by K. G. Reuss
“You’re a pig!” I spat at him, squirming beneath his body, but my wiggling only made him like it more. He pressed down harder, making me whimper in pain.
“Stop!” He grabbed my face painfully with his large hand, smushing my lips together. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to see someone looking as fine as you do and her not pay a bit of attention to you?”
I looked up at his dark form confused.
“I want you, Olivia.” He released my face. I could barely see his outline in the dark.
“I-I’m not sure where you got dating advice from, but this isn’t how you ask a girl out,” I managed to breath out, frantically searching my mind for a way to get out from beneath him. A sick idea entered my mind, but one I knew would probably work.
“Nothing else seemed to work with you.” He chuckled softly, darkly. “Figured maybe you just needed a little coaxing.”
“I’d like to leave, Brent,” I said, hoping my voice sounded strong. But I knew it didn’t. The trembling was obvious in my own ears.
“When we’re done.” His lips brushed against my cheek. He shifted against me, his hardness pressing painfully into my pelvis. “I know you don’t put out with anyone. But I know you want me like I want you. Come on, Olivia. Let go. Give it to me, baby.” His hands moved up my body, making me stiffen beneath his touch. The only way out was for me to be on top. And the only way to get there was to act like I wanted to be there. There was no way I’d be able to escape any other way. Of course, this plan all depended on me getting the door open.
So, when his lips found mine, I gave in and let him kiss me. He tasted like stale alcohol. It made me want to gag. I fought down the urge to vomit as his tongue thrashed against mine, his low groans making me even more nauseous. His hands moved to remove my zip-up sweater, and I let him, knowing to win, I had to play the sick role of a willing victim.
It didn’t take his large hands long to find the hem of my shirt and try to maneuver his hands beneath. Finally, I stopped him, knowing I had to make my move.
“No,” I managed. “I-I want to be on top.”
“Mm, baby. I knew I liked you for a reason,” he growled his approval, and in perfect fashion, he moved and fluidly shifted me so that I was on top of him.
Freedom was within my grasp. It was so close I could taste it. And it tasted a hell of a lot better than Brent Caldwell’s stale alcohol breath.
When he reached for my shirt to remove it, I stopped him.
“L-Let me undress for you,” I said in a shaky voice. When I moved off him, his dark eyes stayed fixed on me, somehow looking even drunker than before. I wasn’t sure if it was my fear making things so focused or the desire to escape, but my vision seemed better than before. My eyesight cut through the darkness. If I hadn’t be so frightened, I may have taken a moment to worry about why I suddenly had night vision.
Brent sat up so I was in front of him. His hands came out and landed on my waist.
“Take it off for me, baby,” he breathed out, his dark eyes pleading with me.
If I could’ve been anywhere in the world right then, I’d have chosen Hell. Because that had to be loads better than sitting in front of some drunken, hormonal hater of mine, fulfilling his wet dreams.
With shaking hands, I pulled my tank top off, revealing my white bra. His hands flew up and cupped me, making me cringe.
“God. Just how I imagined,” he moaned, his lips pressing to my abdomen.
It was now or never.
I leaned down, pushing him back onto the bed. My knee came up and met his crotch forcefully. I put as much effort into the jab as I could. He buckled immediately, his shouts of pain echoing around us. Wasting no time, I grabbed my tank and pulled it over my head as I stumbled to the door in the darkness. I tried to turn the handle, but it was still locked. I banged loudly on the door, tears streaming down my face as Brent moaned behind me.
“Please! Let me out!” I cried out, my fists hammering on the door. “Please! Someone!”
“Fucking bitch!” Brent called out to me, his voice pinched in pain. I looked over my shoulder and found him struggling to sit up, his hand over his no doubt bruised manhood.
I banged on the door again and let out a squeal of happiness as it was flung open, light from the hallway bleeding in.
When I rushed through the door, Anita was standing on the other side of it.
“Liv? What the hell are you doing?” she asked, peering around me to see Brent fall to his knees on the floor.
“Please. Let’s just go.” Yanking on her hand, I rushed out of the house with her hot on my heels. I knew people saw I’d been in that room with Brent. And I knew Monday would suck. Brent meant what he’d said about saying we did it even if we hadn’t. My fate in that respect was sealed. Or maybe he’d take pity on me.
I laughed bitterly as I pulled my car onto the street. There was no way he’d take pity on me. Actually, I probably added fuel to the fire.
“Liv, what happened?” Anita asked, her chocolate doe eyes focused worriedly on me. “Were you making out with Brent Caldwell?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, wiping at the tears that had fallen down my cheek. “And on Monday, everyone will know about all the stuff we did.”
Olivia
“All the stuff you did?”
I glanced over at her in the darkened interior of the car to see her eyebrows pulled together in confusion, creating two little wrinkles between her big, brown eyes. The green glow of the dashboard lights lit up her face, causing her to appear menacing.
I swallowed down my fear, knowing the look on her face meant she wasn’t happy.
“I can’t believe you’d do this to me!” she exclaimed. “You knew I liked him for years now,” her voice took on a shrill screeching tone.
She was drunk. That was the only reason I could fathom her reaction to this. I took a deep breath, preparing myself. “Nothing happened, Anita. You know I wouldn’t ever do that to you.”
“I saw you in there, Liv. How could you even lie to me right now?”
Great. Drunk Anita was always fun to deal with.
“Exactly! You saw me banging on the door, trying to get out, and Brent on the floor, writhing in pain. What do you think happened?” I could feel the threat of tears stinging my eyes again, but I refused to let them fall. No way I’d let her or anyone else make me feel guilty for something I had no control over.
“It looked like you went in there to make out, and he wanted to take things further. And since we all know how much of a prude you are, you shut him down.”
I rolled my eyes as I turned onto her street. “Yeah, that must’ve been what happened,” I bit out sarcastically.
I came to a stop directly in front of her navy blue, two story house and threw the car in park.
She grabbed the door handle but didn’t open it. “You went in there willingly, Liv. You knew what you were doing.” She opened the door and climbed out then leaned back in. “I thought we were friends.” She let out an irritated laugh. “What was I thinking? You’ve always been jealous of me. I’m not surprised you went behind my back to steal the guy I’ve been trying to date for months now.” Without another word, she slammed the door and marched to her front door.
I sat, motionless, watching as she dug around in her bag for her keys. Once she was safely in the house, banging the door behind her, I shifted into drive and hit the gas.
How did things end up this way? There I was at home, in bed, completely happy being alone, and the next thing I knew, I was harassed by a bunch of jerks, felt up by Mr. Hormones, and fighting with my best friend.
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head at the whole situation. Why couldn’t I be like normal girls? I wanted a best friend who trusted me. I longed to act like all the other girls and hang out at parties. Maybe even have a boyfriend to talk to and share things with. Instead, I was a loner with my nose stuck in a book, getting picked on every damn day.
Walking back into my room, I didn’t bother changi
ng back into my pajamas. I flung myself onto the bed and curled up into a ball, throwing yet another pity party for myself. I closed my eyes and pictured the perfect life I could’ve had if I was like everyone else. I saw myself walking into school with a cute guy on my arm, all my friends gathered around my locker, waiting for me to arrive. I saw myself at that party. But I’d go because I wanted to hang out with my friends and have fun, instead of being the loner who wasn’t invited and only showed up to pick up her more popular, beautiful but drunk best friend.
Things came so easy for Anita. She never got called a freak for being smart. She wasn’t called a loser on days she decided to dress in jeans and a hoodie instead of showing off every inch of skin the school would let her get away with. But most of all, she wasn’t picked on every single fucking day for wanting to keep quiet and fly under the radar.
Finally, the tears I’d been trying to will away got the best of me, and they flowed hot and heavy over my cheeks. I didn’t even bother to wipe them away. There was nothing I could do about any of it anyway. I couldn’t change the way my classmates saw me. I couldn’t stop the bullying because every time I tried, it only made it worse. And, I couldn’t exactly fade away while nobody was looking either. All I could do was pray for a dreamless sleep — a sleep so deep and dark, even my subconscious couldn’t find me.
I was sitting at the kitchen table, picking at my pancakes when Mom plopped down beside me.
“What're your plans for the day?” She offered up a wide smile, making her chocolate brown eyes gleam with excitement.
I shrugged and dropped my fork onto my plate creating a clatter. “Nothing much. I figured maybe I’d read ahead in history or something.”
She frowned and squinted her dark eyes. “It’s Sunday, Olivia. Why don’t you get out of the house for once? Go hang out with your friends. It’s not healthy for a girl your age to be shut inside all day.” Standing, she walked around the island to clean up after breakfast. She picked up the box of pancake mix and placed it in the cabinet. “I’m serious. Get out of here. Go have some fun for once. I don’t want to see you again until dinner. And that’s an order.” Giving me her stern mom look, she pointed her long, index finger at me from across the room.
With a sigh, I pushed away from the table and grabbed my keys, heading for the door. Mom just didn’t understand. I couldn’t go to the mall or the diner without the risk of running into my tormentors. Since Anita wasn’t exactly talking to me, I found myself pulling up to my hideout: the town library.
When I walked in, the librarian wasn’t behind her desk, which wasn’t unusual since she was always busy putting away books. The room was deathly silent—a nice break for me since it meant there was nobody around to give me shit.
I walked to the very back of the building, behind the rows and rows of books, to my favorite table. No other tables were around, and there was an old, Tiffany-style lamp that hung directly over it, offering plenty of reading light. It was always my go-to spot when I wanted to be alone. Nobody ever went that deep into the building because they were normal and preferred the company of others. I took my seat and flipped open the history book I grabbed from my car.
Just as I found my page, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Someone was watching me. My head jerked up, and I looked all around me as goosebumps prickled my skin. “Who’s there,” I asked, my voice cracking with fear. If Brent found me I was going to be so pissed. He’d already chased me out of our local bookstore, coffee shop, and thrift store in the past.
Someone cleared their throat. “I’m over here.”
I jerked my head to the left just in time to see a guy come to a stop between the rows of books with his hands in his pockets and his head dipped slightly forward. “Sorry if I scared you.” He walked forward, looking as if he was trying not to run, the space between us quickly disappearing. I caught the glint of surprise in his dark eyes before he stopped in front of me.
I waved my hand through the air nonchalantly, hoping my voice didn’t give away how nervous I was. “I wasn’t scared. I just thought I was alone, that’s all.”
The closer he got to me, the more light shown down on him. His black hair was shaggy, nearly hanging to his dark eyes that seemed to be set on me, his expression twisted into one of awe.
I swallowed down a feeling I’d never felt before as I took him in. I couldn’t force myself to look anywhere other than his perfectly sculpted face: sharp, angular jaw; thick, plump lips; and a small dimple in his cheek when his lips twitched up. Who was this guy, and why hadn’t I ever saw him here before?
“I’m Donovan. Mind if I sit?” He motioned toward the empty chair across from me with a nod of his head. His voice shook slightly, putting me at ease. Maybe he was as socially awkward as I was. I almost snorted out loud at the idea. A creature as beautiful as he was definitely couldn’t be socially inept even if he tried.
“Um… Su-sure.” I nodded while swallowing the excess saliva pooling in my mouth from the sight of him. “I’m Olivia. Everyone calls me Liv for short.” I forced a smile on my face, even though I was sure it looked more fearful than inviting.
He smiled back, and I think I stopped breathing. His entire face lit up, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “That’s a beautiful name.”
Embarrassment stained my cheeks. “Thank you.” I glanced down at my hands in my lap, but I could still feel him watching me.
“You come here often?”
My head popped up in time to catch him peek around the library before bringing his eyes back to mine. Under the glow of the bright light, I saw the faintest hint of gold flakes in his dark eyes.
“Yeah, this is my favorite spot.” Even though I was trying my hardest to control my voice, it still betrayed me, nervousness breaking through my tone.
He cracked another grin. “Like, in the whole world?” he asked, quirking his eyebrow.
A nervous laugh escaped me as I shrugged. “Well, I haven’t gone far from this town, so yeah, I guess. A-are you new here?”
He nodded, causing his black hair to bounce just the slightest bit. “Yeah, I uh, got into a bit of trouble and was sent here.”
“You were sent here? Are your parents divorced or something?” I was jumping to conclusions, but this guy couldn’t be much older than me — maybe a year or two tops.
“Yeah,” he agreed as he leaned closer. “So, why are you back here all alone? Don’t you have a boyfriend to be spending your time with?” A dark look swept through his eyes quickly. Or maybe I imagined it.
I wanted to laugh at what must be a sick joke, but I held it back. “No, no boyfriend.”
His mouth dropped open, but he snapped it closed, pressing his lips together and leaning back in his chair. “Really? No boyfriend?”
I giggled. Was it so hard to believe someone like me would be alone? If he only knew what everyone thought of me. “I’m kind of a loner. I don’t have a lot of friends.”
“That’s hard to believe,” he snorted disbelievingly.
“Why?” I questioned, not even realizing I was leaning closer.
He motioned toward me with his hands. “I mean, look at you. You’re beautiful and seem friendly enough. It’s just hard to believe a girl who looks like you spends all of her time alone. That’s all,” his voice was tight as he stared at me.
A laugh escaped my lips. This couldn’t be real. Seventeen years of paranoia exploded from my mouth. “Is this some sort of joke? Is Brent behind this? Did he send you over to sweet talk me as some sick prank?” I couldn’t help the anger I was sure was visible on my face.
He shook his head, a look of confusion sweeping over his face. “I have no idea who Brent is. He sounds like a complete dick if he’d do that though.”
“Eddie? Wes? Someone had to put you up to this.” I closed my book and pushed back my chair, ready to make a run for it before I got covered in pig’s blood.
I grabbed my book and was rounding the table when he stood directly in front of me, preventing me f
rom making my exit. “Nobody put me up to anything. I saw you sitting here, and I wanted to get to know you. Why is that so hard to believe?” He reached out like he was going to touch me, but his hand quickly fell back to his side as his smoldering gaze locked on mine.
His closeness made my heart leap to life in my chest. “Nobody here wants to get to know me. If you’re going to be going to school here, you probably shouldn’t be seen with me or you’ll be the butt of their jokes too,” my voice was hoarse and pained as I admitted the truth to him. I was doing him a favor though. When I tried to step around him, his hands landed on my hips as he stepped in the same direction. The sensation of his hands on my body caused my skin to ignite. A tingle started swirling around low in my belly, and my breathing all but stopped when I looked up into his dark eyes that were still intently locked on me.
“I’m not like them, Olivia. I see who you really are, not who they say you are,” his voice was a low growl, laced with a passion I wasn’t used to.
My eyes were prisoners to his, unable to escape his stare. He had a hold on me I didn’t understand. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t look away. Something about him felt… familiar, but that couldn’t be. I’d never be able to forget a face as perfect as his.
“I-I have to go,” I stuttered, knowing that absolutely had to be my next move.
His breath whooshed out, and he nodded before stepping out of my way. I pushed myself forward, almost running through the aisles of books.
“I’ve found you, Olivia. There’s no running from me now,” his deep voice called out behind me, sending echoes of his words around me.
I didn’t let his words stop me. I kept going until I pushed my way through the doors, bright sunlight temporarily blinding me.
My eyes popped open. The sunlight from my bedroom window was shining in my eyes. I quickly sat up, looking around my room. What the hell? That was a dream?
