Fighting for Flight by JB Salsbury (best books for students to read .txt) 📗

to go.” I run to my car, wishing I had the strength to tell Vince off. His blatant attempt to make me uncomfortable worked.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, Rave!” Eve yells and I slam my car door shut. My hand hits the lock button and I fire up the engine, my tires squealing as I pull away.

Shaking with uncontrollable force, I grip the wheel tighter. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse.

I want to tell Jonah about Vince and wrap myself in the safety of his strong arms until the hurt goes away. I crave his touch like an addict. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s with another woman. How disgusting can I be? Pining after a man who has lied and cheated?

I hate myself for what I am and how I feel. I’m Dorothy, skipping happily down the Yellow Brick Road of self-loathing. Blasting the radio, hoping the comfort of the music will be a decent substitute for the man, I grimace. Skeeter Davis sings “The End of the World,” and for once, I understand her pain.

Waves of despair wash over me. The negative emotion, from my childhood until now, bears down. I want it to end, desperate to release my tortured soul from this doomed life I was born into. I would gladly give up this fight. Maybe Jonah and I aren’t that different. I’ve been a fighter all my life too. But I don’t fight against people. I fight against feeling worthless, ashamed, and unlovable. I’m sick of it, and at this point, I’d welcome death.

Morbid thoughts swirl in my head when I hear the faint chime of my phone. I dig it out of my backpack, grateful for the distraction.

One new text.

Raven, I need to see you. Tried calling but no answer. Call me ASAP. xJ

He must have called me when I was at Eve’s door. But why? What could he possibly want after a night with her? My phone rings in my hand.

In no shape to drive while talking on the phone, I pull over and check out the caller ID. Tears spring to my eyes as I read the words, “Jonah Calling”.

I should throw my phone out the window and go home, but I can’t. The pitiful girl in me wants to hear his voice. And why is he calling me now? The phone continues to ring. He could be calling to confess, to end things officially. Or . . . what if he’s changed his mind?

Hope creeps back in, an energy that ignores my misery.

I have to know.

I squeeze my eyes shut and press the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Baby, hey.” I relax against the soothing tone of his words. How did I think I could live without this? “I need to see you. Are you at Eve’s?”

“Oh, um, no, she uh, had a date. I didn’t want to intrude.”

Silence.

“Jonah?”

“You’re at your place? Alone?” I hear the accusation in his voice, chasing away the calm. Bitterness burns in my chest, squashing optimism and reviving my broken heart.

How dare he act like I’m a child. He was at a strip club. With Candy!

“No, I’m not home. I’m out. Why?” My clipped words come out harsher than I intend, but oh well.

“Where are you? I need to talk to you.”

“You’ve got me on the phone. So talk.”

More silence. I wait.

“Raven, what’s going on with you? You sound, I don’t know, pissed or something.”

Is he joking?

“How was your meeting?” I say, my voice laced with acid.

“It was good.” He draws out his words cautiously.

Yeah, I bet it was.

“Oh, yeah? Good, huh? I bet it was. I bet it was real good.” The sarcasm in my voice is so obvious I sound completely ridiculous.

“That’s it, Raven, where the fuck are you? I don’t know what’s going on, but this attitude you’re throwing is pissing me off.”

“Oh, God forbid.”

He growls, and I know I’ve upset him. Ha! Now he knows how it feels.

“You want to know how my meeting was? It was perfect. Better than perfect. That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

Did he just say that being with Candy was perfect? Better than perfect? That jerk!

“You’re a liar!”

“What? What the fuck are you talking about?”

I’m breathing heavy, and anger keeps me from articulating an answer. All I want to do is scream.

“What is it, baby?” His words drip with sarcasm. “You run out of shit to talk? Those sweet little lips of yours can’t keep up with you being a bitch—”

I gasp. Loud. “What did you call me?”

“Fuck. That’s not what I meant—”

“No, Jonah. You just called me the b-word. I can’t believe you just called me that!” The tone in my voice is so high I’m surprised my windows don’t burst.

“Baby, calm down.”

“Do not call me baby. Not after what you’ve done. Not after tonight.” A whine slides up my throat and I burst into tears.

“Raven, you’re scaring me. Where are you? I’ll come to you.”

I whimper and sob, knowing I should hang up, but lacking the power to say good-bye.

“Please don’t cry. Look, I’m sorry. It’s just been a long day, and I need to see you.”

I take a deep cleansing breath as Guy’s words flood my mind. This is it. The moment he was talking about. I swallow a shaky breath. I have a choice to make. Fight or give up.

I love Jonah with all my heart. As disgusting as it is, I would take him even now after he’s been with Candy. But what kind of a future do we have? Putting his life at risk isn’t an option. And fighting for our love will only be prolonging the inevitable. Dominick has me. Besides, the fight takes energy. It takes words and emotions that I’ve run clean out of. I’m drained in every possible way.

I have no fight left.

“Good-bye, Jonah.”

~*~

Jonah

“Fuck!” I launch my phone across the room. It shatters against the wall. I’ve just destroyed my only way of getting in touch with Raven.

My ass drops to the couch and