Page 126 of Ravage
The sound fizzles out. “Piece of shit!” I yell and punch it.
I crane my neck to look at the back seat, which is seatless, to search for something metal. The floor is filled with junk and random auto parts. Like Kellan used this car as his trash pile while working on another car. Probably the car he’s in with Jackson and Raegan.
We could have all squeezed into one car if three people didn’t mind not having a seat, but it was unanimous that we wanted to split up and have our own seats.
I try not to think about how the new guy had viewed Raegan’s memories. Or how he’d supposedly “cleared” her of any ties to GE. At least as it relates to her friend. I don’t think about what that might mean or that there’s a chance Raegan is actually keeping something from us to explain what happened.
If she were innocent, she would have denied it.
She would tell me why she betrayed Vera. Why she betrayed me.
“Oh no.” My sister chuckles from behind me.
I jump at the unexpected visitor and hurriedly check the room to make sure she’s the only other one in it. “Fuck’s sake, Vera!”
She grins and plops herself down on my bed next to me. “What? Didn’t you hear me come in? You’re lucky it was just me and not one of the others, then. What would they say if they saw you writing this—” she waves her hand at the notebook on my lap, struggling to find the right word before she finishes lamely—“stuff.”
I slam the notebook closed. She merely smirks at me and shrugs. “You can’t give her that. A corny written confession is already a terrible idea. But having movie references in there?” She throws her head back to laugh.
I shove at her, and she falls back on the bed, which sparks another burst of laughter. “Shut it. I think she’d like it. She’s coming over to watch a movie tonight after her session ends, and I was hoping…”
My sister pushes herself back up and roughs up my hair. I smack her hand away, annoyed as always when she does that, and work to fix it. “You’re adorable, Dane. But you know that you aren’t the only one in your little group who has a crush on her, right?”
Kellan does, too. We bicker about it when the others aren’t around, because he keeps pushing boundaries with her in front of us to prove that she likes him more. Always pulling pranks together, and the way he uses his gift as a counter to hers means he gets to hold and hug her when she’s feeling vulnerable about her own gift.
But he doesn’t have what she and I share. He doesn’t know all of our inside jokes and moments we’ve shared binging movies and shows together. Or how she’ll open up to me. Really talk to me. More than the others, I’m sure.
And the other night, when we were watching a movie with an unexpected moment between the two main characters, we looked at each other at the same time. The world just…froze. She began to lean toward me. We were hardly an inch away, face-to-face, and I thought…we almost…
And then Kellan burst through the door after his last session had ended and we’d jumped apart.
It’s all I can think about now. This is our first movie night since then, and I don’t want to fuck it up this time.
“I know. Kellan hasn’t been hiding it from anyone but her.”
Vera rolls her eyes. “Right. Just him.”
Aiden hasn’t said or done anything I’ve noticed to indicate otherwise. And Jackson…well, it’s hard for anyone to know what he’s thinking. He mostly keeps his thoughts to himself. He and Aiden have been busy with their sneaking around to learn more about GE’s plans for us. I doubt they’ve had time to worry about crushes.
I surreptitiously check the clock to see how much time is left before Raegan shows. Any minute now. “Well, you’re a girl, Ver. If girls don’t like letters, then what do they like?” I ask in a rush.
She scoffs and hops off my bed. “They like action. Just kiss her, Dane. Stop beating around the bush and making up excuses.”
“Fine. Then…do me a favor?”
“For a return one, right?”
“Yeah. Whatever. Just…keep Kellan away from here for a few hours, okay?”
“And what the hell am I supposed to do to keep him occupied?” she gripes. “We don’t have that much in common, Dane.”
“I don’t know. Figure something out. Challenge him to something.”
The door opens and Raegan smiles at me and then Vera when she walks in. “Hey! Are you watching the movie with us tonight too, Vera?”
Ver gives Raegan a coy smile. “Oh, no. I was just leaving.” She turns and bends to whisper in my ear, “You owe me, little brother. But I am rooting for you. Go get some.” She ruffles my hair again and I curse at her, but she dashes away too quickly for me to counterattack. “Bye, Rae. Don’t forget, we have to chat. Sooner than later,” she adds with a wink and then slips out of the room.
Raegan looks confusedly at me. “Did I miss something?”
