by Ellis Marie
“Can I tell you a secret?” Carter smirks, his feet carrying him closer to me. My chest constricts when I can see the way his eyes are glinting. “I don’t actually need the bathroom.”
He chuckles, and the sound does not fill me with faith. He doesn’t sound happy; he sounds demented. As if he is in on a joke that only he knows about and I wouldn’t like the punchline.
“You must be mad that Matt is going away with us,” he assumes, his eyes trailing along the wall while following his finger that’s drawing a line straight towards me. “I mean, heck, I’d be mad, too, if I knew my boyfriend was away to cheat on me for an entire weekend with someone that is my . . . could I call her your friend?”
I grit my teeth together and I can feel the sweat beginning to coat my palms as his body gets closer. “Matt’s not going to cheat,” I whisper, unable to make my voice come out any stronger.
“Are you sure about that?” Carter’s question hangs in the air. It makes my mind go into a frenzy. The images of Tracey and Ryan haunting my mind before they transform into ones of her and Matt, their bodies wrapped around each other in a tight embrace. I trust Matt; it’s Tracey that I don’t trust . . . right?
Before I can realise, Carter is in my personal space and his face is tilted down to be eye level. His beer-scented breath washes over me. I resist the urge to vomit at not only that, but also at his hand that’s decided to explore my waist.
“C-Carter,” I stumble out, trying to stop my body from shaking. “What are you doing?”
He hushes me softly. He touches me so lightly that it almost feels like a nightmare, but he’s standing right in front of me, and I can see that he is very real.
“I’m here to do what we both want, what we both have been waiting to do,” he answers as if it’s the simplest thing in the world.
Is he delusional?
I try to step away from him, but I realise I can’t. I’ve hit the end of the hallway, and all that’s behind me is wall.
“Carter, please let me go back downstairs,” I whimper. The lump in my throat from earlier returns, but this time, it’s for a different reason; I’m not sad, I’m scared. In fact, I’m terrified.
“Don’t act like you don’t tease me, Anna. I see the way you look at me.” His voice turns sour, and his eyes are like ice as one of his hands holds my head up for him to see. “You’re such a flirt. I know you want this.”
I start to try and shove his hands off me, using my body to try and push him back, but he’s at least four inches taller than me and fifty pounds heavier. It’s like the fly trying to hit the swatter.
“Carter, stop. What about Matt?” I ask, trying to get through to him but it doesn’t seem to do anything. His grip doesn’t even falter; if anything, his hand gets tighter.
“Maybe I’ll just tell Matt that you made a move on me, but I stopped you. Who do you think he would believe?”
Tears start to well up in my eyes as I continue to squirm in his grasp, my head still held tightly in position by his sweaty hands, and I know that he’s telling the truth.
Who would he believe?
“He knows how much of a little tease his girlfriend is. Why would he not want to share?” He slides his hand down my leg and touches my bare thigh, making me yelp in shock.
This can’t be happening.
“Stop!” I yell. “Carter, please stop!”
He pushes my back against the wall, tutting softly as his fingers continue to draw lines on my skin. I’m so glad that Kristie told me to wear shorts instead of a skirt because it’s at least a small barrier between our bodies.
“Don’t shout. Do you want this story to get around school? What about your reputation?” His words come out like a threat. My whole body stills as his lips move, hovering above my ear while his breath tickles my skin. I bite down on my lip to stifle the sounds of my sobs as his tongue flicks out, and I feel it lick my skin.
It feels like a slug, a trail of slime left behind in its wake and my throat stings with vomit as I push it down.
“Carter, please stop.” My voice is almost silent, and I can hear the fear in it. I feel him hesitate, his hand stilling.
He pulls back a little and looks into my eyes, furrowing his brows in what looks like confusion as he finally notices the tears streaming down my face. His grip on me loosens a little but not enough to let me go.
“Am I interrupting something?”
I watch Carter jump back in surprise, his hands leaving my body. His expression morphs into a lazy grin as he leans on the wall beside us and turns to face the person who interrupted him.
I don’t move from the spot I’m in, and my eyes don’t leave Carter. It’s like I’m frozen in place as I gulp deep breaths into my lungs, trying to calm my shaking body. I don’t need to look at the person to know who’s standing there, my body knew who it was the moment he spoke.
Trent.
“Not at all.” Carter smirks, throwing me a wink. “We were just having a private chat.”
“Somehow, that’s not what it looked like.”
His voice is hard as he speaks, and I can’t resist the urge to look at him, finally giving in to what I wanted to do as soon as he spoke.
I don’t know how Carter is acting so calm because even I feel my feet wanting to take a step back as I take in the dark figure standing a few feet from us, their hands clenched into fists as their eyes scan my body and their face emotionless.
“Well, maybe you Neanderthals from East Bay aren’t used to civilised chats,” Carter bites back, his own body tensing as Trent takes a step forward menacingly. My heart skips when I see his usually playful eyes burning with anger, the veins in his neck pulsing.
I know that Trent can kick Carter’s ass; I have no doubt about it. As much as I would love to watch Carter finally get what he deserves, I know that the aftermath of it would be far worse than the event. I don’t want to find out what would happen to me when Matt hears about it.
Whatever version Carter makes . . . anyway.
“I was just asking him about the plans for this weekend,” I butt in, making the two glaring boys break eye contact with each other as they both look at me in surprise. “He’s going away with Matt, and I didn’t want him to hear that I was asking questions about it.”
The lie slips easily from my tongue for the most part, but I almost trip up when my eyes connect with Trent’s. All I want to do is tell him the truth. His careful gaze makes me feel as though I’m transparent to him and he can see into my soul.
The air feels like it fizzles with static as I wait in silence, afraid to move in case it sets either boy off. My heartbeat is so loud that I feel like it could almost drown out the booming bass echoing from downstairs.
Eventually, Carter seems to realise that if he walks away now, then he’s off the hook. He lets out a tight laugh, his feet already making their way towards Trent.
“See, guard dog, like I told you,” he whispers almost tauntingly as he stops in front Trent. “A private chat.”
My breathing halts as Carter waits for Trent to move out of the way, their shoulders touching each other like two titans ready to brawl. Their giant figures make the corridor seem so small. Although Trent’s body seems to be focused on the man who’s angered him, his eyes are still solely focused on me. I can almost see him debating on whether or not to let him go.
“Please,” I mouth to him. I’m sure I look pathetic, begging for him to not do it but I don’t care. I just don’t want a punch to be thrown.
Fists flex as Trent regards me, narrowing his eyes on the dried tears that have fallen down my cheeks and, no doubt, the redness on my jaw from Carter’s tight grip. My chest starts to burn, my lungs scream for air, but I don’t want to even breathe as the tension suffocates me. Finally, Trent takes a step to the side. Carter lets out a chuckle, turning back to me with a nauseating wink.
“I’ll see you later,” he calls to me, the promising tone shaking me to my core. As he turns away again, ready to leave, a ha
nd stops him and presses on his chest.
“I would watch how much you’re drinking,” Trent suggests, his voice eerily calm. “Something could happen to you and you don’t want to ruin your weekend.”
I can’t see Carter’s face from where I’m standing, but I do see his shoulders bunch up and his body still. I can only imagine the cocky smile sliding from his face. For the first time in probably forever, I think Carter Jones is scared.
Trent drops his hands, and instantly, Carter is pushing past him, his feet eagerly scurrying away while escaping the situation like a prey running from a predator.
As soon as he’s gone, my body sags in relief. I lean against the wall, my lungs finally getting the air they crave as it rushes to my head, making me stumble a little bit.
A hand reaches out and steadies me. I accept it graciously, the tingles running up my fingers the moment we touch. All too quickly, it drops again. I look up at Trent in confusion, wondering why he basically just ripped his hand away from me.
“Are you okay?” he mumbles, avoiding eye contact. I nod softly, my own hands running up and down my arms as if comforting myself. “What were you doing up here with him?”
“I went to the bathroom,” I whisper, suddenly embarrassed at how naive I had been to not just run the second I got a chance. “He was here when I came out.”
It’s a simple statement but it seems to make Trent tense. I swallow down my fear and look at him, wiping the tear streaks from my face with my hands as I try to pat my makeup back into place. His eyes are watching me questioningly, his jaw ticking. I already know that if I stay here with him, then he’s going to ask me questions that I don’t want to answer right now.
“Can we go back downstairs?” I blurt out, glancing around the dark corridor. “This isn’t exactly a fun place to be, and I think Kristie is going to be searching for me.”
Trent seems to understand that I want the conversation to be dropped, but he hesitates for a split second, perhaps resisting the urge to grill me about what just happened. His curiosity is trying to force him to ask the questions on the tip of his tongue.
Luckily, he seems to decide that it’s better to not ask for now. He nods, motioning for me to walk with him. His feet are already making their way towards the party, and I follow closely behind, not wanting to be alone.
As we walk, I take the opportunity to actually look at him properly for the first time tonight. I can feel myself smiling when I see his familiar leather jacket wrapped around his muscles. He’s wearing the same as usual—a white top and black jeans—but somehow, I’m not bored of it. I could stare at him wearing that outfit daily for the rest of my life and I would probably still think that he looked as good as the day before every time.
“I didn’t know you were here,” I mumble, wanting to make any possible conversation with him.
“Tracey invited a few of us,” he replies. “Her words being ‘if you’re eye candy, then you can come’.”
“Seriously?” I ask, slightly gobsmacked. Trent smirks at me as we start to walk down the stairs, the smile on my face breaking out as I shake my head in disbelief at Tracey.
“Seriously,” he replies, deadpanned.
“So you thought you made the cut?” I tease as we reach the bottom. He steps off the stairs, turning to look at me with an eyebrow raised.
“You don’t think I’m eye candy?”
It’s not his words that make me stumble, it’s the wink that he throws in with it. Before I know it, I trip on the last step, my legs feeling like jelly. Trent easily catches me and holds me up, chuckling as he steadies me on my feet. “You should really just stop wearing heels. There are safer ways to get me to touch you.”
Oh my god.
He seems to realise his words; his eyes snap to mine and the smile fades from his lips as we look at each other, the realisation of how close we are dawning on both of us.
My cheeks heat up under his gaze as I try not to think about his words and the thoughts that are trying to break into my mind, his lips being the focus of most of them. It’s only now that I can see the slight cut in one of them, and I watch as his tongue slips out and licks it, as if noticing my stare.
I flick my eyes up to his again and my whole body seems to thrum as I look into them, feeling as though I’m looking into a pool of molten gold.
I study his entire face, drifting between his jaw to his nose and all the way up to his eyes before repeating the cycle, just wanting to take in as much of him as possible. It seems like he’s doing the same. I can’t help but settle my stare on his lips after a moment, my core clenching at the sheer beauty of him.
“Of course, I think you are.” I don’t realise that I’ve said the words out loud until Trent’s shocked expression flits across his face and his nostrils flare, his facing moving in even closer to mine.
“I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” I whisper, my cheeks on fire. I want the ground to swallow me whole as I look away from him.
Why couldn’t the music have drowned that out?
A gentle but calloused hand touches my cheek and slowly brings my head back around. I feel myself sink into their palm a little as I tilt my head. I close my eyes taking in a deep breath, embracing the warmth and comfort that the one touch provides me.
“Elle,” his rough voice whispers, as if hoarse. I open my eyes, smiling softly at him. His chest tenses in response, and I feel his hand shake a little on my cheek as I reach up carefully and wrap my fingers around his.
For a moment, it’s like the world has stopped.
There’s a look in his eye that I’ve never seen before. It makes my heart thump so hard that I fear it’s going to shatter my ribs and break through my chest, but I’m not afraid. The beat of the music seems to fade into the background. All I can hear is my breath slipping out of my mouth as we watch each other, connected by our eyes and our interlocked fingers.
“There you are!”
zzzWe spring apart, and our hands drop like an anchor.
I sigh in relief when I see Kristie, thanking the gods that it wasn’t someone else. If someone other than my best friend had seen how Trent and I were standing, I’m sure it would have gotten around the school by Monday.
“Where have you been? I was worried!” she scolds, wrapping me into a hug. I return it fiercely, my heart swelling with the concern she has for me. She pulls back and looks at Trent, giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks for finding her.”
I look at Trent in surprise. His eyes flicker to me, but he quickly looks away while he combs his fingers through his hair as he shrugs, brushing off her compliment.
“I wasn’t going to let you go off to find her, not with that guy hassling you.”
Kristie nods at my questioning look, knowing that my thoughts are about Ryan. I feel anger bubble up inside of me.
He’s been hassling her?
“I told him to leave you alone,” I hiss. I look at the door behind her, ready to go and find him myself. “Piece of sh*t.”
Kristie laughs and lets me go, shaking her head in amusement. “It’s fine, Cole is dealing with it apparently. You were gone a while. Where were you?”
I can’t tell her about Carter. Knowing her, she would go and find him right now and most likely murder him, especially if she’s already frustrated with Ryan.
“B*tch face Tracey spilled her drink on me, so I went to the toilet to wash it all off. It took a while.”
Kristie rolls her eyes at my statement. I see her quickly survey my clothes, checking for any stains. While she isn’t paying attention, I look at Trent. He seems to be trying to figure me out, obviously wondering why I haven’t told Kristie the truth, but he doesn’t say anything and I’m grateful.
“You guys could have told me that there was a party out here, some blonde girl isn’t leaving me alone.” We all turn and look at Cole as he rushes into the hall, his shirt slightly askew. I can’t help but giggle at his frazzled appearance. He glances between Trent and I briefly like he’s
trying to put together pieces of a puzzle as he stops to stand beside us.
“That assh*le went outside, Kristie. I warned him not to talk to you again.” She smiles at him, but then, groans at his words and folds her arms, a sigh leaving her lips.
“This party is so bad,” she complains, her gaze moving to me. “It’s like the world just doesn’t want us to have a good time, and it sucks because I don’t know the next time I’ll get a night with you without Matt hovering over your shoulder.”
Immediately, I feel bad. I want to have a good night, too, and she’s right, it’s been pretty awful so far. Cole puts his arm around her, bringing her into him. She accepts it, shooting him a grateful smile.
“Well, he’s going away for the weekend,” I tell Kristie and her face lights up. “He and the group of the worst people in the world are spending the weekend on Tracey’s dad’s boat.”
“You weren’t invited?” Trent asks from behind me, furrowing his brows in confusion. I shake my head softly while Kristie scoffs.
“Of course, she wasn’t. Tracey would probably push her off the boat if she got the chance.”
A tight laugh leaves my lips.
“Boyfriend stealing b*tch.”
She has been so open about wanting him. What if he just gives in?
“You know what,” Cole interrupts, drawing me out of my self-pitying moment. “Why don’t we all get out of here? I have a much better place we can go.”
Kristie jumps up immediately, nodding rapidly as the grin on her face lights up. She glances at me with a pleading look, and I hesitate for a moment.
Sure, I want to get out of here, but then, I would be leaving Matt. What if he needs me or is trying to find me? Kristie seems to know what I’m thinking, and she reaches out, squeezing my hand.
“Please, Elle,” she asks. “He won’t know. We can just tell him that we went home?” Her eyes are a little pitying, and I know what she’s saying; he doesn’t care what I’m doing tonight. If anything, he probably wouldn’t even notice that I’m gone. I sigh and nod, knowing that if anything, she deserves to have a good night, even if I got in trouble for it.
