18 #2
I want to throw the book away. Put a restraining order against him.
But every time I close the book I open it again, feeling the urgent need to know what’s in the following pages.
Within minutes, I am fascinated with his anonymous and strange gift.
My eyes remain fixed on the next sentence, leaving an echo in my already aching brain.
I know what it means, but I don’t understand the language it’s written in, much less why I know its meaning.
The pounding coming from Jason on the other side of my room alerts me to hide the book under my pillow and go open the door with a forced smile.
“I have two news for you. One good and one bad. Which do you want first?” he asks as soon as he sets foot in the room. His brow furrows as he notices something on my wall, but he erases whatever was crossing his mind as he listens to me.
“The good news.”
“I’ll better give the bad news. Ray’s in the hospital. Car accident.”
“What?” My face pales as I repeat his words in my head.
“The good news is that he’s okay and alive. He’s only broken his leg and a couple of ribs. Sophie is with him at the hospital.”
“Let’s go,” I say, putting on my slippers before running to the stairs.
Jason follows behind me, telling me to slow down if I don’t want to end up with a broken leg like Ray, but right now all I can think about is getting there and seeing him.
We’ve been in the hospital waiting room for twenty minutes. Waiting for the paperwork to be finished so they can finally discharge my father. From here we can see my mother’s frown. The wrinkle becomes more prominent as she talks to the receptionist, accentuating her irritation.
“I saw Romina at home the other day. She was looking for you,” I say as I settle into the uncomfortable chair in the waiting room of the hospital.
“What for?” Jas asks beside me with a yawn.
“To hook up with you? I don’t know. Aren’t you two supposed to be dating?” I glance at him with a hint of confusion. He shakes his head.
“Not anymore. She got back together with her ex.”
“Her ex?” I repeat, over-enunciating with an incredulous look on my face.
“Yeah. Matthew. Matt.” He shrugs dismissively. “It was good while it lasted. At least I got to see her tits,” he says, closing his eyes and resting his head on my shoulder.
I start moving my knee in a nervous tic with an unknown rage traveling down my skin. Thousands of thoughts race through my head so quickly that when I get up from the chair, I feel dizzy.
I walk over to my mother, ignoring Jason’s complaints, and tap her shoulder with my finger to get her attention.
“I’m going home. I don’t feel well,” I lie, putting on my best sick face. My mother’s eyes immediately widen with concern. The receptionist moves aside as she puts her hand on my forehead.
“What’s wrong? I bet it’s because you’re eating junk food with your brother. Stay here, I’ll call a nurse.”
“No. I just have a slight headache. I’ll go rest.”
“Are you sure?” I nod and kiss her cheek. “I’ll ask Lance to take you.”
“It’s okay. I’ll call a taxi.” She frowns. “It’s only twenty minutes, Mum. If anything happens I’ll call you.”
“Call me when you get home.” I curl my lips into a short smile and nod.
I glance at the chairs where Jason now sleeps peacefully before leaving, my anger becoming more noticeable with every step I take.
If Romina thought she could lie and discard my brother like he was nothing she was dead wrong.
She must know something about the real destiny her shit-bag of a boyfriend had.
I know she is waiting for the best moment to throw it out in my face, but I will not give her that.
As soon as the automatic doors open and the warm air hits my face I hear a male voice behind me.
“Going somewhere?” I turn around to find Sergei’s face with a raised eyebrow.
His presence only makes my anger grow, reminding me of the reason why I now have a second bloody bodyguard.
I could argue with him, but right now I need someone to take me where I know she might be.
Sergei doesn’t seem like the type to give up easily, so I swallow my pride and insults, put on a friendly smile.
“Yes. I’d like to go somewhere, but your boss can’t know about any of this, okay?”
“Whatever,” he says, opening the door of a black armored van I hadn’t seen before.
Something tells me he’s not going to stick to the deal, but I don’t care. Right now, I’m focused on smashing someone’s face in.
Sergei’s face remains impassive throughout the journey. The air in the car is charged with a tense silence that is broken by the brakes as the car stops in front of a park that looks abandoned.
I get out of the car, slamming the door behind me. My eyes scan the spot, until I spot a familiar head of hair in the distance.
“Be careful with the car, girl. It’s not a toy,” Sergei mutters behind me.
Ignoring his complaints, I walk over to the small crowd of boys wearing leather boots, piercings decorating their faces and beers in hand. My nails dig into my palm until the skin is about to break. Adrenaline rushes through my veins, making my blood run fervently.
“Lena!” Josh, one of the group, exclaims with a smile, his voice standing out above the voices and rock music.
I nod my head in a kind of greeting, my eyes locking with Romina’s. She crosses her arms with a defiant look that makes me want to jump on her and pull out every strand of hair.
“We weren’t expecting you. Do you want anything?” asks the same guy from before.
“Where’s Jas?” asks another one of them with a confused look, surprised that came alone.
Romina doesn’t take her eyes off me, waiting for answers that never come. I walk up to her until I’m standing in front of her. The difference in height isn’t much, but I have to crane my neck to get a better angle on her face.
“I thought you’d be with your ghost boyfriend. That’s what you told my brother. Right?” I mutter under my breath. My attempts to stay calm and not end up lunging at her threaten to fail at any moment.
The voices quiet down, sensing the tension between us. Romina takes a step forward and her lips curl into an annoyed pout.
“If it weren’t for you, he’d still be alive, you lying bitch. But ghost or not, Matt definitely has a better dick than your brother.” Her lips curve into an amused smile as she says the last part.
I slam my fist into her face, causing her neck to snap back.
The corners of her lips are now stained red.
She runs her palm over that spot, cleaning the wound.
My knuckles burn and my bones feel like they’re about to break.
It hurts like hell, but I’d do it again. In fact, I plan to do it again soon.
“Watch your mouth when you speak about my family,” I hiss.
“I’m going to make sure I send you to hell with your father.”
Her words stun me for a moment. They remind me of what Lance told us about the broken brakes they found in the car. It’s not until I feel her body lunge at mine and her nails graze my cheek that I come back to reality. Angrier than before because of my new suspicions.
My back hits the floor with a thud, but with adrenaline of the moment I barely feel the pain and I dodge her blows.
I get on top of her. She covers her face with her arms and I take the opportunity to grab a handful of her hair and pull it hard.
I shake her head from side to side with rage as she writhes, trying to get rid of me.
No one tries to separate us. They just stand on the sidelines shouting at us to break it up or perhaps enjoying the show.
Neither of us has any intention of giving in to the other.
Some arms grab me from behind and pull me away from her just as I’m about to slam her head into the ground.
Josh approaches Romina and holds her by the waist, preventing her from lunging at me again.
I kick and struggle in the arms of the stranger, punching him in the chin.
Josh doesn’t fare much better, as Romina manages to get the perfect angle to kick him in the balls and gain her freedom.
As soon as she tries to grab a handful of my red hair, another of the boys stops her, whispering something in her ear.
“Let me go!” I shout, writhing violently. “I swear I’ll kill her. Let me go right now!” The man turns around and starts walking with me to the car.
“Stop. You look like a rabid dog,” Sergei mutters wearily.
He grabs my waist with one arm while opening the truck door with his free hand. Then he throws me into the passenger seat and restrains me with the seatbelt. Whatever he sees on my face afterwards makes his face lose colour.