Chapter 3
I shut my eyes tight as a tear ran down my cheek.
Shouldn't I be used to this by now?
I tried to close my eyes to the words tumbling out of my father's mouth and braced myself as his hand reared back and struck my face. I didn't make a sound and looked him straight in the eye as he continued screaming.
"I will NOT have a damn queer living under my roof, Raiden! This is NOT how we raised you, you ungrateful little brat!"
I bit back the retort that was on the tip of my tongue. It would only get me slapped again. I took a deep breath and wiped the tears from my eyes.
"I'm going to bed," I muttered shakily.
Wrong thing to say.
"You'll go to bed when I tell you you can go to bed, goddammit!" my father threw down the glass in his hand and it shattered on the tile floor. A shard of glass flew into my ankle and I let out a cry of pain.
He picked up the piece of paper that had begun his entire tirade and shoved it in my face. "You just better hope I doing find any more of these disgusting lesbian love letters, Raiden. Or you're have something to fucking cry about." He crumpled it up and threw it in the trash as he stormed off into his bedroom and slammed the door shut.
I stumbled into a chair by the kitchen table and looked at my ankle. There was a trickle of blood running down my foot from the wound. I pulled the small shard out and was thankful to see that it had not pierced the skin too deep. I got up and grabbed a Band-Aid and some Neosporin out of a drawer and put them on the cut
Gosh, why had I been so stupid, leaving that letter out in the open like that? It was one of the most precious things I owned. I limped over towards the trashcan and looked around making sure my dad was still in his room.
I reached down and picked up the crumpled piece of paper. I pulled it out gingerly and carefully smoothed it out. My thumb traced over the writing at the bottom; the simple "I love you," and the signature I had gotten so used to reading.
" -<3- Kodi."
She was my first girlfriend. We were both 14 when we met at a coffeeshop downtown...
She had caught my eye immediately. She was sitting alone at a table by the window, an open notebook in front of her. She held a pen in her hand, absentmindedly nibbling at the end of it as she gazed out the window, lost completely in her own world.
I knew that look. I had just spotted a writer.
My gaze locked on her from across the room. She put a hand under her chin and stared more intently outside. But I knew she was not even seeing what was right before her eyes; I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She was in another universe.
As I continued studying this girl, I noticed something else. She was beautiful. She had long dark brown hair and mysterious eyes. Her skin was a soft olive color and she had striking features.
Wow. My pulse sped up just looking at this girl. Did I have the guts to go up and talk to her? What would I even say if I did?
I tried to gather myself and channel my charming, irresistible attitude. I took a deep breath and started toward her table.
When I was a few feet away from her she started twirling her pen around in her hand. Suddenly it slipped and fell on to the floor...landing right in front of my feet.
What a lucky break!
I bent down and picked it up, smiling as I walked closer to her. Her eyes traveled from the floor, to the pen in my hand, and finally up to mine.
Suddenly the world seemed to melt away around me. Our eyes locked on each other and speech seemed to fail me. I approached the table and held up the pen.
"Um, er," I cleared my throat. "I-I think you dropped this."
So much for my super-cool attitude.
She smiled up at me, revealing a dazzling set of white teeth. Suddenly I felt weak in the knees. I smiled back, dazed, and she took the pen from my hand, giggling slightly at the look on my face. I tried my best to compose myself and regain my charm before I completely botched her first impression of me.
"Thanks," she said softly.
I put a hand on the chair in front of me. "I couldn't help but notice how deep in thought you looked a moment ago. Can I ask what you're writing?" I flashed her another smile. This time she looked a bit dazed herself.
"Um, just some poetry. Nothing special."
"Ah, I fellow poet," I exclaimed. "How refreshing it is to meet you," I extended my hand. "I'm Raiden."
She shook my hand and I felt something like an electric shock shoot up my arm. "That's an interesting name. I'm Kodi."
I grinned at her. "Hi Kodi."
Kodi. I rolled the name around in my mind. It seemed to fit her perfectly. In fact, I thought it was adorable.
"Do-you wanna sit down?" she asked. My heart soared.
"Sure," I replied, trying not to sound too eager. I pulled the chair out from under the table and took a seat.
"So you're a poet too, huh," she said. "What kind of stuff do you write about?"
"Oh, ya know, lots of different things," I shrugged. "I'm actually more of a storyteller than a poet, but I've written a few good poems in my day... What about you?"
"I write about everything," she said simply. "I find beauty in the smallest things." I gazed at her admiringly. "I don't know, it just makes me feel better I guess. I like escaping reality for a while, you know?" I nodded understandingly, feeling the exact same way.
I might have just stumbled onto my soulmate.
For a moment we just sat there quietly, unable to take our eyes off each other. I was sure she felt a connection as much as I did.
"You have very beautiful eyes," I said softly after a few moments. I saw a blush creep into her cheeks and she smiled again.
"So do you." It was almost a whisper.
I took a deep breath and tried to slow my racing heart.
"Can I-buy you some coffee or something?" I asked.
"Well, you don't have to-"
"No, it's okay. I want to." I grinned at her again and stood up. "What would you like?"
"Um, I guess a caramel frapp."
"My favorite," I winked at her and walked up to the counter.
"Raiden?"
My mom's voice jolted me out of my memories. I lifted a hand to wipe the tears that were silently running down my cheeks and looked over at her.
"What happened?" she asked, looking at my ankle.
"Dad happened," I spat bitterly. "As usual."
"Well you must have done something to upset him."
I rolled my eyes and coated my voice with thick sarcasm. "Of course I did." I turned and headed toward my room, carefully folding up the letter and putting it in my pocket.
