She strikes again, and again, and again—this time, so hard it forces a garbled cry from my throat. The heels she’s wearing dig into my ribs, scratching the uncovered skin of my stomach with their imbedded diamonds.
“You think you can come in here and take what’s mine? I’ll show you, trash! Fucking whore!” she screams like a crazed banshee as she continues to pummel my stomach.
By the time she’s finished with her tirade, tears are dancing in my eyes. Pain I’ve only felt by Debra’s hand encompasses me, and I wrap my hands protectively around my bruised and battered stomach. Being able to breathe is a chore, but I know the moment I inhale a full breath that I will be okay. She wasn’t able to crack a rib which satisfies me tremendously.
My mouth falls open of its own accord, my chest rising and falling fast, trying to gulp as much air as possible into my stinging lungs. The cold tile floor feels good against my heated skin as I come down. Adrenaline pumps through my veins at warp speeds, energising me enough to lose myself against the darkness encircling my vision.
Damn bitch is strong, I’ll give her that. I may hate her, but I respect the fight in her. But that doesn’t mean she’ll get away with it. Once this is all over, I’ll get her back.
Gentle hands wrap underneath my arms, dragging me to my feet. My body protests the movement, a soft grunt falling from my lips as a particular move shifts my bruised ribs. Since they’re not causing too much pain, I don’t fight them. In fact, if I could I’d thank them.
Until I see who’s behind me, then I kind of wish I did.
Quinn Tannenbay.
“What in the hell is wrong with you, Lennox?!” he bellows, pinning her to the spot with a menacing glare.
My eyes trail over to her, seeing her full hatred spearing toward me. “She’s nothing but trash, Quinn. Less than trash. In fact,” she says, smirking, “she needs to remember her manners and say thank you for the honor of meeting my shoe.”
Is she kidding me? I should thank her? She damn near cracked my rib. Damn near ruined my chances of trying out for the softball team. I know if she had hit any harder, I would have been out of commission for tryouts at the beginning of November. If she accomplished that, my payback would have been twice as bad as what it will already be.
No one, and I do mean, no one, fucks with the only hobby I have that brings me happiness. The only hobby I have that can get me out of this town when we graduate.
Growling softly, I don’t move out of Quinn’s arms as I pin her with a glare. “You realize what you could have done, don’t you? If you had hit me just right, I would suffer from broken ribs, possibly shattered.”
She smiles. “And?”
My entire body visibly trembles. “You could have wrecked my entire senior year, bitch! Do you forget I am the person who leads our softball team to the championships every goddamn year. It’s certainly not you—with your half-ass rainbow tosses and strike outs! That’s why coach put you in the outfield on JV. It’s because you fucking suck!”
“Fucking cunt!” she yells, launching herself at me.
I fight against Quinn’s hold, my ribs long forgotten. I was going to contain myself, but then she had to open her mouth, ruining all my hard work at containing myself. Honestly, it shouldn’t surprise me. Alessandra has always been a bitch that doesn’t think before she acts.
Before she can get to me, a large body steps half-way in front of me. Even though my eyes only see Alessandra’s, I can feel the pure malice roll of the person in front of me in waves. Hell, he’s practically quivering in his shoes by having to hold himself back.
My eyes break away from hers long enough I almost choke on my spit. Callum is standing in front of me, his face twisted in a cruel sneer as he stares daggers at Alessandra. His jaw ticks so tight I fear he will crack a tooth soon if he doesn’t release the pressure.
“Who gave you permission to touch her?” His voice is eerily calm, almost like it is before a storm wreaks havoc in Silver Creek. His eyes flash dangerously as he stares down his nose at a gaped mouth Alessandra.
When she comes down from her shock, she regards him with spiteful eyes. “I don’t need permission.”
“Says fucking who?”
Shifting her gaze to me, she releases a smug grin. Whatever she’s about to say, I know it will spear me, pierce right into the heart barely beating inside my chest. “I’m your woman. She’s the one who should ask permission to touch you, which is something she will never get from me.”
Awkward silence filters through the room. People shift uncomfortably under its unrelenting waves, their attention torn between their queen bee and king.
Well, they can join the club. I’m just as confused as they are. I fully intended on taking care of her myself, because I was sure no one here would.
“You think so goddamn highly of yourself, don’t you?” he spits. “The only reason you are who you are is because of me.”
And what he gives you, he can take away. I giggle to myself, earning a sharp look from Callum for my efforts, which shuts me up really quickly.
Scanning the room, my eyes find Ellis’ just beyond a line of guys standing near the hallway. When he catches my gaze, he tosses a secret smile in my direction; the action causes a lightness to bloom inside my chest and a stupid smile to shine through my pained exterior.
It’ll never get old, I don’t think. Being looked at as if I am someone, and not something.
“Take Jessalyn upstairs,” Callum orders. “It seems Lennox and I need to have a little chat.”
Before I can muster a reply, “like no way in hell am I going upstairs,” I see Ellis push away from the wall and start in my direction. I take a few minutes to come to terms that Asher hasn’t moved a muscle, yet he’s the closest one to me. Maybe they talked about this all before and come to some agreement. Or, I could just be looking too much into it.
Before I have time to think about it, Ellis wraps his arms around me and shoulders through the crowd. I’d laugh at the way people are craning their necks to see the action. If it weren’t for the ache blooming in my chest, and constant throb in my mid-section, that is.
“You shouldn’t have come, Jess,” he says in my ear. “Now he will be out for blood.”
“Who?”
“Callum.”
We say nothing else as he navigates me up the stairs. Hundreds of thoughts swirl around my mind at the speed of light, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them. They all range from the most miniscule of things to the most major.
Why did Callum stand up for me?
He’s been such a bastard, what provoked him to treat me with humility?
How is this going to end?
They keep tumbling and tumbling faster than I can solve, my head filling to the brim and turning it to mush.
It’s not supposed to be like this. He’s not supposed to have any redeeming quality left inside of him. He’s the villain, and now, by his actions, he turned into a goddamn hero.
It’s all so confusing.
I don’t know which way is up or down with him now. What is a lie, and how much of it stems from a buried truth.
There is so much fight inside me; so many emotions warring against each other I can’t see straight.
Callum can’t change his tune now. That’s not how we do things. If we hate someone, we hate them. If we love someone, we love them. But it seems he’s fighting a battle himself between love and hate underneath the surface.
Love at seeing me crumble beneath his watchful gaze, but hate at seeing anyone else think they have the right to join him in my misery.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask when we come to a stop at the top of the stairs. My gut rolls at the sight of the first door on the right.
The bathroom.
And I notice … Ellis leading me in its direction.
Fear absolutely paralyzes me. The aches and pains in my abdomen are nothing compared to what’s happening on the inside. My heart races, plan slicks with sweat—I breathe s
o rapidly stars start dancing across my vision
“Please,” I beg, trying to dig my heels in. “No.”
“We have to get you cleaned up,” Ellis whispers, and even his whimsical, soothing voice isn’t enough to defuse the turbulence thrashing around.
Shaking my head back and forth, I fight against his hold, trying to dig my feet in “No. No, no, no. I don’t want to. No! No!”
My mind isn’t rationalizing I’m fine and in Ellis’ arms. Instead, I’m thrust back into that night like a piece of rubble releasing from a rubber band slingshot.
“Jess,” Ellis panics as his grip tightens. It only serves to freak me out more. “Calm down! I’m just going to wash your face and arms off. Calm down.”
I’m shaking like a leaf, scared beyond all comprehension. “Please,” I cry out, fighting him. “Don’t take me in there!”
“It’s just a goddamn bathroom, woman.” I can tell he’s agitated, because I’ve never heard this level of vehemence in his voice before. But I can’t help it. I can’t go in there.
Twisting in his arms, a sob catches in my throat so hard I almost choke. “Ellis. Please.” I run my fingers through my hair, gripping tightly, shaking my head back and forth. “Please, please, please don’t make me go in there.”
Something in my voice causes Ellis to stop within feet from my worst nightmare. Tilting my face up, I’m lost in the sea of his crystal blue depths as I feel hot tears cascade down my flaming cheeks. My heart pounds in my chest, thudding against my newly bruised ribs as I try to beat the memories into submission.
Ellis looks down at me with a mask of worry. His brows pinch tight as he scans my face. His teeth worry his bottom lip, and I can feel the tension radiating off him in waves.
He’s just as lost as I am, but for two very different reasons. First, him not knowing why, and second, because he probably does not understand how to deal with a blubbering female.
I hate being like this; showing emotions when I need to keep a tight lid over them. But with the pummeling I got downstairs and what Callum’s put me through, seeing the bathroom door is too much.
“What happened to you?” he finally murmurs, the softness of his words cause me to release the dam I didn’t know I had inside me.
I break down in his arms right there in the hallway, my hands clutching at the front of his expensive shirt. Forgetting my current state, I press my face into his chest, unleashing the years of sorrow I buried deep inside me. His hand cradles the back of my head as if he were holding a newborn baby. He coos in my ear, whispering about how I’m safe and nothing is going to hurt me again.
Oh, how I wish that were true. How I wish I could go back to the woman that felt nothing and only took pleasure from those who sought to give it.
How I could put everything back inside the box inside me, never allowing it to surface ever again.
I want to forget. Push everything out of my head, except the feeling of having someone with me, kissing me—inside me. I want them to take this pain and morph it to pleasure.
But all I get are kind words and soft touches. All I get for sobbing is a shoulder to cry on. And cry I do.
I cry for the girl I once was.
I cry for the girl that’s lost; shrouded in a layer of darkness she can barely see light.
I cry for the woman I am today. In this moment. In this second.
And Ellis is there the entire time, trying his best to whisper away my sorrows as I fight the impending darkness encroaching. I fight it as long as I can, but it’s useless, because seconds later, I lose my battle and pass out in his arms.
CHAPTER 18
Warmth presses against my back, coating me in a semblance of security I haven’t felt for so long. It’s almost breathtaking; the level of calm washing through my veins. Unlike, the vinegar and poison that usually lays claim.
There are strong arms wrapped around my torso. Calloused fingers interlacing with mine against my chest. W-Where am I? I ponder, throat too thick with emotion to swallow.
A thick, muscular leg wraps around both of mine like a second skin, holding me closer, tighter—like my absence will absolutely terrify them if I move away. Hot, heavy breaths, trail across the back of my neck, causing goosebumps to rise along the entire surface of my body.
Well, whoever this is, they make our bodies conform to each other—like our whole purpose is to give in to one another. A cosmic revelation, if you will.
I don’t believe in that kind of thing, but if it means the person behind me will stay where they are, then count me in. It feels to heavenly, satisfying. I wish I could stay here forever. Even as the nameless guy behind me presses his face against the back of my head, inhaling evenly, I still don’t want to leave the confines of his arms.
They make me feel safe, protected. It’s something I haven’t felt in such a long, long time. Hell, I didn’t even think I could muster up the drive to feel something like this again.
Then reality has to slap me in the face. As I come out of sleep, I’m too disoriented to recollect where I am. All I am met with is silence, minus the deep, coaxing breaths of the man lying behind me. Fragments of what happened try to piece together inside my splintered mind, but nothing rationally sticks. It’s hard. Too difficult to muddle through. I grasp at every piece I come across, hoping to figure out what made me get to this moment.
It’s like a blank canvas. I can see the vision in front of me, but not the way to work my way through to the final piece.
It’s exhausting. Confusing. And I’m so, so emotionally drained already.
Yet … I note with reluctance, as I take account for my body, I feel a sense of calm. There are no threats, no monsters nearby that go bump in the night.
And I feel extreme … relief. A positive reaction that completely takes me by surprise.
It’s much harder to explain the depths of reassurance I have. No longer the pain and hurt lives within—all I feel is freedom.
Freedom to roll around in the softest bed ever, inhaling the tantalizing scent of manly musk and cinnamon.
Wait, a minute …
Horror washes through me, forcing my eyes to snap open. Once my vision clears, I make out the room through the dim lighting that baths its walls like a sensual caress.
My breath stalls. My panic erupts. My eyes dance with a burning ember when I spy an all too familiar desk with a sleek silver laptop resting on its surface. A high-back rolling chair sits just haphazardly pushed away, like the person who vacated it is about to return any moment.
My eyes trail over the beige walls, drinking in all the things I thought I’d never see again. Posters of bands, scantily clad women, and a mounted acoustic guitar held up by brackets. Just the sight alone scalds me, bringing with it the reality of where I find myself now. It has the memory of what went down bouncing around inside my skull with such clarity.
No. I can’t be in here. I cannot be anywhere near this place.
I’m sure the guy behind me has to be Ellis, considering he was the one that held me after my breakdown in the hallway. He stayed with me, whispering sweet nothings into my ear until I passed out on him. The shock merely seeing the bathroom door after all this time was enough to unground me. I didn’t have to see what was inside, because I already knew. I etched every last detail into my mind through the year we were together. And there’s no way I’ll ever be able to forget it.
I need to get out of here. With Ellis in such a deep slumber, I should be able to leave without him knowing.
Fuck, what time is it, anyway? Debra will have a goddamn field day if I don’t get home before mid-night, and I am not in the emotional state right now to put up with her shit. The term, “holding on by a thread,” is the personification of how my world is, and I can’t think about anyone except myself.
Extracting my fingers from the hands holding them captive, I softly try to remove myself without waking the sleeping giant behind me. He probably wouldn’t care, but I’m not going to bet on that. He could turn int
o a grumpy bear if he gets woken up. A small smile tilts my lips for just a second before it falls away just as fast.
After getting one of my hands free, I sigh in relief at the feeling of blood rushing back into my fingers. Ellis sure did not want me to get away from him. Did he? He’s holding onto me so tightly if his arms were around my stomach, I would barely be able to breathe.
The moment my other hand is free, I choke out a gasp of shock when both arms wrap around my torso, pulling me back into his well-defined, rigid chest as if on instinct. I sigh, then release a silent chuckle as I meticulously inspect his hold on me. I see it’s just as hard, without being too hard, as it was when we were holding hands.
Dammit, there is no way I’m getting out of this. Not without waking him up. Such a bitch move, man. Fuck.
How do I get myself into these situations? I mean, hellfire, it’s like I have a sign on my back begging fate to give me all she has. Like now being a terrific example. I fuck guys, yes. But I’ve never slept with one before. There has been no closing of the eyes and counting sheep to drift off to sleep. I fuck, then take off. I don’t do any of that cuddly shit.
However, I can’t deny it doesn’t feel good. Having someone’s arms wrapped around me, clinging to me like I’m their lifeline. It’s a heady feeling, to say the least. But not for a girl as fucked up as I am. Lying here feels foreign, yet familiar. It’s soothing, yet chaotic.
It’s … something I suddenly crave. And that’s a huge problem.
The soft sound of the knob turning catches my attention, stopping me completely from untangling myself from Ellis’ grip. My heart flutters a nervous beat in my chest as my mind whirls with what to do. If someone catches that I’m awake or even coherent, I hate to think of what they might start with me. I know I worried Ellis before I passed out in his arms, but the other three, I’m not so sure they’ll be so lenient. We are in Callum’s room, after all. I don’t think he will take too kindly by my sleeping on his bed.
Break Me, Baby: A Reverse Harem High School Bully Romance (Silver Creek High Book 1) Page 14
