~PATRICIA~
Saturdays are meant to be the day where you get free time off from school and you don't worry about homework until the next day. Instead, I'm being punished.
Sorry, Mom. Sorry that your constant nagging pisses me off! Sorry that I punched you in the face instead of using my words. Sorry that my apologies are as fake as your nose! Wait! I'm not sorry. Screw you, Mom.
Mother Dearest over here decided that I need anger management. I'm 18 years old and if I could move out the house... I would. Her roof, her goddamn rules. And if I wasn't pissed off before, I'm furious now.
If only I can rage quit my life.
That's why I'm here, sitting in a room, with other people who are forced to be here. People I could honestly care less about.
"Miss Anderson. How about, instead of staring blankly out the window, you share why you are here this afternoon." So, the blonde bimbo can speak in full sentences.
I roll my eyes before faking a smile, my irritation radiating off of me. "Okay. Hi. You wanna know my name? Too bad. You wanna know why I'm here? I was forced by my nagging mother. Mother Dearest doesn't like getting punched. And if anyone here wants a punch free life than keep your distance. Thanks for asking." I go back to staring out the window.
"Miss Anderson, this is an anger free zone. Now... please... try to let your walls down and cooperate with us. In fact, it's time for us to spilt into pairs. Since, you all are sitting in rows of two, the person next to you will be your peaceful partner for the rest of the month. You don't have to discuss your issues with me, but you have to talk about them with your partner. At the end of the month, we can all share what makes us angry."
I hear a chuckle from the guy sitting next to me. I notice that he is wearing a red shirt and a black and grey flannel. I look up at him to see him glance at me and then look down at his phone.
"What's so funny?" I ask.
He stops and fully faces me and now I forgot how to blink.
I'm frozen like a... like... my soul? I honestly have no good analogy. All I know is that he is... art. His face is art. Yet, his icy blue eyes hold a depth that seems to go on for eternity.
"This... everything about this place is quite hilarious. Don't you think?" He grins at me. He looks at me for a few seconds then breaks eye contact before putting his phone back in his pocket.
His low, yet soft voice snaps me back to reality. I put on a look of boredom.
"Uh... yeah. I mean can you believe that self righteous dunce? 'The person next to you will be your peaceful partner.' What are we preschoolers?" I laugh.
He chuckles. "Well... you are obviously not a preschooler. Still living with mommy I see."
I send him a warning glare. "My mom is a witch and as soon as I leave that hell hole... I can stop being treated like a house pet. A trophy child. I'm done playing nice. You have no idea what I've been through."
He raises his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry! Please don't punch me." He rolls his eyes. "But, seriously. You have a lot of built up rage inside of you. We have these emotions for a reason, so why snuff them out?"
I take in his words. He's right. Emotions shouldn't be managed, they should be expressed. "I have the right to express my rage in any way I want. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"You refused to share yours. It's only fair you tell me your name first." He states matter-a-factly.
"Really? We're playing this game?" I cross my arms and raise my eyebrow.
His eyes become cold and unforgiving. "You wanna make this a game?" Anyone would be able to sense the sudden aura change around him and back off. Me, I find it attractive and I can relate.
I lean in closer and match his facial expression. "As long as I can tick you off. Can't be hard since your sitting in an anger management class." I smirk.
He searches my face for any sense of half-assery. He doesn't find any and returns the smirk.
"Okay. You're not all talk. I can sense it. You..., my friend, are a true ball of rage. You said you punched your own mom, right? That, to me, is fascinating. Violent acts to an adult is a rare trait with anger issues. I like you... uh... name?" He snaps his fingers as if he has authority over me.
I can feel the anger bubble up inside me. "My lips are sealed. Listen 'peaceful partner', I don't just give my name out to anyone. Don't think you can just snap your fingers and I'll obey. We just met and you already think you can control me. No one controls me. Not my mom and especially not you! I'm out of here."
I stand up, which knocks the chair over, and I start to my make my to the double doors of freedom.
"Stop! Miss Anderson--!"
"MISS ANDERSON MY ASS. I've got better places to be." I walk up to the double doors and push them open. I look back. "Oh and one more thing. Fuck all of you! Happy Holidays!!!" With that, I make my dramatic exit. When I hear the doors close, I break out into a sprint.
Before I can make it through the building's main entrance, all I have to do is turn right at this corner and...
I trip over something and just as I'm about to fall on my face, someone tugs on my hoodie and pulls me backwards until I can stand on my feet. I turn around to a smirking face; it's the dude I sit next to. The one that pissed me off a few moments ago. His leg is kicked out as if he tripped me himself. I think he fucking did.
"Thanks, but fuck off." I start walking away until I stop dead in my tracks.
How the hell did he get here before me? Is there a short cut I don't know about?
"Nope. No short cut. Let's just say I don't need a car to travel and I don't need to use my legs to move around." I can hear the smugness in his tone.
I decide to ignore him. No way he read my mind. Just keep walking. Just keep--
"Swimming? I'm sorry. I had to. Your denial of mind reading is amusing. If you want me out of your head, all you have to do is ask nicely."
I can't stand his taunting. I'm half shocked from the fact of mind reading, but my short temper is distracting me from mentally freaking out.
I ball up my fist and turn on my heels. I lock eye contact with him as I stomp towards him. As I get closer, his smile widens. By the time we're face to face, he is smiling from ear to ear.
"Leave me alone before I do something I'll regret." I threaten.
He takes in a deep breath and grins as he exhales. "You smell that? That's the smell of deep rage... and it's coming from you. You're making me stronger, you know that?"
What the hell is he talking about?
"Why else do you think I'd spend my time in an anger management place? To feed on the anger that dwells here. But, with you... I think I hit the jackpot. And yet, I still want a name to match that pretty face of yours."
Why does he want my name so badly? Probably so he can track me down later on. Fuck if he reads my mind. Miss Anderson has a nice ring to it anyway... and did he just call me pretty?
"Well, you are. Not that it matters but it makes looking at you more enjoyable. I'm sorry, weren't you going to do something you'd regret? I'm waiting. Make my day. I dare you." His voice is getting less soft and more demanding.
"At this rate, I might as well tell you what I'm thinking. Just... nope. I refuse to ask nicely."
"Good. I wouldn't want it any other way. Now if you want to release that frustration, just hit me. I promise I won't fight back." He leans down slightly and points to his cheek. "Hit me right here. C'mon baby, don't tame yourself now. You threatened me, now you have to follow through."
His words get through to me somehow. I was about to just walk away, but he's begging me to get even and to get angry. I decide to let my anger surge free. I know he's teasing me, but I have to prove that I'm not just all talk. To top it off, I want to wipe that smirk off his perfect face. It's making me sick.
"You're nothing but your mother's bitch. Not even a trophy..."
I snap.
My brain says to go savage, and so I don't stop at punching him in the face. I start to chock him out. That is... until he takes his free hand to slowly close around my neck. His grip tightens, so I let go of his neck. However, his grip doesn't loosen. I look in his eyes to find them completely red from the iris to the whites.
"Stupid bitch. I said to hit me, not choke me. You humans are weak anyway. I can break you like fine china. I can snap you like a twig. Squish you like a bug. Don't make me upset again. You're lucky I like you." The voice I'm hearing is distorted, not human, a growl and a whisper.
I don't think I've ever felt terrified in my entire life... until now. My blood runs cold as his grip tightens even more. My anger is no where to be found, I think he... I think he drained me. And now I'm going to die. If anything, at least I don't have to deal with my filthy excuse of a mom. In fact, I have nothing to live for. He can kill me if he wants. My miserable soul might be better off burning in hell with the rest of them. That's why, though I'm scared out of my wits, I'm not sad. I refuse to die with tears in my eyes. I'll die strong.
I close my eyes, ready for death, but he lets me go.
I look at him confused. "And I'm alive because...?"
"I wasn't going to kill you. I said I like you. In fact, I like you more now that I know you don't fear death and you aren't afraid of going to hell either. You're a strong spirit. Easily manipulated but strong at the same time."
"I'm really confused. I get you're a demon or whatever, but what do you want with me?" I choose my words carefully.
He blinks and his eyes are back to the icy blue that never stop catching my attention. His face is now stoic and blank. "I'll give you a moment to figure it out. You're a smart girl, I'm sure."
I'm still standing for a reason. He said that he likes my strong spirit. He said my anger was making him stronger. So...he feeds off anger. It's obvious he's a demon. And he hangs out in places like this to get his daily dose of people like me. People who... who let anger get the better of them. I was raised as a Christian, but gave up that stuff because of my mom. I still remember what demons do. They whisper in your ear and persuade to do the wrong thing.
What does anger have to do with... I know! Seven Deadly Sins. Wrath. Is this guy I'm standing face to face with... Wrath? Fuck, he must be. I guess I shouldn't have lost my faith. It just made me easy prey.
"Your name? If you can tell me." I awkwardly scratch my head.
He tilts his head to the side. "You can call me Aron. That's a human name, right?"
He's knows damn well it's a human name. I have to admit, I like his sense of humor. It keeps things a bit light hearted despite the situation. He could have came off harsh from the start if he wanted to do things in a more "demonic" way, whatever that's suppose to mean. Not to mention he possessed someone who is... muy caliente. Now is not the time to worry about that now.
"Funny. The name's Patricia. Yes, that is a human name." I reply.
"Patricia Anderson. Yeah, you look like a Patricia. Okay, you figured it out by now, surely."
"Don't pretend you didn't read my mind, Aron." I put emphasis on the name. "But, I'll flatter you. You're the most hot-headed out of the Seven, aren't ya?"
Aron smirks. "Well, I try."
"I'm sure you do." I laugh.
"So you know what I want from you, right?"
"Of course, if I were a demon of your type, I'd rather feed off one person who will provide me with the anger to match an entire building worth of angry people. It makes sense. I can't blame you, Aron. Can't blame you at all."
My last words cause a look of misunderstanding from him.
"You are... not like other humans. I can't tell if its naivety or a strong sense of fearlessness. Or maybe you just don't give any fucks."
"Ding! Ding! Ding! And it looks like we have a winner. But, seriously, I don't care who or what you are. I guess you can feed of my anger. I mean, why the fuck not? If not me, someone else, right? Plus, the next person might not be so willing."
He smiles. "Oh... I get it. You do care. Not about yourself, but for others. An act of selflessness. Well, my siblings Greed and Pride wouldn't like you at all. Especially Greed, she's a real bitch."
I raise my eyebrows. "She? Interesting. I had an image of all of you being guys. Sexist, I know, but back when I had the faith it was implied that demons were male."
Aron starts chuckling. "The faith? Ha! Something about religion always makes me laugh. It's so funny. You lost faith? Perfect. We are going to have so much fun together. I like you, Patricia. I really, really like you." His voice is so soft, despite his voice being slightly deep.
I'm suddenly aware of the fact that we are alone. The hallways are empty. We are standing kind of close-ish. My comfort is long gone at this point.
"Yeah, you're cool." I say casually. "For Wrath, you're mostly chill."
He laughs. "Please, you haven't even seen me angry. I know how to control myself. Unlike you, Trish."
I roll my eyes. "Whatever. Can I go home now?"
"Sure. I don't see why not." He shrugs. "I'll see you tonight around midnight. Try to do something with your hair. Straight is a bit boring, don't you think?"
He places his hands in his pocket before casually walking past me. His footsteps echo behind me until I can't hear them anymore.
Did he... did he just ask me out?
Comments (3)
See all