“Then why did he react the way he did last night? Why did he attack me?”
“I have no idea.”
“Why did he say he owned you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why did you let him take you away?” So many questions.
“Mateo—”
“No, seriously, Sarah,” he snapped, and I gaped at him, recoiling. Where was this anger coming from? “What is his problem? Is there something between you two?”
“What? No!”
“Then what is his goddamn problem?”
“I know you’re upset because he attacked you, and I’m so sorry for that, but—”
“My anger doesn’t have anything to do with that!” he exploded. “I’m angry because some guy with serious issues is harassing you! I’m so angry that I wish I could smash his skull and teach him a lesson!”
I winced, taken aback by the intensity of his emotions. I’d never expected I would meet someone who would want to punish Hayden for what he’d done to me, which was strange and new for me.
Noticing my reaction, he scrunched his eyebrows together and took me by my hand in a reassuring gesture. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you.” He let out a long exhale, running his hand through his curly hair. “I’m just mad at that prick.”
I offered him a smile, not quite sure how to react to this. I was happy that he cared about me, but I didn’t want him involved in this. I didn’t want him to cross paths with Hayden again, because if that happened, it wouldn’t end well.
“Thank you for this. Seriously, I... I have no words to express how I feel right now. I understand you, but I don’t want you involved—”
“I think it’s too late for that now,” he interrupted me, letting my hand go. “I’m already involved. I care about you, and I can’t just stand by while that asshole is hurting you. I said I wanted to protect you, and I meant every single word.”
Soon after our conversation, they left, and I spent the rest of my day in my room drawing and working on my college applications, but my mind was a traitor who wanted to keep thinking about Hayden and last night.
Maybe Mateo could protect me from the physical damage, but the damage to my heart had already been done. I was always thinking about Hayden, always calculating his every single move. I was never able to get him out of my head, but feeling even a flicker of warm emotions toward him was beyond dangerous and stupid. It would crush me sooner or later, so I couldn’t let this go any further. My feelings for him didn’t matter.
The art college would solve all my problems. I was so close. I had to endure just a bit more until I was safely away from him and all my bullies. I would be finally separated from the misery that was my life so far.
With a renewed resolve, I decided to hit the sack early. I turned off my laptop and slipped into my pajamas, positive that everything would be much clearer in the morning. Tomorrow was a new day.
I WOKE UP IN THE DARKNESS of my room, wondering what made me jolt awake. The sky outside was pitch black, and I needed a couple of seconds to adjust my vision...
I froze when I saw someone standing at the foot of my bed. He was dressed in a black jacket and jeans, which enabled him to blend into the darkness, and my brain had difficulty processing what I was seeing.
I turned on my bedside lamp and met the intruder’s eyes, confusion and fear rising in me when I recognized him.
It was Josh .
What the hell? Josh broke into my house?!
“Wha—What are you doing here?!” I barely had time to finish my sentence when I noticed the glint of metal. It took me a split second to realize he was holding a knife and was ready to pounce on me.
I screamed, horror coursing through my veins as he charged toward me with his raised weapon. I was going to die in a terrible, inexplicable way, and there wasn’t much I could do—
Listening to my instincts, I grabbed the glass of water standing on my nightstand and swung it at his head, using all the strength I could muster.
The glass broke upon contact with the side of his head with a loud crash. He cried out, losing hold of his knife, and gripped his head, which was covered in small shards and blood that flowed out of the cuts.
I jumped out of my bed and dashed toward the door, relieved that I could buy myself some time. My mind went the extra mile to come up with a solution in the midst of countless questions.
Why was Josh trying to kill me? Kill me?! Was he getting back at me for what I did at Melissa’s party?
I always knew Josh was unhinged, terrified of his violence that he unleashed on anyone who went against him, which I’d experienced first-hand, but this... This was something else .
I ran out of my room, glancing over my shoulder, and shrieked as he darted toward me with the knife that was already back in his hand. He looked like a monster with his bloody head and murderous face. I ran down the hallway, still unable to understand what was going on. I had to escape him and call the police.
“I’ll catch you, stupid bitch!”
My heart threatened to burst when I reached the staircase. I was all alone in the dark house, desperately trying to scope out what I could use to defend myself...
I heard him right behind me...
No!
I was at the staircase, going down one step, when Josh reached for my leg and tripped me.
I screamed in terror, the world moving too fast, and I went flying down the stairs. The white-hot pain exploded in almost every part of my body, and there was nothing I could do except protect my head.
I hit the bottom with a thud. I willed myself to get up and run away, feeling more nauseated and weak with each step. If only I could get to the front door... I heard Josh too close behind me, and I looked around for any object I could use for self-defense, trying to ignore the rising panic that prevented me from thinking and breathing properly.
I couldn’t hyperventilate now!
Enduring the pain, I grabbed the first fragile thing that came into my view, which was a lamp on a small table next to me. I was shaking like a leaf, sweat breaking out of me in fear, for he was in front of me, striking with his knife.
Hell no...
With a scream, I brought the lamp down on his shoulder. He stumbled and fell to the floor, losing hold of the knife again.
His face was contorted in rage. “ Bitch ! I’ll kill you!”
I spun on my heel, relying on adrenaline to carry me as fast as possible out of the house despite my injuries, but I didn’t escape even five feet when Josh tackled me and I crashed to the ground.
I hit my head hard enough to hear the ringing in my ears. I managed to turn on my back and knee him in the groin, relieved when he recoiled from the impact, but he recovered immediately. I tried kneeing him once more, but he dodged my knee and trapped me completely, punching me right in my face.
I was momentarily disabled when the severe pain surged in my head. I met Josh’s glare filled with insanity, unshed tears pooling in my eyes. There was no trace of humanity in him, and this frightened me more than anything.
“P-Please—” He hit me again, and I had no strength left to try to push him off me, tears and pain blurring my vision.
“This is nothing compared to what I’ll do to you, bitch. Remember the texts?” What? So that was him all along.
“Please, don’t... Ah!” Another hit landed into my stomach, and I was blinded by pain. I was sure I was going to die because there was no way for me to defend myself or escape him...