by Skyla Madi
***
This was the first time in weeks that the whole family sat at the table. I forced myself to stay seated. The smell of eggs was making my stomach turn.
“So Michael and I talked last night.”
I glanced up at her. It didn’t look like she was interested in her plate of food either.
“We will agree for you to stay here, but only if one of my men stays here with you.”
“Okay,” I muttered.
Staying at home with one of his men wasn’t bad. I’d feel better knowing someone was here with me. As long as the man minded his own business.
“We trust you. I don’t want to find out you said one thing and did the other.” My mom narrowed her eyes at me.
“Don’t worry, Mom. My plans for this weekend are simple.”
“How simple?” Michael asked.
My eyes snapped to his. He was still so controlling.
“I have two more tests. Kate is coming over on Saturday so we can study together,” I said, giving him a tight smile. “Please excuse me. I have some things to do before I leave for school.”
I walked out of the kitchen and down the hall toward the bathroom. Taking a quick shower to cool down, I dressed in my school uniform. The rest of my morning routine followed. After that, I made sure I had everything I needed for the exam before heading out. The school was half empty—like it usually was during the exams. When you took an exam, you came in on that day and left once the exam was finished. It was heaven. I sat in my car as I went over my study work. Halfway through that, my mind started trailing off. I missed Stephen. Even the littlest things reminded me of him.
A knock on my window made me jump. Slamming my book shut, I glanced up to find a girl standing beside the door.
“Hey. You’re Alia, right?” she asked as soon as I rolled down the window.
“Y-yeah,” I muttered.
She glanced around before pulling a paper from her bag. After a second of hesitation, she handed it over to me. “I found these on the bathroom wall.”
My mouth fell open as I stared down at the picture. It was taken on our vacation right after I was almost kidnapped. The picture was slightly blurry, but my naked body was clearly visible. Stephen’s face was buried against my neck and my head thrown back. It was perfectly clear we were having sex. Above the picture in black ink, there were words written.
“The Virgin Mary isn’t a virgin anymore,” I read out loud.
“There’s also this,” the girl said, holding out another paper.
“Looking for a good time? Prude Alia is the girl for you. Hit me up and I’ll give you the time of your life.”
There was a picture of me lying on the bed. I was smiling up at the person who took the photo. My body was covered in a red bikini—the same one I wore at the beach.
“That one was photo-shopped,” she said softly.
I glanced up at her. In my panic, I had completely forgotten about her standing there. “H-how do you know?”
“Look here,” she muttered, leaning down. “Whoever did this did a shitty job. You can see the parts of the picture they added.”
She pointed everything out in the photo. The closer I looked and the more she explained, the clearer the picture became. The original photo was taken with Kate and Trina. We were all posing for the photo. Someone had edited out the other two and placed my photo on a bed.
“I found these in the girls’ bathroom. I don’t know if there’s more in the others.”
“I need to go check.”
Grabbing my books, I stuffed them into my bag along with the papers. The girl still stood there when I got out of my car and locked it. I paused and stared at her.
I’d seen her once or twice, but we’d never really talked. Emily was the same height as me. She was slim with dark brown hair and pale skin. Her brown eyes watched me with curiosity. I felt cautious as she followed me. Making new friends wasn’t on my list of priorities at the moment. I wanted to take this exam and go home. That was the plan, but it got thrown out the window when these posters popped up.
“I’ll show you where I found these.”
The bathroom was crowded when we entered. Girls stood giggling and talking loudly.
“She’s such a slut!”
“How many guys do you think she slept with?”
“I can’t believe she’s wearing that! If I had her body, I would keep it covered.”
“Me too!”
“Look at that fat. Agh!”
Someone shouted something that instantly made everyone fall silent. One by one, they turned to face me. Some more giggles started as they piled out of the bathroom. I waited until I was sure the bathroom was empty and then walked towards the wall. It was covered in photos of me. Some were taken with Stephen and others were edited with other guys. These were definitely taken without us even realizing it.
“Whoever did this has some serious issues,” Emily muttered. “They must really hate you.”
I ignored her and stepped forward. With blurry eyes, I started to rip them from the wall. Emily came forward with a plastic bag she found somewhere. I paused when I saw her ripping the photos from the wall. She was helping me. Not once did she make a comment against me or insult me.
“You should tell him about this.”
“Who?”
“The guy in the photos.” Emily nodded toward a photo of Stephen and me. “He has the right to know that about this. In a small town like this, things never stay at one place. It’ll be all over town, so it’ll be better if he heard it from you instead of someone else.”
I mulled over her words as I stared at the plastic bag. A part of me knew that she was right. He had a right to know that someone was dragging his name through the mud. And I needed to be the one to tell him.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Emily gave me a small smile and then surprised me by hugging me. “Don’t let this bitch get you down,” she whispered. “Karma will get her.”
“Thank you, Emily.”
“Anytime, Alia. If you need someone to talk to, I’ll be there.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The police station was crowded. This was the first time I’d ever been in here, and I was ready to run out the door again. I clutched the plastic bag against my stomach as I walked over to the counter.
“Excuse me?” I called out to the woman.
She looked up with a raised eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I’m here to see Officer Daniels.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Well n-no, but it’s important—”
“Make an appointment and you can see him,” she muttered as her focus dropped back to her computer.
I sucked in a breath as I tried to control my temper. The bag crinkled between my fingers. I opened my mouth, ready to make a scene, but a man appeared. He glanced at the woman and then at me.
“You here to make a complaint?” He had a faint southern accent and a deep voice. His blue eyes caught mine.
“I want to see Officer Daniels,” I told him softly.
He raised an eyebrow as he stepped closer to the counter. His blond hair was messy, but he looked neat in his uniform. The man was an inch or two taller than me. He had a slim but muscled body. “May I ask what it’s about?”
“It’s personal.”
The statement made interest flash in his eyes. “Name?”
“Alia.”
His eyes snapped to mine. I frowned as he smirked at me. “Ah, your Stephen’s girl,” he said. “Stephen is busy, but if you don’t mind waiting, I’ll take you to his office.”
“Please.”
He gestured to a door on my left. I walked through it and met him on the other side. We walked down a short hall that opened into another room. It was bigger than the front of the station. Tables were placed around neatly in a specific order. Officers lingered around, some working on the computers and others laughing as they talked. I kept my eyes focused on the man’s back as he
led me between the desks. The place had fallen silent the moment they became aware of me. They were staring, and I hated that. A door opened a second later. The man stood aside as he gestured to the office.
“I’ll let him know you’re here as soon as he’s done.”
“Thank you,” I muttered.
He nodded, and then he was gone. I turned and took everything in. A desk stood in the middle of the office. It was littered with papers. A computer stood on the edge close to the medium-sized window. On the left, pushed against the wall, was an old leather couch. Dropping the bag next to the desk, I hesitated before taking a seat on the leather chair beside it. The files on the desk caught my attention. I was curious. Swallowing, I leaned forward and pulled them closer. There were photos of different men and girls around my age. The deeper I dug, the more I wished I hadn’t looked. Photos of cremated bodies. Photos of girls beaten. Some were even ripped apart with body pieces missing. I closed the file and pushed it aside just as the door opened. My eyes snapped to Stephen. He stood half in the office and half out. Someone was talking to him. He glanced at me over his shoulder before looking back at the person. A few minutes later, he stepped into his office and closed the door firmly behind him.
“Alia,” he muttered.
Stephen dropped something on the desk as he walked around it. I stood on shaky legs. It had been weeks since I last saw him, but it felt like the first time all over again. My hand clutched the desk tightly as I waited for him to speak. He didn’t. Stephen stepped forward, paused, and then closed the space between us.
“You look like shit, baby,” he whispered, stroking my cheek.
I laughed. “Thank you.”
My eyes filled with tears the longer I stared up at him. He had dark circles beneath his eyes. I reached up to place my shaky hand against his cheek.
“Stephen,” I whispered, “I—”
“I’m so fucking sorry, baby,” he cut me off. “I shouldn’t have said that about the abortion. It wasn’t right of me to do that. I’ve never had a good role model of a father growing up. Handling these kinds of situations is new to me. I fucked up, and I’m really fucking sorry, baby. Tell me what I need to do to make it up to you.”
“Kiss me.”
His lips brushed mine. I groaned. I wrapped my arm around his neck. My lips pressed against his harder. Stephen didn’t kiss me the way I wanted him to kiss me. He kept the kiss slow and gentle.
“Stephen.”
He smiled against my lips, and then he was kissing me like a starved man. His tongue sought entrance, and I gave it to him. The utility belt was digging painfully into my stomach. It didn’t allow me to feel him like I wanted to. With my hand buried in his hair, I kissed him harder. I kissed him with an urgency that felt foreign to me. An urgency that scared me.
“Slow down, baby,” he muttered as he broke the kiss.
Instead of listening, I started trailing kisses down his neck. He groaned, gripping my hips tighter. I pulled one hand from his hair and moved it between our bodies. He was growing against my hand as I stroked him through his pants.
“Fuck.” Stephen gripped my ass and lifted me onto the desk. “Alia, baby,” he whispered, gripping my wrist. “Not here. Anyone can walk in.”
“Then lock your door,” I moaned.
He chuckled. Stephen looked down at me with humour in his eyes. “I may have an office, but I’m not important enough to have a lock on the door.”
My head dropped to his shoulder. We were both breathing heavily. I spread my legs as he pulled me against him. His familiar smell filled my nostrils. For the first time in weeks, I felt myself relax.
“Tell me about yourself,” I whispered. “Tell me about yourself, and I’ll forgive you.” Stephen tensed. The moment we shared was broken. I quickly wrapped my legs around his hips before he could pull away.
“I have the right to know something about you.” I paused. “That night at the mall, I heard some things about you that I find hard to believe. Everyone is saying something different, and I don’t know what’s the truth anymore, Stephen.”
He swallowed loudly. Something flashed in his eyes. Reaching out, he wiped his thumb beneath my eye. Stephen opened his mouth but then closed it again. He seemed to be struggling with what he wanted to say.
“Okay,” he said. “I will answer your questions.”
“Good.”
Fear settled when I realized that my time was running out. I had to get home before Michael saw me here. Unhooking my legs, I pushed him away. I felt sick as I bent to pick up the plastic bag. Without saying a word, I pulled out a few photos and placed them on the desk in front of him. He picked one up. Then another and another until he had looked at them all. Stephen suddenly started cursing. His eyes were focused on one particular picture.
“Where did you get these?”
“Someone placed them on the wall in one of the bathrooms at school.” He silently started stacking them on top of each other. Stephen grabbed the bag and placed them inside again.
“Has anyone touched them besides you?”
“Only Emily.” He frowned at me. “She saw them and told me about it,” I explained. He nodded as he picked up the bag.
“I’ll take care of it, baby. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m sorry, Stephen,” I whispered. “You got dragged into this because of me.”
With a small smile, he wrapped an arm around my waist. His lips brushed my forehead.
“I’m happy that you care about me, baby, but I’m a grown-up. I don’t give a fuck what others think of me. They can say what they want, but if they start calling you names, they better start running.” He hugged me against him. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about this. I’ll take care of it.”
I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t. Something in me was warning that things were only getting started. This was the start of something I didn’t want any part in.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
As the days flew by, I started noticing things about my body. It was changing, and I haven’t even realized it. I was so focused on everything happening that I forgot to take care of myself. The first thing I noticed was the fact that my breasts had gotten bigger. If it wasn’t for Kate pointing it out, I wouldn’t have realized it. That night I had stared at my naked body in the floor-length mirror I had in my room. My breasts had gotten bigger and felt more sensitive. My nipples had also changed colour. As I turned to my side, my eyes dropped down the length of my body. They paused at my stomach. I’d lost some weight, I could tell. But what was most clear was the fact that my stomach wasn’t flat. Not like it used to be. I was stopped from any further examination when my mother knocked on the door.
After that night, I barely had any time to think about it. Things at school were getting worse. Not to mention that everything at the house was rushed to get Mom and Michael ready for the conference. The weekend was crawling up, and before I knew it, it was Friday. I didn’t have a test, so I stayed at home. Mom had finished packing the night before. Their bags stood next to the front door.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with Marlin?” my mom asked softly.
I nodded. She was standing in my doorway looking nervous. They were going to leave in half an hour—as soon as the deputy showed up. I glanced up at her as she moved further into the room. Her mouth opened, but she got cut off when the phone started ringing. When she didn’t return after a few minutes, I decided to go search for her. I found her in the kitchen sitting at the table with the phone pressed to her ear.
“Are you serious? We—” She paused, listening to whoever was talking. “Marlin, you—” My frown deepened when she fell silent again. Minutes passed, and without another word, she ended the call. With a groan, she glanced up at me.
“Marlin cancelled. Apparently something came up at work, and he can’t look after Sam and Emma.”
“What about Aunt Genna?” I asked as I took a seat opposite her.
“She made plans that c
an’t be cancelled.”
“Isn’t it funny how that suddenly happened?” I muttered. “I’ll watch them.”
“I can’t expect that from you, honey,” Mom said, pushing herself up from the table.
“Mom, it’s only for a weekend. Emma will be staying with her friend anyway, so that only leaves Sam. I’ve watched her before.”
“Alia—”
“I can study at night when she’s asleep, so it won’t be problem.”
With narrowed eyes, she stared at me. I shifted slightly in the seat. It felt like she could see right through me. I fought the urge to press my hands against my stomach. She couldn’t possibly know about it. I didn’t even know myself! What if you’re pregnant? that voice in my head whispered. How will you tell her? Will you tell Stephen? What about school? Panic filled me as I thought about the way my life would change if I was pregnant. The two test boxes were still hidden in my closet. I was planning on taking them this weekend.
“Okay,” my mom said, breaking through my thoughts. “We can’t miss this conference. I’ll call Michael and inform him of the change of plans.”
I nodded. As she picked up the phone, I walked out of the kitchen. The moment I was clear of her sight, I pressed my hands against my stomach. My whole life would be put on hold if the tests were positive. I shook off the disturbing thoughts as I made my way into the living room. Grabbing the remote, I took a seat on the couch. I made myself comfortable. An hour later, I heard a car pull up in the driveway. A few seconds later, another car parked. My mom passed the living room as she walked towards the front door.
“Mrs. Dune, it’s nice to see you again,” a familiar voice spoke up.
Goosebumps rose up over my skin. My heartbeat started to speed up when I heard the voices getting louder. My mom walked in front of them with Michael behind her and Stephen behind him. His eyes caught mine briefly as they passed. The movie was pretty interesting, but I lost interest in it. I was burning with curiosity to know what they were talking about.
