The Pain Of The Pleasure

THIRTY-FIVE - RYTH

"GIO!" I called his name when the break bell rang, but he kept walking, shuffling with a limping gait that only seemed to get worse as the day went on. I grabbed his arm as he walked out of the double doors and headed for the trees that shaded the tables and seats. "Get the fuck off me, Ryth!" He yanked his arm away. "Wait," I barked. "Gio, wait!" He stumbled but kept limping toward a group of others who just watched us with cold, calculated amusement.

"I didn't know." He stopped dead in front of me, his shoulders hunched, then turned, staring at me through the swollen slit of one eye. "You didn't know..." I swallowed, fighting the urge to wince at his face. It was even worse this close up. "No. I didn't know." He stared at me, searching my gaze as a thick tear slid from the corner of his eye.

I clenched my jaw. I was going to murder Tobias. Stepbrother or not, he was going to feel my goddamn wrath. "You know, it's sick what you're doing with them." I flinched as though he'd slapped me. "What?" "What you're doing, it's not right. Your mom is about to marry their dad." I shook my head, glancing to the others behind him. "It's not like that." "Then what it is like? It looked pretty fucking obvious at the club." Heat burned in my cheeks as it all came flooding back to me. "They were protecting me from the goddamn bouncers. If they hadn't put their fucking hands on me..." "You were underage at a bar that's notorious for sleezy assholes, what the hell did you think would happen?" "I thought I'd be able to walk in there, underage or not, and not be goddamn assaulted, especially by the employees!" The fire burned in me now for a whole different reason.

"I didn't see you being manhandled. But then again, I guess it doesn't matter, not with the company you keep. But hey, if it makes you feel better about having friends who threaten and maim people, especially those who are inside prison, then go right ahead." Gio's lips curled in a sneer. "You have no idea, do you?" "No," I crossed my arms over my chest, meeting his glare with my own.

"But I'm guessing you're about to tell me." There was a shake of his head. He started to turn away, then thought better of it, turning back to tower over me. "First their mom dies, then your dad is thrown in prison. Now you're a part of their sick, twisted family. Seems a little convenient, doesn't it? Tell me, Ryth, are you really that fucking stupid that you're going to play happy fucking family, or do you not care?" I couldn't escape his glare.

"That's it, right? You don't care. Have they fucked you, is that it?" I flinched, my breath catching in my chest. "That's none of your goddamn business, and what do you mean it 'seems convenient'?" "You're a smart girl, Ryth. Why don't you figure it out?" "Tell me." I lunged, grabbing his arm, pulling him toward me as that savage side came roaring to the surface. "Tell me what you mean, Gio, or I'll—" He saw me then, saw the real me, the dangerous me. The part of me that was a little too much like my father...and it stung.

He looked at my hold on his arm, but he made no move to wrench away. "I felt sorry for you when you came here, that's why I volunteered to show you around." He met my gaze. "I felt sorry for you, being in that house with those fucking assholes. I thought you were different. But you're not different, are you? You're no better than them." He yanked his arm from my hold, took one last look at me, and said, "Stay the fuck away from me, Ryth. Just stay the fuck away." "Gio!" I barked as he strode toward his friends.

"Gio! Tell me what you mean!" My chest ached, like a strap cinched tighter with every step he took from me. I charged forward as they slid from their seats and left, not once looking my way. I stared at Gio's shuffling gait as he walked away. My head was spinning, trying to capture the meaning of his words.

But they were a jumble, scattered and strange. Seems a little convenient. ...a little convenient. ...a little... What did he mean? What did he mean? I closed my eyes, not even caring I stood in the middle of the grassy area in front of everyone. Creed's driving this morning had shaken me. The way he'd acted...the way he'd looked. Now Gio. A wave of nausea rocked me as I turned, gripped my laptop, and strode away.