Spark, стр. 13

bowl of hot creamy potato soup and a smoothie awaited me, but I wasn’t interested

in the soup. It was too hot outside for that, so I sipped on the smoothie instead.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Benito was still fuming as he watched me

ignore my soup. He had a nice little red mark that led from the corner of his eye to

his temple, courtesy of my foot. He’ll probably have to explain that to Darren later

when he returns. That should be a fun conversation.

By the time I finished my smoothie, my soup had gone cold, and I had even less

interest in eating it. When the staff came around to collect my lunch, the same

maid who had cleaned up my mess from my spilled soup the other day looked down

at the still full bowl, disappointed.

“You no like your soup?” she asked me politely, her accent conflicting with her

English.

“I’m not that hungry. Thank you,” I replied with a small smile.

“Jaden, eat your goddamn soup,” Benito nearly yelled at me from across the

way. I turned and glared at him something fierce.

“Why don’t you come over here and make me, Benito,” I challenged.

Benito took a rushed step forward, but Hank immediately stopped him before

his back foot could even move by placing a quick hand on his arm. Benito stopped

in his singular track and stepped back into place, taking a deep breath to calm

down.

Choke on it, Benito.

Evading the tension, the young maid quickly collected my dishes and left

without another word. I then decided it was probably time for some exercise. Since

there was no chance of accidentally bumping into Darren anywhere, I decided to

wander the house and do some exploring. None of it interested me, to begin with,

but it was something to do.

Most of the house was either hardwood or tile, lots of open space and windows,

with orange and cream-colored walls dominating nearly every room. I eventually

stumbled upon the home gym and became instantly envious. It was significantly

smaller than the one at Darren’s home, but it still had all the same equipment.

There was another home theater, still smaller, several random bedrooms and

bathrooms, a parlor with a wet bar and pool table, and a finished basement of no

important significance. The house was beautifully furnished, decorated in a

Spanish setting with cultural references and adornments everywhere. For a

moment, I almost thought I was standing in some Mexican drug lord’s home. Close

enough, I guess.

The rest of my day was dull and mundane. I played a game of pool alone in the

parlor, practiced my jaw and wrist exercises several times, and took my medication,

which eventually made me sleepy. I took a small nap in my reading nook for a few

hours until it was once again dinnertime.

Begrudgingly and absent an appetite, I was escorted back to the dining room,

where my dinner was waiting. This time it was a thick, creamy zucchini soup. I

pushed my spoon around in it for a while, taking one bite and immediately

regretting it. Fucking gross. I noticed Benito’s face flare up at my refusal, but he

said nothing. Hank stood next to him, slowly shaking his head in disapproval, until

he left the room to take a call. That was when Benito made his move.

He stormed over to me, slammed his fist down on the table only a few inches

away from my bowl, and stood over me, fuming.

“You’d better eat your goddamn dinner this time, you little brat. I’m done

dealing with your stupid rebellious bullshit,” Benito seethed.

I shook my head with a laugh.

“Get the fuck out of my face, Benito, before I make your left match your right.”

“Ya know, you’re never going to amount to anything,” he retorted with a snarl.

The fuck did he just say to me? I looked up at him, enraged and shocked he had

even dared to share that kind of shit with me.

“What did you just say?”

“You heard me, you little shit. Keep rebelling all you want, but it’s never going

to get you anywhere. You’re nothing but a tiny girl with a bad attitude and a tight

hole to fuck.”

I immediately saw red.

“You don’t know shit about this tiny girl, Benito. Keep pissing me off, and I

swear I will burn your ass for good. All I have to do is flash you, and I get the

pleasure of watching Darren kill you. Is that what you want?”

Benito chuckled, and I almost punched him right in his stupid face.

“Try it, Jaden. We’ll see who comes out of that one alive. Even if I’m dead, at

least I died my