“Look, I don’t know much about her, my mom hasn’t really said much. I think she’s all types of fucked up; she barely comes out of her room. I practically had to bribe her in to coming on Saturday. But there is just something about her that stirs something in me. She’s different, and god does she get my dick hard.”
“So what are you saying Cole? You feel something for this chick? What about Cait? I mean, I’m the free and single one, maybe I should try my luck,” he laughs.
“That’s not even funny man. The thought of anyone touching her makes me feel sick. Fuck Jake, I don’t even know why I feel like this.” I exhale.
“I’m going to be honest with you Cole, if you’re serious about this chick, you want to make your move and do it fast. It’s not going to be long till someone else gets there first. Seriously. I mean, have you seen her? She’s like every guy’s wet dream.”
“I have no idea what I’m going to do. I am totally and completely fucked.”
He looks at me sympathetically as we part ways to go to class.
Kennedy
I’m holding the bathroom pass tightly in my hand. I can feel the vomit rising in my throat. I do everything I can to keep it in until I get to the bathroom. As I turn the corner, I can hear loud whispers, an obvious argument. I hold back, scared to interrupt whatever I walked into. I stand with my back against the wall, hoping they will hurry and move along.
“I told you this wasn’t happening anymore Dennis, Saturday night was a real eye opener!”
“What, before or after my dick was shoved down your throat?”
“This is the shit I’m talking about Dennis; I don’t need to put up with this from you! After all, I have Cole; you were just a mistake and I can’t give you what you want.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the one who was making you scream when the three of us were together; it was you that wanted us both at the same time, remember?”
“Yeah and you’ve been clingy ever since Dennis, I can’t take this shit anymore!”
“Cait …please... no, wait. You know how much I need you! You know how bad things are at home with my Dad right now.”
“Don’t try the emotional blackmail shit with me Dennis, it’s not my fault your dad is a fucking loser! Not to mention a raging alcoholic, who beats on women.”
“Woah Caitlin, that shit is low! You really are the bitch that everyone says you are!”
The voices get closer and I start to panic. I will my feet to move but they don’t. Why the fuck are my feet not moving? Shit. I try again to get myself to turn and go back in the direction I came from but it’s too late.
“Oh bitch... Were you just eavesdropping?” I turn to see an enraged Caitlin storming towards me before throwing her arm on the wall to block me in. Think Kennedy. Shit, how do I get out of this one? I obviously overheard their conversation. I do the only thing I can think of and duck under her arm, racing towards the bathroom. I hear heavy footsteps following me and the thud of the door closing.
I back towards the corner as she strides towards me. I feel like the walls are closing in on me. I’ve been in this situation before and I will myself not think of those memories. She gets in my personal space, so close to me I can feel her breath on my face.
“Listen up you ugly fucking freak! I don’t know what you heard, but I swear to god if you repeat any of it I will make it my mission to turn your life into a living hell,” she snarls at me. I can smell her minty breath as she spouts her venom at me.
I look at her dead in the eyes and I want to laugh but know it will make the situation worse. I lean in slightly and scowl. “You don’t know what hell is, until you have lived a day in my shoes.” I realize as soon as it comes out that I haven’t scared her; in fact, I made it ten times worse. She grabs the side of my hair in her bony hands and yanks it hard. I let out a whimper.
“You utter one word of what you ‘think’ you heard and you’ll never want to come back to this school again. Don’t underestimate me Kennnnn,” she slurs viciously.
“I have a lot of influence over people at this school. I worked hard to be top of it, and I’m not going to let some trailer trash bimbo come in and ruin my image and reputation. Oh and let’s not forget about Cole. I got him wrapped around my little finger, don’t you forget that. I can easily end your cozy little set up at the Petersons!”
This time her threat is real. The thought of being out on the street for someone to find me is terrifying. I quickly begin to respond, my words trembling as I try to hold back the emotion in my voice. “Honestly, I don’t know what you were talking about; I swear I didn’t hear anything Cait. Please just let me go.”
Caitlin lets go of my hair with a shove and I let out the breath I’ve been holding. She strides towards the door and carelessly throws her long golden brown locks behind her.
“Remember Kennedy, I can make you homeless.” She scowls her last threat over her shoulder as she exits.
I slowly retreat from the corner I am cowering in and walk towards the sink. I run the cold water and splash it on my face. Trying to calm my nerves I put a hand on my chest to steady my breathing. I try to give myself a pep talk, telling myself I have been through worse than this. I don’t even know why I am so upset.
As I go towards the door, it slams open and I jump, expecting to see Caitlin coming back for more. Instead I’m greeted with something far worse. I feel bile rise instantaneously in my throat. The person who stands in the door is someone I fear more. In fact he reminds me of someone from my past, someone I would rather forget.
He walks towards me and I physically recoil. He catches me and wraps a heavy hand around my throat, using his other to slap and grab my ass tightly. My body tenses and I stand as still as a statue; something I learned from previous experiences.
He doesn’t speak. His grip around my throat grows tight; fighting him now would only make things worse. Zoning out is all I can do. The hand grabbing my ass loosens slightly before working its way under my skirt. Beefy fingers pinch and squeeze as they move between my cheeks. I worry I am going to be physically sick as he moves up and down. Suddenly he is pushing into my ass with a hard, scaly index finger. I tense from the feeling of something inside me. I can barely speak. I gasp, not knowing what to do or say. “Please, stop, don’t do this,” I beg.
He withdraws his finger and puts it to his mouth, slowly licking.
He whispers, “Come on baby, I know you liked that. Just relax for me and I can make you feel good… this,” he gestures with his fingers, “could be so good.”
I shiver, not in anticipation, but in disgust.
Relief floods through me as the door is abruptly thrown open and someone walks in. I don’t recognize her, but her hair is in dreadlocks and she looks like she could kill someone with her unexpected biceps.
“What the fuck Dennis! Get the fuck out of the girls’ bathroom!” Dennis quickly retracts, increasing the distance between us.
“Whatever Monique, that’s not what you said last week,” he laughs as he swaggers out.
“As if asshole, you are so not my type,” she hollers at him as he swiftly makes his exit.
“Girl, you do not want to get mixed up with the likes of Dennis, he’s a major douche bag, not to mention fucked up,” the muscular girl looks at me with a grim look on her face.
“It’s not what it looks like! I… err… I gotta go.” I frantically run out of the room, the swell of tears stinging my eyes. I can feel my heart beating erratically as my body starts to tremble and heat starts coursing through my veins. My legs feel so weak I can barely move. I fall to the floor, my back resting against the wall of the hallway. I inhale deeply hoping to steady my breathing. The sound of footsteps make me jump to my feet. I have to get out of here, I can’t stay here! I run down the hall in the direction of the office. I have to compose myself. Shit, get it together Kennedy! I approach the window of the secretary. There is a large lady with grey hair sitting there dunking some sort of cookie into her cup of coff
ee.
“Excuse me ma’am, I really have to go home. I feel so sick.”
“Oh you do, do you? This isn’t just some excuse to get out of class is it?”
Jesus Christ what does she want from me
“No ma’am it’s not, I can categorically say I feel really ill and I have to get home.” I hear the emotion in my voice as I speak and so can the woman at the desk. She straightens up and pushes her coffee to one side.
“Then let’s arrange to get you home, how do you normally get to and from school? You’re staying with the Petersons right?”
“Mmm hmm,” is all I can muster.
“Do you want me to call Mrs. Peterson to come and get you?”
“No ma’am!” my voice bellows from the panic at the thought of her calling Jocelyn. “I usually ride with Cole.”
“Well okay then, let me see if we can get Cole to take you.” With that, she grabs the black desk phone and proceeds to make a call.
“Yes please, Cole Peterson. That’s right, to the office please.” She hangs up the phone and faces me,
“Take a seat Kennedy, Cole is on his way,” she says, gesturing to the plastic chairs located on the other side of the room. Okay, so Cole is coming. It’s the better option than her calling Mrs. Peterson, but shit what will I say to him? The tension between us is already intense.
Cole
I am literally sliding down the halls trying to make it to the school office in record time. I have a feeling something major is wrong. As I turn the corner, I see Kennedy slouched and silently sobbing in the waiting area seats. She looks so tiny and frail, I just want to scoop her up in my arms and hold her. Her face is stained with tears and her eyes look hollow and empty.
I touch her shoulder gently to let her know I’m there. She lifts her head and looks at me blankly. She doesn’t speak; just nods and stands to follow me. I sense that something has happened beyond her being sick, but I know that she won’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to press her too much, especially when she is in this state. If anyone has done anything to her, I will kill them with my bare hands. My heart aches inside my chest as I watch her climb in to my truck and sink into the seat. “Do you want to talk about it? You know I’m here for you. Even if you want to just scream, shout, let off some steam; I can be that guy.” Her head slowly turns towards my direction. Blonde locks fall over the side of her face so all I can see is her bloodshot eyes. She loosely shakes her head from side to side and brings her knees up to her chest, resting her feet on the seat of the car. She lowers her head to rest on her knees, and the sight of this beautiful, broken girl in front of me is heart shattering.
The rest of the drive home is silent. She just stares out of the window and traces circles on the glass. All I want to do is wrap her up in my arms and keep her safe, but I know that she won’t let me help her. It’s clear she wants to be alone. As soon as we pull up the driveway, she hops out and says, “Thanks Cole. I think I’ll be ok from here. You should get back to school.”
With a slam of the door, she hurries up the steps to the front door, offering a slight glance in my direction before shutting herself inside. Fuck, I should be doing something. Why am I still just sitting here? I put my truck in to gear and race back to school. I will find out what the fuck happened to her!
By the time I get back to school, it’s lunch time and there are people milling around outside. I don’t know where to start with trying to figure out what happened to Kennedy, but I’m pretty sure Ash and Abbey will have an idea. They must know something. I head towards the cafeteria and make a beeline for their usual table. With every step, the intensity of my rage grows larger. My fist is clenched so tightly that I can feel my nails digging into the skin. I slam my hands on the table in front of their faces.
“What the hell is going on?” I bark at them with venom in my voice, causing them to jump. “I just had to take Kennedy home. If either of you have done something to upset her, I swear to god…” my voice is becoming louder and I know I am attracting attention, but I don’t care.
“She won’t talk to me, and she’s locked herself in her room. For fuck sakes, can you not tell she is fragile?” I slam my fists on the table, I can’t help myself, I know I’m shouting, but I am infuriated. The way she looked at me before I left made me see red and I want to bury the person who has upset her. The pair of them looked shocked.
“Hold up Cole. What are you even talking about? We haven’t seen Kennedy since first period,” Ash says, jumping up and looking me in the eyes.
“Yeah, seriously. We didn’t even realize she’d left. Is she ok? Is she sick or something? Should I go see her? I could get her some chicken broth or something,” Abbey rattles off.
“What the hell Abbey! Have you not been listening to me at all? Someone did something to upset her and I had to take her home! I thought talking to you would help me find out what happened but it’s obviously a waste of time; all you fucking do is ask question after question and honestly, you are a bit of a joke,” I snarl at her. I know it isn’t her fault and I shouldn’t be taking my anger out on the flame haired pixie, but I can’t help it. I seriously feel like the Hulk and if I don’t leave soon, I’m going to start throwing chairs and tables around. I spin on my heels without another word and storm out, but not before catching a glimpse of Caitlin. Her mouth is hanging open and she looks shell shocked and slightly worried. “This better not have anything to fucking do with you Caitlin, I swear to god if it is, we are through. I mean it Cait! You have been a total bitch to Kennedy from the start and she doesn’t deserve your asshole attitude.” Her mouth is wide open and she is just staring at me.
“Me? Cole are you actually kidding me right now? I have nothing to do with that girl!”
“Yeah man calm the fuck down, you’re making a scene,” Pete mutters. All the guys from the team are standing there, wondering what the hell is going on. Jake lands a hand on my shoulder. “Hey man, what happened?” I glare at him.
“Do you think I’d be going fucking crazy if I knew what happened? That’s what I’m trying to find out!”
Jake takes a step back, holding up his hands in surrender. “Sorry man, jeez just trying to help.”
I storm in the direction of the cafeteria door and swipe my arm across the next table, sending the tray and the contents flying across the room. As I reached the door I kick it open and throw myself towards the wall. I slam my fist into the wall with all my might, letting out a thunderous yell, “Fuuuck!” Jesus, I’ve lost it. Well and truly lost it!
Abbey
“Oh my god, what just happened Ash? I mean seriously, who’s rattled his cage?”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what Mr. Cole ‘Hot Head’ Peterson’s problem is; I’m more worried about Kennedy.” Ash has always been a good friend to me and I can see he is genuinely concerned about Kennedy.
“So am I Ash, seriously what do you take me for? I just don’t appreciate being on the receiving end of some wound up Hench guy who thinks its ok to come in here and scream at us when we’ve done nothing wrong.”
“That’s not what really matters here Abs; Kennedy clearly needs someone right now. We need to reach out to her. Do you think we should stop by when school’s out?”
We are abruptly interrupted by a rather bulky female finger tapping my shoulder. I fling around at double speed, annoyed at the disturbance of our conversation. “Hey what’s your problem?” I question Monique who is sitting at the table behind us.
“Listen squeak, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, and all I am saying is you might want to ask Dennis Jeffries about your little friend; I saw him this morning acting all shady in the girl’s bathroom with err… What’s her name? Kennedy? It was very weird; she took off pretty quick when I tried to talk to her about it.”
Ash and I eye each other questioningly. “Dennis fucking Jeffries,” we say in sync.
Cole
I’ve been driving around aimlessly for a solid hour, working on calmin
g myself down since my outburst at lunch. I needed to be thinking clearly when I got back to the house; I didn’t want to scare Kennedy by flying off the handle. I park and move towards the house slowly, rubbing my forehead trying to alleviate some of this built up tension. If I know anything about her, I have no doubt that she will still be locked in her room. I wish I knew how to get her to open up to me. I want her to feel comfortable with me and trust me, but I have no idea where to start in getting us to that place. She’s so complex and there is so much I don’t understand about her; she is a total mystery to me. I have never been involved with a girl like her before. Usually the sorts of girls that surround me are superficial and all about how they look or how popular they are. Kennedy couldn’t be any more different if she tried.
I make my way up our elaborate staircase and down the hall to her room. When I reach her room, my heart is beating and my hands are sweating. I’m nervous. I tap gently on the door. I stop and listen carefully and can hear her quietly sobbing. Shit, has she been crying since I left? She must be completely exhausted.
“Ken I know you are in there. I can hear you crying. I might be the last person you want to see right now, but I have to know that you’re alright. Whatever happened, whatever is wrong, I’m here for you. Please trust me. I would never intentionally hurt you; in fact, all I want to do is help you. I care about you Ken. Please open the door and let me in.”
God did I want her to let me in, not only in to the room but in to her heart. This girl seriously has me by the balls. There’s nothing but silence. This was going to be harder than I first thought.
“Ok Ken, if you don’t want to talk to me right now so be it. We have all night and like I said, I’m not going anywhere.” I slowly slide down the door and sit with my back resting against it. “You have to come out and face the world eventually; you have to jump and I promise you... I will be here to catch you when you fall.” I sit there silently for a second or two, wishing she would give me something; some sort of answer.
Beautiful Broken Girl (Broken Girl series Book 1) Page 6
