Page 6 of Break Me Gently

I grabbed the arm that held me.

“He went to your games. You ignored him. They went to every parents’ evening and every school event for both of us,” I said, thinking of the times I was in his high school.

My feet finally met the ground.

I didn’t mention the fact that he’d been too busy protecting his reputation and trying to sleep with as many girls as he could back then.

“Why are you here, Zach? You never got back in touch, no matter what Mum did.”

Why now? I wanted to ask.

He circled around me.

“Can’t I just stop by to check in on my little sister and her new boyfriend?” he drawled, circling me again. “You’re all grown up now, sis.”

How did he find out about Nolan?

“You used to be such a little goody-two-shoes. Have you kissed him yet? Or have you let him eat your cunt out?”

I gasped and slapped his face as hard as I could. The bright red imprint of my fingers on his left cheek was instant.

“That-that’s none of y-y-your business,” I stammered, backing away as his palm rested on his cheek.

He wasn’t always cruel to me, but what his last girlfriend did to me changed that. He let all his friends humiliate me. For just one second, I saw a hint of remorse before he turned his back on me.

He looked me up and down.

“That’s a no then,” he said, before backing me against the wall. “Don’t ever touch me again.”

Fuck him.

Fuck him and his twisted logic. He’d end up on a Netflix true crime documentary, if they ever caught him.

Of course, I said none of this, but I hoped I portrayed it with the hatred in my eyes.

He began to laugh.

Fucking freak.

“Chill, Amber. It’s Christmas.”

The doorbell rang.

Nolan.

I ducked down to get away from Zach. He grabbed my sweater and yanked me back, then bolted from my bedroom. He ran downstairs and answered the door.

I closed my eyes.

Poor Nolan.

I didn’t run.

I slowly walked down the stairs.

Shell-shocked.

Zachary Rayne was back.