"What's this?" he blinked, picking up the teddy and inspecting it curiously.
"That's Rover," Raven explained in a child-like voice. "He protects me while I sleep."
Jason raised an eyebrow at her. "I could do a better job at that."
"That would just be creepy," she muttered good-naturedly. "I've seen the vampire movies, you know!" Even though Elaise had to watch them beforehand, then sit through them again with Raven and warn her whenever there was a scene with blood.
He grinned and gently placed Rover beside her. "Okay, but you should get some rest now. Rover will protect you and I'll see you later."
"Okay," she giggled and scrunched up her nose as he kissed her forehead. She watched him leave the room and she waited until she heard the dorm door shut before she reached under her pillow and grabbed Jason's shirt out from under it, putting it over Rover so she could sleep easier.
She wasn't sure when she dozed off, or even how long she had slept, but she woke up to the sound of a loud crash and a curse. She jumped out of bed and ran out of her room to see Elaise with her hands together. "God, please forgive my language… Fuck!"
"What's wrong?" Raven asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She glanced down at the floor and spotted a computer monitor with a few broken wires sticking out of it. A computer tower lay in pieces around it and Raven sighed. "Elaise… What are you up to?"
"Nothing," Elaise mumbled, picking up what she had dropped and carried it over to the coffee table that she had dragged from the spare room to put into the living room. "This stuff was in the bin near the IT room. I'm gonna fix it up and have my very own computer in our dorm!"
Raven couldn't understand what she was hearing. "Why?" Elaise had her Information Technology class every day. Why would she need a computer in the dorm?
"You know me!" Elaise whined. "I have to check my emails every day."
"You can't check your emails anyway," Raven reminded her. "The teachers have all the computers secured to avoid contact with the outside world. Sally told me." Students were only able to contact their families, and they had to make those calls in the teacher's staff room with all of the calls on loudspeaker so the students couldn't organize illegal plans. The internet was only accessible in the IT classes, and even then only certain websites were provided for the students to complete their classwork; every other website was blocked from all of the computers.
Elaise flashed a guilt smile. "What would you say if I told you-"
"You hacked the system," Raven crossed her arms and Elaise nodded. Elaise was a whiz when it came to computers. She was able to hack into just about anything and Raven was surprised so much intelligence was stored in Elaise's spastic brain. "Elaise…"
"I spoke to Danielle yesterday," Elaise frowned. "They miss us."
Raven sighed and knew there was no stopping the brunette when she wanted to do something. Instead, Raven watched the Christian girl start to slowly put the computer together, attaching wires on the computer monitor and piecing the tower back together. Raven didn't understand how Elaise knew what she was doing, but the crazy rule-breaker was going to need to find a keyboard and a mouse the next time she was rummaging through the bins…
"How are they?" Raven decided to ask.
"They're good," Elaise replied. "Kylie finally lost her virginity."
"To who?!" Raven's mouth flew wide. Kylie was the shy one. Who did she open up to in order for that to happen?
Elaise cleared her throat. "Erik."
Raven growled. "I should have guessed. How could she be so stupid?"
"I don't know," the brunette shrugged. "But anyway, guess what tomorrow is!"
Raven blinked in confusion. "Sunday?" What was so important about- "Oh… Church day."
Elaise let a sinister smirk grow on her face. "I want you to come with me."
"Why?" Raven frowned. She wasn't religious, so what was the point in her going to church?
"Please?" Elaise pleaded. "I don't want to go on my own! Just one time, and then you never have to go with me again."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "I'll think about it. You know how I am with church." If it was just one time, it couldn't really hurt.
Elaise was pleased with that and Raven declared she was going for a walk. She stepped over to the front door but froze when she noticed a small envelope that had been slid under the door. She blinked and bent to pick it up, reading her name on the front. She heard a jingle from inside and she opened it up, tilting it and letting the object fall into her hand. She inspected the charm bracelet and was taken aback by the pretty charms. They were tiny, with two shades of blue rings on the outside, lighter in the middle, and a black circle at the bottom. What kind of charms were these? Raven had never seen them before.
"Hey, that's the Evil Eye," Elaise explained, skipping over to see what Raven was holding. "It's supposed to ward off evil. Who's it from?"
"I don't know," Raven shrugged and looked in the envelope as Elaise clipped the bracelet around the blonde's left wrist. She found a small letter and opened it, reading the short sentence with a smile: 'You were very brave last night, so I thought you deserved this.'
Elaise tried to ask who it was from, but Raven left her to her stolen-computer-in-progress. She walked down the hall, hoping to run into Jason. The charm bracelet clinked together and she took the time to look at it. It was supposed to protect her from evil? She couldn't keep the smile off her face when he thought about why Jason would have given it to her. She had to thank him when she found him.
She walked past another hall but jumped when she nearly ran into Jake. She glared up at him but he grabbed her shoulders to ensure she didn't fall back in surprise. "Hey," he smiled.
"Hi," she growled, wanting nothing more than to be far away from him.
He looked disappointed. "What's with all the hostility?"
"One; you slapped my ass yesterday!" she hissed and he let her go. "Two; have you heard the rumors going around?"
"Yes, and I've tried to calm them down," he admitted, completely ignoring her number one reason. "I'm sorry if they're upsetting you, but there's not much I can do about it. I didn't start them- You've been with Jason," he added, his nose twitching as if he had caught Jason's scent. What a weirdo, she thought.
"So?" she challenged him. "What's wrong with Jason?"
"More than you realize," Jake scoffed.
"Hmph!" she grumbled. "Well, for your information, I enjoy his company better than I do yours!"
Jake didn't look impressed. "I can tell; especially after the fun you had with him last night. Everyone's talking about that more than you and me."
Raven rolled her eyes. Why wasn't she surprised? "Does everyone here hate me or something?"
"I wouldn't say they hate you," the boy chuckled, a sparkle in his eyes. "They're just jealous."
"And why don't you enlighten me as to what they would be jealous of?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I'd rather show you."
She blinked as he walked away and she ran to catch up. "What are you talking about?"
Jake didn't answer and she growled, following him through the building and up the stairs. If there was one thing she hated more than anything else, it was when people refused to tell her something after hinting to her. She told Jake she was going to follow him until he told her, but he didn't reply. Her frustration only grew and she grabbed his shoulder to yell at him. At that moment, she caught a glimpse of his dorm room before he opened the door and spun back to her, seizing her around the waist and covering her mouth, carrying her into the dorm.
She squirmed as best she could, but Jason had been right; she didn't stand a chance against Jake's strength! The boy shut the door and carried her over to his room, throwing her down on his bed.
"I don't think so!" Raven snapped and tried to get up but Jake pushed her back down and jumped on top of her.
"All I'm asking is one time," he chuckled, pinning her arms down and bending to kiss her neck. She tried despera
tely to pull free, but his grip was too powerful for her. She attempted to lift her legs up, but he easily put all of his weight on her to prevent it.
"No!" she hissed. "I will not have sex with you for the last-"
He silenced her by pressing his lips to hers. She knew that the only option she had to get free was to accept it, but she didn't want to have sex with Jake! She didn't want to be this girl again. She wanted to leave this life behind, but nobody seemed to want to let her! Oh, how Jason would seethe with anger if Raven gave in to Jake. What other choice did she have though?
She thought quickly as his hands worked towards her chest and she gave up, grabbing his hands and moving them to either side of her. She reached for his shirt and worked her hands under it, tracing her fingers across his torso. He stopped kissing her and breathed deeply with a smile on his face.
"Does it have to be the bed?" she asked seductively as he gave her another quick kiss and she gently bit his bottom lip. "Beds are too cliché."
"It can be wherever you like," he groaned as she reached one hand down to lightly squeeze the package in his pants. Jake got up and pulled his shirt off, throwing it to the side and picking Raven up off the bed. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him gently.
"I like the kitchen," she whispered, brushing his hair back with her fingers and toying with his ears.
She bit back a growl as he held her by her rear, but he carried her out of the room and into the kitchen, placing her on the bench. He went to take a step back for a moment, but Raven reached forward and grabbed him by the pockets of his jeans, pulling him back and crashing her lips against his. He seemed pleased with her submission and she used one hand to grab his package again, slithering her other hand down to the drawer, slowly opening it as she distracted him. She found what she was looking for and as soon as Jake placed his hand on the bench beside her, she pulled the knife from the drawer and stabbed it down into his hand. He pulled back and groaned loudly in pain, grabbing his wrist and seeing the steak knife embedded into the top of his hand.
Keeping her eyes down to avoid seeing the blood, Raven jumped off the bench and headed for the door. "That's the least you fucking deserve!" she snarled.
"What the fuck did you do that for?!" he growled and cursed. She ignored him and ran out the door. She left the building and walked into the courtyard, seeing Der and Eliza talking. They noticed her and Eliza called her over with a smile. Raven took a deep breath and strolled over to join them. They seemed to see the anger written on her face as soon as she approached.
"You okay?" Der asked worriedly.
"Yeah. I just stabbed Jake in the hand," Raven smiled and Eliza's mouth fell open.
"Just… You… What?!" the golden-eyed girl blinked in shock.
"He lured me into his dorm and tried to force me to have sex with him," Raven told them. "I want nothing to do with that creep!"
"So… you stabbed him," Der mumbled, exchanging a glance with Eliza.
Raven nodded, not guilty at all. "It serves him right."
"No offense, but you're scary," Eliza commented. "It's awesome what you did to protect yourself… but to stab someone in the hand?" Her eyes diverted to the side of Raven and the blonde saw a spark of worry in the girls' eyes.
A weight suddenly rested on Raven's shoulders and someone's chin sat on the top of her head. "Who stabbed who in the hand?" it was Jason. Of course it was Jason! Such perfect timing!
"Nothing gets past you, does it?" she retorted and she heard him snort.
"She stabbed Jake," Eliza pointed to the blonde girl. Jason's muscles tensed up on Raven's shoulders, but she wasn't going to let anyone tell her that she was in the wrong.
"Why?" Jason asked through clenched teeth.
"He tried to seduce her, apparently," Der dobbed on her and a growl escaped Jason's throat. Raven hoped he wouldn't yell at her, but after her experience with Jake… she didn't want to try and fight her way out like that again.
"I'm sorry, I changed my mind," Raven grumbled. "I do want you to keep the guys away from me."
"Okay," Jason spoke softly in her ear. "You stay here."
"And where are you going?" Raven asked as Jason stepped away from her and walked off. She scowled when she got no answer and he disappeared into the building. She threw her hands up in frustration. "Boys!"
*.*.*
"Raven, get your ass up!"
"No!" Raven whined as Elaise tried to shake her awake. "I'm not going."
"Yes, you are. Even if I have to drag you there in your pajamas!" Elaise threatened.
Raven snorted at her and snuggled into her pillow. "If you can get me out of bed, then fine," she challenged.
"Okay!" Elaise cheered and Raven suddenly regretted everything. Like a million other times in the past, the blankets were ripped away from her and her ankle was seized. She barely had time to open her eyes before she was yanked from her bed. She groaned as she fell to the floor and hit her head hard.
"Owww…" Raven hissed, holding her head in pain and feeling the aching pulses rising up.
"Let's go," Elaise giggled innocently.
Raven glared at her, sitting up and rubbing her head. "I'm not getting changed." She knew her hair was all frizzed up and knotty, but she was wearing her black pajama pants with blue puppy dog designs on them, as well as Jason's black singlet shirt that he had asked her to look after. She reached for a pair of socks and put them on. Elaise kicked over her purple fluffy ugg boots and Raven slipped them on.
Elaise clearly didn't mind and she grabbed Raven's arm, pulling her to her feet and dragging her out of the room. "Come on!"
"Can I at least brush my hair?" Raven frowned, stifling a yawn.
"Too late now."
Raven sighed as she was herded out of the dorm and Elaise led her out of the building, over to the church where many more people were already piling in. Most of them were dressed up respectfully and Raven regretted not getting changed. Eyes turned to the blonde but she ignored them, walking into the church with her friend.
Elaise suddenly stopped and Raven, not seeing the person in front of her, ran into the newcomer. She took a quick step back to recover and rubbed her forehead, glaring up at the idiot that didn't move out of her way.
"Raven, you know it's not Halloween yet," Der chuckled.
She stuck her middle finger up at him and Elaise smiled up at the blond boy. "I didn't know you came to church."
"It gives me something to do," he shrugged. "Jason comes here too," he added, seeing Raven glancing around. She snapped her gaze back up to Der and saw his sneaky smile. She scowled at him but wondered… Had she really been looking for Jason?
Elaise led Raven and Der over to some spare seats and Raven yawned, waiting until the hall was full. She looked around again, trying to spot the green-eyed boy, but she didn't see him. Had Der been wrong?
The ceremony started after a few more minutes and the priest stood at the altar with a book sitting on the pedestal. Raven knew it was the Bible and she slowly let her eyes droop as exhaustion swept over her. She grumbled as Elaise elbowed her hard in the side and she looked up, hearing the priest greet everyone and he started to quote verses from the Bible. Raven tried to doze off again but Elaise made sure she stayed awake with many hard elbows to the side.
Whenever it came time for them to stand up and sing church songs, Raven refused. Elaise tried to get her friend to stand up and join in, but Raven sank further into her chair, looking around again. She had to bite back a smile when she finally spotted Jason. She caught his eye and he looked her up and down, clearly holding back laughter. He seemed to take note of the shirt she wore and couldn't keep the grin off his face.
Great, Raven thought with embarrassment. Now he was going to know she slept in his shirt!
She was happy when the ceremony was over and the priest invited everyone outside where food would be available. Raven was going to follow but she didn't see Jason move. He stayed in his seat as everyone piled out of the hall an
d Raven frowned.
"Rich?" Elaise blinked at her friend.
"I'll catch up," Raven told her and Elaise rolled her eyes with a smile, walking out with Der at her side.
Raven stayed back and watched Jason walk over to the stairs leading up to the altar. He got down on his knees and put his arms forward on the steps, leaning his head on his arms.
Raven was confused, but she slowly walked up the aisle until she stood beside him. She knelt down and looked up at the altar with the open Bible. "Chess club and now church… I never thought of you as either type."
Silent World Page 11
