I make my way back over to the girls when my phone buzzes in my bra. I fish it out of its little hiding spot that it lives in during school hours and glance down at the screen to find a text from Milo.
Milo - You need a ride home today? I need to be somewhere but can swing by and get you first.
Ocean - Nah, don’t worry. I can find my own way home.
Milo - Cool, thanks. Call me tonight. I’ve got to spill some tea.
I roll my eyes at my phone while hashing out a response. Milo’s idea of spilling the tea is gushing over the boys at school and telling me all about what he saw in the locker room. Last time it was a full breakdown on how some kid got his dick pierced and was showing it off at every chance he got which then went into me convincing Milo that he really didn’t need to get one himself.
Ocean - Okay, but it better be worth it!
Milo - It is.
I look up at Drix and am just about to ask her to drive my ass home when I find the words crumbling and disappearing in my throat. “You good?” she asks, seeing the weird look on my face.
“Oh, umm, yeah. I’m fine. I have to go. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Yeah, no problem,” she says. “Do you need a ride?”
“Nah, I’m good. I think I’m going to walk.”
Her face scrunches up in distaste. “You’re fucking with me, right?”
“No,” I laugh. “I could really use the walk to clear my head. It’s been a shitty few days.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” she says, leaning back against her locker. “What’s going on with you guys? Charlie’s been super quiet. I thought he was into me but he practically ghosted me.”
“Nah, he’s just going through some things. Maybe he could use the distraction. Why don’t you go and chill with him this afternoon? He could use a friend or two.”
Drix presses her lips into a tight line while thinking it over. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”
“Okay,” I say, adjusting my things in my arms and getting comfortable for my walk home. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
Jess gives me a small smile and focuses back down at her phone in her hands. She’s still hurting after finding out about Milo’s love of dick but at the same time, she understands it. It doesn’t change that she’s been really quiet though. She’ll move past it eventually and realize that having Milo around as one of the girls is a million times better than having him there as one of the guys.
“Kay,” Drix grumbles, giving me an odd look. “Call me if you change your mind and I’ll come and grab you.”
“Thanks,” I say before turning my back and walking out of the school. I step out into the afternoon sun and take a deep breath. I rarely get time to myself and even though I hate my reasons for needing this time, I can’t deny that the peace and quiet is one of the sweetest things I've ever experienced.
Realizing that it’s going to be a very long walk if I keep overthinking everything, I try my best to zone out and focus on the good times, focus on Colton, and the way I've been making some incredible new friends. I focus on Mom and her need to find happiness, hell I even spare a thought for Nic and try to forget the shitty things he’s done while remembering his apology and his need to always keep me protected.
It's been just over a week since I went into Breakers Flats and spent the morning with him. The time we had together was incredible before it all went to shit. I finally felt like I was finding something important to me, something that I'd lost along the way. I was going to have it all. Turns out I was fooled.
I get halfway home when my legs start giving out and I cut through the mall before shooting out the back. The first half of my walk was good but turns out that’s all I needed to clear my head and now I’m stuck having to walk the rest of the way back.
I could call Colton or Hendrix but by the time they actually get here, it’d be quicker just to walk.
I make my way out through the back of the mall parking lot and am just about to cross the road when a noise up ahead draws my attention. I glance up to find a guy leaning against a brick wall. He's not paying attention to me but my stomach twists, telling me that he’s more than aware that I’m here.
Why the hell did I have to walk out through the back of the mall? That was fucking stupid. Nic has always drilled into me to always stay on the main roads whenever I have to walk somewhere. Never take shortcuts.
Trusting my gut, I cut across the road and walk to the other side only to find the prick following me across, this time his eyes focused heavily on me.
Fuck.
Why the hell did I have to insist on hiding Nic’s gun away in my underwear drawer? I should be carrying it everywhere in this fucked-up town.
I pick up my pace and get a good grip on my math textbook, preparing to launch it at the fucker when another guy appears at the other end of the walkway and starts heading toward me. My heart starts racing. I’m in fucking trouble here.
They couldn’t know each other, could they? Is this a trap?
The guy in front of me is covered from head to toe in tattoos, and not the sexy kind, but the kind that makes my skin crawl. My palms grow sweaty as I remain extremely aware of both the men, constantly watching the guy in front while keeping my peripheral vision on the guy behind, especially as he starts picking up his pace.
Going against my better judgment, I slow down, trying to avoid getting closer to the guy in front.
I’m fucked.
What do they want?
I glance around in a panic. I’ve already had my innocence stolen from me, I’m not about to let it happen again. There’s an alleyway across the road and right now, it’s my only chance of getting away. If I can run across and somehow lose them, I’ll be alright.
These guys don’t look like they’re from around here, they look more like the kind of guys from back home, the kind that you’d never want to be alone with. In fact, they look a lot like my boys—deadly, cold, and vicious.
The gap between us gets smaller and I stop in the center, flicking my gaze between the two. They nod at one another as they bear down on me, making it clear that I’ve fallen right into their trap, but I’m not a fucking quitter. I’m not about to roll over and allow them to have their wicked way with me.
I'm better than that. I have to fight this.
I drop everything in my arms and run.
I dart across the road faster than I’ve ever moved in my life, running straight for the alleyway. I’ve never been down here before and I have absolutely no idea what’s at the other end but I have to hope that there’s salvation. I can’t have this happen again. I won’t survive it a second time.
My feet pound against the road and I hear the two guys instantly take off after me, their feet moving like lightning. Panic surges through me as I become extremely aware of every step I take, desperate not to fall or stumble knowing that one tiny little fuck up could end me.
I glance back over my shoulder to find one of the guys with a gun in his hand and an involuntary scream tears from deep within me.
I remember the words Nic always taught me—if you can’t fight back, run. Run as fast as you fucking can. A slow target is a dead target.
Repeating his mantra over and over again, I race up the pathway and slam my hand against the brick wall to fling myself around the corner faster. I dive into the alleyway but don't dare stop as their footsteps grow louder, closer.