I drop to my knees, my guilt and lack of sleep catching up with me. Anneli is at my side in a heartbeat.
“I’m sorry for being hard on you. It’s my job to make sure you don’t give up, to push you to your limit and beyond. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be much of a friend. I know you’re better than this.”
My uncontrollable sobs make it difficult to breathe.
“I cheated on Trevor,” I say between deep breaths.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I’m the bitch I just called you.”
“End it, and don’t tell Trevor,” Anneli suggests.
If only it were that simple.
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“It’s Art.”
“Holy shit. You go and fuck the one guy your boyfriend hates. That’s the stupidest thing you could’ve ever done.”
“I think I’m falling for him. He’s hurting so bad. I just want to help him,” I admit.
“Listen to yourself. You barely know him, and you’re far from capable of helping him. Jesus,he tried to kill himself.”
“It’s like we’re connected on a visceral level. I can’t help it. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t stop.”
“This is not going to end well. Imagine what Trevor will do if he finds out.”
Am I prepared for the repercussions that will surely come if I continue down this path?
“Who do you see a future with? Art is just a thrill for you, something different and exciting, an infatuation that will pass. If you think he’s the type to want a steady girlfriend, you’re deluding yourself.”
I can’t dispute what she’s saying. It’s the truth. Staying home tonight isn’t an option. I need time to collect my thoughts.
“Can I spend the night at your house?”
“Of course you can.”
I can’t be in the same house with Art tonight.
One day without being inside her, and I’m losing my fucking mind. What has this girl done to me? She came home after school yesterday, only to go back out within minutes. I swear if I had her cell phone number, I would’ve texted her to demand that she come home. There’s no way I could ask Josh for it—he would’ve told me to fuck off. More than a few times, I found myself almost heading upstairs to ask my uncle for her number. Each time I stopped myself. Now it’s Friday night, and she hasn’t come home yet. In class this morning, she pretended like I didn’t exist. Her eyes never strayed my way—not one damn time. Even Trevor ignored the snide remarks I tossed their way. I didn’t realize how much I craved her attention until she took it from me.
Bri sat with me at lunch and talked nonstop the entire time. I declined the invitation to come over to her house later tonight. If I were smart, I would forget about Cin and just fuck Bri—maybe fuck her cousin too while I’m at it—but it’s Cin who calms my mind. I can’t forget the paradise I found with her in the middle of a raging storm. Bri told me about a small get-together she’s having on Saturday night. I accepted that invite, only because Cin will be there.
She skipped the afternoon class we have together. She’s fucked up if she thinks I’m going to allow her to walk away from me. I was dormant until she came along and woke me up, so now it’s her responsibility to feed me. I silently seethe while lying on her bed as I wait in the darkness—even the risk of being seen didn’t stop me from coming to her room. I amble over to the window when I hear the engine of a car. I peer through the small opening in the curtain, careful not to make my presence known. My dick gets hard instantly as my eyes greedily track her when she leaves her car then disappears up the porch steps. It’s close to ten o’clock. I’ve been waiting on her for close to an hour. I quickly stride over to the door and lean against the wall—a lion waiting on its prey to unknowingly venture into dangerous territory. She’ll have a false sense of security when she enters her bedroom, never expecting the threat that lies within. I’ll strike hard and fast when she steps through the door—she won’t know what hit her.
I pounce on her when she clears the doorway, covering her mouth when she takes a breath to scream. My nails dig into the soft skin of her face, not enough to draw blood, but enough to leave grooves. She claws at me like a wildcatwhen my forearm slides across her throat. My girl, Cin, is a fighter—my dick just got harder. I kick the door closed.
“Where the fuck you been?”
The fight in her vanishes when she hears my voice. That was her second mistake—she should never let her guard down around me. Her first mistake was thinking I wouldn’t be waiting for her to fuck us both to unconsciousness.
A million thoughts race through my mind the moment I am attacked. I am ambushed before I can switch on the light.
The few seconds of the unknown felt like a lifetime, then his voice washes over me like a warm caress. I attempt to speak, but my words are mumbled. The adrenaline gradually dissipates from my limbs, leaving me weak. His hand glides from my mouth to knot in my long locks.
