TWO
A fter cleaning up the blood from the floor, I pull myself to my feet. I grab toilet paper and press it to my cuts. My gaze snaps up at the sound of the bathroom door opening, and I suck in a breath. "She's freaky as fuck." A voice carries through the other side of the stall door.
I peer through the crack in the stall, and my eyes find the back of Lexi's blue hair. "She's literally fucked-up, and if she comes near Damon again, I'll cut her." Lexi sneers, fixing her hair in the mirror. I mumble something simple under my breath and slam my head against the stall a little too loudly.
Lexi drops her hands from her hair, eying my bathroom stall before looking at her black-haired friend. "She's probably in there touching herself because she knows no guy wants that." The black-haired girl giggles.
Lexi smirks and rubs her nails over her lips. "Damon's a great lay. Too bad if she ever touches him, I'll cut her. I’ll cut her up." Lexi smiles.
"You just said that," her friend snorts. Lexi's eyes turn hostile as she rolls them.
I close my eyes, throwing the paper into the tampon box, my eyes flicking down to my fresh cuts. "Emma, climb on that toilet lid and see if it's her," she demands.
Emma scoffs before obeying her friend and smirks down at me. "What the fuck!" she screams, looking at the cuts on my arms.
Lexi's heels click loudly as she jumps up beside Emma and follows her friend's eyes. "You're royally fucked!" Lexi declares, her eyes meeting mine. I give her a pointed stare with no emotion because I'm good at that, and I don't fucking care.
"Honestly, get some counselling for fuck's sakes!" Lexi shrieks, jumping down and dragging Emma out of the bathroom with her.
I close my eyes for just a second before shoving my long sleeve down, grabbing my bag, and rushing out of the bathroom. I come to a dead stop as my body crashes into a wall of muscle. I flick my eyes up, my eyes colliding with a piercing blue, Damon's eyes. He stares down at me before looking at Lexi, who stands beside him with wide eyes. He then does something that has my adrenaline spiking. He reaches for my sleeve, and my blood boils as I slap his hand away.
"Don't fucking touch me," I squeak, rushing past them to my next class, English lit. I close my eyes before taking a seat in the back by myself and watch the professor as he explains what is to happen today. Seems like today hasn't started off well, and I don't expect it to end well, either. I flip through my notes and jot a few things he's saying down. My mind is strictly focused on the class, aside from the occasional thought drift. I'm so focused on class that I don't notice Emma entering the class, her eyes filled with fear or maybe pity as she takes a seat a row in front of me. I continue to write as the professor speaks.
I'm grateful when he says that's all for today, about two hours later. Jumping to my feet, I gather all my things and head out of the classroom toward the exit of the college. I get in the line for the bus, only to hear a voice behind me. "Hanna? Is that your name?" a blonde girl asks, stepping in front of me. I take a deep breath and nod. "I'm Bailey, can I give you a ride? Emma Parker takes that bus, so you'll have some issues if you get on." She smiles at me. My eyes fly around, looking for something, anything, that explains why she would offer that.
"I won’t bite. I'm not a serial killer." Bailey giggles.
A frown touches my lips as I watch her. "I'm supposed to believe that?"
All she does is smile before rolling her eyes. "You're not wrong to be sceptical, but I'm not. Come on, please?" Bailey practically begs.
I nod hesitantly before I grip my bag. Bailey leads the way to her blood-red Mercedes Benz and opens the passenger door for me with a smile. I slide into the car, a frown tugging at my lips as I put my bag beside my feet. "Why are you being so nice to me?" I whisper softly.
Bailey slips into the driver's seat and eyes me cautiously. Maybe a little too cautiously. "I was the new girl from another country once. I know what it's like to get bullied by bitches just because they think you want their man or because your voice sounds different," she replies, her eyes staying on mine.
I smile slightly and buckle my seatbelt. "I notice your accent isn't American," I cut in, side eying her.
Bailey shakes her head and her gaze flicks to mine as she pulls out of the parking lot. "I'm from Madrid, Spain. What about you?"
I pick at my nails before my eyes find hers. "Sydney, Australia."
Bailey's eyes widen. "Australia? I've always wanted to go there, but my father had to move here for a job," she answers, swinging out onto the highway.
I smile to myself and stare out the window. The first person in this country to actually speak to me like I'm a human being, not a bloody charity case. I might like being around her. Might! I still don't like people. "So, any plans for today?" she asks as she drives down the road. I shrug and stare out the window again. "Wanna come to my apartment? I share it with another girl, but she's not so bad."
I suck my bottom lip into my mouth and glance over at her. "My gramz… She might be upset if I…" I look down at my feet and avoid Bailey's eyes.
"Just for one hour." She smiles, and I sigh slowly before agreeing.
This is going to end badly. Why the fuck did I just agree to this?
In no time, the car is parked outside an apartment building and we're walking in. My nerves haven't shut up and I can't function. I never agree to being at someone's house; I never have. Why the fuck did I this time? Only because she's nice to me, the quiet voice in my head pipes up. A sigh threatens to fall past my lips at the sound of the voice before I swallow it.
Bailey unlocks her apartment and we make our way inside. "Kayla!" Bailey calls as she throws her keys down and pulls off her tall boots. I jump at the sudden raise in her voice before I quickly compose myself.
A short redhead girl appears from the kitchen and studies me, tilting her head before her eyes connect with Bailey. Jesus. "I said you could live with me, not the entire freshman class." Kayla snorts, shoving a cookie into her mouth. Bailey rolls her eyes and leads me to the hallway, completely ignoring her roommate.
"She's visiting!" Bailey yells over her shoulder as she leads me into her bedroom. My eyes flick around the small room as I stand awkwardly by the door. She likes red, I have caught that. "You can sit down, I don't mind." Bailey smiles at me as she neatly sets her textbooks on the dresser. Shuffling awkwardly, I take a seat on the bed and gaze around.
"Don't mind Kayla. Her girlfriend broke up with her a few days ago, so she's bitchy and hates everyone," Bailey says as she pulls a hoodie over her head.
My eyes scan the oversized hoodie and I look up at my new friend. "Do you have a boyfriend?" I ask softly, wishing I didn't ask at all. Praying she didn’t catch it. Bailey's cheeks turn pink, and she bites her lip before nodding. Busted. Closing my eyes, I open them and refocus on her. It's not that I'm into girls, because I'm not; it's the fact that I babble whenever I'm nervous.
"He's actually friends with Damon Saint—the guy Lexi wants you to stay away from or she'll cut you," Bailey replies. I widen my eyes and stare at her. "I was in a stall when those girls harassed you in the bathroom." I nod and stare at the blood-red-painted walls of the bedroom.
"What's his name?" I ask her, my eyes finding her pretty face again.
"His name is Alexander; he's the sweetest." She smiles as she plays with her blonde hair. I glance at her closely. I don't think he's sweet… If he was, then her hand wouldn't be shaking when she mentioned him.
I smile, then frown instantly. "Damon Saint, the boy, um… Lexi is with," I whisper softly. Bailey sits on her beanbag chair and watches me closely as a slight frown touches her lips. "He stared at me the entire time we had creative writing together this morning. I don't get it; he's dating Lexi."
Bailey giggles and covers her mouth. I tilt my head as I watch her. "He doesn't date. He's not dating Lexi; he never will. She's just possessive over someone who doesn't want to be claimed, but no, he's only ever had one girlfriend, and he's never dated anyone else. I've been in America since the first year of high school, and I had heard about his girlfriend—he only had one. So yeah, he doesn't date, other than the one girl." By the time she's finished, my eyes are wider than ever. As if she didn’t mean to slip up.
"Who is she?" I ask nervously.
Bailey's face pales and she shuffles uncomfortably. I bite my lip and watch her silently. "Emily Freeman. She, um… she drowned in the river her senior year," Bailey mumbles. Oh fuck.
"Can I ask how that happened?" God, I need to learn to shut up. I feel like I've known her my whole life, but that's not the point. I shouldn't ask, it isn't my business. She's such a sweet person, and I feel like I can trust her. But can she trust me? my subconscious whispers.
"I… I…" Bailey pauses and closes her eyes.
I bite my lip when her words slip out, wishing I just didn’t open my mouth. Bailey recovers and settles herself before she begins to speak. "I actually have no idea how it came to that, because I didn’t know her, but she was found in a river and her lungs were filled with water." Bailey opens her eyes and breathes out softly. That… isn't what I expected.
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
Bailey smiles at me, then returns to neutral. "Damon hasn't been the same. I met them my freshman year of university and apparently, according to Layla, Emily's best friend, he hasn't spoken to anyone about it since it happened, and his brothers? Well, they scare me. Damien gives off serial killer vibes, and Soren could only be described as worse," Bailey whispers.
It feels like my lungs give out. No wonder he has those angry eyes… He lost the one person who actually meant something to him only a year or two ago. Not like if I mention it to him, he'll snap or anything; we definitely don't know anything about if he would. Why do you care? I shake my head and clear the thought from my mind.
Bailey recovers and smiles at me. "Pizza?" she asks with a grin. A soft smile appears on my lips and I nod. This bouncing sunshine blonde could be my friend. We could have a friendship like from books.
And I won’t give up on trying to secure that.
Bailey jumps to her feet and dials the pizza place, rambling off our order before hanging up and smiling at me. "Let's go see if Kayla made us some cookies," Bailey says softly, pulling me to my feet.
We make our way to the kitchen, only to see the redhead fully making out with, who do you know… Damon Saint. I squeeze my eyes shut because, after everything I was just told, I can't even look at him. Not that I want to, not after what happened outside the bathroom.
"Damon! Out!" Bailey barks. I open my eyes slowly and my eyes find him. Kayla snorts angrily and climbs off the six-foot-two handsome man, glaring at her roommate before walking into her bedroom.
"Your friends with the weirdo? Funny, since you're probably the same way now," Damon growls. I don't understand until I realise Lexi told him what she saw… what I did…
Bailey glares at Damon. "I want you out. I refuse to interact with you, especially with how you treat girls. Plus, I don't like you."
Damon rolls his eyes and stands, towering over Bailey and me. "You want to end up picking up a dead body off a bedroom floor? Continue being friends with her, then; we all know how you handle dead bodies," Damon growls, stalking past us and retreating out the door.
What the fuck? Why would Bailey know what it's like to see a dead body?
She didn’t know Emily, so why?
I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths, my heart pounding against my rib cage. Fuck, fuck, fuck . Bailey spins to face me and eyes me up and down. "What does he mean? Why would I see another dead body?"
I flinch and stare at the floor. "Don't ask me about it… just don't ask." Bailey studies me for a moment longer before she walks into the kitchen. I slowly follow her, dragging my feet behind me. This city is fucked up.
"Cookie?" Bailey asks, handing me a chocolate chip cookie.
I shake my head and smile. "Thank you for the offer, though."
Kayla marches into the kitchen, her eyes blazing. "What makes you think you can kick him out of my apartment?" she growls. Bailey faces her roommate and crosses her arms. My eye widen at the defensive side of the redhead.
"Because I told you when I moved in that you can have any boy you want in here, except for him. I can't be around him. He pisses me off even more than his roommate," Bailey snaps.
I lean against the counter and chew my lip softly, glancing at the clock, only to realise I've been here for three hours. "Uh! I have to get home," I squeak, looking at Bailey. He's gonna notice I'm gone. He's gonna…
She turns away from Kayla and smiles at me. "I'll take you, let's go." She smiles before throwing Kayla some cash. "Grab my pizza when it gets here," she barks, leading me out of the apartment and down to her car. Once buckled, she shifts into first gear and drives out of the parking lot. "What's the address?"
I ramble off the address and stare out the window, picking my bag off the floor and clutching it to my chest. I'm so screwed, so screwed. Bailey parks outside my house and smiles. "I can come get you before we have to be in class tomorrow."
I smile back before nodding. "Mines at three, but I don't mind being there early." Bailey waves as I grab my bag and I race up the steps into my house.
I hear the car retreat and sigh. Once I hear the footsteps, my heart lurches in my chest. "You're late," my stepbrother barks, his arms crossed and his lips in a snarl. I knew I was fucked.
I clutch my bag to my chest and bite my lip. "I-I made a friend… we hung out," I whisper under my breath as I watch my feet. Why do I sound like a scared child when I talk to him? Fuck! His footsteps come closer until he's towering over me.
"No friends. You go to college, and you come home. Your gramz pays for those damn classes, so you do as I say!" he yells, his hand going through the wall beside my head. I never understand why my grandmother leaves him in charge of my school tuition. It shouldn't involve him, yet it does.
I close my eyes, waiting for him to leave, praying for him to ignore me. His thumb traces my bottom lip, and I hear his ugly ragged breath. I resist the urge to throw up on his fancy jeans. "I want those lips wrapped—" He's cut off as my grandmother makes her way down the stairs.
"Brayden, leave your sister alone," my sweet gramz screeches. He is not my brother. I have one of those, and he does not treat me how Brayden does. Harley saved my life once while my stepbrother just continues to ruin it.
He lets me go and walks into the living room, sitting in the chair. "Did you have a good day?" She smiles at me. If you call ripping open my arms and getting touched by my stepbrother, then sure, my day was great. Not that I can say that out loud.
Instead, I nod slowly before walking past her upstairs into my bedroom, locking the door behind me. I drop to the floor and burst into tears, my entire body shaking as I cry. I hate his hands. I hate his voice. I hate his touch. The tears don't stop as I hug my knees and cry into them. He doesn't deserve my tears, but here I am, crying again.
I hate everything about living here. I miss my dad, I miss Harley. I wish he lived here. I wouldn't be dealing with this and… My train of thought disappears and I continue to cry. Pulling myself to my feet, I strip off my clothing and slip into some pjs, the tears still falling, still clogging my throat.
Climbing into bed, I pull the covers up to my chin and I continue to sob as I grip my phone and dial my brother's number with trembling fingers. "Hanna?" he utters when he answers.
"Harley…" I hiccup, trying to calm my crying so he doesn't question things.
"Are you alright? I thought sending you to Grandma's would make everything better?" Harley asks over the papers shuffling around in the background.
"Yeah, it is better… It's just Brayden…" I hiccup again.
My brother is silent for a few moments before his voice filters into my ear. "Did he do something to you?"
It's the question I knew was coming—the one I dreaded and the one I can't answer. "No. He's just… He makes me uncomfortable," I grumble, tucking a piece of my brown hair behind my ear.
"If he does anything else, you will tell me, won’t you? I’ll deal with him, that's a promise," he replies as the shuffle of papers grows louder.
"Yeah. Thanks. I’ll let you get back to work," I whisper. I say my goodbyes and tell my brother I love him before hanging up.
I curl up into my blankets as the sobs return, wracking my body until it physically makes me fall asleep. Drifting me into my nightmares, into hell.