Page 34 of Make Me Scream
I sit up and frown at him. “What are you doing?”
“Going to sleep,” he says from beneath them. I reach up and yank them down, feeling a smile tug at my lips at his hair in utter disarray, face flushed his favorite shade of pink—he really looks lovely in that color.
“Not without me, you’re not. Budge the fuck over,” I mutter and shove him toward the wall. Abel balks at me, jaw dropping open in indignation. We glare at each other in silence for a few seconds before he gives in.
“Fine. But don’t expect me to fucking cuddle you.”
“Don’t expectmeto cuddleyou,runt.”
“I won’t.”
“Good.”
“Fuck you.”
“So feisty. Go to sleep,” I tell him, rolling to face the door and turning off the lamp. I yank more of the blanket than necessary just to piss him off. He gripes and whines but eventually settles. Minutes pass in a daze as I stare into the darkness as sleep slowly comes to me, and just before it descends, I feel a small hand slide across my waist and an even smaller body press against mine.
“Don’t fucking think anything of it, all right?” he says, and I don’t say a word. I just let him hold onto me as we both fall into our depraved nightmares together.
“You’re not fuckin’going.” I stand with my arms crossed in front of the entryway, refusing to let Abel walk past. It’s petulant and ridiculous, but my skin is crawling justthinkingabout letting him step out that door and into her car.
The honk resounds again, making Abel wince. I grind my teeth.
“You’re acting like I ever have a choice, Peris. Be fucking for real right now.” He huffs, blowing his hair out from in front of his face. My fingers twitch, aching to tuck it behind his ear. Instead of giving in to the urge, I reach up and yank on my hair, nearly ripping the strands out.
My blood isboiling.
“It’s Thanksgiving,” is all I can think to say.
Abel laughs. It’s cruel and muted and dry. “Yeah, you don’t say.”
Ma cuts in. “Hey, let’s calm down, okay? It’s only for the day.” She reaches forward and rubs her hand over Abel’s arm, covered in my sweatshirt. The fact he’s going to be wearing something of mine at her house makes something inside of me tingle with an uncomfortable warmth. “We’ll still have our meal tonight when he gets back, and it’ll still be great.”
“Yeah, when the day is practically over, and his mood is ruined. Makes sense,” I mumble.
Abel scoffs loudly. “Because my mood is always so spectacular.”
“Good point,” I concur, pursing my lips.
“Boys!”
“Well, if Peri here—” Abel’s cut off with a wince when the horn sounds again.Impatient bitch.Everyone goes silent as the resounding echoes bounce off the walls.
“Well, I guess it’s time, isn’t it?” Mom sighs, face softening as she faces Abel. “Got everything you need?”
“Just myself,” he mutters, body stiffening as the seconds tick by, shoulders drawing close to his stretched out earlobes.
“You have your phone, don’t you?” Ma asks. “I want you to have a way to get a hold of me if you need to. Or if you just want to talk, I’ll be here. Call, text, video call, whatever you need.”
Abel pats his pocket. “Yeah, I’ve got it.” He raises his chin and forces the fakest fucking smile I’ve ever seen, but it’s for Ma, and it makes my heart summersault right inside my sternum at the effort he makes just for her—an effort I relate to so damn much.
“Good.” Ma chokes up, and I look away, fighting the burn in my eyes at the crack in her voice.For fuck’s sake, it’s just a few hours,I want to mumble, but I know it’s more than that for her—and I won’t take this from her.
From either of them.
“We’ll see you soon, and you’ll tell us all about it, yes?”
Abel pulls in a huge, deep breath for such a little body, steeling himself. “Yeah. I’ll see you later.” He rolls his shoulders and turns the doorknob. His gray eyes dart over to me for a moment, filled with a fear I know all too well before he looks away, and I’m blinded by the sun as he pulls the door open.
