“W-what
do you mean?” I stammer, peering up at him in fear.
“You
see this?” He asks, reaching for something in his back pocket. He pulls out his
phone and scrolls through it, only showing it to me when he’s found what he’s
looking for. “I still have that picture of you that Lewis sent to me last year and
unless you do exactly as I say right now… I’m going to resend it.”
“To
who?” I gasp, suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that I’m going to faint.
“To
everyone I know. The whole thing will be stirred up again, Serena. Now, I can
make things really, really hard for you or I can make things easy. It’s your
choice.”
He
takes a strand of my hair, twirling it around his fingertips. I’d pull back
from him but I can’t move, it feels like I’m frozen to the very spot where I’m
standing.
“Y-you’re
blackmailing me?”
“Not
yet.” He answers calmly, trailing the thumb of his other hand down the side of
my face. “But I will do if you refuse to cooperate with me.”
“What
on earth could you possibly want from me?”
“What
do you think I want, Serena?”
His
tone is direct, loaded with a sexual insinuation I can’t ignore.
“
Me
?”
I murmur, disbelief and dread consuming every single part of my body.
“Precisely.”
“You’ve
mistreated me for an entire year, why in God’s name would I want you?”
“Because
you know what the consequences will be if you don’t do what I say. Just imagine
it, having to relive all that pain and humiliation all over again. You don’t
really want that, do you?”
Before
I even have a chance to respond to him, he’s got his hand around the back of my
neck, pulling me into an unwanted kiss. I squirm and fight it, trying my
hardest to escape him. However, it’s no use… he’s too strong for me. There are
no houses close by and not a single person in sight. I can’t even scream because
I can’t get enough air into my lungs. His vile mouth is pressed so firmly
against mine, I can hardly breathe. Ten thousand thoughts are swirling around inside
my head and I can’t even begin to make sense of a single one of them. I’m
paralysed by fear and the merciless grip it has around my throat.
I
somehow manage to process that he’s pushing me backwards. He’s forcing me
towards his car and I’m powerless to stop him. It’s only when he’s about to
shove me through the car door that my protective instincts finally kick in. I
lash out and kick him, determined to do everything in my power to get away.
My
efforts are futile. He’s far too strong for me and absolutely determined to
carry out what he must have had planned when he saw me leave college early. He
must have followed me with a sinister intention in mind and now he’s going to
see it through.
I
try and scream, frantic in my attempts to draw attention to myself. If there’s someone
close by I need to make sure they will hear me and pray to God that they will
come and help me.
“Let
go of me!” I wail, scratching and clawing at his face in desperation.
“Don’t
worry, baby. I’ll make sure you enjoy it.”
He
has a smug and victorious grin on his face, gloating over the fact that he’s
almost managed to defeat me by conquering my small frame.
“She
said
let go.”
A
threatening voice startles us both, causing Jonathan to let go of me when he
turns around to face our intruder. I need to catch a glimpse of him for myself
and gasp when I see who it is standing just a few feet away from us.
Cole.
He’s
actually here. He’s right in front of me and I can’t even begin to figure out
the reason why. His fists are clenched and the murderous expression on his face
is one I don’t recognise. He’s glowering at Jonathan, making sure he is the
sole recipient of his malevolent glare.
“This
has got nothing to do with you, Cole. I’m just talking to her.”
“After
what I said?” Cole asks, taking one step closer towards us.
His
voice has changed as well his posture, causing him to appear even more savage
and sinister than he did when I first saw him.
“You
were actually been serious?” Jonathan asks him, sounding shocked. “You really
meant it when you told every single one of us to stay away from her?”
“That’s
right.” Cole growls menacingly, closing the distance between us.
I’d
be terrified if I thought he planned on causing me any harm but for some
peculiar reason… I know he doesn’t. His fury is aimed entirely at Jonathan and
I’m so thankful I’m not the one on the receiving end of Cole’s bitter wrath.
“Ok,
so maybe there has been some sort misunderstanding.” Jonathan tries to explain,
slowly starting to back away from him and his ferocious scowl.
“I
think you’re right.” Cole replies smoothly, refusing to tear his eyes away from
my attacker.
He’s
stalking him like a predator would his prey, circling in on him until he has no
means of escape. Jonathan is trapped and I have no idea how he’s going to find
a way out of this. Cole is frightening. He’s strong, tall, powerful and
athletic, he could easily destroy Jonathan and even though he wanted to harm me
himself just a few moments ago, I don’t think I’ll be able to witness him being
hurt.
“Come
on, Cole.” Jonathan begs, trying to discourage him. “We can talk about this,
right? There’s no need for it to turn nasty.”
“You
touched her.” Cole seethes, striding over to him. “You touched her against her
will and against mine. I told you to keep away from her!” He grabs Jonathan
around the throat and throws his body on the ground, towering above him with a
monstrous gleam in his eyes.
“But
she’s fine! Look at her, she’s ok. You’re alright, aren’t you?” Jonathan pleads
with me, begging me to intervene and stop what’s about to happen.
“H-he’s
right.” I stammer, faltering slightly. “I’m ok. I really am.”
I
know I don’t even sound convincing but I am honestly willing to do or say
anything right now to diffuse the situation. I don’t even care if I have to lie
to Cole, I’m prepared to do so if it means he won’t hurt anybody because of me.
What
he does next astonishes me. Cole lets go of Jonathan and leans over him, he
says something to him which I can’t hear before he approaches over to me.
Jonathan stays where he is, a quivering wreck on the floor as he watches us
closely.
“Serena,
I don’t want you here for any of this.” Cole speaks firmly, turning me around
so I’m looking in the opposite direction. “Go home and take care of yourself.
Let me deal with him.”
“What
are you going to do?” I ask, trembling uncontrollably.
“That
doesn’t concern you. I just want you safe.” He repeats himself impatiently,
struggling to conceal his rage from me.
“Why?”
“Why
what?”
“Why
do you even care?”
I
gaze up at him, bewildered and perplexed. I can’t even begin to count the
number of questions I have and he’s the only one who can provide me with all
the answers. The problem is whether or not he will choose to do so.
“Just
go.” He reiterates his request decidedly, placing his strong hand on the small
of my back. “And don’t worry about any of this, I’ll take care of it. No one is
going to say anything to you and no will touch you again. I promise.”
“You
can’t promise me that.”
“Yeah,
I can.” He states boldly, sounding absolutely certain.
There
is still so much I have yet to understand but I can see how desperate Cole is
to get me away from here. I know I have to leave if I ever want to uncover the
truth about this mysterious boy. A boy I am dangerously infatuated by.
“Please
don’t hurt him.” I whisper, making my request gently.
Jonathan
must have heard me and jumps up from his position on the ground, tearing down
the road in an attempt to reach his car. Cole reacts with lightning speed and
takes off after him. I can’t bear to see what happens next and do the exact
same thing myself. I turn and run, I run away from it all and don’t even think
about looking back.
I
hear it though. I hear the sound of Cole catching up to him, slamming him
against the hard ground before the punches start to fall. I can hear Jonathan’s
cries for help and his pleas for Cole to stop whatever it is he’s doing. My
hands cover my ears, frantic in my efforts to block out the dreadful noise.
The
further I run, the more distant the wailing seems to be and I soon find myself
on my front door step, scrambling around inside my bag as I search for my key.
I unlock the door and race up the stairs, throwing myself onto my bed as I let
my tears fall.
I
weep for hours, or at least that’s what it feels like. I don’t even think I can
define one reason behind my tears. I’m so lost, confused, humiliated and
afraid. I don’t understand why Jonathan wanted to hurt me and I certainly can’t
even begin to comprehend why Cole would want to stop him.
How
did he know where I was? Did he follow me from school? Did he watch my altercation
with Jonathan from afar and only step in when things got violent? And what the
hell did Jonathan mean when he mentioned that Cole had instructed him to stay
away from me?
My
head is swirling, it feels like it’s about to explode any minute and the only
thing I can think of to ease some of the pressure is to close them. I try and
concentrate on my breathing instead, remaining focused on the rise and fall of
my chest as I inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Its gradual but I finally start
to feel my body give to its exhaustion and relax, drifting off into a restless
and agitated sleep.
The
piercing sound coming from my phone wakes me up several hours later. I sit up
in bed, dazed and confused, taking a few moments to figure out where I am and
what time of day it is. I quickly realise it’s already night time when I
realise how dark it is outside and fumble for my phone with one eye open. It’s
at the bottom of my school bag and it takes me a while to find it, growing
increasingly frustrated by the second.
“Hello?”
My
throat is so dry that my voice sounds hoarse. I try clearing my throat but it’s
no use, the one thing I really need right now is a glass of water.
“Serena,
are you ok? Where are you?” Lisa asks me, almost frantic.
I
can imagine her pacing back and forth in her bedroom, wondering why she hasn’t
heard from me since I decided to leave college early.
“Lisa,
I’m ok.” I assure her, slowly getting out of bed. “I’ve been asleep since I got
home and just woken up.”
“I’ve
been so worried about you.” She admits, exhaling loudly.
“There
really is no need. You know how tired I was at school earlier, all I wanted to
do was come home and take a nap.” I remind her, making my way into the
bathroom.
“Serena,
that’s not what I’m talking about.” She murmurs softly. “I’m talking about what
happened with Cole.”
I
freeze at the mention of his name, putting down the empty glass I had reached
for in the bathroom cupboard.
“H-how
do you even know about that?”
“Look,
I don’t quite know how to tell you this but I also know that you would rather
hear it from me than anybody else.”
“Tell
me what? What are you talking about?” I demand harshly, overwhelmed by my fear
and apprehension.
I
have no idea what she’s going to say to me but also know I must prepare myself
for whatever it is that has caused my best friend to be so anxious.
“Rumours
are flying and everyone is talking about it. People are saying that you and
Cole are in some sort of secret relationship, that you have been seeing each
other since the beginning of the school year.”
“That’s
nonsense!” I exclaim loudly, unable to believe that the people from school
would actually believe that someone like Cole would be interested in me.
“I
know it is but that’s not the worst of what they’re saying…” She explains,
leaving her sentence unfinished.
“Go
on.” I urge her, closing my eyes.
“Serena,
Cole has been arrested. He’s also been suspended from college until further
notice. They’re going to hold an official meeting where they decide whether or
not he should be excluded permanently.”
“But
why
?” I protest strongly. “Because he chose to stick up for me? Because
he stopped Jonathan from hurting me? What did he do that was so terrible?”
“He
put him in the hospital, Serena. Jonathan was picked up in an ambulance and
Cole in a police car. It’s serious.” She pauses for a few seconds. “Cole is in
a lot of trouble.”
I
fall to my knees on the bathroom floor, tightening the firm grip I already have
on my phone.
“Because
of me.” I whisper, needing time to process the full extent of everything Lisa
has just told me.
“No!
None of this is your fault and that’s why I wanted to call you before you heard
news of anything from anyone else.” She says firmly.