soon as the game is over. Understand?” Celia said.
Raven jumped out of her seat. She rushed around the table and stood behind her grandmother’s chair, giving her a big hug.
“Love you, Granny.”
Celia patted Raven’s hand.
“Love you, too, baby.”
Raven gave her another squeeze.
Before she got ready for bed, Raven tried on a pair of skinny jeans. She struggled with the zipper. When she sucked in a big breath, the jeans finally cooperated. Raven turned to the side. She examined her stomach in the mirror. The stiff denim helped force it flat.
Satisfied with the results, Raven peeled the jeans off. She placed them on a chair, along with a colorful t-shirt. Walking back to the mirror, she inspected herself one more time just in her underwear. What she saw in her reflection was simply an average teen-aged girl. Not a mother-to-be.
In her head Raven knew that would be her reality in a matter of months, but in her heart she longed to stop time or better yet, reverse it. Sure it was a crazy idea—an impossible one, but that’s what she clung to when she slipped into bed and fell asleep dreaming about her date with Sage.
Chapter 14
On the surface, Sage appeared fully prepared for his evening with Raven. He’d taken his usual painstaking time choosing his attire and getting dressed. The truck was clean and all gassed up. He had money in his wallet and plans for what they’d do after the game.
But contrary to all that well-intentioned prepping was the way Sage felt in his head. Lately he’d been pushing back so hard against Serenity’s death grip on his life that he was mentally exhausted.
Concocting one lie after the other; suppressing the load of guilt that wrapped itself around his conscience and squeezed it tight; turning a deaf ear to Serenity’s voice in his head. His life had become one big balancing act. All the energy and effort he exerted just to keep from becoming a complete casualty to his past was slowly draining his spirit. He could feel the essence of who he was slipping away.
Sometimes that scared him more than Serenity’s meddling did.
Lately there were far too many days when he felt like checking out completely. It would be so easy to just give Serenity what she wanted. Let her possess him for all eternity if that’s what it took to grab hold of a little peace.
Sage squeezed the steering wheel tight as those thoughts ran through his head. He could hardly wait for Peyton to slide into the seat beside him. He knew he was in for a shit load of smack talk from his best friend, but at least he’d be forced to focus on the here and now—-not the past he was always running from.
Peyton was going to the game stag that night. Not by choice. He wasted no time in sharing all the dirty details with Sage.
“Man, I can’t believe Tia was messing around on me,” Peyton said.
“Right, like you guys were really a couple or something,” Sage reminded him.
“Hey, I don’t try to hide my game from the ladies. I may not be the most faithful guy, but I at least expected a little more loyalty from somebody as new to the game as she was. You know how many freshmen would kill to get a piece of this?”
“I know you need to get over yourself,” Sage snorted.
Peyton ignored the insult. Instead, he used the mirror on the passenger side visor to take inventory of the goodies he was referring to. He smoothed his shadow of a mustache with a couple of fingers. He ran his hands over his fresh haircut, then he raked them across the chiseled chest that strained against the shirt he’d purposely bought in a size smaller than what he usually wore.
“Guess Tia was a little more hip to the game than she let on, huh?” Sage couldn’t help but tease him.
Peyton sucked his teeth, “Yeah...whatever. That’s why she and her new man got popped by her moms while they were getting busy. Ha!
Raven jumped out of her seat. She rushed around the table and stood behind her grandmother’s chair, giving her a big hug.
“Love you, Granny.”
Celia patted Raven’s hand.
“Love you, too, baby.”
Raven gave her another squeeze.
Before she got ready for bed, Raven tried on a pair of skinny jeans. She struggled with the zipper. When she sucked in a big breath, the jeans finally cooperated. Raven turned to the side. She examined her stomach in the mirror. The stiff denim helped force it flat.
Satisfied with the results, Raven peeled the jeans off. She placed them on a chair, along with a colorful t-shirt. Walking back to the mirror, she inspected herself one more time just in her underwear. What she saw in her reflection was simply an average teen-aged girl. Not a mother-to-be.
In her head Raven knew that would be her reality in a matter of months, but in her heart she longed to stop time or better yet, reverse it. Sure it was a crazy idea—an impossible one, but that’s what she clung to when she slipped into bed and fell asleep dreaming about her date with Sage.
Chapter 14
On the surface, Sage appeared fully prepared for his evening with Raven. He’d taken his usual painstaking time choosing his attire and getting dressed. The truck was clean and all gassed up. He had money in his wallet and plans for what they’d do after the game.
But contrary to all that well-intentioned prepping was the way Sage felt in his head. Lately he’d been pushing back so hard against Serenity’s death grip on his life that he was mentally exhausted.
Concocting one lie after the other; suppressing the load of guilt that wrapped itself around his conscience and squeezed it tight; turning a deaf ear to Serenity’s voice in his head. His life had become one big balancing act. All the energy and effort he exerted just to keep from becoming a complete casualty to his past was slowly draining his spirit. He could feel the essence of who he was slipping away.
Sometimes that scared him more than Serenity’s meddling did.
Lately there were far too many days when he felt like checking out completely. It would be so easy to just give Serenity what she wanted. Let her possess him for all eternity if that’s what it took to grab hold of a little peace.
Sage squeezed the steering wheel tight as those thoughts ran through his head. He could hardly wait for Peyton to slide into the seat beside him. He knew he was in for a shit load of smack talk from his best friend, but at least he’d be forced to focus on the here and now—-not the past he was always running from.
Peyton was going to the game stag that night. Not by choice. He wasted no time in sharing all the dirty details with Sage.
“Man, I can’t believe Tia was messing around on me,” Peyton said.
“Right, like you guys were really a couple or something,” Sage reminded him.
“Hey, I don’t try to hide my game from the ladies. I may not be the most faithful guy, but I at least expected a little more loyalty from somebody as new to the game as she was. You know how many freshmen would kill to get a piece of this?”
“I know you need to get over yourself,” Sage snorted.
Peyton ignored the insult. Instead, he used the mirror on the passenger side visor to take inventory of the goodies he was referring to. He smoothed his shadow of a mustache with a couple of fingers. He ran his hands over his fresh haircut, then he raked them across the chiseled chest that strained against the shirt he’d purposely bought in a size smaller than what he usually wore.
“Guess Tia was a little more hip to the game than she let on, huh?” Sage couldn’t help but tease him.
Peyton sucked his teeth, “Yeah...whatever. That’s why she and her new man got popped by her moms while they were getting busy. Ha!
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