Chapter 16 #2
He lets go of me. I turn away at once, even though I feel like I might collapse in front of him.
My legs start to move. Please don’t let him follow me.
I want to shut my ears as I walk away from him.
He’s hurling insults after me, words I’ll never forget.
I walk. I want rid of the feeling of his hands on my body.
But it clings. I can feel him, smell him, taste him, the whole way down the dark corridor to the stairs.
I feel so sick that I want to stop and curl up, but I have to get out of here.
I need to get somewhere safe. I need to get to Sinclair.
He’s all I can think of. Nothing else helps.
‘Tori?’
I freeze as I take in the figure coming downstairs towards me. And then I go weak at the knees as I recognize him. I only realize I’m crying as Sinclair comes closer. I see the pain in his anxious face. I can’t move as he gently strokes my face with the back of his hand.
‘Fuck,’ he mutters, balling it into a fist. A deep frown engraves itself between his eyebrows as I flinch. ‘Hey,’ he says, instantly much calmer. ‘Look at me. Look at me, Tori.’ He takes my face in both hands as I don’t pull away. ‘Breathe,’ he whispers.
My heart is pounding in my throat. It just won’t settle.
But I force myself to do as he says. Breathe.
Shut my eyes as Sinclair rests his forehead against mine.
Anything to forget we’re still here in this dark passageway.
He’s here, you’re safe. Nothing happened.
Nothing happened at all. So why is my whole body shaking and why won’t it stop?
Sinclair sounds like he’s deliberately keeping his voice calm as he now pulls away slightly. ‘What did he do?’
‘Nothing.’ I shake my head. Because Val didn’t actually do anything. It was only words. Words I deserved. I’m the one who messed up. OK, he held onto me and wouldn’t let go, even though I asked him to. It’s like I can still feel the weight of his hand on my shoulder.
‘What did he do, Tori?’ Sinclair repeats, more emphatically this time.
It’s no longer my best friend facing me now.
I’ve never heard him like that. His voice is quiet but it’s shaking with suppressed emotion.
If I didn’t know him so well, I’d most probably be scared of him.
He looks past me, and his body tenses again. ‘Is he still down there?’
‘Sinclair, no, come on . . .’ I try to grab his wrist but he pulls away. I want to boak as he runs down the rest of the stairs.
Everything seems to happen in slow motion yet incredibly fast. I follow him, I call his name. I run faster. I try to pull him back. Val’s still in the passage. Cillian and a few others are with him.
They nod slightly towards us. Val turns around. At the exact moment that Sinclair’s fist connects with his face.
SINCLAIR
I’ve never been a fighter. I remember that the second Valentine Ward hits the deck in front of me and the rest of the upper sixth stare at me like I’ve lost my mind. They’re probably not far wrong.
I couldn’t care less. All I feel is the seething rage in my belly and the painful throbbing of my right hand. Shit, why did nobody ever tell me how much it hurts to punch someone in the chin?
There’s silence for about three seconds, and then all hell breaks loose.
Tori grabs my arm and tries to pull me away.
Valentine sits up. His nose is bleeding.
I might have broken it, but he’s the fucking rugby captain, I don’t think he’s that fussed.
But there’s a spark of something in his eyes that’s bordering on madness. Fuck, is he drunk? Looks like it.
For a moment, we face each other, breathing heavily, then Val’s fist shoots out. Somebody screams – Tori, I think. The others roar. I duck in time. The blood is pounding in my ears. Eleanor pulls Tori back as she tries to step between us.
‘Fucking wanker,’ I mutter, through gritted teeth.
I don’t know exactly what happened between him and Tori, but just the sight of her made it clear that it’s time for him to get what’s coming to him.
A split second later, Val’s fist lands in my belly.
The pain paralyses me, and the nausea makes me groan as I crumple.
Tori screams my name. Val’s knee comes out of the blue, hitting me hard under the chin.
The sound as my teeth clash together is so grim I want to boak.
Shit, I didn’t think this through. I have no idea how to fight.
In films, it always looks so easy, but it really isn’t.
I’m on the floor before I’ve even got started.
Once I’ve stopped feeling like I might lose consciousness any second, I see that Louis has pulled Val back.
He’s steaming drunk and mad as hell, and this was a fucking mistake.
But all I can think of is Tori’s tearstained face and the panic in her eyes.
A metallic taste spreads through my mouth.
I gag as I pull myself together. The adrenaline makes me raise my arm again as Val tears himself away.
I hit him somewhere, something in my hand cracks.
I’m on the floor again before I can blink.
What did I expect? I never had a chance against Valentine Ward.
Not in a fight, not with Tori. Not in this life.
Neil and Cillian, his teammates, are trying to hold him back, but there’s no telling what he’ll do next.
I flinch as I hear my name. My first name. It cuts me to the quick, because it’s Tori yelling it. She’s white as a sheet, Eleanor’s holding her up. I only glance her way for a second. Her face is a picture of fear.
Charlie . . .
Her eyes widen, she screams. I whirl around. I don’t see Val’s fist coming.