Raven's Song

Busted

"I think you butchered it," Tylor said as he inspected my dissection skills for the first time. I sat on the stool beside him as he stood over the pig. We were a day behind the class. I hated having to catch up, but Tylor was unconcerned. He was convinced that he could get us where we needed to be in one class period.

"Well...maybe that's what I'll be after I graduate," I told him as I turned my pen over in my hand.

I could feel Amber and Dove watching us. They'd tried to talk me into getting Mr. Alberts to let me finish on my own, but I'd assured them I would be alright. Now they were watching to make sure Tylor didn't make a wrong move with the scalpel. They hadn't been so concerned before my conversation with Alec and at the dress shop. Tylor had been the bad boy they'd lusted over like it was a movie. The boy they couldn't, and still couldn't, have.

"I don't think you'd even do well at that. People like their meat cut neatly," he said as he picked up the scalpel. He carefully made a cut and then traded the scalpel for the tongs. "I think you should stick to taking notes."

"You were the one who left me to do it by myself," I pointed out. "I almost puked three times, too, so thank you for that."

He rolled his eyes and put the goo onto the tray between us. I wrinkled my nose and moved it to the other side of the tray, brushing against him as I stretched to reach.

As I turned back to my stool, Dove caught my eye and gave me a pointed look. I rolled my eyes at her and turned back to the note sheet.

"I don't think I can do the cafeteria today," I told him quietly as I wrote in the tools we were using.

"I never go to that hellhole," he murmured. "Too many eyes."

I looked up at him. "My dad will kill me, though, if I leave."

He shrugged and put the tongs down, picking the scalpel back up. "We can just eat in my car."

"And you can tell me where you were last week?"

Tylor smiled faintly. "Ah. I was waiting for that. I can't."

"Why?" I asked, frowning at him.

"Can you hold this out of the way?" I stood and took the body part from him so he could move another section out of the way. Dove cleared her throat behind me as Tylor got the scalpel onto the body part between our fingers. He arched an eyebrow at me before he made the cut.

"They're concerned I'll end up like Tessa," I murmured.

He shook his head. "Never."

"I know," I told him, watching his face as he worked instead of what he was doing. "Back to the original subject."

Tylor smiled and shifted the organ out of the way; his hand over mine. "I told you. I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?" I asked. I leaned slightly against his shoulder. "Was it something you could get in trouble for?"

"Are you turned on?"

"Totally," I whispered. He chuckled. "Seriously, though."

"No. It was as innocent as my dad gets."

"Aha!" I gasped quietly.

"Stop," Tylor said with a shake of his head.

"Did you go somewhere exotic?"

"No," he said with a sigh. He switched the scalpel for the tongs, having to reach over my arm to do so. Dove cleared her throat behind us again. "That's fucking annoying."