Chapter 22 Lexi
Lexi
IUber back at dawn.
It took a lot of courage to leave the damn trailer, walk around in the cold, and wait for bars to show up. A part of me was convinced he did that on purpose, like he knew I wouldn’t have cell service and decided to strand me anyway.
As soon as I found a bar, it disappeared. I went to the trailer and waited. I kept telling myself another ten minutes, then another twenty minutes… surely he would come back, right? No.
So I hope into my Uber at the very early morning hours. Honestly, I feel like he thinks I’m a prostitute. I know I reek of sex. I just want to get home.
By the time I get to my dorm, the rage hasn’t subsided. He thinks he can toy with me? He has another thing coming.
The shower feels like heaven though. I bring in the antibacterial soap from the sink to clean his come off me. I need to scrub myself clean because it’s dry and stuck to my skin. Seriously, so fucking annoying.
But that’s the least of my worries right now. I don’t know what game he’s playing, so I need to make sure I’ve five steps ahead of him. I sift through my dresser, trying to find something to wear for the day. I have a revenge plan up my sleeve that he won’t see coming.
I’m walking across the quad when I feel someone’s eyes on me.
In an instant, I feel like a little girl again because I tense up and my anger consumes me. I was hoping my body didn’t have such a stupid reaction to knowing he’s near, but here we are.
“Tiger.”
I inhale, not glancing at him. But that doesn’t matter because I feel the anger in my shoulders. I’m tense. It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to see it. I want to run and hide, so I don’t look at him. I keep walking like I didn’t hear him.
“We need to talk.”
I’m almost at the library when his hand closes around my arm.
I spin, ready to scream, but his other hand covers my mouth before I can tell him to fuck off.
He lifts me like I weigh nothing and carries me toward the parking lot. I kick my legs wildly and try to bite his palm, but he just tightens his grip.
“Morning!” he calls out to a group of students as they stare. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
When their eyes meet mine, I flip them off.
He dumps me into the passenger seat of his car and closes the door before I can bolt. By the time I reach for the handle, he’s in the driver’s seat, locking the doors.
“Let me out.”
“No.”
“Koa, I swear to god—”
“We’re talking.” He doesn’t start the car. Just turns to face me, jaw tight. “You can hate me. You can scream at me. But you’re going to listen.”
I claw at his arm, nails digging in deep enough to draw blood. “You left me there! You fucking left me at that trailer with no phone service, no way to get home—”
He grabs my wrists and pins them against the passenger door. His body cages mine, breath hard and fast.
I stare at him, hating myself for thinking better of him.
But the way he glares at me…
“Are you high right now?”
He blinks. “What?”
I lean closer and notice his dilated pupils. It takes a second to register that he left me at the trailer to go get high, so I yank my hands out of his grip, furious. “You’re high. You left me at that trailer to go get high.”
He pins me harder, kissing my lips. I bite the hell out of his bottom lip, but he doesn’t flinch. Motherfucker, he’s not just high––he’s gone. So now we’re playing a game. I make him hurt, and he doesn’t feel any pain or give any fucks.
I push him away from me, but he pulls me closer.
“You’re going to listen to me, Lexi.”
“No.” I wipe his blood from my mouth with the back of my hand. “You need to listen to me.”
I force my arms down, breaking his grip. My wrists burn where he held them.
“I don’t do this,” I say, each word deliberate. “I don’t fuck with people who get high. That was the whole point. That was the deal.”
“Lexi—”
“The deal’s off.” I reach for the door handle. “You’re done. We’re done.”
He grabs me before I can open it.
“Touch me again and I’ll break your nose,” I say, voice steady despite the panic clawing at my chest.
He releases me. Leans back. Then he pulls off his shirt.
I grind my teeth, looking away. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Look at me.”
“No.”
“Lexi. Look.”
I turn—and freeze.
His torso is covered in bruises. Dark purple, almost black in places. Fresh. Recent. The kind that come from fists or boots or something worse.
I hesitate for a moment, looking at a broken masterpiece.
Dark purple. Almost black in places. Fresh enough that the edges are still swollen.
“What happened?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
He’s watching me. Waiting for something—sympathy, maybe. Concern. The same girl who cried over her brother in the hospital.
That’s not who he’s getting today.
“Oh.” I lean back against the passenger door, crossing my arms. “Did a drug deal go bad? Someone finally kicked your ass instead of the other way around?”
His jaw tightens. “Lexi—”
“And now you want my sympathy?” I reach for the door handle. “You want me to feel sorry for you because you got what you deserved?”
I yank the handle. The door opens an inch before he slams it back closed.
“Let go.”
“Not until you listen.”
“I don’t need to listen to anything.” I look him dead in the eyes. “You deal drugs. You get high. You left me stranded with your come all over me. And now you’re sitting here covered in bruises like I’m supposed to care.”
“I didn’t get high by choice—”
“There’s always a choice.” My voice is ice. “You made yours. Multiple times, apparently.”
Something flashes across his face—pain, maybe, or anger. Good. Let him hurt.
“You don’t understand,” he says.
“Oh,” I mock and cross my arms tighter. “Go ahead. Tell me the sob story that’s supposed to make this okay.”
He’s quiet for a long moment. His hand is still on the door, keeping it closed, but his grip has loosened.
“My stepdad,” he finally says. “He called me in. I had to go.”
“Had to.”
“Yes.”
“And the drugs? Did you have to take those too?”
His jaw works. “He forced them down my throat.”
I laugh. It’s sharp, bitter. “Right. Your stepdad held you down and made you swallow pills, smoke, inject, whatever the fuck it is that you’re high on. That’s your story?”
“It’s the truth.”
“The truth.” I shake my head. “You know what the truth is? Drugs killed my mother. They made my father disappear. They’re destroying my brother piece by piece.
” I lean forward, making sure he can see every ounce of disgust in my eyes.
“So forgive me if I don’t give a flying fuck what happens to you. ”
“Lexi—”
“We had a deal.” I jab a finger at his chest, right between two of the bruises. He flinches.
“I told you, I don’t—”
“I don’t care.” I grab the door handle again. “Deal’s off. You’re done. We’re done.”
This time when I pull, he lets the door open.
I get out, start walking across the parking lot. My heart is racing, hands shaking, but I keep my stride steady.
His footsteps follow.
“Lexi.”
“I’m walking away from you.”
“Lexi, stop.”
I spin around. He’s standing there shirtless, bruised, pupils still blown wide, looking like every warning sign possible.
“You want me to stop?” My voice rises. “You want me to turn around and pretend this is okay? That you didn’t break the one rule that mattered?”
“It’s not that simple—”
“It is that simple!” I’m shouting now. Students are staring but I don’t care. “You’re either clean or you’re not. There’s no in-between. No excuses.”
“He’s my stepdad,” Koa says, voice raw. “He owns me. You don’t understand what that means.”
“Then help me understand.”
He’s quiet. His chest rises and falls, each breath visible in the cold air.
“I can’t,” he finally says.
“Can’t,” I snicker. I stare at him. At the bruises. At the way he’s standing there vulnerable and broken and still somehow dangerous.
And I feel a pull in my chest. That stupid, treacherous urge to walk back to him. To touch his face. To tell him it’s okay.
No.
I crush it down. Bury it deep.
“Get in the car,” I say.
“What?”
“You’re high. You’re hurt. You shouldn’t be alone.” I walk back toward the Charger. “Get in the car. I’ll take you somewhere you can sleep it off.”
He doesn’t move. “Why?”
“Because I’m not like you.” I open the driver’s side door. “I don’t leave people stranded when they need help. Even when they deserve it.”
The words are meant to cut. From the look on his face, they do.
He gets in the passenger seat without another word.
I drive in silence. He stares out the window, hand pressed against his ribs like they hurt with every breath.
Good.
No. Not good. I don’t want him in pain.
Yes you do. He deserves it.
No he doesn’t. Something’s wrong. Something happened.
I grip the steering wheel tighter, trying to shut out the warring voices in my head.
“Where are we going?” he asks.
“The trailer.”
He turns to look at me. “Trailer, huh?”
“How bad is it?” I ask, keeping my tone neutral.
“I’ll live.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He glances at me. “Bad enough.”
I nod and focus on the road. Let the silence stretch.
When we pull up to the trailer, he moves slowly, each step measured like he’s trying not to aggravate the injuries.
Inside, I point to the couch. “Sit.”
He sits, wincing as he lowers himself down.
I go to the kitchen, fill a glass with water from the tap, and bring it to him. “Drink this. You need to stay hydrated.”
He takes it, suspicious. “Now you care?”
“I don’t.” I stand, waiting for him to drain the cup.
“She cares.”
“Drink.”
He drinks. The whole glass. When he’s done, I reach for it, but he pulls it back.
“You need more,” I say, reaching for it again.
He grabs the back of my legs and tugs me against him.
“Let me go.”
He drops the cup behind him and stands. “No.” He looks at my lips.
“I’m just trying to get you more water,” I say, stepping back, but I don’t get anywhere.
Then he leans down to kiss me. I place a hand over my mouth before his lips can touch mine.
His brows furrow. “Move your hand.”
I shake my head.
“Lexi, I––”
“I told you that the deal is off. Now, let me go.”
He shakes his head. “It’s off when I say it is.”
This time he catches my lips for a fraction of a second as I pull back and slap him hard across the face.
He readjusts his jaw, eyes flicking to mine as he clenches his teeth.
“You’re not going to touch me again,” I say to him. “The deal is off. I don’t fuck with anyone who gets high.”
He steps closer to me like it’s supposed to terrify me. I take a step closer to him, confronting him head on.
“If you try to kiss me again…” I close my eyes. “If you as so much try to fucking touch me again, I will make sure you––”
He grabs my face and kisses me forcefully. I push against him, but he grabs my head and whispers, “If you think you can drop this deal, you’re dead fucking wrong. I cut off your junkie brother and paid for his rehab. The least you can do is let me fuck that pretty pussy again.”
It takes everything in me not jab his eyes out. Instead, I pull my head back to look at him.
“Is that all you want from me?” I grab his hand and guide him to my center.
He rubs me, grinding his teeth.
I lean in and mutter, “If you promise me one thing…”
His eyes flick to my lips. When I think he’s fallen for my spell, I kick his dick as hard as I possibly can and run towards the front door.
He groans trying to follow me when I look back. I pull his car keys out of my pocket as I race out of the place. I unlock the driver door and start the engine.
“Bitch!” I hear him shout.
To be a mega bitch, I roll down the passenger window and flip him off as I drive away.
I watch him get smaller in the rearview mirror and almost laugh. I got him good, and I’ll keep my promise that he won’t touch me ever again.
“Jasper,” I say into my phone when he picks up on the second ring. “Jasp, I need your help. A big-time dealer is after me. Axel got caught up in his mess, and I tried to save him, but everything’s fucked right now. I stole his car and––”
“Hello to you too, Lexi.” There’s amusement in his voice. “Long time no talk. Seems like you didn’t get the quiet life you planned for after all.”
I exhale, pressing the gas pedal harder. “I have enough gas to drive to you right now. Where are you?”
He chuckles. “Unfortunately I’m out of town. How bad is it?”
“Bad,” I say. “Really bad. I need you.”
“I have a friend who has a friend. He can help you out.”
“What? No––”
“You called me, Lex. You take the help. When he answers, tell him exactly what you told me.”
“Jasper! Jasper! Wait!”
The line starts ringing. Shit, I think he’s three-way calling right now.
“Jasper, please!” I stutter. Shit, I need it to be him. I could always count on him no matter what.
The line stops ringing and a deep voice comes over the line. “Crying out for Jasper isn’t going to––”
“Jasper?” I keep calling out. I glance at the phone. Fuck, he ended the call and now I’m on the phone with someone I don’t know.
“Who am I talking to?” the deep voice asks.
My gut sinks. “Hi, uh. I’m Lexi.”
The line is quiet for a few moments.
“Lexi,” he says, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”