crumbs and frosting from my fingers, then rip the paper away.
The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales in hardcover.
“Thanks, J.”
His dark hazel eyes shine. “My pleasure, Parker.”
It’s not easy. I know he’s dating again, but we’ve never met her or the one before her. Different lunch periods. I count it a blessing, since lunch is the only time we see him now that basketball is over. If they had the same lunch we’d never see him or I’d be forced to watch him with another girl. It’s bad enough knowing there are other girls.
Arissa coaxes me into her house after school. Rose gives me another cupcake and a yellow gift bag containing a leather bound copy of Wicked and Son Of A Witch in one volume.
“Thank you!” I hug her and Arissa. “Can I keep them here?” I ask Arissa, taking out my tome of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
“You sure you don’t want to take them home?” Rose asks.
My father trashing my room, searching for my Christmas present from Jason replays in my head. No doubt he’d do it again and destroy the books if I bring them home.
“Victoria will wreck them if she sees them.”
Rose eyes me longer than usual.
“Let’s take them upstairs,” Arissa says, grabbing her backpack.
I place my books in Arissa’s room with my copy of The Wizard of Oz then return home, stopping short in my bedroom doorway.
Father lazes on my bed in his work clothes with a look of scorn on his face. “Where were you?” He sits up.
“Arissa’s. Rose wanted to give me a cupcake for my birthday.”
He climbs off my bed and lumbers towards me. Whiskey is acrid on his breath as he speaks, “Your birthday? Who gave you permission to celebrate your birthday?”
I shuffle backwards, wanting to roll into a ball like a pill bug.
“Get back here, you worthless piece of shit!” He seizes a handful of my hair and yanks me into my room.
I shriek, dropping my backpack and covering his hands with mine to keep him from ripping my hair out. I stumble under his grip and nearly fall.
He shoves me onto the bed and unbuckles his belt. “I’ll give you a fucking birthday celebration.” The lowering zipper is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. I grit my teeth, burying my face in my pillow to hide the tears as he rams into me without care or concern.
He grunts one last time and collapses on me, squishing me between his corpulent body and my mattress.
Sara must always be miserable.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sophomore Year
The highlight of summer was going to Magic Mountain with the Jerichos. I had never been on a roller coaster before. Arissa took me on all of them, starting with Colossus. I gripped my restraints so tight that my knuckles turned white as our train creeped along the track before the big drop. Once the wind was in my hair and I was screaming, I realized what a release it was. That cathartic yell letting everything I keep inside, out.
On the first day of school, Jason perks up in his seat as Arissa and I walk into our English class. “Happy to see me, Parker?” A wide grins spreads across his face.
“Surprised to see you, more like it,” I tease, taking the desk behind him.
“You two really need to go out on a date and get it over with,” Arissa says, sitting on my left. “That is, if you’re between girlfriends, Waters.”
“In due time,” Jason retorts, shifting around in his seat.
We compare schedules and discover the three of us have Biology and Geometry together.
“Jason!” a voice screeches from outside.
Our heads turn to the doorway that frames Becky Statton. All five feet of her is clothed in a pink t-shirt tucked into a denim skirt belted with white leather, and her blonde hair is gathered into a high ponytail.
Arissa gapes at Jason. He gives her a slight shrug and leaves his seat, guiding Becky with a hand on her elbow away from the doorway, but still in our line of sight.
She smiles while they talk and he smiles in return, nodding at whatever drivel she’s spewing.
I glance wide-eyed at Arissa, then back to Jason kissing Becky without thought to who might be watching. The ache in the pit of my stomach is like my father punching me and almost heaving up my breakfast