TEN
W alking through the front door to Damon's condo, I look around the room, spotting Ace first. "Hanna… what are you doing here?" he asks in panic.
I smile softly before removing my boots and setting them down gently. "I didn't want to spend the night because of the party, so I'm coming to see Damon." I still can't trust him, so really, why am I here?
Damien comes down the stairs with the same look on his face when he sees me. Tilting my head, I walk to the stairs and carefully make my way up them. "Hanna! You don't want to go up there!" Ace yells.
"I'll be fine, it's just Damon." I giggle, walking toward his bedroom door. I open it slowly and smile at his sleeping form, but my smile doesn't last when I notice blonde hair sprawled out on the pillow next to his.
My eyes narrow on her, and I notice her clothes are missing from her body. Wiping the fallen tears, I pick up Whisper and cuddle her to my chest, walking back down the stairs.
"Hanna," Damien whispers.
The rage in my chest snaps. "Oh shit! Sorry!" I scream, tucking the small cat under my jacket and holding her close. I drop Whisper on her feet gently before whipping toward Damien.
Why am I mad? We aren't an item… he's not mine. I don't have a reason to be mad, yet for some reason, my body is thrumming with rage. And I can't seem to stop it. I don't deserve to feel this way. He is not mine. I try to tell that to myself, but words fly from my lips, anyway. "I'm gonna go," I respond, heading for the door.
"Hanna!" I hear Damon's voice as his feet thud down the stairs.
"No! It's okay." I move away from him and back to the door. I'm so stupid for even thinking about pursuing something with him.
"Hanna… hear me out," he whispers.
Wiping the tears, I stare at him with anger. "Hear you out? We aren't an item, Damon."
My feet carry me to the sidewalk before I run back the way I came. After what I expressed to him… Fuck, I'm stupid. The tears stain my cheeks as I race to Scarlet's house. By the time I reach her front door, my cheeks are soaked with tears. I knock, wrapping my arms around my body as I softly cry. The door opens slowly, and Scarlet's face comes into view.
"Aw, honey," she whispers, pulling me into her arms. My arms wrap around her back as I cry into her shirt. "He doesn't deserve you." Her voice is harsh.
He's not mine. He's not mine, I keep repeating, hoping my heart will accept.
I nod, pulling out of her grip and tilt my head to face her. Another sob escapes my lips the longer I stare at my friend.
Scarlet nods slowly and pulls me into her house, shutting the door behind me. "Stay as long as you need." She smiles at me.
I smile lightly back at her, slumping down on the couch. My eyes focus on the wall in front of me as I feel sorry for myself. Why me? He could have played his game with any girl he wanted, but he had to choose me. Closing my eyes, I lay back on the couch.
He's not mine. I'm not mad at him for screwing someone; I'm mad at myself for thinking I had a chance. Fuck, I'm stupid. My eyes pop open suddenly when my mind pulls me back to the one day I wish I could escape from.
Four Years Ago…
"Do we have to be here?" I ask Sara as she pulls me into Mike's house.
She smirks at me, dragging me into the living room. "You want to have fun, don't you?" I nod slowly, taking a red solo cup from the pile before filling it up with beer. "Let's party!" she screams. Sara's already hammered by the time I make my way back into the living room.
I watch her locking lips with one of the football players from our school as he slides his hands up her dress to her ass. Shivering, I turn away and head for the kitchen, refilling my cup with beer. This party blows, I'm fucking bored. Making my way toward the staircase, I stumble up the stairs to one of the bedrooms. Closing the door behind me, I realise I'm in Mike Dixon's room.
Closing my eyes, I stumble toward the bed, taking another large gulp from my solo cup. It's quieter here, and I like it. As the party rages on underneath me, I crawl onto the bed, finishing the last of the beer before sprawling out. My eyes go to the door as it opens. Mike Dixon's face comes into view as he leans over me. "You look hammered, Hanna Monroe." He chuckles, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I had like, seven full solo cups of beer," I slur with a giggle.
Mike smiles softly before he pulls the covers over my body. "You can sleep it off in here, Monroe. I'll sleep in my parents' bedroom."
I smile back, pulling the blankets up to my chin. "You're really sweet," I say softly.
Mike smiles, tucking in the blanket. "Can't have my buddies taking advantage of my best friend's little sister," he replies softly.
I smile up at him before he exits the door, disappearing from view. Softly, I close my eyes, trying to let sleep take over. When my eyes open again, I come face to face with Jarred Tucker hovering over my now naked body. "No… don't," I slur. Jarred ignores me as he spreads my thighs, and a single tear slides down my cheek.
"This will be fun," Jarred whispers in my ear.
My body is unable to move, but my mind is conscious of everything around me. Jarred unzips his jeans, pulling out his length before slowly pumping it in front of me. Another tear escapes my eye as I watch him. Slowly, he forces himself into me. I'm completely dry, and the pain that shoots up my leg causes me to cry out as more tears slide down my cheeks.
Continuing his torture on me, Jarred slams himself in and out of me at a rough pace. Closing my eyes, I continue to cry until the door slams open, and my brother Harley and Mike race into the room.
"Get the fuck off my sister!" Harley shouts, slamming his fist into Jarred's jaw.
Climbing off my naked body, Jarred stares at the two boys before him. "She wanted it," he snarls, zipping up his jeans and fixing himself.
"Wanted it?! There are fucking tears on her cheeks, you fucking bastard!" Mike shouts, slamming his fist into Jarred's jaw. The tall, muscular teenage retreats from the scene, shoving past both boys as he makes his way from the bedroom. Another tear escapes my eyes as I look up at my brother.
Mike quickly covers my body from prying eyes, picking up my dress, bra, and panties from the ground and handing them to Harley. "She's your sister… I don't feel comfortable dressing her," he mumbles.
Harley watches me for a moment before he turns to Mike. "It's okay, I won't say anything. Just please dress her before I go kill Jarred."
Mike sighs, closing the bedroom door and pulls the blanket from my body, quickly shimmying my panties up my body. Another tear escapes, but I avoid watching him, knowing he's only trying to help me. He sits me up, clasping my bra onto my body before he pulls my dress over my head. Harley watches me before he picks me up in his arms. "Open the door, Mike," he demands.
His friend does as instructed before we walk past all the widened eyes in the house, making our way out. More tears escape as I keep my head resting on my brother's shoulder. "Nobody will hurt you again," he reassures me, gently laying me in the back seat of his car. I close my eyes the moment the car starts moving, wanting to forget this night.
Present
Opening my eyes, I let a tear escape as I remember the dreadful memory. I miss Harley. I haven't seen him since I graduated from school and moved to Princeton to go to university. Everything's so different now, but I'm glad I don't live in that town anymore.
Scarlet comes into view with a cup of tea in her hands as she smiles at me. "Here, drink this," she says softly. Taking the cup of tea, I take a small sip from the cup before I look around the room again.
Scarlet stares at me for a long moment. "Maybe you two should talk about being exclusive," she says softly, taking the empty cup from me. This can't be right. Is she trying to help Damon? She hates him. And exclusive? We weren't even a thing.
Sighing, I nod before looking up at her with curiosity. "The boys are having a party tonight. Will you and Bailey come with me?"
Scarlet smiles before poking my nose. "Of course!" She giggles.
It's weird to me. Scarlet is the book nerd friend that dresses gothish. The quiet one nobody notices, but not with us. Not with Bailey and me.
Smiling, I send Bailey a text before getting to my feet. "What should we do until then?" I ask. Scarlet grins at me, and I know I shouldn't have asked. She wants to go shopping. Smiling, I finally agreed to her suggestion.
Getting off the sofa, Scarlet leads me to her makeup room, letting me know she'll do mine. I gave in to that too because since I met her, she has been so sweet to me.
When we finish getting ready, we meet Bailey at the mall. Scarlet insists on stopping at every lingerie store, causing me and Bailey to giggle. "Who do you need to impress? You're stunning!" Bailey chimes.
She's a nerd without glasses. She loves her books and loves to study, but the girl won’t pass up a chance to buy more combat boots or fishnets.
Scarlet winks at us as she picks out an all-black outfit. "Duh! Halloween is coming up." My face pales and I look between the two. "I'm being a sexy vampire for Halloween this year." She smirks.
Bailey winks at me before she turns to Scarlet. "I chose to be Harley Quinn," she responds, twirling as a giggle erupts from her lips.
My face stays blank, knowing I didn't choose anything because I forgot. "The party… it's a Halloween party?" I begin to panic.
Scarlet eyes me before she smiles. " I have an idea… Let's show Damon what he's missing." She smirks, fishing through the rack of lingerie.
Bailey watches Scarlet while tilting her head. "You should be…" she stops speaking and grabs fishnet stockings from the rack. Bailey frowns, looking at me before watching Scarlet again. The next thing she grabs is a weird whip thing. Watching her closely, she pulls out a pair of black rabbit ears, shoving them into her arms. "I have a pair of boots you can use," she responds.
Bailey looks at me, and I look back at her. We're both still wondering what the fuck our friend has planned. Scarlet grabs a leather body suit from another rack, tossing the bunny ears back in the pile of things. "I also have an old police cap and a belt. You can be a sexy police officer!" She claps her hands, handing me the accessories she just picked out for me.
I smile at her as the three of us make our way up to the counter to pay for the accessories we just collected. "I think you're going to look hot." Baileys smirks at me as we head out of the store.
Scarlet winks at me before we head for the Orange Julius stand. "Damon's jaw is going to slap on the floor."
After lunch and finishing up our shopping spree, we all make our way back to Scarlet's to get ready for Sam's Halloween bash. "What about the teeth for your costume?" Bailey asks our friend as she slides the dress up her skinny body.
"I'll do without, or else I'll get a lisp." Scarlet frowns. I laugh softly, pulling the fishnets up to my knees, then slip on the knee-high black boots Scarlet let me borrow.
"Damn, Bailey's going to get fucked tonight!" Scarlet chirps. Our blonde friend glares at both of us as we giggle. She looks fucking stunning with her hair in pigtails, tiny red and blue booty shorts, the half white and blue crop top, and her bright red lipstick. Bailey is an angel dropped from heaven.
Scarlet finishes applying her makeup and fixes her outfit before she poses for us. I finish pulling the leather tube top over my breasts before I slide the booty shorts up to rest on my hips. I have to admit, I do look hot. Dark black fishnets, knee-high black boots, the police belt around my waist, black leather tube top, and the police cap.
My hair is curled into tight curls, and Scarlet added red lipstick to set on my lips, along with eyeliner and flashy mascara. I look fucking sexy. Damon had better watch out. "I was right; Damon's jaw is going to slam into the floor." Bailey giggles, coming up behind me and staring in the mirror. Scarlet smirks before she pulls out her phone.
"Selfie time!" She smiles, pushing Bailey to stand between me and Scarlet. We all pose for the camera as Scar snaps the picture. "It's perfect." She grins, posting it on her Instagram feed.
Bailey grabs her cell, shoving it into her boot, and I do the same with mine. "Are we ready for this?" Bailey asks. I nod and smile softly.
"Be warned, the hockey boys are the only ones who don't dress up at their house; they just throw on their hockey jackets," Bailey replies softly.
Twenty minutes later, Scarlet's car comes to a stop on the curb behind a row of cars outside Sam's condo. I notice the flow of costumes making their way into Damon's. "Let's go, sexy." Bailey grins at me as we climb out of the car.
I follow my two friends up the steps into the condo, grabbing a solo cup the moment I walk in. If I'm going to be here, I'll need one of these in my hands, especially after this morning. My eyes land on the blonde girl I saw sprawled naked in Damon's bed this morning. "That's Sabrina Castle," Bailey whispers in my ear.
I glare in the blonde girl's direction before I turn to my friends. "Let's go get drinks," I reply, heading for the kitchen with Scarlet and Bailey behind me.
I fill my solo cup with pink liquid from a keg, bringing the rim of the cup to my lips, and taking a sip. "That looks tasty." Scarlet smiles at me.
I smirk and lick my lips. "It tastes like pink." I giggle while taking another sip. Bailey laughs with me, pouring herself some. I look around the room as I take sips from my pink drink, my eyes landing on Damon and his squad of douches.
Bailey was correct as usual, and Damon's jaw has slapped into the floor at my appearance. I smirk at him before turning back to my friends and chatting with them. I take more sips from my pink drink until I start feeling myself sway. Giggling, I stumble to the keg and fill my cup. "Having a fun cupcake?" Scarlet asks me.
I nod quickly before I take another sip from the liquor. I notice Bailey has vanished until my eyes land on her, dancing with a tall hockey player. I smile and lean against Scarlet, a smirk filling my red lips. "This outfit was a good idea. Look at his face," I whisper to my friend. Scarlet follows my line of sight, and we both lean against the counter watching Damon.
He looks hot. His hockey jacket hugs his body in all the right places. His black ripped jeans are tight in all the places you'd want, and his hair… Oh fuck. I want to run my fingers through that hair.
No, you don't. He was a world-class douche bag. You will not fantasise about anything to do with Damon Saint.