Page 72 of I Blame the Rival

I grimace at the crude word, dropping my gaze to Skylar’s chest. I watch his breathing grow still as tension bleeds through his body.

“He fucked you dry?”

Glancing at his face, the breath gets knocked from my lungs. A fire lights up his mismatched eyes, the blue one glinting dangerously while the brown one darkens into a bottomless pit. I can see the fury coming to life inside him, the rage he tries so hard to hide fighting to break through the surface.

“Yeah, but it was my first time. I’m sure he thought the blood would help-

“Don’t make excuses for him.” Skylar snaps his teeth together, “There are plenty of other options to make the experience more enjoyable for women.”

His body trembles against me, his fingers twitching restlessly against the duvet. I stare at him with wide eyes, trying to think of a way to relieve the tension.

“It’s okay, Skylar. I’m okay now.”

“No.” His head jerks to the side, “It’s not okay. Nothing about that situation was okay. He raped you.”

I press a hand against his chest, “No, he didn’t. I gave my consent when I agreed in the first place.”

He lurches away from me, “Consent can be taken away at any time, Flower. It’s not a one and done deal.”

Skylar scrambles off the bed, his eyes feral as they sweep around my room. It takes me a moment to realize what he’s looking for.

“Pens are in the top drawer.”

Propping myself up on the bed, I watch as he rips the drawer open and grabs the first pen he can find. The tendons in his forearm bulge from the pressure he’s using to hold it.

“My notepads are next to my bookshelf.”

Skylar grabs one from the pile, his eyes dancing over the crossed out sex scenes lying open on my desk. He closes his eyes, his breathing heavy and uneven as he clutches the pen and paper in his hands.

I slowly climb to my feet, eliminating the distance between us.

“Start to draw, Skylar. It’s going to be okay.”

His eyes flick open, meeting mine in a storm of rage.

“I’m sorry, Flower. I have to go.”

I take a step forward, “You can draw here. I don’t mind.”

“No.” Skylar stumbles back, trying to increase the space between us, “You aren’t going to want to see this one.”

I bite my lip, wishing he felt comfortable enough to stay. I want to apologize for getting him in this state, but I know that will only make it worse.

“Okay.” Stepping to the side, I open my bedroom door. Skylar brushes past me but pauses before he makes it out the door.

“Thank you for telling me. I’ll call you tomorrow?”

I give him a small smile, “Call me tonight after you’ve calmed down. Thanks for supporting the rival today, Skylar.”

He stares at me, the ferocious gleam in his eyes dimming the slightest bit.

“You’ve never been my rival, Flower. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Skylar

Four boxes of crayons later and I feel just as angry as I did two hours ago.

The broken pieces stare back at me, the sheets of paper thrown around my bedroom floor like a science experiment gone wrong. My body feels like a ticking bomb, the itch in my skin counting down the minutes until I explode.

---