“But Luna. You promised you’d play God of War with me!”
“Did I? Shit.”
“Luna, language!” Dad shouts from the other room, and it’s not in me to remind him I’m eighteen now and can do whatever the hell I want.
Curse. Have sex. Move out.
Anything but drink in public, and even that... I look old enough.
Not that it matters. That’s not my style, going out for a wild party night—not then and not now. Who would I go with, anyway? Dena? We’d have to drive to one of the big towns, like Columbia, or Jefferson City just to find a decent bar or night club.
And why am I even thinking about it now? Since I came back home my mind’s gone haywire. My goal is to go to college. I’ve got the grades, just waiting for replies, and—
“Luna.” Josh sounds exasperated. “I’m talking to you!”
I blink. “Sorry. I’m late for work.”
He glances at me, with big, sad eyes, like a kicked puppy. “You never stay. You’re always leaving.”
That stops me cold at the door. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it? You left for three years, and now you’re back and we’ve barely seen you.”
I sigh. “Did Dad put you up to this? To make me feel guilty?”
He only shakes his head, mouth thin, and turns back to his computer.
I wish he’d yelled at me. Cursed me. Anything but this sad look on his face. I want to tell him I’ll stay, I’ll never go away, I’ll play all the games in the world with him. But how can I, when all I want is to run away again, just like he said?
Undecided, confused, I stand at the door, on a threshold I can’t see, caught between the past and the future, between Destiny and the outside world. Between my old and new life.
Ross’s face flashes in my mind, another tether, another anchor. The greatest perhaps of them all. He never touched me, not once, never shoved me or kicked me.
But his mocking words won’t leave my mind. And he was always there, watching, the maestro behind the bullies, the face to my pain and humiliation. I can never forgive him. Never forget. Rich small town boy who thinks he owns the world. The prince of Destiny, climbing on the throne the moment his dad went to jail.
Our very own cruel royalty.
As I walk out of the house, closing the door softly behind me, I think about him. I always think about him. Oh, I may want to ignore him, but he’s always with me. A mixture of loathing and fascination that has followed me away from Destiny anywhere I went.
My hatred for him... my hatred burns brighter than a thousand suns. Nothing can redeem him, ever.
Ever.
Only question is why do I have to keep reminding myself of this little fact every day? You’d think there would be no need for it by now.
***
“There he is, there he is!” Dena hisses in my ear two days later, startling the crap out of me.
“What? Who? Jenner?”
“Jenner. Psht.”
“Then who?” I pass her by with my tray loaded with dirty dishes and cups and only turn around to look after I’ve unloaded it in the kitchen, catastrophe. I’ve never been known for my amazing sense of balance, sadly.
“Ross of course!”
That stops me in my tracks. I wipe my hand down my thighs, try to hide the tremble in them. “No way. He’s back?”