Chapter 4 #2
“Wrong move, prick,” Warren’s voice comes out of nowhere, and when I look past Griffin’s stocky frame, I spot him.
My savior, my white knight. I can breathe a little better, my lungs fill with air at the sight of him.
Running across the space separating us, with his fist clenched and his face a mask of fury, he truly does look like a knight.
A knight who is about to save his princess…
That wasn’t the first time Warren ever hit someone for hurting me. There were many times before that, and after, that he defended my honor. Blinking away the memory, I remind myself that Warren isn’t that boy anymore. The one that beat the crap out of a guy for making me wear my lunch.
Lost in thought, I realize how close to my apartment I am. As I walk the rest of the way, this eerie feeling creeps up my spine, the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Someone is watching me. Whirling around, my gaze darts over every little thing.
The lights in this area are dim and fewer than a couple blocks back, making it difficult to see.
Anyone could be hiding in the shadows, though it’s probably just Warren following me home, trying to get the upper hand and scare me.
Shaking the feeling away, I hurry the rest of the way to the apartment, picking up speed with each step I take. I’m only a block away when it happens.
Out of nowhere, someone grabs me from behind. With his hands clawing at my upper arms, he drags me into the alley next to my apartment complex. A shrill, piercing scream rips from my lungs, but I might as well do nothing because, in this neighborhood, you can shoot guns, and no one cares.
Panic grips me by the neck and squeezes tightly as my attacker spins me around and pushes me against the cold brick wall. It’s dark, and I’m disoriented, my vision blurry with tears. Frantically, I flail my arms around, trying to get this guy away from me.
This is bad. This is so bad. I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die in a horrible way.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Warren’s deep voice wraps around my throat, just as he gets a hold of my wrists, halting my movements.
Sucking in a shaky breath, realization sets in…Warren. This is Warren. Even though he has been an ass to me, especially today. I can’t help but feel relieved to see him. He was my protector for so long, it’s hard not to feel safe with him, no matter how he is acting toward me now.
“Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!” I sob. I hate that I’m crying, but I really thought I was gonna die in this alley. I need to move, find somewhere safer to stay, but I can’t afford anything else right now.
“Why the fuck are you here?” His voice is deep, rough, and with his hands still on my arms, I can feel his touch burning through my thin jacket.
“I’m staying with a friend. She lives right over there,” I explain, pointing toward my apartment.
I don’t want him to know where I live, that’s the last thing I need right now.
In the shadows, it’s hard to make out his face, but I can see the flicker of excitement in his gaze.
This might be as bad as thinking someone was going to get me after all.
“Why are you following me?”
His lips tip up into a sadistic smile, “Because I’m not done with you.
That blow job was nice, but I want more.
” He takes a step closer, pinning me to the wall with his body, his hard bulge pressing into my stomach.
A warmth burns through me. I want him, even though I know I shouldn’t.
Instantly, I’m reminded of how his cock felt in my mouth, the salty tang of his release, and how wet I was kneeling before him.
Warmth gives way to intense cold when I remember how he left me in that bathroom, how he treated me afterward, and how he acted in front of his friends—like I was nothing, no one.
Fuck him. I might be a nobody now, but at some point, I was somebody to him, and that should matter. It should fucking matter. Deep-rooted anger mixes with pain, and it hits me like a freight train, filling me with a newfound strength.
I don’t have to do this...deal with him, let him manhandle me like I’m some piece of meat.
Taking all that energy, I force it into shoving him away from me.
The shove is hard, but it only moves him an inch.
Cold tears streak my cheeks as I stand on shaky legs, partially leaning against the brick wall.
I hate how weak I am right now. How broken I feel because of him. Looking up, I see Warren’s face is a mixture of shock and something else, something deeper. I don’t bother to internalize that look. All I want is for him to go away.
“Don’t ever fucking touch me again!” I yell, my voice dripping with hurt and disappointment. I’m so disappointed in him, but more so in myself. At what we’ve become. How did we get here? What did I do to make him hate me so much?
I almost sigh in relief when his arms fall down to his sides, and even in the dim light, I can make out his facial expression, and see that he is feeling the same way.
Taking that chance to escape, I push past him and run the last block to my place, only stopping when I’ve made it inside.
Slamming the door behind me, I lock the deadbolt and slide down the door, trying to catch my breath.
I sink my fingers into my hair and try and drown out the throbbing forming behind my eyes. Tonight, I made a mistake, one that I won’t make again. Warren got the best of me, in more than one way, but next time, he won’t. Next time, I’ll be ready.