Page 110 of Paint the Town, Dove
“I mean this with all the love in the world, Scar,” Zayla placed a hand on my shoulder, “but why do you bother?”
My gaze snapped to hers, violence filling every crevice of my being. “What?”
“Don’t get mad, I’m just asking a question.”
Simmer. Simmer the fuck down, Scarlett.
“I just mean,” she shrugged, “it’s been years and he’s been this anchor it seems. Obviously he’s super talented right, and your best friend, but like… have you not outgrown his antics?”
“Okay,” Polly held up ahand, “her delivery is off.”
“It is,” Zay pouted.
“I think what she means is, when is the fucking around and the screwing up going to end? We’re all almost thirty, and Ryden’s stuck in…”
“I know where he’s stuck in.” I interrupted. My heart fucking burned for him.
“Then,” Zayla’s eyes met mine with carefulness, “why do you bother?”
Why do I bother?
Well isn’t that a story I wish I could tell.
Chapter Thirty
Scarlett
Twelve Years Ago
Ryden spent every single day after school punching the sack.
Literally.
He strung up on old bean bag, filled it with sand, and went to town on that thing.
Every. Single. Day.
Corban really messed him up, messed up all of us.
Everyone except Clara. Yeah. I decided to call her that now.
Not Ryden’s mom. She didn’t do much mothering.
I pitied her, I really did. She was a victim of Corban, but she let every single thing slide. It didn’t matter if he was pounding Ryden. It was always, ‘He had too much to drink,’ ‘ He wasn’t coherent, he wasn’t in his right mind,’no, it was just another reason to forgive him.
Must’ve been easier that way.
Ryden was taped to a hospital bed for three days, one eye sewn shut, a permanent scar above his eyebrow slicing the hair in two. I visited him every day, stole Sinead’s “pinch change” on the way out to buy him a granola bar from the vending machine.
He could only smile at me.
So I smiled at him. Any chance I could get, I skipped school and sat in that stupid plastic chair. There were calls but my so-calledparentsdidn’t give enough of a crap to check the answering machine, so I called them myself and said I was sick.
Crazy, how my neglect had gone so unnoticed by everyone but Ryden.
Even in his daze, I was still his favourite person.
After the third day he could mutter some words, and the fourth, he was able to speak.
