The Broken Raven - A Paradox Of Two Worlds Series Book 1

Chapter 23 - Clay

I leave a rose at her front door the following day with a note. Hopefully, she gets what I'm trying to do. I want her, not just what she can give me. At school, she ignores me. What am I supposed to do now? The identical motions continue throughout the week, but nothing happens.

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When Friday night arrives, I make the decision to care less about anything. She doesn't want me, but I'm going to have fun regardless.

She enters after Brie, and the two of them move to join everyone dancing. I'm sucked into her peppermint aroma. I can't look away from her. She hasn't even approached our group once after hours of partying. I finally stand up and approach her. Despite how loud the music is, I can hear my heart racing. I manage to take her hand.

"I've been watching you all night," I whisper in her ear. We lock eyes; I'm not giving up. "You know I can tell what's going on in that head of yours, so don't try and hide it."

"I'm not hiding anything," she tells me, taking her hand back. "Look, did you think you could be the one to save me?" She laughs, "Oh, baby boy, you're not the only one who has tried."

The words coming out of her mouth are profound, but her body language and facial expressions show differences. She doesn't want something to happen, not because she doesn't want to, but because she is scared. She walks back to the rest of the group and sits down on the floor like she did the first time she came.

Sloane joins me on the couch after I take a seat. Although I can hear Raven's heart racing, she doesn't seem to care that Sloane is all over me. I let Sloane kiss me as she leans up close. She glances over at Raven and smirks as I wipe my lips on my shirt. My face is covered in guilt as Raven stands up, irate, and Brie follows. I shake Sloane off of me and follow them as they move into the corridor. I listen to what she has to say from behind the wall. I now have her attention.

"What do you want to do?" Brie asks, "Do you want to go home?"

"Then what? Am I meant to be broken-hearted, huddled in a corner crying over this guy, torn apart? Not likely to happen. I was aware that everything he said was nonsense." She is speaking as her heart is shattering, and I can hear it. "Brie, I've never had this level of fear, yet he always acts in the right way. I get weaker every minute I spend with him, and my heart shines because of him. This battle between my heart and my brain is one I can't win."

I smile at her thoughts. "Raven, it's okay," Brie tells her. "It's okay to let someone in. The only problem is that you let someone in who's just as hard-headed as you. He is only doing this to get to you, and it's working. Logan told me that Clay has feelings for you."

I'm going to kill Logan.

"Maybe you need to talk to him. Clay has never been in love with anyone but himself, but you have opened up something in that cold heart of his. I can even see it."

I turn the corner and face both girls. "Can I talk to you?" I look at her as if she is the only thing I see. There's sadness in my eyes, and Brie can see it. She has seen me through a lot, so to see me like this, she knows I'm not playing games.

"I'll leave you two," Brie says; as she walks by, she says, "Be nice, or I'll kill you myself." I nod.

"What do you want, Clay? To flaunt the girls all around you, or how Sloane can make out with you whenever she wants, or to prove you made the one girl who was determined not to fall for you do just that?" She says with defeat. I see her eyes become glossy, as if she's trying to hold back tears.

"Clayyyyyyy." I hear the piercing voice come from behind me. I turn to tell Raven to wait, and she's gone.

"What do you want, Sloane?"