Page 90 of Make Me Pretty
“Stop.” The photo is snatched away. I gasp, staring at Peris with wide eyes as he shakes it before tossing it on the dash—the furthest spot from me.
“Give it back.”
He doesn’t even fucking look at me. “No.”
“You can’t just take shit from me, Peris.” I’m huffing, but I can’t help it. My skin is crawling and burning with unease. “Please don’t take my stuff from me.”
“Abel—” He cuts off sharply, then drags his fingers through his wild hair. He yanks, hisses. Followed by muttered curses, and then, we’re turning again.
As we roll to a stop at a stop sign, I lunge over the center console. Peris’s arms readily block me, his face a blank mask. I scramble over his strong arm, clawing at bare flesh to get to the photo.
“Let me have it!” I scream. It echoes, and I wince, but he still doesn’t move. “Fucking look at me!”
His eyes slide to the right, and I go cold, realizing I don’t feel any better.
“Do you even want it?” he asks, stepping on the gas. Rocks spit as we lunge forward, and I’m thrown back in my seat.
Chest heaving, I clutch my seat belt. “Of course, I do.”
“You were trying to burn it.”
“Not for the first time,” I snap. “I never go through with it. But I don’t see why that even matters to you,” I add.
“Because you’ll regret it someday,” is all he says, confusing me even more.
“You don’t know shit, Peris,” I mutter, knowing he’s right. But I’m sure as shit not going to tell him that!
Narrowing my eyes, I unzip the front pocket and pull out a baggie with my pre-rolled joints. At the snap of it opening, I glance over, but he’s not paying me any mind. I smirk as I press one between my lips and light the end, inhaling as the cherry burns bright red.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Peris snaps. His foot slams on the brake, but I expected that, so I already have an arm out to brace myself as we skid to another stop, gravel spitting up around us. I’m able to steal the photo back with zeroresistance and shove it inside my book because his eyes never leave the smoke curling up from my mouth.
Distraction works wonders.
“Yanno,” I murmur through the spiff between my lips, “I’m surprised you haven’t killed someone with your reckless driving.”
Peris tries to swipe the joint from my mouth, but I jerk back, slamming into the window as I do. It’s jarring, and my eyes roll back, but it’s worth it to see the sneer of indignation on his face.
It’s quiet for a few long moments as Peris’s chest heaves, fingers clamped into fists while I continue to smoke, puffing on it like it’s the last time I ever will—and it might be if Peris does good on his threat to kill me.
It’d be a good way to go, I think. By his hands, looking at his face. In those eyes.
When he still hasn’t made up his mind, I draw back, coughing and blinking rapidly through the tears streaming from my eyes. They burn with the smoke circulating around us. “Hotboxing the car, eh?” I rasp, lifting a brow.
Peris frowns before reaching back to roll all the windows down without looking. The gust of frigid air makes me shiver, goosebumps prickling across my body instantly. “You gonna roll those up now?” I ask as the seconds tick by, lingering smoke long gone. “It’s freezing.”
Nothing.
Just his intense…weirdstaring.
“Hello?” I lean forward to tap my finger to his forehead, but right before our bodies connect, his arm shoots up, and his fingers clamp around my wrist. The bones grind together, making me hiss.
“Give it to me,” he whispers, slowly pulling me closer.
“No.” I take another drag just to piss him off. Before I can blink, it’s between his fingers, and his arm is out the opened window.
“Peris, don’t you fucking dare!” I claw at his skin with a pathetic petulance. “Weed ain’t cheap.”
“Should’ve thought about that before you fucking lit itin my car.” His fingers flick, and a small, red glow arcs through the air before disappearing. Dust swoops inside the car as Peris guns the gas, making me cough more than the smoke did. I cover my nose and mouth with my bare arm, hoping to block it out. His eyes flick toward me—I know becauseIcan’tstop looking at him.
