Page 84 of Disharmony

I pull away, struggling to catch my breath again. Venom and Zed have moved from their positions on the sofa. They’re both standing; Venom’s arms are crossed, and Zed is watching with a strange curiosity. My heart beats faster, but not from fear.

Usually, I try to blend into the background and avoid attention, but it’s different with the Basilisks. I’ve only been around them for a matter of hours, but I’ve felt more myself with them than I have in months. We’ve sang together, I’ve shared my music with them, Venom read the words of my fucking soul, and kissing Ripper has opened up feelings that I haven’t felt before.

Losing my virginity to the drifter passing through town was a fumbled mess in the back of his truck, which didn’t make me crazy about having sex again. The only reason I did it in the first place is because I couldn’t bear to lose my V card to someone in town, but kissing Ripper is different. It makes me want to try it again… it feels natural.

I expect Ripper to be embarrassed at being caught making out with me, but having an audience doesn’t bother him. His gloved hand strokes my hair as he bends down to kiss me again.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asks.

I shake my head.

Stopping is the last thing I want him to do.

Ripper kisses me again. His hands cup my face as I run my fingers up his back. It’s strange to kiss someone who looks like an alien with all the prosthetics, but it makes it less real. I don’t know who they are behind the masks, and I don’t care. The break from reality helps me shed my inhibitions.

A bang causes us to break apart as Venom slams Buggy’s door behind him.

I stare after him and mutter, “Shit…”

Ripper scowls, but Zed addresses me, “You should go and speak to him.”

“Me?” I ask. “Do you really think he wants to talk to me now?”

A low growl comes from the back of Ripper’s throat.

“You got him to sing” Zed replies as if that answers my question.

I look at Ripper, but his eyes are locked with Zed’s.

“Zed’s right.” Ripper sighs and steps away from me. “You should go.”

I nod, stumbling past them both. My lips are still tingling as I step outside and see Venom pacing away.

“Hey,” I call. “Wait!”

Venom stops in his tracks and whirls around. I can’t see what’s happening under his mask, but my skin prickles from the anger reverberating from his body. It’s not a violent anger, but a simmering unrest that’s even more dangerous.

“Why did you follow me, Ash?” Venom snarls in a tinny-sounding growl from his voice-changing mask. “You seemed pretty busy back there.”

“You sang today,” I say, following up on what Zed mentioned.

“What did they say?” Venom hisses. “What did they tell you?”

The hairs on my arms stand on end from the chilly breeze. “Nothing.”

“You know Ripper isn’t a good guy, right?” Venom spits. “He’ll only use you. It’s what he always does. You deserve better than that.”

I scoff. Who the hell is he to tell me what I deserve?

“We’ve spent a few hours together, Venom,” I point out. “You don’t know me or what I deserve.”

“Maybe not, but I do know Ripper.” Venom says, walking toward me. The parking lot is eerily empty and the flickering lights from inside The Smoker bounce off the bones of his metal armor. “And he’s not good for you.”

I swallow hard. He’s voicing my fears, but I’m shaking, not just from the cold, but with anger now. No one tells me what I can do, even a Basilisk.

“You don’t know what’s good for me,” I snap. “What Ripper has done today: inviting me to the studio, listening to my song, letting me sing on fucking stage… well, that’s more belief than anyone’s ever shown me before. He takes my music seriously.”

“He wants to fuck you,” Venom says bluntly.

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