answer it.
“Well, we need to talk to her,” I tell him, pressing the importance. “You know what she’s like when she’s not on them and the last thing she needs to go through again is another meltdown.”
“I know,” he agrees with a frown. “Why don’t you make sure you’re home tonight and I’ll make something and we can sit down and talk to her?”
“ You’ll make something?” I question with doubt.
“Well, I’ll pick up something.”
“Alright, I’ll be here then.” I step outside and shut the door, inhaling the cool air, trying to relax, but my mom has me worried.
Raven’s still chatting on the phone, bobbing her head up and down when I walk up beside her. “Yeah, uh-huh.” She mouths to me, Where’s your car?
“That’s part of the long story,” I say with a heavy sigh. My car’s gone. I officially have no way to get anywhere, like work and school. And I can’t afford a new one. “Damn it,” I curse under my breath.
Raven’s face contorts at my reaction. “Huh… No, not you,” she says into the phone.
She carries on with her conversation while I stand on the curb in the exact spot where Asher dropped me off last night. The shock has worn off and I add up bits and pieces of the accident, recapping each detail. I come to a mind-boggling conclusion that I should be dead; that I crashed into a lake and was trapped in the car while it sank. It happened exactly like my death omen said, but my heart is alive and my lungs breathe beneath my ribs. I squat down on the curb and lower my head, telling myself to breathe. That it doesn’t matter because I’m alive.
“So, what happened to your car?” Raven strolls up to the curb and tucks the cell phone into the pocket of her skirt. “And why are you staring at the curb like it just ate your puppy.”
I jerk my eyes away and rise to my feet. “What happened to you last night? I was really worried.”
She bites at her bottom lip, suppressing a smile. “Well, things kind of got out of hand and I think I might have overreacted.”
“Overreacted?” I question. “About what?”
“Um… Laden being a jerk. I mean, he totally tried to put the moves on me, which is fine—I’m used to it. But I really wasn’t in the mood to screw.”
“I think I might have seen him standing in front of the house this morning.” I point over my shoulder at the spot.
Her body goes rigid and her eyes enlarge. “What was he doing?”
“Staring at me like a weirdo.” My tone is light, even though the subject is a little twisted. “What exactly did you do to him last night? Break his heart into pieces?”
She shakes her head, gazing off across the street. “I didn’t do anything to him. He was the one who tried to push me too far.”
“So that’s why you were crying?” I ask, watching crisp autumn leaves blow down the street. “Because he pushed you too far?”
“Pushed too far…” She pulls her hair into a bun and secures it with an elastic off her wrist. “Look, Em, I know I freaked out on you last night, but I swear it isn’t what you’re thinking. No one slipped me something and I wasn’t as drunk as you thought.”
We jump back from the curb as the sprinklers turn on. “Then what was that talk about seeing death?”
“What are you talking about?” she asks as we throw our arms over our heads and sprint to the edge of the driveway, out of the reach of the sprinkler. Our shoes and the bottoms of our legs are wet.
I lower my voice, wringing out my hair. “You said you saw death last night.”
She wipes the water from her face, takes a pack of gum out of her pocket, and pops a piece into her mouth. “I did?”
“Yeah, and you were more than just upset—you were freaking out.”
She pops a bubble, trying to remember. “Hmm…. Maybe I wasn’t as sober as I thought. Or maybe your gift was confusing my head.” She chews on her gum slowly, considering. “Well, I don’t know why I was
“Well, we need to talk to her,” I tell him, pressing the importance. “You know what she’s like when she’s not on them and the last thing she needs to go through again is another meltdown.”
“I know,” he agrees with a frown. “Why don’t you make sure you’re home tonight and I’ll make something and we can sit down and talk to her?”
“ You’ll make something?” I question with doubt.
“Well, I’ll pick up something.”
“Alright, I’ll be here then.” I step outside and shut the door, inhaling the cool air, trying to relax, but my mom has me worried.
Raven’s still chatting on the phone, bobbing her head up and down when I walk up beside her. “Yeah, uh-huh.” She mouths to me, Where’s your car?
“That’s part of the long story,” I say with a heavy sigh. My car’s gone. I officially have no way to get anywhere, like work and school. And I can’t afford a new one. “Damn it,” I curse under my breath.
Raven’s face contorts at my reaction. “Huh… No, not you,” she says into the phone.
She carries on with her conversation while I stand on the curb in the exact spot where Asher dropped me off last night. The shock has worn off and I add up bits and pieces of the accident, recapping each detail. I come to a mind-boggling conclusion that I should be dead; that I crashed into a lake and was trapped in the car while it sank. It happened exactly like my death omen said, but my heart is alive and my lungs breathe beneath my ribs. I squat down on the curb and lower my head, telling myself to breathe. That it doesn’t matter because I’m alive.
“So, what happened to your car?” Raven strolls up to the curb and tucks the cell phone into the pocket of her skirt. “And why are you staring at the curb like it just ate your puppy.”
I jerk my eyes away and rise to my feet. “What happened to you last night? I was really worried.”
She bites at her bottom lip, suppressing a smile. “Well, things kind of got out of hand and I think I might have overreacted.”
“Overreacted?” I question. “About what?”
“Um… Laden being a jerk. I mean, he totally tried to put the moves on me, which is fine—I’m used to it. But I really wasn’t in the mood to screw.”
“I think I might have seen him standing in front of the house this morning.” I point over my shoulder at the spot.
Her body goes rigid and her eyes enlarge. “What was he doing?”
“Staring at me like a weirdo.” My tone is light, even though the subject is a little twisted. “What exactly did you do to him last night? Break his heart into pieces?”
She shakes her head, gazing off across the street. “I didn’t do anything to him. He was the one who tried to push me too far.”
“So that’s why you were crying?” I ask, watching crisp autumn leaves blow down the street. “Because he pushed you too far?”
“Pushed too far…” She pulls her hair into a bun and secures it with an elastic off her wrist. “Look, Em, I know I freaked out on you last night, but I swear it isn’t what you’re thinking. No one slipped me something and I wasn’t as drunk as you thought.”
We jump back from the curb as the sprinklers turn on. “Then what was that talk about seeing death?”
“What are you talking about?” she asks as we throw our arms over our heads and sprint to the edge of the driveway, out of the reach of the sprinkler. Our shoes and the bottoms of our legs are wet.
I lower my voice, wringing out my hair. “You said you saw death last night.”
She wipes the water from her face, takes a pack of gum out of her pocket, and pops a piece into her mouth. “I did?”
“Yeah, and you were more than just upset—you were freaking out.”
She pops a bubble, trying to remember. “Hmm…. Maybe I wasn’t as sober as I thought. Or maybe your gift was confusing my head.” She chews on her gum slowly, considering. “Well, I don’t know why I was
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