Page 188 of Vicious Saint
Flexing my knuckles, I watch as blood drips in lines down to my wrist. “Just a glorious day in the life.”
“I heard what happened in class, you okay?”
“A dandy peach.”
Can’t say the same for the teacher who left on a stretcher.
Theory approaches my side, taking my hand to inspect it when I look away. “I stopped by your room after to make sure, but you weren’t there. Obviously.”
“Obviously.”
My blanket answers make her sigh.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Not much to say.”
Moving on to dabbing my knuckles with a towel, she replies, “We could just hang.”
“You’ve got classes to finish.”
“Oh, please—”
Swiping the towel from Theory, I toss it into the hamper, then bring her head in for a kiss. “Not today, baby girl,” I say, and she latches onto my hand, refusing to let go until I’m walking out of the bathroom.
She follows, attempting to mask her worry behind her usual chipper disposition. “Okay, then you stay and relax for aslongas you want. I was gonna head out after school anyway.”
I eye her then the front door she left open in an unsuspecting panic.
“Where is it you think you’re going…after school?”
She looks down at her pants.
“Theory,” I warn. “I barely made it out of my own head just now…do I really need to get in yours?”
Or lock her in this room with me.
A look of apology, or regret, passes her face before she says, “Shopping with Hendrix.”
The mention of her name is enough to have my bones twisting and cracking to life. “And how the fuck did this come about?”
“I don’t know…I texted her after I heard about your teacher. Asked if she was okay then got to talking. We’ve been saying all summer how we wanted to look for these boots, so I figured—”
“Stay the fuck away from Hendrix.”
“Not this again.” Her face falls. “I thought you two have been…making up.”
“What I do with her isn’t the issue here.”
“Oh, it’s not?” Theory huffs. “Let me guess…it’s whatIdo with her.”
“Exactly.”
“Hendrix is my sister, Saint! Do you hear yourself? You’re literally telling me not to hang out with my damn sister.”
“Sister or not, Hendrix isn’t good for you.”
“But she’s good for you? Give me a break.”
