TWENTY-FIVE
H ave you ever thought you'd meet the perfect guy? He's the one you knew you'd find. Not me, I never suspected anything. I went on with my life, ignoring the world. Until Damon. Though I wouldn't call him perfect. He's dangerous in general. Yet he makes me better. He healed me.
Closing my diary, I sit up and throw on one of Damon's hoodies. "Where do you think you're going?" a husky voice says in my ear.
"Class" I smirk devilishly. I still have to keep my mundane functions. Even if his life doesn't revolve around school, mine does.
Grinning, he grabs me, pulling me into his lap. "I think you could use five minutes."
I shake my head and press my lips to his. "I have to go," I whisper against his reddened lips. Damon scowls lightly before he releases his grip on my hips.
I want nothing more than to curl into bed with him and maybe even partake in some sexual fantasies, but not everyone is a rich mafia family.
"We have dinner plans, don't forget." He smiles, sliding me off his lap. I nod, jumping from the bed and grabbing my bag. These dinner plans don't make sense to me, but I chose to just give in. "Don't think about anything too much." He winks at me.
Easier said than done .
Closing my eyes, I shake Damon's comment from my head and leave the bedroom. It feels like months since I attended school, yet it's only been about a week. A week behind, though.
Slipping my boots on, I open the door and wander down the stairs, heading for Bailey's car while they await me. "Morning hot stuff." Bailey grins at me.
Rolling my eyes, I click my seatbelt on and stare out the window with a frown.
I hate going to school. I hate dealing with professors and such, and all the nightmares I had at the beginning of the year, it's a nightmare. But not everyone can skip, least of all me.
The moment my feet step through the front double doors, I remember why I hate being here so much. Fucking people. My eyes scan the room, and I catch Paris's eye as she smirks, eying Sabrina, who stands beside her. Fuck . But I ignore them as I follow behind Scarlet.
Sticking beside Scarlet, we walk toward them, slipping past them. "Slut!" Paris barks with a cackle. Scarlet spins around, pulling back a growl. But I grab her arm and pull her toward class. I don't care what they say.
Scarlet rolls her eyes before she wraps her arm around me. "I could have dealt with that." She scowls at me.
"You don't need to," I reply as I wave goodbye to her and follow Bailey toward creative writing.
Once I'm settled in my seat, I gaze around the room. I flip through my notes before eying the professor at the front of the room. It feels weird being back here, especially with my new knowledge.
"You worried about something?" Bailey whispers beside me.
I shake my head and force a smile. I hadn't even told her what I was thinking about the night at Ricky's, and it stays that way till I find the courage to tell Damon about it.
Closing my eyes briefly, I open them again before looking down at the notes on my desk. I might get myself killed by telling him, but in the end, it takes two…
I can't do this, sitting here, acting like school is the biggest problem in my life when that isn't the case. Scrambling to grab all my things, I shove them back into my bag before eying Bailey quickly.
"Grab me the assignment. I can't do this," I whisper to my friend. Disappearing down the staircase to the door, I slip out and rush for the exit of the building.
Calling an Uber, I gaze around the parking lot, once again closing my eyes with humiliation. This couldn't be happening to me. Could it? Shaking the thoughts from my head, I open my eyes before quickly stepping into the car as it pulls up beside the curb.
Laying my head against the window, I slam my eyes shut as I play over Damon's reaction when I finally tell him. If something's going to go wrong there, it's Damon.
Flicking my eyes open, I unbuckle my seatbelt as the car comes to a stop at Damon's condo. I shove a fake smile on my lips as I make my way to the steps and rush up them. Stumbling forward, my phone rings in my bag. I reach for it, quickly checking the name.
Harley . He doesn't call me; he never calls me. I call him. "Hello?" I say into the receiver as I enter the condo. I hear sobs in the background and my heart sinks. Something is wrong.
They aren't my brother's cries… It's Georgina, my stepmother.
"Harley… what's going on?" I whisper, kicking my boots off and standing between the kitchen counter and the sofa, where the boys are playing games.
"He's gone. Dad's gone." His voice sounds like metal as Georgina cries harder in the background.
I feel my entire body shut down. My phone falls from my hands, clattering to the floor. My knees slam into the hard wood as the sobs wrack out of my body in waves. I can't feel, I can't feel anything.
The air in my lungs doesn't exist. Someone's arms wrap around my body, but I don't register what's going on.
My mind has shut down. My organs feel like they already have. My lungs are suffocating me. I don't want to even be alive anymore. I can't be alive. Is this what death is like? The arms that wrapped around my body have now carried me off somewhere.
I can hear urgent voices that sound so far away. My heart is cracked. I can't feel it. I don't feel it. I might as well already be dead if I can't breathe or feel anything.
It feels like I'm in a faraway place. I can't… I can't. "Hanna! Hanna!" someone shouts close by. My eyes flutter and I realise I'm not dead. I'm in Damon's room. The phone call with Harley is still fresh in my mind. My dad's dead… The sobs return, and I cry so hard my heart hurts. Damon's beside me before I can think.
"Cinderella," he whispers and pulls me into his arms.
I close my eyes as the tears stain my cheeks. "I just… I just… don't want to feel any-anymore. I just—" I curl up in his arms, my eyes slamming shut again as the darkness pulls me back in.