Page 28 of Sweet Vengeance
“What, what?”
“You made an annoying grunt.”
“No I didn’t.” Did I? “You hit a bump. My ribs hurt.”
“I didn’t hit a bump.”
“Okay, my ribs hurt. Jeez.” I take my broken glasses off and massage my forehead.
“Do you feel okay? I can pull over. Maybe we should go back to the hospital. How’s your vision? I shouldn’t be arguing with you. The doctor said you can have no rise inyour blood pressure for forty-eight hours.”
Well, that was a lot of questions and what sounded like real concern. “I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind. And I don’t like knowing I’m missing school today. That stresses me out. I sacrificed a lot to be here, and I won’t mess that up.”
“It’s just a day. You’re smart as shit. You’ll be fine.”
“How do you know I’m smart?”
He shrugs. “Just do,” he says, pulling down a driveway, and my breath catches in my throat. Maybe because he thinks I’m smart, but also because I’m about to go to his house…where he’s going to get supplies to sleep in my dorm with me. Should I change my mind and stay here?
Looking up at their mini mansion, I know I won’t feel comfortable here. I’ve been through a lot, and I don’t know if I have it in me to step out of my comfort zone this much. “This is…a huge house.”
“It’s something we were given. Yes, we sacrificed in our own ways, but we’ve also been very fucking privileged, Ollie.”
Ollie. It’s almost weird to hear him say my name. It makes my stomach feel fluttery.
But even more than that, I’m thinking about my reaction to this house. The part of me that hates it on sight, hates him for having it because I know that privilege he’s talking about comes with having blood on his hands, with hurting people, addicting people to drugs, and whatever the hell else it is they do.
That should be the only thing I feel. It should be all disgust, not just with this lifestyle, but with Cillian in general, and yet…that’s not all I feel when it comes to him. He’s nice to me. He’s leaving this place to stay in my dorm because he doesn’t want anything to happen to me. He hovered ever since the moment he came into my hospital room last night. Right or wrong, it wipes away some of the hatred I feel about the things he does…or at least, it disguises it in a prettier package.
And that’s wrong. Because he’s nice to me, it doesn’t matter if he hurts someone else? That’s not who I am. It’s not who I want to be.
“Hey…you good?” Cillian reaches out, his fingers dancing through the strands of my hair.
“I’m fine,” I say sharply. “Let’s get this over with.” I open the car door, try to ignore the pain, and slowly work my way out. Behind me, Cillian sighs before opening his door as well.
*
“I need toget my dick sucked,” is the first thing I hear when we go inside.
We turn the corner into the living room, and I see Rory, Dean, Tiernan, and Aislin sitting there. There’s a bong and weed on the coffee table, and while I’ve seen that before, it’s not my thing and just reiterates how different we are. “Hey! Cil’s home! Do you want to get your dick sucked?” Rory asks Cillian.
Wait…the two of them…? Do they hook up with each other? Date each other? Maybe Cillian is bisexual.
“Nah, not today. I have shit to do. T, can I talk to you for a second?”
Tiernan watches the two of us for a moment, his gaze intense.
“Go fucking talk to him,little lord.” Dean nudges Tiernan’s foot with his own.
Tiernan sighs. “Anything you say,little fighter.”
Tiernan leans in and kisses him, before Dean jerks back and says, “Ouch, you fucker. You’ll pay for that later.” His hand rises to his bitten lip.
“I’m hoping for it.” Tiernan walks away without anotherword and disappears down the hallway.
“I’ll be right back,” Cillian tells me. “Chill with Dean until I get back.”
“What the fuck. Am I not here?” Rory asks.
