3rd book the Devil May Care Series
Remember Lucas King? The suicidal kid who can barely stand to get up in the morning because he's just that tired of life? Lucas has struggled with depression since he was just a kid, always feeling like he was neve...
Her heart pounds against her chest harshly as she hides under the stairs of the front porch. It was dark out, the sound of crickets in the air as she tries to control the sounds of her breathing.
Blood trickles down from her nose, trailing down towards her mouth. She could taste the bitter metallic on her tongue from the beating her foster father gifted her. He beat the ever loving shit out of her and when she got the chance, she ran. She ran and she found somewhere to hide—not out of fear but because she was going to return the favor.
Her body aches as she listens for his footsteps, her grip on her baseball bat tightening. She was going to kick his fucking teeth in—she was going to make him regret ever putting his hands on her again.
Her lips quirk at the sound of his hesitant steps, licking her bloody lips. Something dark washes over her when he hits the last step. She waits till his feet finally meet the wet grass before she quietly steps out of her hiding spot, staring at his back as she waits for him to turn around.
He tenses up, knowing she's behind him, she could practically smell his fear.
When he finally turns around, her mouth curls up into a nasty smile—blood on her teeth and a wild glint of bat shit crazy in her eyes. His eyes flash with fear, hands shaking when he sees the baseball bat in her hands.
He opens his mouth, probably to scream for help but she beats him the chase. She swings her bat right towards the center of his beer belly and he howls out in pain. Her next swing is aimed for his knee, most likely shattering it. He recoils, crying out loud enough for the neighborhood to hear so she wasn't suprised when people started exiting their houses to see the commotion.
Something like relief flashes in her step father's eyes when he notices and her adrenaline spikes with anger. Did he really think that'd stop her? She didn't give a shit who saw. Her bat comes back down towards her side before she walks over to his face, crouching down to meet his eyes. "You think they can save you?" She whispers, watching the color drain from his face. "I'm going make you swallow your fucking teeth." She hisses, standing back up.
And she does because the next time she swings her bat, it's directly towards his mouth. She hears startled yells from behind but her focus is on her step father whose mouth is gushing blood, "Please..." He gargles.
She doesn't listen, only swings again and this time he does choke on his teeth. She keeps swinging and swinging towards different parts of his body, his cries ringing in the air.
"Astraea!" A voice booms.
"Why are you crying?" She sneers, "Does it hurt?" She taunts just like he did when she was trying to block each and everyone of his hits. He'd chose the wrong kid to foster. He'd thought she'd cry and obey. He thought she'd take the hits and say nothing. He was wrong.
She wasn't a push over nor was she a victim. She fought like a hell, defended herself and she'd kill anyone who'd cross her.
She's yanked back, "Astraea!" This time she recognizes the voice.
When she turns around, she's met with Loki's worried gaze. His eyes trail over the bruises on her face before meeting her eyes, "Shit, Astraea." He breathes, glancing around at everyone whose watching.
He lowers his voice, "Come hide at my place."
"I'm not doing that." She responds, "Go back inside."
He shakes his head, "The cops are coming." He tries, "If you don't hide, they'll arrest you." He pulls her away from everyone's attention, hiding again.
She stares at her best friend for a while, "I'm not hiding, Loki." She whispers, "I knew what was going to happen before I even did it." She admits, "I'm not afraid."
"You won't be my neighbor anymore." It's not a question. After tonight she'd be thrown in juvie and after that, who knows?
She only shrugs, "Maybe that's a good thing. Didn't you want to go live with your brothers? You told me the only thing keeping you back was me." He had told her that he didn't want to leave her behind, "You can go now." She smiles, no fear to be detected.
He swallows thickly, "I'll visit you." He promises, "I'll be at your court hearing and I'll still be your best friend when they let you out." He holds his pinky up.
She believes him, "Thanks for being my friend." She takes his pinky, wrapping her smaller finger around his.
And then they wait together, waiting for the police to finally show up.
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Author's Note:
Astraea is probably my favorite character. Her character dynamic is such a difficult one because of how different she is. She's super unapologetic and very toughened up.
Her friendship with Loki is super cute like I love their scenes together.
BUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH LUCAS ? I CANT WAIT! Her and Lucas are so different from eachother, like it drives the both of them crazy but they love hard. Lucas loves the hell out of Astraea because of who she is. He gives her the love that's been missing from her life and accepts her as she is. Vise Versa.
