Chapter 18
“I got you,” a familiar voice murmured, lifting me from the ground. I felt weightless in Calvin’s arms, my mind swimming numbly as it struggled to form coherent thoughts. Something was desperately wrong with me. My limbs were unresponsive, or moved with a significant delay.
Calvin carried me somewhere. Sights and sounds I had experienced countless times now felt completely foreign. I was tossed onto something soft, but my mind couldn’t comprehend what it was. My fingers twisted slowly in the material, winding and unwinding.
“She didn’t even notice,” Calvin’s voice rang out, but I couldn’t grasp the meaning of his words. I could hear them clearly, yet their significance
was lost on me.
Amidst the cloudiness in my brain, a different sensation was emerging inside me. It began as small pinpricks, like something hitting against a brick wall. The feeling was like an itch inside my head, the only thing I could focus on.
‘Quit ignoring me, stupid.‘
Ugh, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?”
Some part of my brain was having its own running dialogue.
‘Should’ve listened sooner, damn it.‘
Gotta do everything around here
A giggle escaped my lips I was arguing with myself. The itching grew tronger while the brick wall weakened. Suddenly, something began ushing through me, something warm and potent coursing through my eins like a gulp of hot chocolate after a day playing in the snow.
My mind became clearer, and the details around me sharpened. I was ying on a bed, and Calvin stood only a few feet away, talking animatedly in the phone.
Calvin ?” I mumbled. “What happened?”
‘Shit.” Calvin hissed under his breath, and I wasn’t sure how I could hear 1. Someone was coming up the stairs, walking down the hall. My mind was clearing, but my body took longer to get the message.
The bedroom door opened, and two people stepped inside. My stomach :lenched as anger surged through me. an anger that felt misplaced, as if it
wasn’t mine
Jessy and a dark–haired girl entered the room, malicious looks on their faces.
“Jessy?” My voice was clear. confusion swirling in my words.
Jessy’s smug look slipped slightly as she turned to Calvin. “I told you to give her enough.” she spat angrily. “Can’t you do a simple fucking job?”
“I gave her exactly what you told me to,” Calvin snapped. “I don’t know why it’s wearing off already.”
It took all my energy to sit up from the bed. My movements were slow and groggy, my mind wide awake while my body lagged behind. Cold fear rushed through me at their words.
“Kat.” Her name left my lips like a lifeline. Kat had sent me multiple texts. She could easily be on her way.
“Kat?” Jessy spat. “Don’t tell me that bitch is here.”
Jessy turned to her dark–haired friend. “Go get the other one.”
Her friend left without a word, and Jessy turned her attention to me, her blue eyes glinting maliciously. I had never looked into the eyes of a psychopath before, but I assumed this is what they’d look like. There was no light behind her ocean–blue eyes, just an emptiness that had me shaking with fear.
“Poor little Sophia,” Jessy spat. “You moved to the wrong town and fucked with the wrong girl.”
“I’ve never done anything to you,” I pointed out, my voice shaking.
“Oh, but you have,” Jessy’s smile was serpent–like. “You think they see something in you? They see an easy little bitch who can’t say no.”
“They?” I paused. “The twins?”
Everything was beginning to make sense, but the fear continued to wash. over me. Jessy had that unhinged look, a look that said she’d go to any lengths for what she wanted.
“Who else, Sophia?” Jessy’s voice was soft, her eyes murderous. “I’m going to make sure that no one wants you after this. No one at all.”
“Got her,” Jessy’s friend returned with a familiar face in tow.
“Lilian?” My mouth dropped.
Too many emotions were running through me, half of which felt like they didn’t belong.
“Sorry, Sophia,” Lilian replied with a straight face, any familiarity wiped clean.
“Shut up,” Jessy hissed. “Did Kat come with her?”
“No,” Lilian shook her head. “I did as you said. Kat never knew about the party.”
“Good.” Jessy’s reptilian smile returned. “That means we won’t be interrupted.”
Calvin leaned against the dresser, a silent player in Jessy’s twisted game.
“You’re going to stay away from the twins, Sophia,” Jessy spoke, her voice crystal clear. “Hell, drop out of school if you have to. I don’t really care.”
Before I could respond, something hard slammed into the side of my face. I was knocked back onto the bed with a thud. Black spots danced across my vision, and my face pounded ruefully.
My vision cleared, and I locked eyes with a smiling Jessy. Her fist was cocked back, aiming for another hit. I couldn’t understand how she was so strong. Jessy was thin, with little muscle on her body. She shouldn’t be this strong.
Another blow slammed into me. A sharp pain pulsed along my lip, followed by a spurt of something warm and metallic tasting.
“Stop,” the word was a garbled whimper as it left my lips.
My eye throbbed, and I could feel the skin around it swelling. Lilian stood across the room, her eyes looking anywhere but at me.
Jessy, on the other hand, grinned, admiring her handiwork.
“You won’t tell them about this either, Sophia,” Jessy murmured, getting close to my busted face. “Trust me, I have no problem getting rid of you. Permanently.”
“I’ll stay away,” I whimpered, nodding profusely. Nothing was worth this. If she wanted me out of their life, I’d do just that.
The look in her eyes terrified me, and I knew she’d enjoy getting rid of
- me.
“Good.” Jessy murmured. “I’m glad we have an understanding. Sophia.”
A strangled gasp left my lips as Jessy turned to leave the room, her dark- haired friend and Lilian following. I tried to assess the damage done to me. My eye was swelling, my lip was busted. I’d need a mirror to see the full extent.
Jessy turned and said something to Calvin. I didn’t think it was possible to become more afraid, but I was wrong. Jessy was telling the truth when she said she’d ruin me. She was staying true to her word.
“Have fun with her, Calvin,” Jessy murmured, placing a single manicured hand on his shoulder.
I tried to turn and lift myself from the bed, but my movements were still staggered. Whatever drug Calvin slipped me was wearing off, but not nearly fast enough. This couldn’t be happening. What kind of high school girl went to these lengths? What made her think she could get away with this? This wasn’t the kind of stuff that happened in real life, just in movies or violent books.
Jessy, Lilian, and the dark–haired girl left the room. Calvin stared at me, something burning in his gaze. His eyes raked down my body slowly. I felt disgusted, disgusted with myself and what was done to me.
“She fucked your face up pretty bad,” Calvin murmured, a smirk forming on his face. “But I can just look away. It doesn’t bother me.”
“Calvin, don’t-” I opened my mouth to plead, to beg with him.
“Shh,” Calvin cooed, the same cruel look Jessy had gleaming in his “It’ll be easier for you if you don’t struggle.”
eyes.
Calvin knelt onto the bed and grabbed my legs, tugging me towards him. My movements might have been sluggish, but fight or flight kicked in with a violent crash. I used all the energy I had and kicked my legs out, praying it was enough.
“Going to put up a fight?” Calvin chuckled. “Good. Makes it more fun.”
Calvin was much stronger than me, and my sluggish movements did little to hurt him. The itching in my head was stronger than ever, setting my teeth on edge. It felt like someone was constantly poking at the side of my head, but when I turned, no one was there.
‘Let me through, damn you!‘ A pissed–off voice filtered through my head. I must have been going crazy, or the drugs Calvin gave me had left me mentally unhinged.
‘Fight, Sophia! Fuck, I can only do so much if you don’t let me through.”
Calvin’s hands fumbled with the button on my jeans when a surge of energy rushed through me. I sat up with a force I didn’t know I had. Calvin cocked his fist back, landing a solid blow to my face before I could throw my arms up in defense. Calvin’s strength matched Jessy’s, leaving me dazed after a single punch.
Focus! Everything sharpened in an instant. I could hear the people. downstairs, their insignificant conversations. The music thumped and pulsed, carrying a fast–paced beat. The smell of cologne, alcohol, and sweat was in the air.
Calvin continued fumbling with my jeans, finally getting the button. undone and the zipper down.
“No!” The word was ripped from my mouth, and I brought my knee forward. I aimed for his sensitive bits, but I aimed too high and kneed him in the gut instead. For just a split second, I froze. Fear surged through me. I was terrified I hadn’t hit him hard enough to cause any real damage.
‘Get up, Sophia!‘
I rolled off the bed, my movements becoming easier and easier. The surge of strength running through me made me move faster than I ever had before. Calvin groaned and clutched his stomach, frozen just long enough for me to take action. Without thinking. I grabbed the thick lamp on the table and brought it down on Calvin’s head with all the force I could muster. The metal base made a sickening sound as it connected with his skull. Calvin crumpled to the ground, a gruff moan escaping his lips.
I didn’t wait to see if he was knocked out. My fight–or–flight instincts kicked in, urging me to get out. I ripped the bedroom door open and sped down the hall, the pictures on the walls blurring past me. I couldn’t remember ever running this fast, my fear propelling me forward. I didn’t look for Jessy or Lilian; I wasn’t looking for anyone. I avoided the living room, dashed down the stairs, and bolted out the back door.
I vaguely remembered the route home from when Lilian was driving. I
Chapter18
sprinted through the backyard, jumped a fence, and circled around the side of a neighbor’s house until I reached the sidewalk. The house I had just fled from was only fifty feet away, cars lined up down the block.
My thoughts raced at a hundred miles an hour, but each one was crystal clear. I focused solely on getting home. I darted down the sidewalk, constantly glancing back at the house. My foot howled in agony, begging me to stop, but I couldn’t. My left eye was nearly swollen shut, but I didn’t care. The pain and fear of being caught pushed me onward.
A strangled scream left my lips as I collided with someone, their hands wrapping tightly around my forearms.
