“Who are the others? Huh? There were four. Was it Brock? TJ?”
“Yes. And Jonas. The night of the spiders, Lacey took his place. She had his mask that night.” I snap my fingers as the puzzle pieces start to come together. “She must have put the mask in here. Her and Jonas have been in fucking cahoots. I should have fucking known.” I kick up the rocks under my feet and try to contain the rage that consumes me.
“Because she wants you?”
“And Jonas wants you. They did this. I swear to—”
She starts walking back to the car. “Take me home and go to work, Zack.”
“What?” I ask in confusion and a little bit of surprise.
“You have to go to work. You need this job. Just take me home.” The passenger door swings open and she gets inside, slamming it after her.
The rest of the drive is quiet. I give her this time to collect her thoughts, while I collect mine. Once she’s calmed down, I’ll try and talk to her again.
Until then, I’m going to work because I do need this job. Then, I’m finding Jonas and all hell will break loose.
18
Nadia
“Nadia,” Mom says from outside my closed bedroom door. “Are you hungry, honey?”
“No, Mom. Still not feeling well,” I choke out through sniffles and tears.
“Alright. I’ll put dinner away. Come down when you’re feeling better, or if you’d like to talk about it.”
I don’t respond. Even talking hurts right now. I was such a fool. I knew there was something off about Zack, but I got sucked into his charm and good looks. He wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with, but he made me laugh and the push and pull was tempting and exciting.
Now, I’m crying in my bed again over another guy. One who happens to be related to the last one I cried over. And it wasn’t the loss of them as much as the lies they told. I guess betrayal is in their blood. Slithers through their veins like a snake.
He was different these last couple days, though. It was like he had this epiphany and realized that he was going about everything the wrong way. There is no denying the connection we had. The way our bodies fit together like they were molded for one another.
I hate that I miss him right now. I hate that I still want him, but I do.
If he can forgive me for what I’ve done; surely, I can forgive him for what he’s done.
Right?
Five minutes after Mom left my door, there’s a knock again. “Nadia, we need to have a talk.” This time it’s Dad. He’s using his stern voice that tells me this is serious.
I jump up into a sitting position, wiping my fingers down my cheeks, and prepare. “About what?”
“Harry is here, along with an officer. Come downstairs right now.”
Shit.
I never told my parents about the break-in. Figured nothing would come of it. A company came out the next day and fixed the window and I assumed it was done. They knew about the spiders, but not about the pink-masked man coming into my room and groping me.
Getting to my feet, my legs feel like jelly. My head is pounding and my chest hurts from hours of crying.
I walk down the hall to the staircase and see both Harry and a uniformed officer standing at the bottom.
“Hey, Nadia. We were just filling your parents in on the incident the other night.” Harry holds up a paper. “We got those DNA results back from that blood sample. It seems it was a local boy. Goes to the same school as you. Jonas Montgomery.”
I’m not surprised. Why would I be? It’s not that I didn’t believe Zack. I’m just not sure I can ever forgive him for the part he had in all of this.
“Yeah. I know. I was able to figure it out. I don’t wanna press charges. If that’s ok with you guys?” My eyes slide back and forth from Mom to Dad.
“The last thing we need is more attention to our daughter, but I would like to talk to his parents about this. Get a restraining order, whatever is necessary to ensure nothing like this happens again,” Dad says.
I nod in response. “Ok.”
After the officer takes a few notes and they both leave, my parents question me about everything that happened.
I tell them the truth. It’s all I have left to do.
“I don’t want his parents contacted, Dad. Please. I just want all this behind me. I can’t take it anymore. It’s all just too much.” I fight back the tears that threaten to fall. And he sees it. They always do.
“Ok.” He nods. “But we're upping security and you have to tell us everything from now on. We can’t protect you if we don’t know what's going on in your life.”
I’m glad they’re being understanding. I’m sure they feel the same way I do. These last couple months have been so hard for the three of us.
“One more thing, Dad.” I fill my lungs with air before this one, because it’s a doozy. “There’s this guy...he’s had a bit of a rough life and he doesn’t have a good relationship with his dad. He’s pretty much on his own. Is there anything we can do to help him?”
“Is this a friend of yours?”
“I guess you could say that. I just feel bad for him, ya know?”
Dad places a hand over mine. “It’s because you have a good heart, Nadia.”
“I’ll need to meet him first, but he’s welcome to stay in the guest house for a little bit.” He holds up a finger and his expression becomes stern. “Just until he figures things out.”
Mom and Dad are good people and they like helping others.
The guest house sits far back and would give Zack the comforts that he doesn’t have right now. The idea of him not having a home because of something I did pains me.
“Really?” I beam, all too eagerly. “That would be great. He’ll stay in his space and I’ll stay in mine. He just got a job, so hopefully, once he can work more hours, he’ll be able to find something more permanent.”
“I have to talk it over with your mom, but I don’t see it being a problem. But no funny business, you hear me?”
“I’m eighteen, Dad. Ya know, I’ll be moving out soon and you have to get used to the idea that I will have a boyfriend one day.”
“Once he gets my approval, maybe.” Dad grins. “I met the last one you brought home and we just found out he broke into our house.”
I don’t dare tell him that the spider incident was Zack. He’d never be allowed to step foot on our property if Dad knew that. It’s the main reason I didn’t want charges pressed. Zack would be exposed and he’s been through enough. Even if he did torture me for a couple weeks—unbeknownst to me—I know he’s not a bad person.
He was trying like hell to get his family back together and went about it all wrong. I can’t hate him for that.
I can’t hate him at all.
19
Zack
Rubbing my battered knuckles, I walk down the hall to advisory. I pass Jonas in the hall and his two black eyes stick out like sore thumbs. He doesn’t even look at me, just keeps his head hung low. As he should after what he did. He’s lucky I didn’t break his ribs, too.