by Raathi Chota
“Stay safe, okay, ’cause we got some crazy-ass neighbors,” he stated, and I laughed. I felt his touch on me and looked at him as he traced his finger down my temple. “It’s amazing how you can laugh and smile when you’ve been through so much.” He put a lock of hair behind my ear. He then stood up, and I watched as he turned to walk out. He stopped by the door then looked over his shoulder. “Then again, nobody knows that you’re faking it.”
***
The night was fun, but I couldn’t get what Blake said out of my mind. I tried to drink it away, but after one drink, I couldn’t. Melissa and Tamia, on the other hand, moved our little party from the living room to the roof where the miniature golf course was. They managed to find two golf clubs and used them as mics as they sang to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Tiffany and I laughed as Miranda recorded them.
“Okay, okay.” Miranda raised her glass. “To us young girls who just wanna have fun and need no man to do so!”
“Preach!” Tamia laughed and hiccuped at the same time.
“You’re saying preach?” Melissa raised a brow. “Girl, you couldn’t go a day without Axel.”
“I can and do! I don’t need him checking up on—uhh me.” Tamia hiccuped then stared at Melissa. “Does your boyfriend know you talk about other guys so much?”
“Yes, but we’re just playing.” Melissa shrugged. “I love him, and he knows that, so it’s cool when I talk about other guys ’cause then later he teaches me a les—”
“Okay, Melissa!” Tiffany squealed. “Too much information.”
We laughed as Melissa’s and Tiffany’s cheeks flushed. Melissa took another sip of her drink then cleared her throat.
“But he does it to me, too,” she began. “Like y’know that chick Levi, Blake, Jaden, Carter, and Axel were talking about? Bitch face, what’s her name…”
“Katherine,” Tamia stated then rolled her eyes.
“Yes! Nick mentioned her in one of our fights, and I said to him if she ever lays her hand on him or even looks at him, I’m ripping her fucking face off.” Melissa pursed her lips.
“Yeah, the other morning she woke up late and what a coincidence her room is right next to our kitchen, so we got a whole show of her birthday suit.” Miranda shivered, and I was glad I slept in that morning with Benny.
“Yeah, the bitch is like summer…no class,” Melissa stated.
“I don’t know who’s worse, Kelly or Katherine. They’re just so annoying and up in our business the whole time,” Tamia stated then shook her head.
“What’s worse is when our guys see them, they act like dogs,” Melissa pointed out, and we nodded in agreement.
“Well, except for Keene and Ethan,” Miranda said. “Ethan’s sweet, and he’s still sort of the man of the house while Keene’s papa bear.”
“Papa Bear…” Melissa trailed off then shook her head. “That’s some kinky shit…right, Mama Bear?”
“Don’t you start,” Tamia warned.
“I’m serious, though!” Miranda exclaimed. “Ethan told me that Katherine was all up on Keene at this one party and he just asked her, ‘Who do you do this for?’ and she didn’t have an answer, so she left.”
“Wow,” Tiffany stated then awkwardly rubbed her hands. “But I like Keene. He’s sensible. Now I get why you and Levi look up to him even though he was a junkie.”
“Well, he’s just different. He’s been through a lot, so he knows a lot about life. About surviving on your own,” I said as the corner of my mouth rose. It was quiet…even the music was off. I pressed my palm against the fake grass as I thought of Keene. He’s strong. Also, though he had no parents, no proper education, and did drugs, he didn’t let his past bring him down. He didn’t show that he suffered through all of that. If anything, all he showed was a brotherly figure to Levi and me.
“Wow, imagine he can hear us,” Melissa said then grabbed the empty bowl of chips and flung it at me. “Go check up on him, and while you’re at it, get us some more snacks.”
I got up and walked off the golf course. I passed the hot tub, opened the sliding door, then stepped inside. I was on the second floor where all the bedrooms were.
“Keene, are you okay?” I called out then pushed the door open to his room that he shared with Axel and Jaden. He wasn’t in there, so I assumed he was downstairs since the bathroom lights weren’t on. I walked downstairs to be met by complete darkness. “Keene…” I trailed off as I placed the bowl on the counter. I walked to the living room to find the light switch but tripped on the way. I didn’t land on my face, but I looked down to see what caused my clumsiness. Suddenly, my lower lip quivered as I saw Keene on the ground. “Keene!” I yelled then collapsed beside him. I checked for a pulse then let out a sigh of relief when I heard his breathing. Yet that didn’t make it at any better since I was still in the dark. I stood up and ditched the lights and walked upstairs to call someone. I felt a tug on my arm as someone pulled me away. I was about to scream, but the person placed a material across my mouth, pulled it, and I gagged as they tied it. My wrists were pulled behind my back, and I felt heavy breaths on my neck as he said, “Hey there, beer pong babe.” I immediately smelled the alcohol off him. Someone walked downstairs, and I hoped it’d be one of the girls; I squealed and turned, but Quinton’s grip tightened on me. The figure turned on the light, and I noticed he swayed a bit. His curly hair covered his sweaty forehead, but what really scared me was the knife that he stabbed Levi with.
“There’s my favorite customer.”
Chapter Seven
Blake
We took Carter’s truck and Levi’s Mustang out for the evening and went to an abandoned parking lot then hung out. We didn’t get drunk, though, because we still had to get food and drive home. So we drove out since Tamia and Melissa got tired of pizza.
“Do I get the spicy wings or the chicken nuggets?” Liam asked.
“Dude, just get both,” Nick said. “You’ll finish it all anyway.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Liam shrugged then told the girl behind the counter. I was at the bench next to him as I ordered our food. Once she repeated the order, I took out my wallet and handed her money that Keene had given me. She gave me change, and as I put it into my wallet, a plain crumpled paper fell out. I cursed under my breath then reached for it, but apparently, Liam reached for it, too.
“Thanks, man,” I said as he picked it up.
“No problem.” Liam slowly handed me the paper as he glanced at it. I watched his eyes as they widened. I snatched the paper from him, and he smiled. I gave a weird look in return then turned to the girl who handed me a receipt and the order number. I looked at the number then at the paper that fell out of my wallet. When I got the little paper, I quickly shoved it in my wallet. With everything that happened, I forgot about it. S1. I still didn’t know what it meant. I kept it with my receipt and sat down between Ethan and Marcus. I put my wallet in my pocket then put the papers on the table.
“Dude, you look good with it. Plus, aren’t the colors of our school blue and black?” Aidan asked as he looked at Marcus’s blue hair.
“Yeah, and plus you’re captain of the soccer team,” Carter assured Marcus as he patted his shoulder.
“I guess you’re right, plus Miranda wants to dye her hair too now.” Marcus laughed as he ran a hand through his hair. I blocked out the conversation Marcus and Carter had about each other’s hair and turned to Levi. He sat in the corner on his phone. I noticed how his eyes narrowed and how he slouched in his seat.
“Little brother!” an annoying, stinging voice echoed through the restaurant, and I whipped my head toward Axel, who sat next to Ethan. A chair away from me, yet he yelled. Ethan was the only mature one, so he apologized to the people who glanced at us.
“What, Axel?” I demanded.
“I’ve been calling you for thirty seconds now,” he pointed out. I opened my mouth to speak, but he gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Whatever, just wanna make sure tha
t you didn’t get any dairy food for Keene.”
“Is there a little bromance I’m sensing? Or are you jealous you ain’t papa bear?” Jaden asked, and Axel scoffed.
“Dude, we share a bathroom with him. I don’t want papa bear stinking up the bathroom tomorrow morning,” Axel joked as we laughed. The bell to the restaurant rang, which signaled a new customer. A strange feeling jolted inside me as I turned my head. Jennifer, Kelly, and Katherine entered the restaurant and immediately joined the line.
“What are they doing here?” Liam asked as he sat down in front of me. No one answered as we kept our gaze on the girls. Jennifer ordered the food since Kelly and Katherine walked away. As they passed us, they smiled cheekily, and I eyed them up and down. Jaden let out a low whistle as he looked at Kelly’s ass. Once they were seated a few tables away from us, Jaden turned to me.
“You dumped her ass?” he asked. The guys laughed as I forced a smile.
“Wonder where the guys are,” Benny pointed out. Simultaneously, we looked at the door to see if Parker, Quinton, Noel, or the Willis twins would enter.
“Maybe they’re waiting in the car,” Ethan suggested. Levi stood up. He walked to Jaden and tapped his shoulder. Jaden rose to his feet and followed.
“Yeah, well, let’s go find out,” Levi remarked as he looked at Jaden. The two walked toward Katherine and Kelly, and being the devious girls they were, they allowed Levi and Jaden to sit with them. I turned back to my table to see Liam’s gaze locked on the two papers in front of me. I glanced at Benny, who had his phone in one hand and tapped his fingers against the other.
“You know something, Sanchez?” I asked and took the two papers in one hand. I separated them and left the receipt on the table as I held the other. “Why am I asking? Of course, you do.”
I looked at Nick, who stared at me. Suddenly, his eyes shifted toward Marcus, who also watched Liam. I knew Liam disliked Marcus because of Miranda. Ethan cleared his throat then took out his receipt and handed it to Marcus.
“Bro, can you check if our order is ready?” Ethan flicked the receipt in front of Marcus.
“Sure,” Marcus muttered. Once the blue-haired soccer player was out of sight, I turned back to the front. Liam must’ve told Benny because his phone was away and he had his arms folded. I slid the small paper across the table toward them. Ethan, Carter, and I slowly watched as he took it and stared at it.
“Do you know what it means?” Carter asked.
“N-No. We thought you guys would know,” Liam answered as his face flushed.
“And why would you think that?” I asked. None of them answered, and Nick shrugged. Benny’s jaw clenched as he looked away. I saw Ethan reach for the paper. He twirled it in his hands then pointed at Liam. “Remember that Friday night when we all slept over and that guy dumped your shoes in Lana’s room?”
Liam’s eyes widened as he leaned back in his seat. Benny folded his arms as he raised a brow at Ethan while Nick rose his eyebrows.
“What about Liam’s shoes?” Benny asked.
“Oh yeah!” Carter piped up. “The shoes were black, and written in white was this sign.”
“So?” Liam shrugged.
“By now you would’ve probably known. That was in November; it’s April,” I pointed out.
“Well, we don’t know what it means, but I have an idea or two,” Liam muttered then turned his head. We followed his gaze to see Marcus, who stood in line. He watched us, but when he noticed our gaze on him, he smiled.
“Why would you think Marcus?” Carter asked.
“Just a theory or two,” Liam mumbled then pushed up his glasses. Nick nudged his shoulder as Benny shook his head in disappointment. I was about to ask another question but saw Levi storm out of the restaurant. I got up and looked back at Jaden, Katherine, and Kelly. Jaden seemed pissed while the girls smiled. I walked out of the restaurant and saw Levi jog toward his car. I caught up with him, and as he opened the driver’s door, he saw me.
“Dude, what’s going on?” I asked, and at the corner of my eye, I saw Aidan, Carter, and Axel walk out, too. Levi had that look in his eye that I hadn’t seen in a while. The last time I saw it was when he heard that Lana got raped by Parker. My throat suddenly closed up as I stepped toward him.
“Princess is in trouble,” he managed to breathe out then got into the car.
***
Lana
It was crazy. These guys were mad. After they had me, I heard shouts from upstairs. Since Ethan had so many pieces of furniture, they tied me to a chair with my hands behind me and feet against the legs. I opened my eyes and saw Miranda on my left and Tiffany on my right. They cried uncontrollably, and I think their sobbing got louder when they saw the state I was in.
“Mm!” I muffled out through the material, which tasted like sweat and alcohol.
“L-Lana?” Tiffany cried out as she tried to get to me. She twisted and turned in the chair, but I saw someone tower over her. I glanced up at one of the Willis twins. He moved Tiffany away, and I noticed that we’ve been pushed into a line.
“Don’t touch me!” Tamia slurred as Parker pushed her into a seat. She slapped and kicked him as she tried to pull away. I heard a slap and shut my eyes, which was a bad idea because it was quiet after that. Shuffles and creaks of wood corrupted my ears as well as my heavy breaths.
“Wakey, wakey, bitches!” Parker yelled. The sound of a chair screech against the floor made me open my eyes, and I paled when I saw Keene. He was still unconscious, and I noticed he was shirtless. His head hung low, which made me wonder how they knocked him out. He was pushed in front of us, and that’s when Miranda screamed, “Keene! What did you do to him? Keene! Wake up!”
“Shut the fuck up!” the other twin yelled in front of her face. He grabbed her hair then pushed it against his chest. Her eyes widened as he stroked her hair.
“What the fuck, Parker?” Melissa demanded. “Why are you doing this?”
“Shut up, Melissa,” Parker hissed then whipped out his knife. That made everyone quiet as he twirled it in his hand and walked between us. I felt the sweat drip down my forehead as he passed Tiffany and me. I turned to see her cry. A tear rolled down my cheek, yet I gave her a reassured nod. Our phones were on the ground in front of us…the only things that separated us from Keene. One of them rang, and some gasped for hope. Austin and Quinton towered over the phones, and I noticed a crowbar in Austin’s hand.
“Which one is ringing?” he asked. I knew it wasn’t mine from the ringtone. It wasn’t Miranda’s, because I knew she had Katy Perry.
“Oh well…” Austin trailed off then clutched onto the crowbar. He bent his legs then smashed our phones with the crowbar.
“What the fuck is wrong with you all? Just because our guy friends are not assholes like you doesn’t mean you get to tortu—” Tamia cut off when Parker slapped her again. That time it was harder, and since she was drunk earlier, everything came out. I shuddered to hear her gag noises as she vomited on herself.
“Shit,” one of the Willis twins cussed as they stared at Tamia. I watched as Parker walked around Keene. I grew anxious as he dragged the knife along Keene’s shoulders. Quinton blocked my view then crouched down on one knee. He had a smirk plastered on his face as he looked at each of us. I noticed his eyes were bloodshot, and he had an insane look.
“Now, we’re gonna play a little game,” he began. “If you play along and speak when spoken to, then the game will go quickly. If you don’t, then…” he said, glancing over his shoulder, and we followed his gaze to see Parker drag the knife down Keene’s cheek. Keene murmured then shook his head. The Willis twins laughed, and I spotted them on either side of us. “The game is quite simple. One of us will say a word, and you’ll say the first thing that comes to mind. Take too long and, well…y’know.”
“Who’s up first?” one of the twins asked.
“Let’s start with this beauty.” Quinton grinned as he walked toward Tamia, who had her head down. Once he was close e
nough, she raised her head then spat out the vomit on him. “You bitch!” he yelled then stood up. As always, the Willis twins found it humorous as Quinton walked out of the living room. One of them brought a chair and sat right in front of Tamia. His dirty blond hair was tied up into a bun, and I noticed the stubble. He extended his hand and put a lock of hair behind Tamia’s ear.
“Parker,” he said, and it took me a second to realize that the game had begun.
“Asshole,” Tamia responded. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Parker roll his eyes as the twins laughed. Austin stood to one side as he watched us.
“Sky.”
“Dark.”
“Lana.” At the mention of my name, I looked at the twin. A mischievous grin plastered on his face as he rested his chin on his hands.
“Pretty.”
“Wrong,” Parker stated then dragged the knife down Keene’s arm harder yet slower. He moved once again but didn’t gain consciousness.
“What? How is it wrong? It’s the firs—”
“You hesitated. Say the first thing you actually thought!” Parker cut her off. I turned to Tamia, who already looked at me.
“Problematic.”
“Fucking preach that shit!” Quinton exclaimed as he returned with a towel. I lowered my head because I knew she was right. It made me think back to when she spoke to me the other day and how she didn’t want someone horrible to enter Blake’s and Axel’s lives again.
“Keene!” Miranda exclaimed, and I raised my head because he finally gained consciousness. His eyes squinted as he groaned. After a few seconds, he moved furiously and cussed.
“Thanks for joining us, little stoner,” the other twin, who stood by Miranda, cheered.
“What the fuck is going on?” Keene demanded. He looked at each of us, and I watched as his face went white.
“Continuing with our game.” Parker ignored Keene then looked at us. “Who’s next?”
“I’d like to hear what this one thinks.” The twin by Miranda crouched down to meet her face. I heard her deep exhales as he gently stroked her cheek. “Jaden.”
