Year 28 - J.L. Mac Page 0,81

me a chance to talk to her instead of yelling at her from the yard in front of the whole world.

I scream and holler for an hour before I get tired. Defeat creeps in and I settle myself against the tree in her front yard. I sit here for a long time aware that she’s not going to give me the dignity of speaking to me but also aware that I’m not ready to say goodbye. How many people me the love of their life at ten years old? Not many, I can guarantee. “Rae, I gotta leave tomorrow,” I say barely loud enough for it to reach the second-floor window. “I wanted to fix this. I’m out of time but I’m not out of patience. Not yet. I’ll figure out how to make things right with us. I’m sorry everything is so messed up. I love you,” my voice cracks, and normally I’d care enough to be embarrassed but right now I’m too damn heartbroken to feel anything but grief. I’ll miss her when I’m gone. I see the curtains flutter then they pull back to reveal my beautiful Snow with red eyes and wet cheeks.

“Get out of here, Sylas,” she says through the window. “Go live your life and leave me alone.”

“Are you shittin’ me?” I yell, my anger fueling me.

“Go!” she yells and her chin wrinkles and her lip quivers.

“You haven’t spoken to me in months and the first damn thing you have to say is go away?”

“Would you like me to say something else? Just go.”

“Oh I’m going all right,” I growl. “It’s impressive how well you can avoid me in such a small town! The only thing more impressive is how little you care about us!” I yell. “It’s almost like I didn’t mean shit to you.”

“Believe what you want Sylas.”

“You know what? Fuck you Raegan Potter!” I scream looking up at her with pools of water collecting in my eyes.

“Enough,” my dad says through his open truck window as he comes to a stop in front of the house. “Sy, time to go home,” he says in a stern tone giving me no chance of arguing with him and anyway I don’t exactly feel like fighting him. I just want to go home and pretend that I am not going off to boot camp with a broken heart. I take one more look at Rae but she’s already gone, her curtains hiding her from me.

“Raaaaaaae!” I boom from the driveway, spinning my keys around my index finger. “Get your ass out here. Gotta move or we’re gonna be late to my event!”

“Goddammit Sy, I’m comin’,” she yells from inside the cabin like a banshee. Hearing her accent makes a smile tilt my lips up. I hear the clicking of heels inside my cabin then she kicks the screen door open, shuffling herself out the door while tugging the main door closed behind her with the same hand that is holding a tiny purse. She turns to face me, huffing. “It’s too damned hot and humid in this state,” she growls, fanning her done up face. My eyes trace over her from head to toe then back again. On instinct, I press my palm to my chest and my breathing halts in my throat.

“Well?” she huffs and spins in a circle on my front porch. Jesus, she’s gorgeous. “It’s the best I could do with Bethany having to pick something from my closet on my behalf, with little warning no less. That, and I’m fairly certain someone at FedEx opened the package. There’s no way a chiffon Prada cocktail dress wads itself up like that,” she rambles on, frowning as she smooths the midnight blue fabric over her incredible form.

“You tryin’ to make me miss my event?” I growl.

“Listen,” her nostrils flare and she holds up her manicured finger. “I pulled off a small miracle getting this together.” She waves at her own body. “So I don’t wanna hear it, Sy. We won’t be late and even if we are, its fine. Ever heard of fashionably late?”

“Ain’t talkin’ about how long you took to get done up, Snow,” I say tracing my fingers over her neck. “Just mean that you looking like this… I can’t think of a better way to spend my evening than between your legs with your pretty dress pushed up to your throat,” I say against her ear before gently biting it. I pull away from her to see her red