Shatter | The Boys

fourteen

Raven wakes to the soft light filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the unfamiliar room. Confusion clouds her mind as she sits up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and trying to piece together the events of the previous night. She remembers falling asleep on the couch with Billy, but now finds herself in a bedroom, alone.

As she stands and stretches, the events of the morning come flooding back to her. She remembers seeing Billy on the phone through the window, his expression tense and his voice sharp with frustration. Concern gnaws at her gut as she wonders what could have happened to cause such a drastic shift in his demeanor.

With a sense of unease settling over her, Raven makes her way to the door and steps out into the hallway. She can hear the faint murmur of voices coming from downstairs, and she follows the sound, her heart pounding in her chest as she prepares herself for whatever may await her.

As she descends the staircase, she catches sight of Billy in the kitchen, his back turned to her as he speaks into the phone. His voice is laced with venom, his words biting and cruel as he lashes out at whoever is on the other end of the line. Raven's stomach churns with apprehension as she approaches, her footsteps faltering as she tries to make sense of the scene unfolding before her.

"Billy?" Raven says tentatively, her voice soft with concern.

Billy whirls around, his eyes blazing with anger as he fixes her with a glare that sends a shiver down her spine. His expression is cold and distant, his features twisted into a sneer of contempt as he looks her up and down with undisguised disdain.

"What do you want?" Billy snaps, his voice sharp with irritation.

Raven's heart sinks at the venom in his tone, her confusion giving way to hurt as she struggles to comprehend his sudden hostility towards her. She opens her mouth to respond, but no words come out, her throat tight with emotion as she struggles to find the right thing to say.

Billy scoffs at her silence, his eyes narrowing with scorn as he takes a step towards her, his posture aggressive and threatening.

"Well?" Billy demands, his voice dripping with contempt," Cat got your tongue, crow?"

The words hit Raven like a physical blow, the sting of his insults cutting deep as she recoils from his verbal assault. She can feel the tears welling up in her eyes, hot and stinging as they threaten to spill over, but she refuses to let him see her weakness.

" What's your problem?" Raven finally manages to choke out, her voice trembling with emotion," What did I do to deserve this?"

Billy laughs bitterly, his eyes cold and unforgiving as he looks down at her with undisguised disdain.

"Deserve?" Billy scoffs," You think you deserve something? You think you're entitled to anything? You're nothing but a liability, and I'm sick of cleaning up your messes."

Raven recoils at his words, her heart breaking as she realizes the depth of his contempt for her. She wants to defend herself, to explain that she's done nothing wrong, but the words catch in her throat, choked off by the weight of his scorn.

" You don't mean that," Raven whispers, her voice barely above a whisper as she struggles to hold back her tears," You can't mean that."

But Billy's expression remains cold and indifferent, his gaze icy as he meets her pleading eyes with a look of cold indifference.

"Believe what you want," Billy says dismissively," But don't expect me to stick around to clean up your messes anymore."

With that, he turns on his heel and storms out of the room, leaving Raven alone in his wake, her heart shattered into a million pieces by his cruel words. She sinks to the floor, her tears flowing freely now as she struggles to come to terms with the harsh reality of his betrayal.