Page 22 of Silent Damage

This is my trailer.

Well, my mom's trailer.

Which makes it more mine than his!

I pour a little rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball and dab the scrape on my face first. A hiss slips past my lips, and I'm grateful Jason isn't around to hear it.

But he will be soon.

God, just thinking about that makes my stomach clench.

I'm about to clean the scrape on my elbow when Jason lumbers into the trailer. The bathroom door is closed, but I hear him cursing under his breath.

Curiosity gets the better of me.

I crack the door open to see him hauling his things out of the bedroom and into the living room, and I step into the hallway just as he's about to head back into the bedroom for another load.

He stops dead and warns, "No. Stay away from me. Don't even look at me."

Then his eyes flick over my bare chest, and he grimaces.

"Put on some clothes," he barks before brushing past me to grab the last of his shit.

I follow him into the living room to see what he’s doing, and he hollers, "I'm not sleeping in that goddamn bedroom with you. You take the bedroom. I'll sleep out here."

He sweeps a hand around the couch.

"This is my space,” he says. Then he points toward the bedroom. "That's yours. Stay the fuck away from my space."

He drops onto the couch.

"AND PUT SOME FUCKING CLOTHES ON!"

My fists clench at my sides.

I storm into the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water, giving each action way too much force.

This asshole. If he thinks he’s gonna boss me around in my own home like this, I swear to fucking god—

I catch Jason’s reflection in the kitchen window. It’s night, and the lighting in the trailer makes him almost crystal clear.

He’s staring at me with a pissed-off look on his face.

I have a mind to turn around and throw this glass of water on him—

But then something happens.

My eyes narrow, and I study him.

That pissed-off look on his face is starting to shift.

I can see the tug-of-war in his mind written all over his expression. He’s mad—furious, really—but he’s also—

What am I seeing?

I look at him over my shoulder, and he looks away quickly. He’s got this expression like he was just caught, so he folds his arms across his chest and huffs.

What the...?