Hate So Good: A High School Bully Romance (The Hate Series Book 2)

by Nina Lincoln

  My chest heaves with the thought of Colt gone from this world. It’s too soon for him. The world needs men like Colt to keep the light shining when it’s become too dark, and with regret, I realize I never told Colt he’s my light also, leading me through the darkness.

  “Fuck you, you psycho fucking dick!” I say heatedly.

  Smiling, he says, “No, dear, fuck you.”

  Tugging on my restraints, I curse and struggle, enraged. If I could just get free, I’d show him what pain fucking feels like.

  “Cut her,” he demands acidly, his dark eyes flying to Tiffany, who stands frozen, her eyes fixed on the trees.

  When she doesn’t respond, he sighs and says, “Need I remind you of the consequences of disobeying me? Remember poor Sarah?”

  She swings around and moves forward on jerky limbs, dropping to her knees beside me and refusing to look me in the eyes as she grasps the blade in her hand.

  “Let’s do the arm first, hm? Cut off her sleeve.”

  “Please,” I whisper, but Tiffany ignores me, tugging the knife through the fabric with glassy eyes.

  Wrenching on my binds again, I try to struggle, but it’s no use. There’s no slack, and frankly, I don’t want her to slip up and cut an artery or something. She’s not exactly present in the moment.

  “Now her arm, but not too deep! We don’t want her to bleed out...yet,” he says, silkily.

  “Teddy, you don’t want to do this!”

  Frantically I watch her cut my sleeve away, hoping for a fucking miracle, but nothing comes, of course, and I can’t contain my moan when she slides the knife over my skin.

  Although truthfully, I’m so fucking scared, I can hardly feel it.

  Slowly, she carves a trail over my arm, from the crook of my elbow to my armpit, and once done, she hangs her head, dropping back into her flat state.

  “Now the other,” Teddy says in a greedy voice.

  Moaning, I buck against her as she crawls over my body, but she pays me no mind, although she’s clumsy and frighteningly blank, as she knees me painfully in my stomach.

  Staring into her dull eyes, I worry she might do more damage than intended in her current state as she rests beside my other arm and halfheartedly slices the sleeve away, her mouth turned down in a frown.

  “Teddy,” I beg as she runs the blade over my skin.

  I’m shivering, and I don’t know if it’s from shock, the cold, or both as I numbly watch the blood bead on my arm, so very red, and flow onto the dirt in a viscous puddle. I’m going to die. I’m going to die before I’ve ever truly lived.

  I escaped my piece of shit father only to end up here, for I know, even if I’ve never admitted it out loud, my dad never intended to let me live - telling me to run was his way of giving me a fighting chance.

  He had every intention of hunting me down and ending me, and only my determination to live saved me. Dad didn’t know about Mom’s late-night explorations of the house, didn’t understand her fears, and let me go thinking he could easily find me. But I’d been playing ‘hide and seek’ with Mom for years, long before I understood this wasn’t a fun game but a lesson.

  Squished under a shelf, below a stack of food items in the pantry, with my cheek sticking to the floor, from the years of sugar and flour that slowly leaked from their packaging, I called the police using Mom’s burner phone taped to the shelf above my head.

  I’ll never forget the look on his face as the police led him away in handcuffs, no longer enamored of the famous football player now covered in her blood. He glared at me with his dark eyes, flashing with betrayal, before turning his head away with disgust.

  Snapping my head back to Teddy, I listen drowsily as he speaks.

  “Now that I have your attention, dear Finn. Let’s chat. You see, I’m angry with you. You took my gifts and threw them away. You defied my orders and fucked that cretin. You looked me in the face and denied my love!”

  Spittle flies from his lips as he glares at me with glowing eyes and staring into his face, I no longer recognize the boy who was my friend. It’s like the facade he portrayed has melted under the face of his rage.

  Bewildered, I search for that Teddy with the kind smile and genuine expression, but he’s gone. Did he ever exist?

  “Well!” he screams.

  “What do you want from me?” I ask warily.

  “I want you to fucking see the light! You bitch!” he seethes. “Cut her!”

  Tiffany runs the blade over my arm again, creating two parallel lines, and this time I feel the sting as it burns through me like fire.

  Gritting my teeth, I stare into Teddy’s eyes and say, “Fuck you.”

  “Fuck me! Fuck me! No, fuck you!” he shouts, spit escaping from his mouth and dripping down his chin.

  For a moment, so brief it might have never happened, I feel a pulse of pity for this boy, on the cusp of manhood who will never be more than an angry version of himself. He’ll never be happy because he can never let loose his need for control.

  I guess that’s the piece I was missing with my dad. I thought if I tried harder, walked softer, gave in more, reduced myself to a shell, he’d just be fucking happy, but he was never going to be content because, deep down, he was an insecure little bitch who couldn’t see past his own frailty.

  Teddy’s just another guy who refuses to accept he’s human and won’t always get what he wants. Instead, he’s the ultimate bully, pushing and prodding everyone around him, refusing to understand, he’s not worthy, and he never will be as long as he has hate and greed in his heart.

  Infuriated by my insolence, what ensues is an hour of listening to him rage while Tiffany follows his every instruction. She cuts the fabric of my clothes from my body limb by limb, running the damn knife up and down my arms, legs, and even my torso.

  Teddy watches with avid eyes, looking at my breasts in my bra greedily and shivering I give a passing thought to wonder if he’s truly paralyzed from the waist down or am I in for more than just this cruelty.

  Can I live past rape? Do I want to?

  “You were mine, Finn. I would have treated you like my queen. We could have ruled my kingdom together. But you just couldn’t see past the dick, could you?”

  Raising his hand dramatically, he asks, “Did you like my play on words? Teddy R? Teddy Rex? Did you know kings of old signed their names that way? You could have been the queen to my king, bitch!”

  At some point, I check out, shivering into the air and staring into nothing much like Tiffany. She’s past the point of rational thought, which makes me idly wonder if this is where I’m headed.

  What did he do to her to reduce her to this? Maybe death is preferable because she’s no longer with us, just an empty husk complying with his every demand.

  My lack of attention only serves to frustrate Teddy more, and although it’s not on purpose, I feel a bloom of satisfaction anyway.

  You may ultimately end my life, but you’ll never get me to conform.

  I spent years pretending to be someone else for the sole purpose of pleasing my dad, and it got me nowhere. I learned that lesson the hard way and made the ultimate sacrifice. Do I want to die? No, but I’d rather go out than give in.

  “Damn you! I gave you everything. I gave you my soul. I handcrafted every note, letter, and doll. You didn't like the bird, Finn? The rose? I painstakingly found things I knew you would like, but you threw them all away. You threw me away!”

  Glancing over at him, I note absently that his face is red, his eyes wild, his hair crazy on his head. He’s decompensating quickly.

  “Cut off her finger,” he demands.

  Tiffany startles, her breaths coming in short pants, as she clenches her hand around the already bloody knife. Fuck. He truly is crazy.

  Fear slides down my spine when his eyes narrow on mine, and he says in a quiet voice, “I’m gonna fuck up your world, Finn.”

  I’m so cold my body is locked up tight, and where one throbbing wound ends, another begins. There
’s only so much skin left, and it scares me.

  Watching him militantly, I lick my dry lips as he cocks his head to the side and scrutinizes me closely while Tiffany sits, trembling pathetically, her head hung low.

  I don't think I can count on her for help, but I can’t fucking do anything tied up as I am. If he doesn't plan to untie me, I’m basically the sacrificial lamb, and I don’t want to die. I want to live. I didn’t survive my dad and his horrible actions to die here at the hands of this dick.

  As much as I’d like to be brave, the thought of the pain he’s planning to bring leaves me terrified and bitter. Can I withstand what’s coming?

  I don’t fucking know, and my resolve to not give in wavers under his maniacal stare and crazy threats. Fuck. Staring into his eyes, I lower my own and attempt a cowed expression, even though bitter rage flies through me so rapidly I’m shaking with it.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, swallowing. “I’m sorry, Teddy. I didn't know it was you. You never told me. I wish that you had told me!”

  “Is that right? And what about Colt?” he sneers.

  Moistening my dry lips, I try to find the words he needs, but he’s so fucking unstable, I’m afraid to say the wrong thing.

  “I know, I know he’s done bad things, and I’ve tried to give him second chances, but that was before Teddy. I didn't know. I didn't know how you felt. You’ve always been so good to me, Teddy,” I say, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

  It’s not untrue, he was the best of friends, accepting me into his world despite everything, cheering me on, and giving me advice when I needed it most, but this I don’t understand.

  “Really, so when I told you yesterday, and you ignored me, again?” he mutters, disbelieving.

  “I was shocked! You didn't give me a chance to say anything. You left!”

  “Really. So, you’re saying what?” he asks, staring at me with greedy eyes.

  “I love you, Teddy, I always have. I just didn't think you liked me that way. You’re my best friend- “

  “I’m not your friend!” he screams, the veins in his neck bulging.

  Flinching, I whimper and turn my head away, meeting Tiffany’s eyes. She gives me a weird look I can’t interpret, but it gives me hope that she’s not as checked out as I thought.

  “You’re right, I only meant, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I love you,” I whisper.

  “Enough! It's too late! I had such plans for you, but now they’re ruined. You fucked him for everyone to watch just yesterday! You’re a whore, Finn! You’re no better than fucking Sarah. Ha! At least she tried. Bitch.”

  “No, please, Teddy. No,” I sob.

  “Move!” Teddy snarls, and Tiffany crawls out of the way quickly as he drops from his chair.

  He’s surprisingly agile as he pulls himself over to me with just his arms, and holding my breath, I shiver as he runs his gaze over my naked body.

  Thankfully, I’ve still got my undergarments on, and I pray, oh how I pray that if I’m going to die, it isn’t after he rapes me. Please, if there is a God, let me live through this.

  Teddy pulls himself up my body and sits beside me, adjusting his legs, so they lay straight before him, and with lascivious eyes, he runs his hands over my face, down my breasts, and over my torso.

  Shuddering, I turn my head away, which earns me a slap to the face. “Look at me!”

  With tears in my eyes, I meet his gaze, flinching away from the greed portrayed there. He’s enjoying my pain, feeding off it. Fucker.

  Visions of my dad raging when she refused to look at him as he sat over her and stabbed her over and over race through my mind. Is this how she felt when she stared at me? Helpless. Afraid. Cold. Alone.

  I don’t want to die, but I also don’t want to give in. I’m cycling between begging and telling him to fuck off.

  Is Colt alive? Do I want to live if he isn’t? What’s the point? Everyone I love is gone. I guess Colt was right - loving others really does make you vulnerable. Ha!

  “Knife!” Teddy snaps, and Tiffany holds it out to him with shaking hands.

  I plead at her with my eyes, but she’s back to avoiding my gaze.

  Turning back to Teddy, I have no time to beg and watch in horror as he grabs my fingers and lays them flat, driving the knife through the palm of my hand without hesitation.

  Screaming my pain into the night air, my body bows off the ground as white dots pass over my vision.

  Panting out a sob, I keen low in my throat, willing back the vomit surging up my esophagus, which doesn’t stop the painful gagging as I gasp for air against the tightness in my throat.

  Teddy stares at me intently, licking his lips as I buck and writhe in the air, pulling on my restraints wildly. This does nothing but tighten them around my wrists, but I can’t feel the pain, not with the throbbing in my palm now staked to the fucking ground.

  Sobbing, I wrench and pull, buck and struggle, all while Teddy watches with greedy eyes, my resolve to live circling the fucking drain at his crazy actions.

  He truly is a monster, and I fell right into his trap. I guess I’m more like my mom than I wanted to be. The jokes on me, I thought I was strong, but I’m just as weak as she was.

  “You know, Finn,” he croons, maneuvering over my body to settle on my other side. “I knew the moment I saw you. You were meant for me, and after years of searching, I’d finally gotten what I deserved.”

  Chuckling, he continues, “Oh, when Sarah approached me about you, I had no idea how important you would be, but you definitely turned out to be the light. You just refused to look in the right direction. She couldn’t see it, but I could, so I changed the game, not that she appreciated it, but she outgrew her usefulness.”

  Frantically I watch as he lays his legs out straight, taking the same position as before but this time near my left hand. Fuck.

  “Grab the other knife from the pouch,” he says to Tiffany.

  “No, please Teddy, no,” I sob, past anything but begging for the torture to end.

  Teddy just smiles and takes the knife from Tiffany’s trembling hand, pressing my stiff, cold fingers flat and driving it into my other palm before I have time to prepare myself.

  Screaming, I arch into the air, my loud painful wails lost to the dark sky as indescribable pain races through me, and it's all I can do to bear it, but I have no choice because the fucking psychopath isn’t done.

  “Now, now you’ll rest on the laurels of your fucking cross, Finn. Do you feel sorry for yourself now?” he asks snidely.

  Sobbing, I shake my head no, but he’s not listening. He’s past the point of caring.

  “Did you think you could hide from me, Finn? I watched you, you know. You have pretty titties,” he says, licking his lips, “I even watched you fuck that cretin. It was always me, Finn.”

  Breathing heavily, he molds his hands over my breasts with ice-cold hands, and disgust rolls through me at his vicious contact, bile pressing at my throat thick and acidic.

  “So beautiful,” he breathes, his fetid breath washing over my face.

  “Please, Teddy. Please,” I beg, tears blurring my eyes as I glance away into Tiffany’s dull gaze.

  She looks me over once more, raising her eyes up and down, but I don't know what she’s saying, and turning back to Teddy, I see he’s still gazing down my body.

  With a quick glance back at her, I flinch and whimper when he runs his hands down my legs, over my panties, and up my torso with no care for my wounds and the blood slowly seeping from the injuries. The horror like image is something I will never forget as he spreads the blood across my skin with his now tainted hands.

  While he’s horrifically occupied, I look at Tiffany and mouth, “The knife.”

  She cocks her head to the side and glances at Teddy rapidly, terror flashing in her eyes before shaking her head infinitesimally and hanging her head in defeat. Despair curls through me at her resistance and sobbing, I struggle again only to keen out loud when my hands
meet the knives' resistance through my palms.

  Teddy chuckles, looking up at me with dilated eyes, as he croons, “That’s it. Show me. Show me your pain.”

  “Fuck you!” I moan, staring into the sky, vowing at that moment to ignore the fucker, because if I’m gonna fucking die, it’s going to be on my terms.

  So, as he taunts me, touching me in places I’ll never be able to get clean, I stare into the darkness, motionless, nothing but the stars to comfort me now.

  Thinking of Colt, I step away from my body, my soul flying free, and pull up my sweetest memory of us together, smiling as Colt runs his hands down my arms, over my torso, before he kisses me softly on my stomach.

  With greedy fingers, he explores me gently, watching and waiting eagerly for every hitch and sigh, chuckling when I moan into his touch. And then he caresses me in places I never knew could bring pleasure until I’m at the edge, and avidly he watches as I tip over, crying his name into the universe.

  “Fuck, Princess,” he moans, with a wicked smirk curving his face.

  Holding my legs, he slides into me slowly, the feeling exquisite as he rocks against me gently and grabs my hands in his. And with a soft sigh, I meet his body as he pulls me against him, and we chase our need until we come together.

  Arching inside of me, he says, “Finn?”

  “Yes?” I ask breathlessly.

  “I lo-“

  Sharp pain brings me back to the present as Teddy looms over me with rage in his pretty green eyes, snarling, “Bitch! Pay attention!”

  Ignoring the crazy train, I look back to the sky and try to bring back Colt, and the moment he was going to tell me he loved me, but Teddy’s in my face and grabs my chin, popping my hallucinatory bubble and forcing me to look at him.

  “Let me tell you a little story, Finn. Hm?” he says, wrenching the knife from my right hand.

  Clenching my teeth, it takes everything in me, but I suppress the cry of pain trembling on my lips even as I arch into the air and close my eyes tightly, silently screaming my rage into the universe.

  Frowning, Teddy cuts away the rope around my wrist as he says, conversationally, “Here’s the deal. I’ve been the puppet master in your world since the day you came here. You can thank Sarah for that, or you could anyway. You see, Finn, when Sarah came to North, I found in her a kindred spirit. She enjoyed the games just as much as I, but she couldn't get past her obsession with Colt, which made her weak, even as she fucked all of his friends, including his half-brother, for fun. When he sent her away to South, she continued her games, and I allowed her to because it was convenient for me. I guess in this, Colt and I are the same. We do enjoy our little games, hm, Finn?