Page 191 of Vicious Saint
“What the hell are you t-talking about?” Theory folds her arms.
“Saint…don’t,” the frantic demand comes out of nowhere, straight from the source.
Theory and I twist our necks to find Hendrix in the open doorway, tears shining in her eyes.
“H-hendrix. Oh my God. Are y-you okay?” Theory springs to her aid, but Hendrix is too focused on putting together the pieces of my face to pay her any attention.
“You said you wouldn’t…”
“Wouldn’t w-what?” Theory questions.
When neither of us answer, she darts eyes between us. “Someone n-needs to tell me what the heck is g-going on.”
“Can we talk outside, Saint?” Hendrix insists. “Please?”
I shake my head slowly, ignoring the tears streaming down her cheeks and how they’re choking me like a vise.
Hendrix will never forgive me.
Theory will never forgive her.
And I’ll never forgive myself for what I’m about to break between them.
Hey, who the fuck knows, maybe it’ll be a good thing that Hendrix goes back to hating me.
No more quiet moments for us to latch on to.
“Please, Saint,” she tries again, but I shoot her down just as hard by sucking air through my teeth.
I watch in silence as every ounce of hope drains from Hendrix’s face…until all that’s left is a look of tragic acceptance.
One that my sister has no trouble reading.
Theory glares at Hendrix, and along with her stutter comes a bite as nasty as mine. “Why d-does Saint think you’ll h-hurt me?”
“I would never hurt you, Theory.”
“B-but my brother doesn’t lie.”
“Well, neither do I.”
Hendrix doesn’t say this in challenge, but that won’t stop me from trying to find one.
Or anything to speed up the war of self-loathing yet to kill me.
“Guess you really meant it, then.”
“You know that I didn’t!”
“But you just said you never lie.”
She shakes her head. “Whatever, man. Fuck you.”
“Been there, did that. More times than I should’ve thanks to your lack of self-respect.”
Hendrix looks at me like I just punched her in the face…and a sick part of me would prefer it if I did.
Physical wounds heal, emotional ones? They destroy.
