Page 104 of Speak

I squint at John and grin maliciously. “You forgot to list my football career and my near-perfect GPA, Mr. Monroe.”

“Jonas.” My father barks.

“Hold on, dad.” I face John. “I won’t be made to feel bad for making your only stepdaughter happy after you and her mother locked her up in an asylum, ignored her and then treated her terribly for years, Mr. Monroe. If I were in your shoes, I would be happy a man loved my daughter as much I love yours. That did everything he could to figure her out. It’s not that she can’t talk, Mr. Monroe. It’s that she won’t. Not to you, anyway.

“I know you like to think she’s broken, but she’s more like…splintered. I mean, do you even know your own daughter? Sure, some days are harder than others and I have to force her to eat or drink. But I know she loves the rain but hates lightning. She loves purple - all shades of it. She likes coffee at the beginning of her book, tea in the middle of it, and watered down juice at the end, which is weird and kind of disgusting, but I don’t mind. She doesn’t cry when humans die in a movie, but she will if the dog does. She likes her yolk to be a little runny or not at all. She’s adorable when she’s mad, and she’s infuriatingly stubborn. But when she laughs my god, even though it’s silent, it’s the most beautiful fuckin thing I’ve ever seen, and I hope one day I get to hear it.

“So yeah, some days, it’s hard but Iget tomake it better. So, I don’t know, Sir, but if I were you, I’d be happy my daughter found someone like me, that shows her kindness even when her mind is a mess and she feels chaotic on the inside, unlike you or your wife thattried to discard her as soon as you found out she had a flaw and was no longer your perfect little doll.” I clear my throat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think it will benefit us all if I take my leave. I believe your only daughter, the one that’s mine now, and no longer yours to care for, is waiting for me.”

I turn to my dad, who’s stunned into silence like the rest of them, including Axel, who has tears in his eyes. I nod at him and head out. Fuck whatever it was he needed to tell me.

I’m halfway down the steps outside the brownstone when I hear Axel’s voice. “It’s incredible.”

“Huh?” I ask, putting on my helmet and then swinging my leg over the bike.

“Her laugh.” And suddenly, Axel looks devastated. “I used to think it was the most annoying thing I’d ever heard,” his voice gets thick and he swallows. “She’d throw her head back and it was, so loud and like it came from deep inside. She would laugh so hard it would echo throughout the mansion. Sometimes, she would topple over and hold her sides from how hard she laughed and God, I hated it…” Tears spill from his eyes and something like guilt or regret passes over his face. “Until Imissedit. God, please. Jonas, can we please just talk?”

I jerk my chin to the bitch seat.

“Really?”

I shrug. “It’s this or nothing.”

I drive us about a mile down the road, where I know there’s no possibility of us being heard. It’s almost dark out, thanks to the length of the meeting. We both climb off and I take off my helmet. “Well?”

“I… I’m the one that outed Tyler.”

I roll my eyes. “I know. You treated my sister like shit over it. Not to mention you cheated on her.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Look, I found out what Tyler did to Raven, and if I thought you were just fucking around with her I wouldn’t have come clean to you.”

I nod. I’m about to tell him that we know it was more than just Tyler that attacked Raven when my phone rings.

Dr. Douchepops up and I answer. “Yeah?”

“Where are you?” His voice sounds panicked.

“I just got done at the funeral. What’s wrong?”

“You’re in Salem?”

“Yeah.”

“You see that big cloud of smoke over the lake?”

My heart drops. “I’m leaving now. I’ll be there soon. Where are you?”

“I just pulled up. She’s with Maverick.”

We hang up and I shove my phone in my jacket pocket, push my head through my helmet and slide onto the seat. “Sorry I have to go. Can you walk back?”

“Yeah, are you okay?”

Without answering, because I don’t owe him anything, I kick on the engine, and fly out, watching the smoke billowing over the trees into the night sky, racing to get to my girl. Swerving like an asshole, cutting people off, I watch as I get closer to the lake house.

It's like a scene from a movie. Sirens are going, firemen are calling orders out, the entire neighborhood is standing outside, along with Raven, who’s in Harrington’s arms, her arms crossed over her chest, and we watch our safe haven turn to ash before our very eyes.

“Baby?”

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