Page 69 of Toxic Kiss

Haven: Raspberry, of course.

Cyrus: I will give up my very last dime to see that.

Haven: Ha! You can’t afford the price of admission.

Cyrus: LOL. Sure, I can. I have secret inside help.

Haven: Oh, really? And who is that?

Cyrus: Really, and I can’t say, or it won’t be a secret anymore.

Haven: I assume that Declan told you that you’re still on tonight?

I sigh, feeling the weight of my life pressing in on me.

Cyrus: Yeah, he told me. Guess I’ll see what the shrink says.

Haven: Speaking of which, why are you texting? Aren’t you in evaluation?

Cyrus: He’s running late. Want to help me escape? They say I’m really good at pretending to be dead. You can just wheel me out with a sheet covering me.

Haven: Not funny, Cy. Really not funny.

Cyrus: Come on, that was a little funny.

Haven: No, it’s not. I was scared out of my mind.

It’s terrible of me, but I’m happy she was scared. It means that, as much as she denies it, there is still that thing between us. That pull…charge…cosmic whatever the hell it is. From the first day we met, it’s been sitting there, simmering under the surface. Always drawing us together, no matter how hard we fight.

If I believed in destiny, then I might say some shit like “It’s all God’s plan,” or “Everything happens for a reason.” But I don’t. You can’t tell me that God killed my father and Haven’s mother so that we could meet…nope. If he did…I never want to meet him.

Cyrus: Fine, it’s not funny. Is my mother gone?

Haven: No. The She-Devil is staying here with my father until tomorrow night. So, prepare thyself for yet another round of Dodge the Witch.

I can’t help the snort that comes out. It’s sad, but true. Half of our problems stem from my mother, and the rest…well, the rest is all me. It has taken me a long time to accept that my mother is not a good person. I will always love her because she is my mother, but that doesn’t mean I have to like her.

Cyrus: LOL! Hey, that’s my mother.

Haven: And??? It’s still true. She is…a…lot.

Cyrus: She is that. I’m actually surprised you didn’t say bitch.

Haven: I was tempted but trying to be nice.

Man, it feels good just to be. Haven makes me feel normal. Fuck this Charles guy. I will have Haven. The first step is acknowledging the problem. In this case, I’ve always known the problem is Haven, or I guess my screwed-up emotions. Nothing like a little near-death experience to give me a slap upside the head. The next step is commitment. And I’m fucking committed to getting back what’s mine.

Cyrus: Listen, we need to talk. Specifically, about when I woke up.

Haven: Don’t worry about it. It has been really stressful, and you were confused and scared. Totally understandable. It’s already forgotten.

I press my lips together. That’s not what I want to say. I don’t want her to forget that I almost told her I fucking love her. My thumbs hover over the letters…shit.

The door opens, and Dr. Stevens walks in holding a folder, obviously filled with notes all about me and how I’m a screw-up.

Cyrus: The doctor is here. TTYL

Stevens looks at me while pushing his glasses back up his nose. I cross my arms and return the stare.