4. Scarlett
Chapter 4
Scarlett
“H ey, Piglet,” Crew whispers in my ear. The familiar scent of his smoky cologne envelops me, overwhelming me as he positions himself behind me, pressing me firmly against my locker.
I take a moment to slow my breathing, fighting against the rising tide of panic that comes from feeling trapped. My fingers clench around my books, squeezing them tightly to my chest as I close my locker with a soft thud and try to muster the courage to walk past them.
Staying silent, I turn to face them, unable to bear the feeling of them behind me any longer. Leaning back against my locker, I feel the cool metal against my skin, grounding me and preventing me from spiraling deeper into my thoughts.
“Why are you always in such a rush to get away from us, Piglet?” Crew complains, a smirk dancing across his lips as he takes a step closer.
I remain silent, my voice trapped somewhere between my heart and my throat, where it’s been lodged since I realized it was safer that way.
Roman smirks, his eyes glimmering with a mix of amusement and challenge, “Nothing to say, Reyes?”
I shake my head and tighten my hold on my books, refusing to give them the reaction they want and hoping they’ll leave me alone.
They don’t. Roman steps closer, blocking my path. “Why don’t you hang out with us for a bit? We have something to show you?”
I glance around, looking for anyone to help me, but the hallway is practically empty, and anyone who is here prefers to look away, too scared to face the wrath of Roman and the others.
“Come on, Piglet. We won’t bite,” Crew chuckles, grabbing my elbow and dragging me toward an open classroom door.
I drag my heels, every instinct screaming that this is a bad idea, but I know I have no choice.
Once inside, they close the door behind us with a click.
My heart pounds as I realize that I’m trapped in here with them. I pull in a shaky breath, my eyes skimming over the windows to see if I could jump from them.
“Calm down, Reyes,” Roman sighs, “We just want to have a little chat.” He leans against a desk, studying me.
I quirk an eyebrow, waiting for them to carry on. Their pauses baffle me like they expect a response I have no intention of giving.
I thought they would have learned a year ago that it was useless.
Elijah breaks the silence with a chilling laugh, a sound that sends shivers down my spine. “What’s wrong, Mouse? Are you too good to speak to the likes of us?”
I shake my head vigorously.
Roman steps closer, pressing my lower back into the desk behind me. “Listen, your parents need to pay up, Reyes. My dad has a limit to his patience, and I don’t care how you get the message across to them, but make sure they understand that they have until the end of the week.”
I clench my fists, feeling the familiar frustration welling up inside me.
I don’t understand why I’m being made to pay for my parents’ debts. I’m not the one who takes the drugs.
Crew and Roman leave the room when I say nothing else, but Elijah stays, a smirk stretching across his face. “You going to scream, Scarlett? Just like you did when we locked you in that room?”
I stare him down, my chest heaving, my fists clenched at my side. His smirk is infuriating. His eyes trail over me, “Problem?” he drawls, leaning against the teacher’s desk, his voice dripping with the same cocky arrogance that always seems to make my blood boil.
I don’t think; my body moves on its own, driven by years of pent-up frustration and rage. I step forward, my head snapping up to meet his, and before I can even process what I’m doing, I spit right in his face.
Elijah’s eyes widen for a split second, and then his expression darkens, his smirk twisting into something far more dangerous. He doesn’t wipe it off; he just stares at me, his jaw tightening, and his eyes lock on mine. “You’re going to regret that,” he says, his voice low, almost a growl.
I should be afraid. I should back down, turn around, and walk away. But I’m tired, and I can’t bring myself to.
Elijah moves fast, faster than I expected. One second, he was leaning against the desk, and the next, I’m pinned, my back against the cold wall, his body pressing so close to mine that I can feel the heat radiating off him.
His hand grips my chin, forcing me to look up. “Get on your knees,” he commands.
I hesitate, my heart pounding in my chest. My mind screams at me to fight back, to run, to do anything but obey.
Slowly, I sink to my knees, my eyes never leaving his. He tilts his head, studying me like I’m some puzzle he’s trying to solve.
“You think you’re so tough, don’t you? The unbreakable Scarlett. The ice queen who shut us all out over a stupid prank.” I want to scream at him. Tell him that the stupid prank turned into my own personal nightmare that I can never escape, but I don’t because the silence is safer… for everyone. “You’re right where you belong. On your knees. Below me.”
I want to spit in his face again. To scream, claw at him, to make him regret everything they’ve ever done to me.
But I don’t.
I can’t.
His thumb brushes against my bottom lip, his eyes darkening as he looks down at me, and I’m frozen.
“Open.”
I don’t move. Refusing to give in as if it’s not humiliating enough that I’m already down here. I shake my head, my defiance flaring up again.
“I said, open Scarlett. Now, or I’ll make you,” he says, his voice like a whip.
His grip on my chin tightens, and before I can protest, his mouth is on mine, his tongue tracing the seam of my lips just as he did so many times before, and just like every other time, I give in.
The kiss is rough, almost violent, but there’s something else there, something that makes my stomach twist in a way I never want to admit.
He pulls away, not giving me a chance to catch my breath. His fingers grip my hair, forcing my head back, and then he spits right into my open mouth.
I gag, my body jerking instinctively, but he doesn’t let me pull away. His hand tangled in my hair, holding me in place as he leans down, his lips brushing against my ear. “Swallow,” he grunts.
I consider spitting it back in his face, but I don’t. Something about the way he’s looking at me pulls me back to when we were closer than friends, the way I’ve always felt powerless around the three of them, even when their taunts slice into me like barbs and leave me feeling more alone than I already am.
I swallow, my eyes never leaving his.
“Good girl,” he murmurs. His hand falls from my hair and trails down the side of my face. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? You are ours to control…” He strokes my cheek. “To manipulate…” His thumb glides over my bottom lip. “Our perfect little doll…”
I glare up at him, my cheeks burning with shame.
He chuckles, the sound dark and low. He kneels in front of me, his face inches from mine. “You need to listen to Roman, Scar. Get your parents to pay, and this all stops. Do you think we like doing this?”
I quirk an eyebrow at him, and he laughs. “Even when you don’t talk, I know what your face is saying. You left us, Scar. Iced us out for no reason, and we want to make you break just because we can. You know who our parents are, and you know why it’s getting worse. Your mom owes Roman’s dad ten grand. That kind of debt gets paid, no matter what.” He leans in, brushing his lips against mine. “Don’t let it be you that has to pay their debt,” he says before pulling away and standing up.
He offers me his hand, but I don’t take it.
Elijah shrugs, “Suit yourself.”
I stay on my knees, watching him go, my heart pounding in my chest, my mind racing.
I hate him.
I hate them all, and everything about them, but a small part of me misses the group we were before everything happened.
Maybe I just miss not being alone.
The distinctive sound of the lock clicking has my head snapping up and fear running through me as I spring to my feet. I pound my fist against the door, silently begging someone to hear me and let me out of the room before the hopelessness I feel closes in on me.
The walls seem to press in on me, and I pause, pressing my ear to the door, straining to catch any sign of movement on the other side.
Silence. Dead silence.
I slump against the door, sliding down until I’m a crumpled heap on the floor. Memories flood my mind relentlessly. I see the shadow towering above me and hear my screams until my voice became voiceless, the pain .
I truly am alone, and as my memories pull me under, I lose myself in them like I do the waves, letting them pull me under until my lungs burn and my mind calms.