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Every muscle in my body is tense, ready to snap I want to beat my fists into Marty and screa will one too far this ti a shred of ain The past few times he pulled shit like this, I let it roll Thewith me I didn’t drive his jewels into his skull with my knee then, but I should have—and God knows he deserved it
I tried so hard, so fking hard, to et close tothat this guy cares about et laid Fury shines through ht I can’t control it I can’t calm down and I don’t want to Betrayal looks horrible on me
“Avery, stop” He shrieks, as my nails catch the skin on his chest, and he dances away from me “I’m so sorry, so sorry I did it this way I shouldn’t have I know that now I had no idea you were this far gone—”
He says things, his voice soft and coaxing, but they wash over h another horrible day, forcing up walls wherever I can so I can look at myself in the e to get the buckle open
Marty stands there, stunned, with his o blank like he can’t believe this is really happening The heavy metal buckle flicks open and falls to the side When I reach for the button to his jeans, he snaps out of it Marty’s hands fly to my wrists He shoves me away, but I won’t stop I have to finish I have to do this
White spots blink like stars in ain and the room tips sideways I stumble and blink a few tih my veins, from my toes to my eyelashes like an inferno
Instead of swatting me away this ti it high above my head The round when he tilts his chin down and breathes in ister so low that I can feel the force behind each staccato word “For once in your goddamn life let someone else help you”
I laugh in his face and swing my other fist at his head, and miss It’d be co to ain
Marty effortlessly dodgesinto rits his teeth and hisses at o batshit crazy, I would have had Mel here She’s going to kick my ass when she finds out that I broke you”
I laugh like I’rabsI can’t move Tremors burst from inside of
He holds ht and continues to explain “I knoeetie I kno upset you’ve been I hired you to give you a break and keep you away from aholes like Henry Thomas After what happened last weekend, I wanted to buy you soht I was trying to help”
Tilting my head up, I stare at him Marty releases me and steps aith his back toTheto lose it He steps forithout warning, and slams his knuckles into the wall The plaster cracks like frozen ice and his fist disappears behind the wallboard
Marty pulls his fist from the wall and doesn’t look at me He sits down on the side of the bed with his back to me and lowers his head into his hands
There’s a long silence and I don’t knohat to do I smooth my dress and take a seat by the little desk in the corner and try to calm down I don’t knohat to do “Miss Black—” I start to say so but can’t finish It feels like someone pulled my head off and screwed it back on, but failed to connect h a field of haze laced with complete and total despair I hold my face in my hands and say, “What was I supposed to think, Marty? After everything that happened, as I—”
There’s a knock on the door that cuts h the peephole before opening it A young guy, wearing a hotel unifor there with a tray “Your dinner, sir, and the movie you requested”
Marty nods and points to the desk where I’uy smiles at me and places the tray down There are two silver do with a movie—my favorite movie—The Last Unicorn
A lump hardens in my throat as I stare at the DVD My eyes burn, but I don’t blink I can’t I was so wrong, so horribly wrong Marty didn’t pick up a phone and order this stuff after I got here He planned it before I ca pelted with bricks that won’t stop By the tiuy away, tears are streaking down
I try not to look up, but I have to When our gazes lock, the only words that want to come from my lips are, “I’m sorry”