My Little Murder

Chapter 8 - Fire, Boys and Fiery Boys

(Rye's P.O.V)

I slammed my fist into the bathroom wall, the impact sending sharp pains running up my right arm. I swore under my breath, but not at the pain. That, I didn't feel.

Of course. This is f*cking perfect.

A strangled groan escaped the back of my throat as I stormed out of the bathroom to mine and Max's cabin, pacing the floor.

I hated my step-dad; I didn't care how much Charlie tried to get me to make an effort. He was always trying to act like my real dad, ever since he married Mum. But I refused to call him anything but Mr. Evergreen, and I refused to change my last name, too. But whenever he called... ugh. He was always asking something of me; 'Behave for your mother, Ryelan', or 'At least show up for moral support because you do nothing else to contribute'. Like he ever showed up for anything; since him and Mum found each other, I've hardly seen either of them. And Charlie's no help; she's always acting like it's no big deal that she only gets to see her 'parents' for two weeks a year. As if that doesn't bother her? And now they were coming a week early? What the f*ck was going on? And guess what; they were bringing people with them, which meant I would need to be out of the house by Friday. What, was I going to stay with Charlie? Her apartment was so small she wouldn't even have room for a turtle, let alone me. And there was no way I was staying at Pax's; not with his phsyco mother and crazy sister hanging about in the same building.

Whoa, chill out, a voice in my head scolded me. That was harsh.

I sighed in defeat at the voice, rubbing my eyes with my thumb and my index finger as a wave of exhaustion flooded over me. I didn't know why I was blaming it on Liv, especially after today. The way she looked at me earlier... my heart clenched at the memory. Then I shook my head. Sh*t. I needed to harden up. Then I remembered why I was thinking all of these things in the first place and the anger perked up again. Kicked out of my own house... f*ck!

I glanced out the window beside the door, eyes wild in a frenzy of annoyance. Everyone was gathered in the dining pavilion, and they were talking about something. I couldn't see Liv or Max, but I recognised Mara, hovering next to Mrs. Jones, who didn't seem to care that I was missing. Good, 'cause neither did I.

"This is so typical," I muttered, raking a hand through my ashy-blonde hair, messing it up a bit. "This is so f*cking typical..."

I glanced up as the door to the cabin swung open and Max trudged in, sighing in annoyance.

"That bloody teacher," he muttered, holding a hand to his forehead like it ached. "She wants us to play hide-and-seek, man; I can't bear to be in her presence anymore."

I went to tell him to shut up, but my phone ringing caught me off guard. Agitated, I dug it out of my pocket and saw that it was Charlie. Rolling my eyes, I answered it.

"What do you want?" I demanded irritably. Charlie breathed in deeply.

"Pax just got off the phone with Liv," she told me sternly. "What did you say to her? What happened?" In the heat of the moment, I widened my eyes. What did I say to her? Did I make her that upset?

"What, why?" I asked, breathless. "What'd she say?"

"Pax just- ugh, it's really hard to explain because you don't know the full story," Charlie complained, and I stiffened, my mind on high alert. Oh.

"So tell me," I said suddenly, nostalgia laced in my words. "You're talking about Liv, right? About why she was put in hospital? So tell me. I might be able to help."

"Not right now," Charlie sighed. "It's not something that can be explained over a phone call. But whatever happened, whatever you did... it might have triggered something. A memory. And that might be the best or worst thing for her; she didn't freak out when she first mentioned it, which means she basically admitted it, right?