Page 33 of Speak

“I get it. I know I’m… I know I’m different now and it probably feels like last time but it’s not. There’s just something about her. She doesn’t make me feel crazy she makes me feel…” I take my seat, unwilling to look at them yet.

The truth is, Raven makes me feel fuckingunhinged. Iwanther to talk to me. I want to know everything that’s going on in her mind. I want to hear her moans and whimpers and gasps when I finally make her come on my tongue. I want her to scream my fucking name when she lets me shove all of me between those thick, creamy thighs of hers at once. But I also just want to hear her talk about the fucking weather. Or read me her favorite passage in a book. Except… except Ilikeher silence. I love her little gestures, the way she speaks without having to and these fuckers wouldn’t understand that. Riordan might. I mean, he’s at least had a girlfriend once or twice since I’ve known him in the last three years. But Chase? Chase fucks more girls than he changes his underwear. I’m not even sure he washes his dick in-between fucks. He’d never get it.

But they’re already tied down. The Prescott’s aretraditionalin more than one sense when it comes to the word. They’re both already betrothed with a bride arranged for them and set to marry when they turn twenty-six to women of pedigree and status. They won’t get to marry for love. They get to breed more Prescott heirs.

“Peace. I don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t have to fill up every single moment with incessant chattering or because when I look at her something happens inside me but she… it’s quiet around her. It’s quiet and I feel like I can breathe and I can think and I fucking love it. I want to put it all in a vial and carry it around and just have it with me all the time. This... silence. It’s fucking nice.”

“Is that why you haven’t disappeared to the bell tower?”

I snap my gaze to their ocean ones. “You know about that?”

Chase swallows the last of his sandwich. “We know you get moody and go somewhere. But there’s nowhere else on campus you could go other than the library and you aren’t exactly the studious type.”

“I study.” I lie.

“You open your textbook and use it as a pillow after five minutes.”

“And yet I maintain a 3.8 GPA. Besides, she does talk to me.”

Riordan’s cerulean gaze meets mine from across the table. “She talks to you?”

“Not with words, exactly. Little gestures. I mean, you experienced it this morning. When you asked if she was going to our game on Friday. When she squeezed your hand, even for a brief moment, what did itfeellike she was saying?”

He cocks his head side to side as if thinking it over. “Like she said, ‘thanks but no thanks.’”

“So then you get it.”

Before he can reply, I watch Raven leaving the psych department like a bat out of hell only for some bitch with red hair to purposely trip her. She barely manages to catch herself with her hands before a brunette dumps her iced mocha-frappè-whatever all over Raven’s head.

“What the fuck?” Chase whispers as we watch the interaction. Raven throws her backpack down, getting up quickly, yanks the girl by the same wrist still holding the empty cup, twists her arm behind her back and has her on her knees before my fucking goddess, execution style.

My dick goes stone hard so fast I get dizzy and I have to readjust myself before I run out after her.

The closer I get to the scene, I see it’s fucking Addison Cleary, and she’s screaming obscenities and the more she screams, “I knew you’re a fucking psycho!”The more I’m sure my goddess is going to break Addison’s wrist. I want her to. Idesperatelywant to hear the snap of Addison’s bones. I love the look of absolute hostile animosity on Raven. It’s so ferocious, even her features have turned sharper in her snarl. Her soft eyes are nearly black and she’s breathing so hard her chest is heaving.

“Baby?” At the sound of my voice her eyes snap up to find me in the crowd that’s gathered and I push my way forward. “Baby, c’mon. Let the horrible little thing go. Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

She glances back down and pulls her hand away from Addison like she burned her, grabs her backpack, and runs away, hair flying behind her.

“Raven!” I call out but the twins hold me back.

“Still don’t believe she’s faking it? She may look innocent but that was definitely not a helpless little mouse.” Chase says and I swear it’s like his voice has duplicated, sending chills down my spine.

“No,” I reply, my eyes still following her. “That was the look of a wounded animal that was backed into a corner. That was the look of someone that had to learn how to defend herself and she did. Isn’t she fucking magnificent?”

“Magnificent?!” Addison screams. “Your psycho bitch of girlfriend nearly broke my wrist!”

Ooh.Girlfriend. I like that. I like that a lot.

My feathers are the biggest in all the land.

I roll my eyes and sneer down at Addison. “That’s probably carpal tunnel pain from those shitty blowjobs you gave half the football team during the toga party on Friday. I’m amazed you don’t have lockjaw. I saw you. All wrist, no muscle, couldn’t even deep throat Schwartz. Didn’t you scrape Chase’s dick with your big teeth?”

“Yeah she did.” He agrees and the crowd laughs.

“Seriously, Addison, you go from bad to worse. Mad because I won’t fuck you so you give the worst blowies to my friends to what? Make them suffer? Now, you’re jealous because Raven’s not just hotter than you, but she has everyone’s attention –myattention - so you thought you’d be petty and embarrass her by spilling coffee on her? And look where you are now; on your knees and I still won’t fucking touch you. You’re fucking pathetic like the rest of your family. Always were, always will be. The funniest part is that not one person here fucking likes you because you’re an insufferable bitch. You could die today and not one person will miss you. If you go to Dean Whitmore, no onewill testify for you. Because everyone here saw youtrip and fallon your pathetic scrawny ass.” I enunciate and stand to my full height and address the crowd. “What a bad tumble, wasn’t it?”

The murmurs come back to me, all in agreement.

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