Betrayal - Chapter 2
Saturday
Rachel was kneeling in front of James. His fingers were buried in her hair, guiding her head up and down as he lazily stared down at her. His shirt was still on, but the buttons were undone. He was basically fully clothed, his pants just unzipped enough for Rachel. But Rachel was completely naked.
My pain and exhaustion morphed to horror. I shouldn’t be seeing this. I can’t be here. But I stood there frozen. Where the hell else was I supposed to go? I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
The door closed with a thud behind me.
James looked up. For a second we just locked eyes and neither of us said a word. Rachel kept bobbing up and down.
James groaned, his fingers tightening in Rachel’s hair. He closed his eyes, as if he thought he’d just envisioned me and I wasn’t actually standing there. Which apparently just turned him on. Because his breathing grew heavier.
Oh God, why am I watching this? I backed up until my butt hit the door.
James opened his eyes. And then blinked. And blinked again. He suddenly didn’t look so relaxed. He lowered both his eyebrows. “Brooklyn?”
I was pretty sure Rachel said, “What the fuck?” But it was mumbled because her mouth was full.
“What the hell!” James yelled, as he pulled away from Rachel. He grabbed himself and stared down at her. “Did you just bite me?”
Rachel stood up and poked him hard in the middle of his chest. “You said her name. Are you freaking kidding me? You were thinking about her when I was…”
“She’s standing right there.” He grimaced, still holding his junk.
I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry. I wanted to be anywhere in the world rather than here as Rachel turned toward me and screamed at the top of her lungs. She flung herself on the bed, trying to wrap herself in the sheets.
“Shit,” James said under his breath, looking down at himself.
“I’m so sorry,” I croaked. “I’ll just…” I couldn’t leave. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I put my hand out in front of me, blocking them from my sight. But it was a little late for that.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” Rachel screamed. “Get out!”
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I…”
“How the hell did you even get in here? Oh my God, James, did you give her a key to our room?”
“I thought you slept with Matt,” he said, his voice laced with pain.
“It was just one kiss. It didn’t mean anything! I told you that! And instead of believing me, you were going to sleep with her ? Are you kidding me right now?”
I lowered my hand slightly to make sure she wasn’t about to attack me.
She had pulled the comforter around her and was staring at me like she was going to kill me. “Get out of here you slut!”
The word was a punch in my gut. First a prostitute. Now a slut? I was in pain. I could barely stand. How could she not see that? How could everyone have just ignored me on the street like I was nothing? It was all too much. Her unkind words made me burst into tears.
“Are you deaf?” she screamed.
I closed my eyes. Maybe if I closed them tight enough I could wake up somewhere else. Why did I think I could just come in here? Of course he’d be with Rachel. They’d made up. Let this all be a dream. Please, please.
“Rachel, cut it out,” said James as he zipped his pants up.
“Excuse me?”
“She’s hurt, Rachel.”
“I don’t care if she’s…”
“She’s bleeding,” he said. “Just sit down and give me a minute to figure out what the hell is going on.”
This isn’t happening. It’s just a bad dream. I didn’t just see any of that.
“What happened?” James asked as he gripped my shoulders.
I jumped. I didn’t realize he was right in front of me. I couldn’t get the words out. I couldn’t breathe through my tears.
“Brooklyn, what happened?” His hands were on my face, trying to get me to focus on him.
“Don’t you dare touch her again, James,” Rachel said. “I swear to God.”
He didn’t listen to her. He just stared at me, his hands still on my cheeks.
And for some reason his kindness made me cry harder.
“You’re safe, Brooklyn,” James said. “Talk to me.” His hands were too gentle on my face. It was such a contrast to everything I’d experienced in the last hour.
I just wanted to go curl into a ball on the floor and sleep. I couldn’t speak. The words wouldn’t come. I tried to pull the map back up to cover my exposed bra. As if that would make this situation any better.
He was staring at me so intensely. “Did Matt do this?”
What? “No.” I finally found my voice. “Isabella. It was Isabella.”
“Jesus.” He let go of my face. He stepped around me and grabbed the door handle.
“What are you doing? You can’t leave. You can’t tell Isabella I’m here.
She has Kennedy. She said she’d kill Kennedy if I didn’t leave town.
She can’t know I’m still here. She had a gun.
And a bomb.” It sounded so ridiculous that I thought he’d just laugh and tell me to leave and stop ruining his night.
That he’d just ignore me like everyone else.
Instead, he shook his head. “Isabella’s always been nuts, but she’s officially lost her mind.”
Had she ever had it? “I don’t know what to do.” I wiped the tears from my cheeks, but it was no use. My eyes weren’t nearly as dehydrated as the rest of me. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I’m so sorry, James. I didn’t know that you’d be…” my voice trailed off.
“It’s homecoming,” Rachel said. “Of course he’d be with his girlfriend.”
He ran his hand through his hair so roughly that I was surprised he didn’t pull any out.
“Mr. Pruitt…” He took a step back. “Mr. Pruitt was in the lobby causing a scene right before we came up here. I didn’t hear what he was yelling about. But he’s probably still here. Let me call downstairs.” He ran over to the hotel phone.
“Where the heck is my dress?” Rachel said as she looked under the bed. Then she turned to me. “Can’t you wait outside?”
I shook my head. “I can’t leave. I can’t risk Isabella finding out that I’m still in town.”
“James, do you seriously believe her?” Rachel asked. “She’s probably just trying to get your attention. You led her on.”
Oh come on. Like I’d do this to get James’ attention, when I already had it fully clothed earlier tonight.
He was still on the phone and he held up his finger to her.
She cursed under her breath. “This is the freaking worst night ever,” she said. She abandoned looking for her dress and walked over to the door. “Move.”
I shook my head. “You can’t leave.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Rachel said. “You don’t get to kiss my boyfriend at homecoming and then come in here demanding his attention. Haven’t you already done enough damage for one night?”
Hadn’t she? And she was being awfully territorial when she was the one that had cheated on him.
“Rachel, you can’t go,” James said. “This isn’t a joke. She said Isabella had a gun and a bomb.”
Rachel laughed and lifted her hands in the air.
“A bomb? Seriously? Where would a prissy high school girl get a bomb? It doesn’t even make any sense.
I don’t know Isabella very well, but she doesn’t seem like some insane evil villain to me.
I only hate her because your mother loves her and is always trying to gently nudge you two together.
But that doesn’t mean Isabella is a monster.
It means your mom is. God, why are we even talking about this right now? ”
I had no idea why we were talking about James’ mother right now. This felt like a private conversation. Could tonight be any more awkward?
“You brought it up,” James said. “You know I don’t like Isabella. We’ve talked about this a million times.”
Rachel glared at him. “All I know is that Brooklyn kissed you. And either she goes, or I do.”
“Brooklyn isn’t leaving. And neither are you,” James said and grabbed her arm. “You’re not even wearing any clothes, babe.”
“Which is apparently your thing,” she said and gestured toward me.
“Come on, Rachel.”
“No.” She took a step away from him. “I can’t believe you’re taking her side. This…you…ugh!” she screamed. She turned in a circle looking for her dress again. “And where is my dress?!”
“It’s in the bathroom,” James said.
Rachel started toward the bathroom door.
“Yeah, I kissed her,” James said. “And I gave her a keycard to my room. Because you cheated on me, Rachel. And our relationship has nothing to do with the fact that Brooklyn’s in trouble.”
“You’re full of shit. You’re just trying to torture me.” She shifted the comforter on her body so she could fit through the bathroom door and slammed it behind her.
James cringed.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m so…”
“Don’t.” James ran his hand through his hair.
“Don’t apologize when you haven’t done anything wrong.
” He looked down at my bloody knee and grabbed a tissue from the table behind him.
“The front desk said Mr. Pruitt was still there. He’ll be up in just a minute.
” He leaned down and put the tissue against my knee.
“I’d say we should clean up that cut, but I guess Rachel’s hogging the bathroom. ” He laughed, but it sounded forced.
“James, I didn’t mean to ruin your relationship. I…”
“You didn’t ruin anything. We’re going to be fine.”
“It doesn’t seem like you guys are fine.”
He shrugged. “Well, maybe she shouldn’t have cheated on me.” He was acting like he didn’t care, but I could tell that he did.
“I really do think it was just a kiss,” I said. “I don’t think she slept with Matt.”
He shook his head. “Does it really matter? How would you feel if you found out Matt was kissing someone else while you were dating?”
I swallowed hard. I had kissed someone while I was kind of dating Matt. Was that the same as this? Rachel was upset and went to Matt. I was upset and went to Miller. My stomach churned. “It sounds like she’s sorry. Maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, didn’t you get even?”
“I love her. I love her so fucking much and she betrayed my trust. I’d have to do a lot more to get even.”
“That doesn’t sound very healthy.”
“I didn’t say I was going to do it.” He lowered his eyebrows again. “Are you seriously analyzing my relationship right now? You’re the one that came here instead of going to Matt. Maybe your relationship is as unhealthy as mine.”
“Matt lives outside the city. It would have taken me forever to walk to his house.”
James stared at me. “You still chose to come to me.”
“Because I had your keycard.”
“You still chose me.”
I laughed.
“That,” he said. He reached up and lightly touched the bottom of my chin. “That. Don’t let Isabella ever take that away from you.”
I swallowed hard. “Take what away?”
“Your happiness. Your hope.” His eyes drifted to my lips. “Your innocence.”
My heartbeat kicked up a notch.
He closed his eyes for a second, his eyebrows drawn together.
“I want to kiss you again,” he whispered.
“And I don’t know if it’s because I like you.
Or because I want to make Rachel feel like I did when she kissed Matt.
Or because you remind me of what Rachel was like when we first met.
Before my world corrupted her. Or because I’m still mad at her.
Or if it’s because you’re hurt. I don’t know why.
” He opened his eyes and they bore into mine. “But I want to.”
I stared back at him. “Making a second mistake doesn’t right the first one.”
“Kissing you wasn’t a mistake, Brooklyn.”
Yes it was. “I was actually referring to Rachel kissing Matt.”
“You really think it was just one kiss?” he asked. “You really believe him?”
“I do.”
James’ eyes travelled back to my lips. “I don’t. I don’t trust a word out of his mouth. And I still want to kiss you.”
I knew he didn’t mean it. He was just hurting. “I think you’re just scared that Rachel doesn’t love you back anymore,” I said. I knew the feeling. I was currently worried that Matt wouldn’t love me back once I told him about Miller. “And maybe you think I could fix that feeling. But I can’t.”
“Maybe you could.”
I looked up at him. “I’m not going to kiss you again. But I won’t turn down a hug. I could really use one.”
He laughed. “Yeah. I can do that.” He pulled me into his arms. “You’re going to be okay, Brooklyn. I’ve got you. Everything is going to be okay.”
I didn’t know if anything would ever be okay again. A revenge kiss hadn’t made James feel any better. Would revenge against Isabella be just as bitter? I wasn’t sure if I cared if it was. I wanted her to feel the same way I had tonight. I wanted her to suffer.
“You’re safe now,” he whispered against my ear.
I wasn’t safe. I wasn’t sure I’d be safe unless Isabella died before she had a chance to kill me.
But I wasn’t a murderer. I wasn’t her. So why did I so badly want her to die?
I closed my eyes tight. I just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
I wanted to be back home with my mom. I wanted to rewind time.
A loud bang on the door made me jump. Oh God. What if Isabella had already found me?