Page 50 of Devils' Day Party
Calix moves up on my left side, putting his forearm up against the lockers, his face as blank and perfect as it always is. He drives me goddamn nuts, wearing a mask of his own making every fucking day of the year. The only difference today is that he wears two.
“Clearly, you're looking for attention. If that's what you want, we'll give it to you.”
“Make me a part of the Knight Crew today,” I say, and I swear I can hear Luke choking on her own disbelief. My eyes stay locked on Raz's red ones in challenge. There's a flicker of surprise there followed by sick pleasure. He moves back just slightly and then slams his palms against the lockers on either side of my head.
“You've got to be shitting me,” he laughs as Barron watches from behind him, snapping the red candy in his mouth in half. The sound gives me the chills.
“She wants to hang with us? Let her,” he suggests, his voice a perfumed poison, seeping into my ears and threatening to flip my own logic on its head. How can someone so awful sound so grotesquely beautiful? “But she follows our rules.”
“If you want to play with us,” Calix starts, pausing and then looking over his shoulder, his eyes trained on someone down the hall. His gaze narrows before he turns those flinty eyes back to me. It's hard for me to align my view of this dark-hearted asshole with the man that touched me yesterday with frenzy and passion in his possessive hands. “Then you can go tell Pearl exactly what we think of her.”
My heart leaps in my chest as Luke hisses under her breath, gaze flicking to the girl in question. I've never liked Pearl, but I also despise cruelty for cruelty's sake. Fear flashes through me like lightning, choking me.
“Are you kidding?” Raz says, cocky smirk falling in place on those sharp lips. He leans back and gives me a disapproving once-over. “You're asking a mouse to do a wolf's work. Trailer Park doesn't have it in her.”
“Just like I didn't have it in me to hit Calix's car?” I quip back, shaking with adrenaline but determined not to back down. If I were to put a pause on this day, sit down and really think about, I bet I could find a lot of deep psychological issues for my behavior.
But I feel wild. Reckless. Out of control.
The universe is fucking with me, so I'm fucking with it.
“Let her try,” Barron says, sliding a dark chocolate candy bar from his pocket. He snaps the end off in a very visceral sort of way, like each bite of food, each suck on a lollipop, each snap of gum, is a sexual act. He stares me right in the face as he does it, licking flakes of chocolate from his full lower lip. “Go tell Pearl what we think of her.”
“Which is?” I manage to spit back as Sonja chortles with laughter and the horde of dark fae minions behind her snicker in mean-spirited laughter.
“Go tell Pearl she's a useless whore,” Calix says, his voice pleasant enough, smooth and silky, like the petals of an ebony tulip. “Tell her that she isn't worth the air in her lungs. Tell her that the whole world would be happier if she were dead.”
My eyes widen and Raz sneers, shaking his head in disgust.
“See that expression on her face? That look of self-righteous morality? That's why you'll never be a part of our crew. Fuck off, Trailer Park. We'll come for you later to say thanks for the car.”
I shove Raz back and shoulder Calix out of the way, but he snatches my arm before I can get past him.
“You’ll tell her that she’s weak,” he whispers, voice so low that I’m certain I’m the only one that can hear him. “That she’s pathetic, that she’s cares far too much what the world thinks of her, that she’s afraid.” I turn my face just enough to look at him, but he’s already releasing me and stepping away, face closed-off and cold, as always. I can’t help but wonder though … is he talking about Pearl right now? Or is he talking about himself?
With a shake of my head, I storm down the hall, my entire body quivering as my conscience screams at me to stop.
Don't do this. You know how bad this hurts. You know what's it like to be on the receiving end.
“Hey Pearl,” I say, drawing the attention of the pale girl with the white-blond hair. She let you, Luke, and April out of Devils’ Den that first night. But she also calls April a whore. Luke a freak. Me, Trailer Park. She cuts herself, Karma, she's hurting.
“Karma, wait!” Luke calls out, the fear in her voice slicing through me like a knife. I glance back and see that the Knight Crew has boxed her in at the end of the hall.
