Page 53 of Paint the Town, Dove

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I wanted to introduce Ryden to Emory as soon as possible. Ashamed to admit it, but she was like a golden compass in a raging tide. A foundation I needed to hold, to cherish.

And Ryden was my ship.

It was me who showed up at Ryden’s front door, giddy with excitement despite Sinead’s freak out this morning. She lost her ‘special box.’ Whatever that means.

Ryden didn’t come right away. I knocked a whole lot until he did.

And then the door opened.

And my mouth closed.

His backpack was slung over his shoulder, hoodie hanging off his body like a discarded banana peel. And his face… his eye –

It was black and purple.

“Ryden…” Instinctively, I went to touch him and he grabbed my wrist, gently, but authoritative.

“Let’s go,” was all he said.

I stared at him the entire walk to school. I wanted him to tell me something, but I knew he’d lie to me –

Lie and say he was fine, that he fell off his bed or something dumb like that.

But he had one working eye, one that his mother probably tended to.

The other belonged to the monster whohated him.

[If that were my house, I’d have two black eyes.]

“We need to go to the infirmary,” I pleaded, taking hold of his hand in my mitted one. “You’re going to die.”

“I’m not going to die, Scar,” he let out a strained chuckle.

“Good energy!” I stomped, dragging his body to the best of my abilities. “Now, chop-chop!”

“Scar,” he said.

I ignored him.

“Scarlett.”

Trudge on, trudge on –

“DOVE, STOP!”

I froze in my tracks. He never, ever yelled at me before. I didn’t want to see the other side of his anger. I didn’t think it existed.

Turning around slowly, I hid beneath the fold of my hood. “You’re hurt,” I whispered.

He stepped towards me, tentatively placing two hands on my shoulders. We stood like that, underneath a flagpole, for a really long time. Just… staring.

Finally, he spoke low. “If I report this, he’s going to take it out on my mom.”

I thrashed out of his grasp. “He can’t! He’ll be in jail!”

“That’s not how these thingswork, Scar.”

“It should! It fucking should!”

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