I look up and I’m completely alone, wrapping my arms around my body. Silent tears fall down my. face. Nothing would ever be the same again after this.
Nothing.
I don’t even notice when she comes back until I feel her touching my hair and I flinch. The memories of how he had played with my hair come flooding back.
“Hey, you’re shaking.” Finally, I look up at her in a daze. Maybe she was right, maybe this was shock.
I take the glass of water from her hands and guzzle the entire contents even though it burns the back of my throat. I don’t stop until that glass is empty.
“That water tasted funny.” I sniffle.
“It was vodka.” She looks shocked. “I thought it might take the edge off.”
I’m not sure if it took the edge off, but it helped relaxed my body, which felt stiff, so I was gratefulfor that.
“Listen, we don’t have to go tonight.” She soothes. “We can stay home and—.” I shake my head. “I don’t mind, honestly.”
“Well, I do.”
“Dove.” I can see the pity on her face.
“No, I’m not letting some psychopath ruin our night. I’ve had my meltdown—we are going.” She nods. “But first, I think we might need a lot more drinks.”
9
ASHTON
Iwatch her crumble as her friend delivers the devastating news. I wait for the pin to drop.
Ah, there it is.
News travelled fast, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from a small town like this.
I twist the knife in my hands as I watch her curl her body and silently sob. She looked so pretty when she cried. She was broken, a shell of her former self, but she just wasn’t broken enough.
After everything she had been through today and everything she had learned, she was still going to come tonight.
My little bird was getting brave.
I’d thought I’d broken her, but she didn’t look broken. What would it take to break her and mould her as mine? She was tougher than I gave her credit for. Not once did I think she wouldn’t want to hide?
I wanted her to fucking hide, so I could hunt her down and see the fear glazed in her eyes as I broke down every fuckingwall she had, but she wasn’t playing the game the way she was supposed to.
My thoughts are consumed by my little bird. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t fucking concentrate on anything other than the girl who drives me crazy.
Suppose I could stop watching her, but then—no, I didn’t even want to think it.
A rapping at the door rouses me from my manic thoughts that she seems to have invaded.
Flinging the door open, I’m met with silence and two red balloons bob in front of my face. The rustling of leaves as the wind picks up pace is the only sound I hear.
I look around but there is no evidence of anyone ever been here but then: who placed these balloons on my doorstep?
The chill in the air and the rustling of leaves creates a sense of foreboding doom, not to mention the bloody balloons tied to my fucking door.
I take my knife from my pocket and cut the blood red string. The balloons bob in front of my face until I watch them float away.
“Well, that wasn’t very nice, was it?” The girlish voice mocks me. “They were a gift.”
