Page 37 of Toxic Hope
So many fucking emotions hit me at once. Anger is pretty much on the forefront. “Why are you even near that guy again? When and how did this shit happen and where is the fucker now?”
“We happened to be at the same birthday party?—”
“No more parties for you!” I blurt out.
“Fine! I’ll just stop living life and lock myself in my room,” my sister quips.
“Now you get it.”
“Are we done here?” She places her hand on her hip like she’s had enough of me.
“Not even close, but for now, you stay here and out of fucking trouble.”
“He is not worth it. Please, just let it go. You’re just going to get in more trouble, and it’s going to be my fault,” she pleads, and it pisses me off even more.
“It’s not your fault. It’s his. He has it coming.” This time it’s me who turns away from her. She grabs my arm, but I shrug her off with ease. “Stay. Here,” I warn before leaving her alone in her room.
My mood is dark, and I don’t feel like eating anymore by the time I’m downstairs.
“Who pissed in your cereal?” Preston asks as soon as he sees my face when I walk into the kitchen. He is sitting on the counter, eating a bowl of oatmeal.
“Brody,” is all I have to say for Preston to drop his spoon.
“What now?” he asks, and I quickly fill him in on what I saw, and what Sarah told me.
“Fuck.” Preston shoves his bowl away from him as if he can’t stand the smell anymore. “What now?”
“I don’t know, but if I see that fucker again, he is dead,” I say, not joking one bit. I crack my knuckles, wishing I was cracking his bones instead.
“Well, right now, we have to leave, or we’ll be late for class,” Preston points out.
I have no desire to attend any classes, but there is something… or better yet, someone, I wouldn’t mind running into today. Especially now that Brody touched my sister again. I need to convince Emma not to testify, so Sarah can report this fucker before I seriously kill him.
“Fine, let’s go.”
Preston puts his half-eaten oatmeal into the sink before we head out and get into the car. By the time we make it to school, my mood has gone from dark to black.
How dare this scum! After we already beat him up once. Did he not get the message?
I get out of the car and slam the door shut hard enough to make Preston shake his head at me. “You got to chill,” he says like it’s that easy. Why is he not more agitated?
“Whatever. Help me find Emma. I want to talk to her,” I explain.
“I’ll check the cafeteria, you take the library,” my twin offers.
I nod, and we part ways. I speed walk to the library, ignoring some guy who greets me on the way. I enter the library and scan the large space. My whole body is tense, and my mind is still clouded in anger.
It’s not until I spot Emma sitting at one of the tables that my fury simmers down just a tad. I suck in a deep breath and walk over. As I approach, her head snaps up from her book, and her eyes find mine.
I don’t know how I expected her to react to me, but I’m surprised by the anger I see in her gaze. “What do you want?” She snaps when I take the seat next to her. She gathers her papers like she is scared I’m taking them away from her or something.
“I want you to promise me you won’t make a statement against me and my brother,” I say in a low but demanding voice.
“And why would I do that?”
“Because Brody deserves to go to jail?—”
“So do you! Matter of fact, if you were in jail, I could actually enjoy my college experience.”
