Ravenna

Chapter 64

    Damaged people are dangerous.
  They know how to make hell feel like home...

     .Ravenna.
     
      Three weeks. Three God damned weeks. No physical contact. No conversation. No scream fest. No Klaus. It's like I'm in isolation but with the worst people ever. My father, his soon to be wife and her soon to be dim witted children. Ethan seemed to be a little better than Kaitlyn. Less airheaded. More. . . Nice? I only say nice because he seems like the kind of guy who puts on a show for his uptight, bitchy little mother while she's around when he's really all about smoking pot and banging chicks.

      I didn't need to be around Klaus. I just craved him. I grew accustomed to his presence. Some days, I have to stop myself from grumbling in the morning because he's always such a wreck during that time of the day. I felt like some addict, except I wasn't in need of some illegal plant of powder. It was more of a teenage boy with blue green eyes that could make you feel dirty and an attitude that was annoyingly irresistible.

      "I can't believe the wedding is just this Friday." Kaitlyn squeals, pulling me into a stiff hug.

      "Okay. Don't touch me." I strain my voice, getting the overly excited girl to loosen her grip on me.

      "My! Is this the groom's daughter?" A petite woman with a bob cut grimaces, sauntering over. "Oh, you must be so excited to stand with your. . ."

        "The next word coming out better not be 'my dad' because there's no way I'm attending a wedding between two failed first timers."

     The woman gapes, staring at me with horror. It's the kind of look I get when I tell off a stuck up blondie at the mall after she'd wrinkled her nose at the tattoos and piercings I had on. "Where'd you get off talking like that?"

      "Here and. . ."

    "Tiana!" Jenna suddenly appears by my side, intercepting my conversation with the foreign woman. "We are so glad to have you planning this wedding."

          "You're the wedding planner?" I lift my brow, assessing her once again. "Couldn't you find a job that pays better?"

        "It's all about the love in this."

      "That's the saddest thing I've heard all day and I've got people around me blabbing on about a wedding." I end, taking long strides away from the scene.

       I retire to my room where I spend the rest of the evening rereading a novel I'd got hooked in before. The days were practically the same now, just that the enthusiasm and anxiousness of the morons around me got higher as the wedding drew closer. It was hell on Earth. School was closing next week and that was my chance at getting sneak peeks at him during biology and a few other classes we had together closing with it. I couldn't just ride over to his neighborhood and say 'Oh hey, I totally thought this was the way to my house.' They were so far apart from each other and his house was in a more isolated area, giving 'rich' vibes, like his family was.

       "Raven?"

     "Get out!" I scream, not bothering to observe the individual behind my door.

       Damn my stupid ego, managing to get in the way of a lot of things.

                            ×××

      "Kaitlyn is kind of cute," River remarks, checking out her ass while she stalks away, carrying a bunch of seats. Dude wasn't even being discreet about it.

       My fingers connect with his forehead, flicking it.

       "What was that for?" He groans out a painful, yet stupid question.

        "You're checking out her step sister's butt," Kat replies, shaking her head. "That's just plain disgusting, Riverson."

       "Kat, I made this clear, it's River, not Riverson." Riv states.

       "Shut up Riverson." I smirk, watching a vein pop out his neck.

     Katherine and River had offered to help come prepare for my father's wedding. I believed Kat when she said that but I think Riv's just got it out for the snacks they literally have out for those working.

       "Sick venue by the way." Riv comments, rubbing at his forehead. A slight shade of red reflected. Yeesh.

       The venue, by the way was the biggest and best hall in the entire town. The others either smelt like vomit and sweat or alcohol and weed.

       "I know, right?" I agree. "I  didn't even know my folk was this loaded to afford all. . .this!" I threw my arms out, gesturing to everything around me.

       "It's not exactly wedding season but. . . love!" Kat grins, playing with the rose petals which had been placed in a small woven basket nearby.

       "Can everybody just shut up about love already?" I moan, placing my fingers to my temples. "What kind of love could there possibly be between a stuck up bitch with two children and an annoyingly impossible alcohol addict with me."

        "I don't think he still drinks that way." Kat chirps.

       "I live with him, honey."

      "Kat, Raven's kind of right. Anyone who lives with her couldn't be able to love, she'd have suck it all out and turned it into nothing but hate instead." Riv spits out.

      I feign a gasp, like I couldn't expect such a statement from him. "You take that right back."

      "No. It might not be wedding season but it's the season of truth!" He chuckles, grabbing some petals as well.

        "There is no such thing." I roll my eyes at his childish attitude.

       "Actually Raven, every season is a time to be truthful so. . ."

        "Ravenna!" Jenna's shrill voice comes up as she trails over, wearing a huge smile. "I got a package for you."

       "It got sent over here?" I stare at her, completely bedazzled. The brown box she had in hand was a little short in the length area but definitely large enough in the width area.

        "Oh no, I was over at the house seeing Jo. . ."

       She stops herself when she realizes what she was about to let out and I roll my eyes.

       "Frolicking," I jerk the box out of her hands and man, was it heavy. "Got it."

     She huffs, turning away while muttering a bunch of things about appreciation and my attitude.

      "Got an admirer?" Riv cooes.

     "Please shut up." I shrug, placing the box to the closest table. I pull out my pocket knife, cutting the box open and revealing at least five huge novels.

      "Definitely secret admirer." Kat drools.

      "A dorky one too," Riv gags, grabbing one of the books. "What is this? The Kiss Quotient?"

     I ignore his jokes, giving my attention to the little note which had been taped to the side of the box.

      Ran out of books yet? Don't mean to sound so...you-like but I'm waiting and so are you.

      I yank the novel out of Riv's hands, packing up the box once again. "I have to go."

      "Now?" They asked in unison, looking absolutely mortified.

     "Call me when you get home." I said curtly before making a dash for the parking lot. Three weeks was more than enough.