Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
Iripped open the package, hoping for a miracle. I read the first line of the letter, ‘Dear Serenity Serrano, Congratulations, you’ve been admitted!’ I burst into tears. Everything I'd done to get to this moment had finally paid off—the honors classes, volunteering, and two internships—I did it.
I immediately signed into the university portal to accept my offer.
I could hardly wait to get out of this house, this town, and from Andrés.
Since beginning my senior year, my mom has been home during the week and only travels on weekends.
Andrés had left me alone in the last year, aside from the creepy lingering glances.
I held onto so much anger toward my mom for allowing him to come back.
I had no other choice in the matter, but once I left for college, I wouldn't be looking back.
I had to call Shawn to tell him the good news.
“Hey, Serenity. What’s up?”
“I got in,” I said, with a big grin on my face.
“Hell yeah,” Shawn said. “Do you want to come over and celebrate? No one's home.”
That was his way of saying we could hook up.
We’d been hooking up off and on since the day he took my virginity during sophomore year.
We were solely friends with benefits, but we've become more serious recently. Before, he would still date or text other girls, but he’s been all about us lately. He has been sweeter than ever before.
“I’ll be right over,” I said.
I finished preparing for the day, grabbed the keys to my new Honda Civic, and drove to Shawn’s house.
I stopped telling my mom my whereabouts.
She obviously didn’t care about my well-being, or she would never have allowed Andrés back into our home.
Once I had all my college expenses figured out, I'd distance myself from her. I didn’t want to use her for her money, but as a teen with limited options, it’s all I could do.
I pulled up to Shawn’s house and turned off the ignition.
I pulled out my admissions letter and read and reread it.
This was really happening. I permitted myself to bask in the excitement for a minute longer before I headed to Shawn’s front door.
I walked right in because their front door was always left unlocked—and I was practically family.
Shawn wasn’t in the living room, so I headed to his room at the back of the house. He sat on the edge of his bed playing a shooting game on his Xbox 360.
“Hey, you,” he said, slightly looking over at me, resuming his focus on his game.
“Hi,” I said, kissing him on the cheek. I crawled into his bed and took out my book to read while he played his game.
I read a typical teenage romance that made me think of my relationship with Shawn.
When we were alone, we were best friends who sometimes had sex, but when we were at school or with other friends, he treated me like I was one of the guys.
To say I was confused about his feelings toward me would be an understatement.
I didn’t want it to be that way between us anymore.
Shawn finished his game and crawled into bed and lay alongside me. “What are you reading? Let me guess, another romance?”
“They’re a good escape from the real world. You know, since they’re so unrealistic,” I said sarcastically.
He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean by that? I’m romantic!” he exclaimed, cuddling closer.
I turned on my side to face him. “But we aren’t together, are we? So, anything romantic between us has to stay between us.”
“What’s wrong with that? We don’t need people in our business all the time.”
I turned to lie on my back. “I guess. But I think I crave something more.”
“I can certainly give you more,” he said, gently running his fingers up my arm. He grabbed me by my waist, pulling my back against him so he was spooning me. He nipped at my neck and ran his hands over my body.
“You know that’s not what I mean,” I said through gritted teeth because he knew the effect he had on me.
One touch from him and I was a goner. He shifted away from me, so I was on my back again.
He hovered over me, bringing his lips to mine.
The kiss grew in intensity. I knew he was using me, but I never attempted to stop it.
After we had sex, we walked out to the mailbox together to see if he had gotten his admissions letter.
We both only applied to one school, and if I could get in, then he definitely could.
I could have gone out of state—my mom could afford it—but a part of me wanted to be close to all the friends I’ve made.
It was the one place we stayed long enough for me to make friends.
“It’s here,” Shawn said, pulling the large envelope out of the mailbox.
He immediately ripped open the envelope and read the first line aloud: “Dear Shawn Palmer, Congratulations, you’ve been admitted!
” We looked at each other with cheesy grins, jumping up and down with excitement.
I didn’t have to leave Shawn yet because we were going to the same university.
I hugged him tightly. “Look at us, two college-bound kids.”
We fist bumped. “Heck yes, we are.”
“I have to head home to get ready for my internship, but let's talk about plans later.”
He gave me one last hug before I headed back inside to gather my things to head home.
I pulled into the driveway and quickly ran upstairs to get ready.
The house was quiet, so I assumed I was the only one home.
I put music on in my room and went into my en-suite bathroom.
I left the bathroom door open so I could hear the music from my room.
I washed my hair as a sudden unease overcame me.
I snapped open my eyes and Andrés stood there.
I was fully exposed through the glass shower door. I quickly tried to cover my most vulnerable areas. “Get out!” I screamed.
“I’m just checking that you got home okay,” he said with a smug expression. My whole body shook. “But this can stay between us, right? I wouldn’t want anything to happen to your mom to prevent her from helping you go off to college now, would I?”
He was threatening me again. It had been over a year since he had visited me at night.
This couldn't seriously be happening again.
I couldn't fight him off if anything escalated.
Would he take it even further now that I was older?
I squeezed my nails into my palms, focusing on the pain instead of on his eyes on me.
He smirked. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to touch you. Just finish your shower. Your mom went shopping and should be back home in an hour.”
I was rooted in fear. Why had I left my door open? Why would I assume I was alone? I was stuck in another nightmare. I quickly finished washing my hair and body with one hand as I tried to keep myself as covered as possible with my other hand.
“Here, I brought a towel for you,” he said, opening the shower door and handing it to me. I snatched it out of his hand and wrapped it around myself. My pounding heart was about to beat out of my chest. I needed to get dressed and go.
He walked over to my bedroom door, giving me the impression that he was leaving, but he stood there watching me. I felt sick to my stomach. Luckily, the door downstairs slammed as my mom arrived home. He quickly turned and left my room.
I shook as I tried to get dressed. My heart raced as I sobbed and shook on my bathroom floor. I couldn't catch my breath. I thought it was over.
Why me?
Would it be like before?
Would the nightly visits happen again?
Should I tell my mom or Shawn?
My thoughts raced as I cried harder.
I didn’t make it to my internship.