two languages already. He doesn’t need a third!”

“Oh, come on!” Max whines. “South? Please?”

“Don’t you dare, Southie!”

I give Max an exaggerated shrug and gesture to Tera.

His eyes narrow on me. “The next time I see you and Tera isn’t around it’s on. I’m your student now, get used to it.”

“No!” Tera turns to him with wide eyes.

“Show me one,” Shade calls my attention back to him.

I look down and start smiling. Then I show him something only Tera will understand.

“Southie!” Tera squeals with wide eyes.

“What does it mean?” Shade asks with a laugh.

I put my hands back on his shoulders and look at Tera with a wide grin.

“I’m not saying it,” she huffs and crosses her arms.

The trio from the dancefloor rejoins everyone, out of breath and flushed.

“You shouldn’t have left so soon,” Melissa licks her lips in a suggestive way as she stares at Shade.

“Imagine you’re saying it to her,” my grin gets more feral as I stare at Tera.

“Oh,” she frowns and then turns to Melissa blurting out, “Dickweed!”

The music cuts right as she says it in an angry yell. Her mouth drops open in horror while the next song starts.

“Show it to me,” Max begs shamelessly while I try to breathe. I'm laughing too hard.

“Is she laughing?” Felix cringes as he watches me.

I haven’t laughed like this in so long I don’t even want to punch him. I feel freer than I have since I came to this town. I feel this.

“Shut your fucking mouth,” Shade’s voice takes on that monstrous snarl I like, giving the humor a new, painfully wonderful twist.

“You can’t tell me that’s not weird,” Melissa says as she watches me in disgust.

I wrap my arms around his tense shoulders and press my lips to his ear.

“Leave it, statue.”

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