Page 31 of The Upside of Falling
Now, I’m going to tuck myself in bed and try to calm my racing heart. I’m going to envision what it would be like to lay next to you, to have your arms wrapped around me, to have someone protect me for once, instead of having to do all the protecting.
Wildly in lust,
Rory
Dear Rory,
Fuck . . .
I don’t know what to say, other than this. I need to see you. We finish classes this week with finals, we have our assembly to see if we got into flight school, and then we’re out for winter break. I’m staying with Stryder and his family, but I want to make time for you. My number is 719-555-2417. Text me when you’re available.
Fuck distractions.
Fuck my fear.
Fuck HIM.
That hug you’ve been wanting? Craving? I want the same damn thing.
Text me.
Colby
Chapter Thirteen
COLBY
11 years old . . .
Pounding footsteps make their way down the hall, my nerves jumping back and forth, the fresh shirt I put on for school already absorbing a coat of sweat that’s slowly dripping down my back.
I scan my room. Everything is out of sight, either in the attic or tucked away nicely. Bed is made. Clothes are folded and hung in the closet. All planes and toys are nowhere in sight.
It’s the wayhelikes it.
It’s the wayhedemands it to be.
Heavy footstep after footstep draw near, my heart pounds rapidly, my lungs constrict, and my hands fidget at my side.
I did everything right, I know I did. I double-checked.
The feet stop at my door, and I hold my breath as it’s flung open. Ted stands on the other side, coffee in hand, business shirt pristinely pressed, his tie expertly tied around his neck. The shoes I shined for an hour last night are on his feet, the lights glaring off them.
He doesn’t say a word when he does his check in the morning; he doesn’t even look at me. Instead, he travels around the room his eyes roaming, looking for any form of indiscretion.
There shouldn’t be any. I made sure of it. Stopping at my bed, he eyes it up and down, taking a sip of his coffee. From his pocket, he pulls out a coin and flips it up in the air.
On bated breath, I watch as it falls to the mattress, barely bouncing up.
Eyes squeezed shut I say an oath, just as the coffee cup is set down on my dresser. Ripping the blankets back, he inspects my tuck job on the sheets, his eyes narrowing in on the corners. Once upright, he circles around me, the hairs on the back of my neck at full attention.
Standing behind me, towering over me, I wait for the moment that he—
His large hand grips the back of my neck, pushes me down, shoving my face inches from the mattress.
“What the fuck is this?” he sneers. “Do you call this a properly executed corner?” I don’t answer as he squeezes his hands around my neck. His fingers dig in as my shoulders tense around him, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. “How the fuck do you expect to get anywhere in the Air Force if you can’t make your goddamn bed correctly?”
Forcefully, he pushes me forward, my forehead hitting the edge of the bed before I topple to the floor. Grabbing the mattress from the bottom, he flips it over, scattering my nightstand and covers all over my room. It’s not the first time he’s done it. Knowing his tendencies, I’ve become wise about where I store my things and know where to keep them out of harm’s way.
