Page 48 of The Bitterness of Venom

And that’s what I do for several days. I sit next to her as she slips further away from me, my face buried in the sheets as I clutch her hand. I miss practice, games, and class, but I don’t give a fuck about any of that. The world could go up in flames around us and I wouldn’t remove my hand from hers unless she wakes up and tells me to.

On the seventh day, peacock eyes watch me when I wake up. My back is sore from being bent over in this position for so long, but none of that matters as I look up at her. Her eyes sparkle but her smile is sad. I don’t fucking like it.

“Freckles?”

“I’ve been thinking,” she begins, and the tone of her voice causes the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. “You were once my safe haven. The place I called my home. You saw a broken girl and made her whole. Now, you’re nothing but one of my abusers. A psychotic liar, and a user. You may love me, and I you, but nothing about this is right. Not right now.”

I grit my teeth. “What are you trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say, Desmond, is that I had a lot of time to think, and you and I are not healthy. We’re toxic.”

“Then we’ll be nontoxic. Shit solved. Move on.”

She shakes her head lightly with a wince. “It doesn’t work like that, and you know it. The things you’ve done to me, I can’t just act like it never happened. I think for now, we’re done.”

I laugh. I don’t mean to, but I can’t help it. “We’re done? Nah, I don’t agree with that.”

She licks her dry lips. “You don’t have to agree, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are. I need someone to fight for me, not with me, and that’s not you, Desmond.”

“Yeah.” I stand, dropping her frail hand and walking to the door. “We’ll see about that.”

Done with me? Yeah, fuck that.

I’mlate to practice that evening, not that I care. I wouldn’t have even gone if I didn’t have so much pent-up energy to work off. I can’t believe she thought she could dump me.

Tells me she loves me, shoots herself, wakes up and… dumps me?

My little head case.

It’s probably the trauma to her head talking. She’ll comearound. Maybe not as fast as I would like, but she will. Running back into my arms.

I’ll punish her for scaring me. For thinking I would even consider a life without her in it.

I skate onto the ice, all my teammates’ heads turning toward me before they give me a small nod. Everyone on campus knows what happened, it seems like. It made the news.Campus student shot in the back of the head. Suspect still on the loose.

I was questioned by the police, but I told them I couldn’t remember anything and that I couldn’t see the face of the man who took me that night.

My uncle may think he’s off the hook, but I’m going to hunt that motherfucker down and kill him myself. Slowly. For all the years he tormented and used my girl. He will pay with more than his freedom.

I set up in the net, allowing my team to practice their shooting drills. I miss more than I ever have. I look like a clown on skates who’s never learned the basic fundamentals. You’d think there are holes in my glove by how many pucks I miss.

I’m not even sweaty when I get off the ice, that’s hownothard I tried. My head is a fucking mess, and I’m not sure what to do.

I place my gear in my locker, throwing on my clothes, not even bothering with a shower. A hand lands on my shoulder and I turn, coming face to face with Jasper.

“Hey, man. How’s Blaise?”

“Awake.”

He smiles, relief flooding his features, and his shoulders relax. “That’s great news.”

“She broke up with me?” It comes out more of a question than a statement.

Jasper laughs and I glare. “Shit, man. What are you going to do?”

I rub my aching jaw. “Kidnap her?”

“Dude, no.” Jasper sighs. “What about a grand gesture? You know, like the ones at the end of a chick flick?”

---