Page 30 of Craving Venom
Did your prison WiFi give up on you?
Istare at the last message I sent Zane, my thumb hovering over the screen, torn between deleting it or smashing the entire fucking phone against the wall. Ugh. It’s so fucking pathetic.
I tell myself it doesn’t matter, that he’s just some arrogant asshole with a flair for dramatics. But if it doesn’t matter, then why does it feel like I’ve been holding my breath since I sent that stupid message? Like some part of me is waiting for him to fire back with another infuriatingly clever reply that I’ll spend hours obsessing over.
I toss the phone onto my desk with more force than necessary. Fuck him. This isn’t supposed to be personal. It’s not. But it’s starting to feel like it, and I hate that.
A sudden banging on my door nearly makes me jump out of my skin.
“Faith! Open the fucking door!”
I walk to the door and swing it open without thinking, only to find Tria fuming and Xaden standing right behind her.
Tria barrels in the second there’s space, nearly knocking me back with the force of her entrance. “Jesus, Faith, I’ve been banging on your door for ages. Are you okay? You looked like shit yesterday, and now you’re pulling the ‘hermit locked in her tower’ routine?”
“I’m fine,” I say quickly, inviting Xaden inside. “What are you even doing here?”
She tosses her bag onto my bed and crosses her arms. “I’ve got news. Big news.”
Xaden finally steps into the room, closing the door behind him. “She wouldn’t shut up about it the whole way over,” he says, jerking his chin toward Tria.
“Oh, bite me,” Tria shoots back, then turns to me, her eyes lighting up. “Anyway, we’ve got plans tonight. There’s a Holloweek party.”
“A what party?”
“Holloweek,” Tria repeats. “It’s this whole Halloween-week-long thing. Costumes, drinks, dancing—the works. It’s going to be fucking sick.”
I groan, already feeling the excuses forming on my tongue. “Yeah, no. I’m good.”
“Oh, come on,” Tria groans dramatically, flopping onto my bed and sprawling all over it. “You can’t just sit here all night like a weirdo. You need this.”
I glare at her. “I’m not a weirdo.”
“You kinda are,” Xaden chimes in, grinning. “And Tria’s right. You could use a night out. Blow off some steam, let loose a little.”
I cross my arms, shaking my head. “Pass. I don’t do big parties. They’re loud, crowded, and full of drunk idiots.”
“Yeah, and you’re going to love it,” Tria says, sitting up and wagging a finger at me. “Come on, Faith. When was the last time you did anything remotely fun?”
“Watching Netflix counts,” I mutter.
“No. Nope. Not acceptable. This isn’t optional, Faith. You’re coming, and we’re finding you a killer costume.”
“Fine. I’ll think about it.”
Tria perks up instantly, a sly grin spreading across her face. “That’s a yes.”
“It’s not,” I argue, but she’s already pulling out her phone to start Googling costume ideas.
Xaden chuckles, pushing off the wall. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I roll my eyes. “If this party sucks, I’m blaming both of you.”
“Oh, it’s going to suck,” Xaden says with a smirk. “But at least you’ll be miserable with your friends.”
Tria grins. “That’s the spirit!”
I roll my eyes but can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. Maybe this won’t be the worst idea ever.
