Page 33 of Roses and Skulls

“There are hundreds of crows out there. Jesus, Rosie, it’s creeping me the fuck out.” He flips his hair out of his eyes, holding it in place on top of his head. I push past him and open the door a crack. “Don’t,” he yells, reaching around me to slam it shut again.

Sighing, I push him back and then turn and open the door. When I step out, I see why he is concerned. There are crows littering the ground. When I crouch down to their level, one hops towards me, and she drops another glass bead at my feet.

I sign thank you with my hands as I take in all the other black birds around us. Holy shit. When I stand up and walk farther out into the clearing, they flap their wings and flutter around me. I start to spin in a circle and smile. A full out smile. This is so amazing. My crow flies around my head.

The arrival of a stranger makes them caw and fly to the very tops of the trees. I stare up at them, my face warming as the sun kisses my cheeks.

“Hey, man, did you fucking see that?” Jackson asks Elijah.

When Elijah doesn’t answer, I glance over my shoulder. He’s pissed. I guess he didn’t recognize me either. I’m sure he’s shitting himself over the whole sucker incident.

“Can you give Billie Rose and I a minute. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

Jackson’s eyebrows pull together, and he looks to me for an answer. He would never leave me. Never.

Sorry, Elijah, Jackson was just going to escort me back to the warehouse because I have to tinkle. Maybe we can hash everything out later.My phone throws his words from last night back at him.

I take Jackson’s arm and when we walk past Elijah, he smirks. A full out smirk over his devilish face.

Now I see it. Yeah, I see the boy beneath the man. The one who got me in trouble more times than I can count. He was always conning me into doing something stupid with him. That is until my dad put a stop to the visits when I was five.

On our final visit, I broke my arm roller skating with him. He let me roll up his skateboard ramp and I fell backwards, catching myself with my left arm. I remember him saying,“I can see your fucking bone, Billie Rose. That’s so cool.”And then I passed out.

My dad never let me go visit with mom after that. He and I stayed home. I was sad at first because Elijah was my friend. He was the only one who ever let me do anything fun. Dangerous maybe. But fun, nonetheless.

When Jackson and I get back to the party, it’s going full swing. I pat Jackson on the back in thanks and then high tail it into the house, jogging down the hall to the bathroom. When I get inside, I run my hand along the top of the mirror, snagging the only weapon in my arsenal. A blade.

Just one more. This will be the last time. I know I have to quit. My legs look terrible.

A knock on the door makes me jump.

Just a minute,my Australian friend tells whoever it is.

I quickly slide the blade under the soap dish and open the door.

I’m met with a hand in the center of my chest. He pushes me back, kicking the door closed behind him.

“Jesus, stop,” I whine, thoroughly annoyed at this point.

“Whatcha doin?” he asks, his inked hand still firmly between my breasts.

My eyes roll high into my head. “I told you, I had to pee.” I rise on my tiptoes, trying to get in his face.

“And did you?” he asks, not in the least bit intimidated by me.

“Did I what?”

He laughs. “Did you pee?” He steps back, nodding his head towards the toilet. “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

I take a deep breath and pull my dark hair high up on my head, wrapping a band from my wrist around it. I tighten the ponytail, giving me time to respond. “So, why don’t you tell me about this new death wish you’ve seemed to have acquired over the last fourteen years.”

Elijah tips his head as he pulls a sucker from his pocket. “What do mean?” he asks before pushing the candy in his mouth.

Not fair. Not fair. Not. Fair.

My nostrils flare as I try to shove past him. “You know my dad will kill you if he finds you in here with me.”

He grabs my hands in one of his and spins me around harshly, pressing my back against the door, hands pinned high above my head. “I would be more worried about him finding you at The Black Rose some evening.”

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