Riot Rules (Crooked Sinners)

by Callie Hart

Tears begin to spill down my cheeks, and he reacts at long last. His jaw clenches, a deep, unhappy v forming between his eyebrows. “Don’t. Don’t cry, Stella,” he whispers.

I never wanted to make you cry. I wanted to love you, and I still do.”

“The only person I care about is you, Carina. I think I've made that abundantly clear.

She sees me and immediately bursts into tears. This is not how this was supposed to go. “Fuck.”

“I’m sorry, Stella,” I whisper. “I’m so fucking sorry. I should…” I stagger back a step from the bed. “I should go.” No sooner is the word out of my mouth, than she’s reaching out and grabbing hold of me, closing her hand around my wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. “No! No, I—I don’t—please don’t go,” she croaks. “I was just—I was afraid. I didn’t know who he was. I could only see his back. I thought—I thought he was Kevin.” She has trouble getting the name out.

“You should have trusted me. I would have burned down the fucking world to protect you, Stella.”

“Get out,” she whispers. “Carrie—” “GET OUT!” Her heartrate spikes on the monitor, her pulse climbing. The monitor’s frantic beeping is going to summon a doctor or a nurse any second now. I take one last look at her, hating the mess we’ve created together. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. I’m going,” I whisper. “But just so you know…I did love you back then. So much. Almost as much as I love you now. Bye, Stella.”

Sitting on the edge of my bed, Carina is crying. She holds a hand to her side, mouth turned down, her shoulder shaking. At first, I think she’s in pain, but then she looks up at me and says, “You can’t go.”

“I’m a fucking mess. Everywhere I look, there are reminders of you. Even here, in this room…”

“I always knew, Stella. I always wanted you.”

“And I always wanted you, too.”