The Sky is Everywhere

Chapter Nine

And even if we have to live in the CC because there's nowhere else for us to go, why do we have to sit here every day and listen to someone rip away any shred of self-worth we might have? Why is it necessary? Why do we have to feel like we are worth absolutely nothing?

My hands tremble, and I hide them beneath the table.

Anger continues to burn in my chest for the rest of the morning, a miniature sun blazing through my veins. I'm actually looking forward to the training drills this afternoon, because at least I'll have a chance to work off some of this ugly energy.

But first I want to see Roan.

All I have to do is get through lunch. I'm walking to the mess hall, Priya beside me, and Sonny and Taffy walking behind, when Cole strides past us, deliberately knocking Priya with her shoulder as she goes. Priya loses her balance and almost falls; I manage to catch her before she hits the ground.

"Hey," I shout, and Cole glances back, a smirk on her lips.

"Something wrong, Frankenstein? Oh sorry, it's Frankenstein's monster, isn't it? That's more appropriate for you anyway," she says.

My chest boils.

"Don't push my friends," I warn.

"Or what?"

I move closer to her, until we're standing toe-to-toe. Cole is average height, but I'm much taller, and it gives me a thrill of satisfaction that she's forced to tilt back her head to look up at me.

Suddenly she doesn't look quite so smug.

"I don't know why you're set on making life harder for everyone, but back off," I say in a low voice.

I don't know what I expect to see in her face, but it's not the flicker of something that looks like hope and pride.

"You okay, Cole?" says a loud voice, and I look up to see a boy marching towards us.

In my periphery, Sonny flinches away – it's Gavin, the boy who gave him the black eye.

"I'm fine, Gavin," Cole says, not breaking my stare.

He doesn't seem to believe her; he grabs my arm and pulls me away. I yank my arm back. My blood is beating in my ears, and my heart is hammering in my throat.

Isn't it hard enough for us?

Most of the outside world hates us; why do people like Cole and Gavin have to make it worse?

In the past, I've reasoned that it's their own way of feeling like they possess any power at all, but I'm sick of trying to excuse or justify their actions. Cole wasn't always this bad, but Gavin has always been a nasty bastard.

Usually, I try to stay out of his way, but now I refuse to let him intimidate me. We should all be unified here. We should want to lift each other up instead of tearing each other down.

"Walk away," Gavin tells me.

There's something very ugly in his eyes, a barely leashed rage.

"Leave her alone," says Sonny, and Gavin swings around.

Sonny's actually taller than him, but he's all gangly arms and legs, whereas Gavin is dense with muscle, thanks to years of rec time spent lifting weights.

Sonny swallows hard, his throat bobbing, and his eyes flick to me, hardening with a tired kind of resolve. He'll stick up for me, for any of us, even though he doesn't stand a chance against Gavin.