Page 25 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

He eases his own hands out, like I’m a rabid dog. Composed, but I know it’s an act. He’s finally out of his element. Auty was always the suicidal one, not me.

“Snow,” he mutters, taking a step toward me.

“I’ll do it. I swear I will.” What exactly? I don’t know. Lowkey, I could just jab my throat and end it all.

He must see me weighing my options, because he takes another step.

“This is what you wanted right? For me to kill myself?” I lift the shard to my neck.

He straightens, too, the flicker of emotion leaving his face.

His whole body relaxes in fact, as his posture turns casual.

“Do it.”

I blink at him. He takes three more steps until he’s mere feet away.

“You don’t think I will?” I press the shard into my neck. It breaks the skin easily, it's so sharp, and I flinch.

He shrugs. “Do it, Snow. Exert more pressure then drag it across your neck. It doesn’t surprise me that you’re a coward.”

“A coward?!” My hand drops to my side. The blood dripping from my hand is audible.

“Yeah, you a cowardly bitch. No coke around, no weed. No heroin. Still wanna be numb, so do it. Good riddance. Maybe I will breathe again once you’re gone.”

Fuck. It’d been so long since Rico truly cut me down. The veiled threats here and there are nothing compared to how low he can truly go.

I’d gotten glimpses when we were together. When he’d get upset and catch himself.

This, though… this vitriol.

My left eye begins to twitch. Oh, how I wish I could cut him down. The words are there, brewing on my tongue, but they feel like another language. And I know it wouldn’t be enough.

He’d never hurt like me with just words.

I puff out my chest, and lift the shard to the other side of my neck.

“You did this to me,” I whisper, a tear escaping my lid.

Time slows down as he launches himself toward me.

My teeth clench. All that bravado and he was just calling my bluff.

His angle is so unclear. His hatred for me is so palpable it fills the room, and yet, he’s bounding toward me, ready to save me.

Or save Auty’s feelings.

Envy roars through me again. All these years, and I never felt like this. I didn’t care that they were close. I didn’t care that she took my friends away from me. I found new ones.

God, I feel everything.

I’m already tired of it.

I’m already over it. Over feeling. Being the only one who’s feeling it.

He needs to feel me, too.

Just as he ducks to tackle me, I swipe down with all my strength. He knocks me into the wall as he cries out in pain, before stumbling back, both hands on his bloody face.