I pull Raven up to his feet, swing him around and wrap my hands around him so that his back is pressed to me. At first he makes a half-surprised, half-pleased sound, and rubs against me, but as I begin to drag him towards the door, he realizes my intentions and begins to struggle. He tries to unclench my fingers and digs his heels into the floor, but I make it to the door and open it with my elbow.“Let go,” he hisses once we’re in the corridor.“Shut up,” I whisper.“What’re you doing?” he whispers back. It’s almost funny how we keep our voices down and our struggle as quiet as possible, both of us unwilling to wake Catherine up, although for different reasons. He doesn’t want to face the consequences of his actions, while I just want to save her the heartache of finding out the boy she hoped was on his way to recovery is secretly taking drugs. As ridiculous as her trust i
perhaps all the evidence is hidden under his excessive make up.“Morning, sweetie,” says Catherine, pecking me on the cheek. “Did you make a sandwich for Raven, too?”“He’s not a baby,” I mutter. “He can do it himself.”“Yes, but a bit of thoughtfulness could go a long way,” she says before disappearing into the kitchen. Raven pauses to give me a smug grin.“Morning, sweetie,” he says quietly so that Catherine wouldn’t hear. “Have fun at school,” he adds, louder. “I’m, sadly, suspended.”“Yes, and I hope you’ll use it to prepare for that math test,” Catherine says from the kitchen.“Sure, I will.” He turns away from me and goes into the kitchen. “One of my friends has agreed to come and help me to study, if you don’t mind,&rdquo
He’s poisoning my life. Even as I’m sitting at my lessons, or hanging out with the guys during the breaks, or eating my lunch, or driving to the baseball practice, there’s just constantly that underlying feeling of something wrong. Knowing that Raven is at home and up to who knows what new mischief is nagging at me.I guess it’s the lack of control that gets to me so badly. Not having nearly as much influence over my life as I thought I had.I’ve got to find some way to convince Catherine to get rid of him.Even coach Williams notices something’s amiss.“Are you all right?” he says. “You seem distracted.”“I’m fine,” I say, but then, surprising myself, add, “No, actually, I don’t feel so well.”“Oh?” He frowns, then reaches out and touches my forehead in a surprisingly parent
Raven’s eyes grow wider as I approach him with the knife. It does feel good to see him take me seriously at last, but it’s not enough. I’m too mad. Madder, in fact, than could be explained by just his behavior. There’s something more, something about him that just makes we want to wipe him out and make the world a better place.“Jamie,” he says, backing away, holding his crumpled jeans in front of him. “What are you doing?” His eyes keep darting from my face to the knife and back.“Enough is enough,” I say, and then he sprints past me and out of the room.I’m readier for this maneuver than I was with his friend a minute earlier. I grab him by the shoulder, but with him wearing nothing but his underwear, my fingers slip off his sweaty skin and he makes it into the corridor, stumbling and nearly falling. I burst out of the room and block his path to the stairs before he c
It takes him a good quarter of an hour to wash his face. I wait patiently, sitting on the floor, tracing my fingers mindlessly on the rough surface of the carpet. Judging by the muffled sound of the window opening and closing, Raven is considering alternative escape routes. Yet there’s no way he could squeeze out through the little bathroom window, so he will have to use the door.My mind is stuck in a loop, trying to figure out what has just happened and what’s going to happen next. If Raven reports me, I’ll be in trouble. I probably won’t go to jail, since it’s my first offence, and I haven’t cut him for real, but they will give me a hard time. Could having a criminal record affect my chances to become a baseball player? Have I just thrown my dream away because of one mistake?I shake my head. He won’t report me. Doing that would uncover his own dirty secrets, which will send him to a therapy ho
It takes him a good quarter of an hour to wash his face. I wait patiently, sitting on the floor, tracing my fingers mindlessly on the rough surface of the carpet. Judging by the muffled sound of the window opening and closing, Raven is considering alternative escape routes. Yet there’s no way he could squeeze out through the little bathroom window, so he will have to use the door.My mind is stuck in a loop, trying to figure out what has just happened and what’s going to happen next. If Raven reports me, I’ll be in trouble. I probably won’t go to jail, since it’s my first offence, and I haven’t cut him for real, but they will give me a hard time. Could having a criminal record affect my chances to become a baseball player? Have I just thrown my dream away because of one mistake?I shake my head. He won’t report me. Doing that would uncover his own dirty secrets, which will send him to a therapy ho
It takes him a good quarter of an hour to wash his face. I wait patiently, sitting on the floor, tracing my fingers mindlessly on the rough surface of the carpet. Judging by the muffled sound of the window opening and closing, Raven is considering alternative escape routes. Yet there’s no way he could squeeze out through the little bathroom window, so he will have to use the door.My mind is stuck in a loop, trying to figure out what has just happened and what’s going to happen next. If Raven reports me, I’ll be in trouble. I probably won’t go to jail, since it’s my first offence, and I haven’t cut him for real, but they will give me a hard time. Could having a criminal record affect my chances to become a baseball player? Have I just thrown my dream away because of one mistake?I shake my head. He won’t report me. Doing that would uncover his own dirty secrets, which will send him to a therapy ho
It takes him a good quarter of an hour to wash his face. I wait patiently, sitting on the floor, tracing my fingers mindlessly on the rough surface of the carpet. Judging by the muffled sound of the window opening and closing, Raven is considering alternative escape routes. Yet there’s no way he could squeeze out through the little bathroom window, so he will have to use the door.My mind is stuck in a loop, trying to figure out what has just happened and what’s going to happen next. If Raven reports me, I’ll be in trouble. I probably won’t go to jail, since it’s my first offence, and I haven’t cut him for real, but they will give me a hard time. Could having a criminal record affect my chances to become a baseball player? Have I just thrown my dream away because of one mistake?I shake my head. He won’t report me. Doing that would uncover his own dirty secrets, which will send him to a therapy ho