Page 34 of Anathema Codex

“You know, sometimes I wonder why you’re such a bitch but then I remember that precious princesses that have had life handed to them on silver platters, with those silver spoons crammed down their throats like an old rich man’s cock, is usually what does it.”

“I’m not going to argue with you,” she snaps, cutting me off, but I laugh and continue.

“I know you like to think that you know everything, Wills, but there’s something youdon’tknow. Curious? Or are you going to bitchfloat back to shore and wonder what I could have possibly told you right now?”

I lower my legs beneath the surface and run my hands back through my hair. I want to look her in the fucking eye when I tell her what really happened to her charity case, because she needs to remember who the fuck is in charge here, and it’s definitely not her.

“I’m already bored,” she remarks, rolling her eyes and turning her face away.

Not for long.

“Dexter didn’t really catch a ride home,” I begin conversationally. When Willa slowly starts to turn her eyes toward me again, it’s my turn to look away and relish in knowing that I have her undivided fucking attention.

“What are you talking about?” she asks, a tremor of uncertainty to her tone.

“It’s your fault, really,” I continue as I wade a little further away from her. When I confess my sin to her, she’s going to fucking explode. And while I don’t mind having a go with her, I think it’s a little more fun to have her chase me for it.

“What did you do, Aftyn?” she presses, her eyes starting to water.

“So, you’ll cry for him but not for me? When was the last time you shed a tear for me, Wills? Was it when I would come over after school because Mom had taken a belt to me just for walking in five minutes late? Was it when she would ruin each and every birthday by telling me that she should have gotten rid of me when she had the chance? No; you always just told me that it would be okay and then we’d sit around and talk. Notoncehave you shed a fucking tear for me. I thought we were supposed to be besties. What’s up with that?”

I know that I’m rambling now, but I’m so fucking fed up with always being someone’s second thought and never their first, that if Willa does try to come after me right now, then we’re going to have one hell of tango.

“Every fucking night when you would have to go back to that hellhole!” she screams at me. “I never let you see me cry for you because I was supposed to be your fucking rock. I’ve cried for you more than I’ve cried for anyone else in my fucking life!”

“You can save those tears from now on, babe,” I tell her with a bitter laugh. “Actually, no. Spill them all right now, I want to see you fucking cry. Isn’t that how you’re supposed to mourn, anyway? When someone dies, don’t people show up at funerals crying like they actually gave a fuck in the first place? Sorry you couldn’t attend Dexter’s, but I didn’t think that taking you into the bathroom after I left him in the fucking stall would have been so smart considering we were still close to New York. Gotta see my old man, ya know?”

Willa’s lower lip begins to tremble instantly. I can see the disbelief in her eyes as the tears spill down her cheeks before she takes a deep breath and wades a little closer to me.

“You… you killed Dex?”

“Duh,” I reply with a smirk.

Willa’s face turns red with anger before she immediately turns away from me and starts swimming toward the shoreline. Probably with every intent on leaving me here, but I’ve always been bigger and faster than her, so I take a deep breath and put some strength into my strokes to follow her.

But as soon as she feels me catching up to her, she dives under the water, disappearing from the surface.

I stop moving and glance around. I have no idea where she’s gone but if she thinks I’m just going to wait it out and hope for the best, she’s out of her goddamn mind.

I begin moving toward shore again as quickly as I can, knowing that I have to reserve some energy for when I get there. Willa is pissed off and there’s nothing that’s going to keep her from trying to do me harm right now.

Which is fine by me.

It keeps the excitement in our friendship alive to have a little scuffle every now and then.

A few moments later, I see her pulling herself up on the shoreline. Nowhere near where we first walked into the lake, which means that I have to change—

Oh, they showed up at a really bad time,I think to myself as I watch a young couple wander toward the lake. The guy is carrying a white bucket in one hand and the chick is carrying a couple of fishing poles. But the one thing I notice the most is how they’re holding hands like Wills and I tend to do sometimes before she remembers it’s me then has a bitch fit about it.

I bob where I am for a little bit.

I want to watch the scene unfold because something tells me that it’s going to be glorious.

The chick drops the fishing poles when she notices Wills and rushes over to probably ask if she’s okay. Willa’s shoulders are hunched, her face is in her hands, and she’s sobbing.

Not for me, though.

Neverfor me.

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