Page 94 of Forged in Rain

She gives me a piteous look, and silently I follow her up the hill, wondering why we even need to be here. What’s the purpose?

Iris peels off once we’re at the top, and with a frown, I watch her go. She disappears from sight, and I drop down on a log before the fire and stare into the flames.

There’s a pit a mile wide in my stomach, and it’s fucking stupid, but I need to see Cyn even though I know it will only push me further into the deep end. He was my hope, and now I’m fucking lost.

Pressing the bruise on my chest, I close my eyes at the ache until movement beside me forces me to open them. Iris is more than likely getting fucked while I mope like a jerk, and sucking in a breath, I accept the bottle of booze passed to me by Tim with a small smile.

“What’s up?” Tim says, and I laugh.

He stares at me like I’ve grown two heads, but I ignore him and take a swig, the bitter taste burning all the way down.

“It’s dead up here,” I say, looking around.

“They’re not here,” Tim says simply.

I guess it makes sense because they, too, are missing the life Cyn breathes into the atmosphere.

Fuck me running, I’m pathetic.

Taking another swig, I pass it back, and we trade drinks for a while. I’m pleasantly buzzed when a shadow drops over my head, and for a moment, my lungs seize.

But when I look up, it’s to Shelby, and my breath escapes in a low whoosh. Ignoring the dull ache that rises in my chest, I stare at her blankly until she speaks.

“Good. Now I can kick your ass.”

I laugh. I can’t help it. This bitch doesn’t know when to quit, but hey, if she wants me to show her the way, I find I’m in the right headspace to do it.

Dropping the bottle, I stand and cross my arms over my chest. I’m tipsy, which puts me at a disadvantage, but frankly, I’ve wanted to kick her ass since the first time she touched Cyn and grinned at me like a little bitch afterward.

My focus crystallizes, and I wait for her to make the first move. My dad’s words ring in my ear.Always let them make the mistake of underestimating you, Rainy.

She balls up her fist and swings it at my head. I duck and stumble because, yeah, alcohol. She rebounds with a fist to my shoulder, and I grunt but slam her in the stomach, taking her blow and using it as momentum.

“Bitch!” she says, but I pay her no mind, shoving into her and knocking her to the ground.

She grabs me, and I fall on top with an oomph before she wraps her legs around mine and rolls us over. I shove against her and keep us going until I’m back on top before raising my knee and pushing it against her groin.

She struggles in my grip, but I force her to let loose and scramble up her body, straddling her waist. I dodge a stray fist and slam my hand across her face. She gasps, pausing, and I pant above her, my rage fading to pain as I rub the sting in my chest.

She must have gotten a blow in there because it aches like a bitch. Of course, she’s not done, and she bucks below me, but I merely ride the wave and slap at her hands.

“Just stop,” I mutter through clenched teeth.

“Fuck you. You think you’re so special!”

“I’m not special, but neither are you! You think hitting me is going to make him feel? He doesn’t fucking feel! He’s an icy cold bastard!”

Silence drops around me, and I glance around, noting for the first time our audience, but it all fades when I see Cyn striding forward with a black scowl on his face.

My heart spasms before taking off in my chest and I stare at him, greedily taking in his glittering eyes and his hands clenched at his sides. His chest strains the T-shirt he’s wearing, and my mind wanders to what’s below before I snap back to reality and pull myself from Shelby.

Before Cyn can reach us both, and I have to watch him pick her, I spin and walk toward the cliff, grabbing the bottle of whiskey as I go.

But when I reach the edge, he grabs my arm and pulls me into the dense forest, his steps quick to my fumbling ones. I’m slightly dizzy from the alcohol, but I welcome the faint buzz that fills the perpetual sting in my soul.

Once we’re within the trees, I pull away and bring the bottle to my lips, only to grunt when he grabs it and tosses it away.

“What did I tell you?” he demands, and I shiver at the caustic tone.

---