Chapter 18
Raven
Leo's sudden interruption hung in the air like a warning shot. I looked between him and Maya, noting their exchanged glances—the universal sign of people sharing a secret they didn't want to tell.
"What?" I demanded, setting my beer bottle down with more force than necessary. "What are you two hiding?"
Maya fidgeted with her napkin, avoiding my eyes. Leo cleared his throat, suddenly fascinated by the salsa stain on his plate.
"Just tell me," I said, my voice low and controlled. "Whatever happened to... the original me... I can handle it."
"It's not—" Maya began.
"Fuck! Just tell me," I snapped, cutting her off. The curse felt good on my tongue, sharp and clean like the edge of a knife.
Leo's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Well," he began, dragging the word out. "But just so we're clear, this is all in the past."
I fixed him with a stare I'd once used to make cartel leaders confess their sins. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
"Fine! Fine," he said, taking a nervous sip of his soda. "So... everyone knows you had a thing for Tyler, right? But before that... there was another guy. A basketball player. Jason Miller."
The name meant nothing to me. I searched through the fragments of memory I'd accessed so far, coming up empty.
"I don't remember him."
"This was a couple years ago," Leo continued, looking relieved to be finally talking. "You were... different then. More confident—not as confident as now, obviously—" he added hastily, "—but way more outgoing than you've been the past couple years. You were even on the cheerleading squad."
I tried to picture the original Raven in a cheerleading uniform, bouncing with pom-poms and school spirit. The image wouldn't form.
"So what happened with this Jason?"
Maya took over, her voice gentle. "He pursued you pretty hard. He was good-looking, charming... and you fell for him. Hard."
I shrugged, picking at the remaining food on my plate. "Sounds like a typical high school romance. What's the big secret?"
Maya's expression darkened. "The 'romance' only existed behind closed doors. In public, he wouldn't acknowledge you. Because he had a girlfriend."
"You're saying I was the side piece?" I laughed, genuinely amused. "That's it? That's your big revelation?"
"You weren't just the side piece," Maya said quietly. "You were... an unknowing one."
Leo nodded. "You spent weeks making him different lunches, bringing them to school for him. He'd meet you in the empty gym room, kiss you, take the food, and send you away happy."
"Until one day," Maya continued, "you forgot your history book and went back to the gym room..."
"Let me guess," I interrupted, already piecing it together. "The lunches weren't for him."
"They were for Maddie," Leo confirmed. "His actual girlfriend. He'd been taking your homemade lunches and giving them to her. For a month."
That fucking bitch Maddie AGAIN?
"The worst part," Maya said, leaning forward, "is when you confronted Jason about it, he laughed in your face. Said you were just a hook-up, never his girlfriend. Maddie was standing right there, recording the whole thing on her phone."
"That video went viral at school," Leo added. "After that, you just... changed. Withdrew. Lost all your confidence. Quit cheerleading."
My hand clenched around the beer bottle. "Let me get this straight. This motherfucker used me to get free food for his girlfriend, who then humiliated me publicly with a video?"
Leo nodded, looking increasingly worried at my tone.
"And this Maddie—the same bitch who's dating Tyler now—she was behind it all?"
"They've been on-again, off-again since freshman year," Maya confirmed. "Tyler's just the latest in her collection of jocks."
Something snapped inside me. Not the cold, calculated anger I was accustomed to as Phantom, but something hotter and more visceral—the righteous fury of a teenage girl who'd been wronged. Before I could stop myself, my fist slammed down on the table with enough force to send plates and glasses flying.
"FUCK!" The word exploded from me. "It's the same goddamn playbook they used with the Tyler situation! These people destroyed her—me—twice!"
Beer and sauce splattered across the table. The legs of the cheap furniture wobbled precariously.
"I should gut Maddie like a fish," I snarled, and in that moment, I meant it. The phantom weight of a blade felt comfortable in my hand.
Leo and Maya stared at me with identical expressions of shock.
"Jesus, Raven," Leo whispered. "It was just high school drama. You don't need to... you know... kill anyone."
I forced myself to take a deep breath. These weren't my memories, not my humiliations. So why did it feel like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed?
Before I could respond, the restaurant owner appeared at our table, his face twisted with annoyance.
"Young lady," he said, looking pointedly at the mess I'd made. "Heartbreak is no excuse to destroy my property. Take your drama elsewhere. This is a place for enjoying good food."
I turned my gaze to him, welcoming the distraction of a new target. Don't push me right now, I thought. I'm just looking for a reason.
As if reading my thoughts, he doubled down. "In fact, let's settle the bill first. I don't trust you'll stick around to pay after making this mess."
He pulled a small notepad from his pocket and began writing with exaggerated motions. "Let's see... premium cuts, special marinades, craft beers... That'll be ten thousand dollars."
Leo choked on his drink. "Ten thousand?"
Maya went pale. "Sir, that can't be right. What's the price per item?"
The owner crossed his arms. "You questioning my math, little girl? I don't make mistakes. Pay up or I'll visit your school tomorrow and have a word with your principal."
Leo leaned in, whispering frantically. "I told you we should have checked prices first! I've only got about a thousand on me."
While they panicked, I leaned back in my chair and put my feet up on the edge of the table. The fear tactics were amateur hour. I'd negotiated with warlords over missile shipments; this strip mall extortionist wasn't even in the same league.
"Your Wagyu beef," I said calmly, "costs you $22 per pound wholesale. The pork belly, $8. The craft beers you're so proud of run you about $3 each from that distributor two blocks over." I tilted my head. "Based on what we consumed, even with your criminal markup, our bill comes to $358."
The owner's mouth opened, then closed. "How could you possibly know—" He caught himself. "You're talking nonsense! Pay up or there'll be consequences. You don't know who you're dealing with. I have connections."
"Connections," I repeated, letting the word roll off my tongue like I was tasting it. "How fascinating."
Leo was practically vibrating with fear. "Maybe I should run home and get more money? You can wait here and—"
"Not necessary," I said, extending my hand toward him. "Give me four hundred. The extra is his tip for the entertainment."
Leo fumbled with his wallet, extracting four crisp hundreds and handing them to me with trembling fingers. I placed the bills on the table, standing up and stretching leisurely.
"We're full. We're satisfied. We're leaving," I announced, locking eyes with the owner.