Page 91 of Speak

“Thought you were done with her. Unclaimed her.”

“We were never over, Ri.”

“That’s not what my brother said… and you know what’s weird?” His eyes go wild. “Tyler,” we keep our composure, “Two men were seen dropping him off at De Novo.”

Jonas nods. “He got shitfaced at Inferno and I drove him and left as soon as I dropped him off in his room. I’m sure the cameras show me entering and leaving his room within three minutes.”

“Who was with you?”

“A friend.” Jonas replies in a low voice. “You know what was weird to me, Ri? How Tyler started talking about Raven… why would he do that? Hmm? He seemed so interested in her.”

“You… fucker.” Riordan’s voice cracks. “I know she had something to do with it.”

“She didn’t.”

“Don’t fucking gaslight me, Jonas.” He steps closer to us and Jonas puts me behind him, blocking me with his body. “I can feel it.”Tears roll down his cheeks and his eyes are so blue they send chills down my spine.

“Riordan,”

“Don’t say my name. Don’t you ever say my fucking name ever again.”

“What Tyler chose to do was sad. What happened to Ch-your brotherwas a tragedy. We all told him to quit mixing his shit.”

“He wouldn’t… leave me behind.” He croaks, unshed tears shimmering.

“No, he wouldn’t.” Jonas agrees. “Not on purpose. It was an accident.”

“He can’t… he just can’t be gone.” He seems to finally be coming to terms with Chase’s death being an accident until his eyes find mine. They narrow and his face turns spiteful. “Tyler may have been gay, but he wasn’t a fucking coward. He would’ve never taken the easy way out. No matter if a ghost came back to haunt him.” He steps closer to me again and Jonas raises his hands. “That’s what you are…Spooks. A living, breathing ghost.”

Chills erupt everywhere but I don’t move a muscle. A crowd has gathered and I watch students in uniform, blurs of yellow and plaid and black watching. Waiting with bated breath.

“C’mon, Riordan. That’s enough.”

“Raven!” Mindlessly, I spin to grab our order but I feel hands yank my ponytail and tug me down. My ass hits the ground as Riordan drags me. The pain is sharp and my scalp burns, but I claw at him, his eyes, his cheeks. He straddles me and when I gather the strength to flip us over, his fight is stronger, Jonas’ arms go around his chest but Riordan grabs my wrists and twists, yanking me to him.

“I’ll fucking kill you. I’ll finish what they started.” He whispers harshly in my ear and then licks me. And still, no music. There’s no melody playing. No beginnings of a beautiful symphony for me to compose.

“Christ! Riordan! Let go!” Jonas tugs him off and throws a punch, landing on Riordan’s nose with a resounding crunch and blood gushes out, flooding over his lips, chin and down to his shirt. Multiple hands grab from all different directions, pulling them apart.

“Mister Prescott, Mister Anderson, Miss Monroe,” Dean Whitmore states our names in a low growl. Behind him, Maverick hasJonas by the waist and campus police have Riordan in the same hold. “In my office,now.”

______

“Raven…” The campus police are here to take my statement. I don’t give one. We’re in the Dean’s office. Me, Officer Truitt and Maverick because the other officers are getting Jonas and Riordan’s statements separately. “Do you want to press charges?”

I shake my head. In a way, I deserved it. I killed his brother to get to Tyler. I didn’t want Riordan in the crossfire. I really didn’t. He’s brokenhearted, rightly so, and I’ve been there before. I didn’t kill the love of his life, but I did take away his brother.

“Raven-“ Maverick’s voice rings out loud and clear in the office. “May I have a word with her, please? Alone?”

Officer Truitt, a woman in her early forties with sandy blonde hair and too-red lipstick leaves.

Maverick sits on the edge of Whitmore’s desk, wearing sage button-down and charcoal trousers. I love sage on him. It brings out his eyes. “Siren, look at me.”

I do.

“You were just assaulted. You should press charges. He told the Officer in the other room he thinks you killed Chase.”

I look at him, horrified. My hands fly up, and I’m about to sign but then I remember he doesn’t know ASL and so this is futile. Pointless to try to rest my case, I put my hands back on my thighs.

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