Page 36 of Torn
He tugs the blanket back down off my head. “Hate me all you want, I don’t fucking care. I got you all this, too. Be glad I know where your parents keep everything in this place.” A pile of stuff lands on my bed. A bottle of Midol, a heating pad, and a chocolate bar.
I start to cry. “Please go away. You’re not supposed to know this stuff!”
He rubs his forehead and shoves his hand through his long hair. “I’ve lived with women, Kenzi. I know about this stuff, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s part of life and being an adult.”
I try to burrow into my pillow. “I don’t want to be an adult. It hurts.”
He laughs. “No shit.”
“Fuck all this.”
“It doesn’t get any easier, Angel.”
“I hate you.”
He leans down and kisses my messy head. “No, you don’t. And I love you no matter how evil you try to act.” He straightens up. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me or want to hurl more obscenities at me. I kinda like it.”
I smile behind the blanket as he walks toward my door.
“Uncle Tor?”
Halting, he turns back. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
He winks at me and finally leaves me alone to wallow in my feelings of yuck.
I decide right there that even though I yelled at him like a raging bitch, he’s pretty much the coolest guy in the world.
KENZI
After a shitty week at school and sitting in my bedroom every night immersing myself in a book trying to forget the outside world exists, I’m glad tonight is bonfire night at our house. I need to be around some humans who aren’t high school asshole bitches.
“Kenzi!” Rayne yells as soon as she sees me come out of the house and onto the back deck.
Grabbing a soda first, I make my way across the yard, past small groups of chatting people to where she’s standing with a guy I’ve never met but looks vaguely familiar. Rayne is gorgeous as ever, her long hair recently dyed black with purple and blond highlights and the start of a light golden tan touching her skin.Her winged eyeliner is perfect and on point, enhancing her feline green eyes.
“I want you to meet Sailor,” she says, smiling from ear to ear. “He’s a local guitarist. This is Asher’s daughter, Kenzi.”
“Nice to meet you,” he says. “I’ve been friends with your dad for a while. He’s an amazing mentor.”
“Hi… and thank you. He’s pretty great.” Sailor is too cute for words with wavy brown hair that touches his shoulders, eyes the color of the sea, and an adorable smile that reminds me of a five-year-old boy who got caught doing something naughty. He looks like 1992 Eddie Vedder.
“Are you a musician, too?” he inquires.
I shake my head with a laugh. Everyone asks me that once they realize who I am. “No… sadly that talent seems to have skipped me in this family.”
“She models,” Rayne adds. “And she does this amazing calligraphy. She wrote the words tattooed on my back in calligraphy for me, and my artist copied it. And she wrote the lettering for the title on my brother’s last CD.”
Sailor makes an impressed face and his smile widens, showing off his perfect white teeth. “Wow. I didn’t think anyone wrote in calligraphy anymore.”
My smile agrees with him. “Exactly. It’s kinda useless, I guess. I just like the way it looks. I love paper and ink.”
He tilts his head, his eyes squinting just a bit, and I think both Rayne and I drool a little. “I think it’s incredibly cool. Not useless at all. I’m sure there are a lot of people who would want that. I love the tattoo idea. I may just hit you up on that myself.”
“That would be awesome.” I wonder if he and Rayne are dating or if she called me over here in an attempt to set us up. I can’t say I mind if that’s her plan, especially after the disaster with Jason.
My question is answered by Rayne’s attention zeroing in elsewhere. “Tristan is here. I haven’t seen him in a while.” She gestures over to a group of people across the yard, where Tristan is hanging out with Tor. “Is he single now?”