Page 97 of Rafferty's Rules
‘Candy for annoying the teacher?’ I ask with a little laugh.
‘Yeah. One handful for getting the bastard out of his chair. Three for making him angry enough for them to be sent to the principal’s office.’
Oh, man, now I’m giggling. ‘And what happened?’
‘It seems currencyisking because all fuckin’ hell broke loose,’ he answers with a shrug.
‘Don’t swear at the dinner table,’ Sally chastises without the sting.
‘Did the teacher know what or who was responsible?’ I ask.
‘ ’Course he did,’ Byron chimes in. Leaning back in his chair, he folds his arms with an unrestrained grin. And if that isn’t pride speaking, I don’t know what is. ‘As I heard it, Rafferty sat at his desk all day glaring at him. He couldn’t fail to know who was fucking with him.’ I notice Byron doesn’t get told off for cursing, but that’s okay. He’s defending his brother.
‘I bet he was set to pitch a fit.’
‘You could say that.’
‘Revenge is sweet, so they say,’ I add hopefully.
‘He’s like a not so genius evil villain,’ Roman offers this time.
‘He’s already got the cat!’ adds a laughing Chastity.
‘Settle down, settle down.’ Rafferty makes a lowering motion with both hands. ‘And yeah, I wanted revenge. But not as much as I wanted my bloody comics back.’
‘Did you get them?’
‘Yeah. One of the ratbags squealed. I was called to the Principals office, along with Franklin. But I told him, I wanted my comics back, that the old bastard owed me. I might’ve also said that I because I now had a lot of time on my hands, I’d think of a dozen other ways to get under his nose and that I’d continue to do so until I got my merchandise back.’
‘You should’ve seen him when he came home,’ Sally adds. ‘His little face would’ve turned milk sour.’
‘But did you get your comic books back?’
‘Yeah. Just as soon as the pair of them had stopped laughing.’
The table erupts into laughter, and even Rafferty can’t help but smile.
‘I’m glad you only use your powers for good these days,’ I tell him, kissing his cheek.
Chapter 29
RAFFERTY
‘What did you think of Tom?’
After dinner and back in the little cottage made for two, I guess I’m just trying to make conversation. Trying to fill the air with words other than the ones that want to burst free from my chest.I don’t want you to go. I love you. Will you stay?
‘Hmm. Tom. Well.’ Her head turns to me cocked like a little dog, her expression twice as quizzical.And twice as fucking cute.‘I suppose I was wondering why y’all put up with him.’
‘Y’all?’ My iteration of the word—I think it’s a word—is little more than a drawling scoff.
‘Yes, y’all,’ she says, her hand on her hip now as she stands on the opposite side of the bed dressed in nothing but her undies and her T-shirt. ‘Do youhave a problem with that?’
‘I don’t have any problems withyou, darl.’Y’all, darl?Nah, that’s just fucked. ‘I just wondered what you thought of Tom.’
‘The man thinks the sun comes up just to hear him crow,’ she responds baldly, pulling back the duvet without getting in.
Wonder if she’d share a shower with me? Maybe I should put it on the list. Shame the things I want from her won’t fit on a piece of A5 paper. And they’re the kind of things that will take more than twelve days to achieve. But she’s already made herself clear. She has a life in Springfield, and parents she couldn’t imagine not seeing. Despite the fact they seem fucking dumb.Who encourages their child to settle for a cheating prick?
