––––––––
Iskipped English, because, well, reasons, and hung out in the library. When the bell rang, I got up and walked down the hallway to lunch.
I had no idea who I would sit with. Definitely not Jake. That was for sure. And with Jasmine and Ariel not on speaking terms with me, I supposed that I had to find another table to loiter at while I ate my salad.
The vibe in the hallway was different. Like something had happened. Something terrible. I looked at the faces around me, trying to get a gauge on the situation, when a loud smack had me jerking my head to the right.
“You did this to her!”
The voice had come from Dana. She was standing in front of Jake, his face red where she’d obviously slapped it.
“You and Kenny and your drugs. You did this!”
She rushed at him, fist flying, landing hard punches on his arms, his face, his back.
Two security guards ran to the brawl, pulling Dana off a clearly stunned Jake. They practically dragged her down the hall kicking and screaming. I could still hear her cries echoing down the hall.
“You did this! You did this!”
I turned to the boy on my left. I think we had chemistry together, but I couldn’t be sure.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Stephanie Pleasant overdosed last night. They found her this morning in her house.”
I gasped. I’d seen Stephanie take drugs before, but I never thought she had a problem. She wasn’t like Mel. I thought she was stronger than that.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“She’s dead.”
My heart thudded hard. Stephanie was dead? She couldn’t be dead. I just saw her yesterday. She had threatened Jake and me. She was going to tell the...
My thoughts trailed off in to a dark place.
When I asked Jake about Stephanie this morning, he said that it was taken care of. He did this. He killed her. Jake killed Stephanie Pleasant.
I had to do something. I had to tell someone.
I turned around, intent on marching straight to the principal’s office, and walked directly in to Jake.
How had he gotten behind me so fast? I didn’t even notice he’d moved.
He put his hand on my lower back, and my entire body turned cold. His lips touched my ears, and I shivered, afraid of what he might do.
“It’s time for us to go.”
Jake drove me to the docks where a mid-sized yacht waited.
I was absolutely terrified. Was this where he was going to kill me? Would he drop my body in the river? Would he harm my father or Cole?
My thoughts raced, my mind searching for ways to escape, as he led me up the stairs of the bobbing boat.
Shiny wood floors, leather couches, a television, and bear skinned rugs greeted me. It looked closer to a rustic living room than a yacht. On the bear skinned rug were several black bags, two wine glasses, and covered plates.
A picnic? I grew even more on edge. What exactly was his plan? To feed me then kill me? Was that what he’d done to Stephanie? Did he take her out to dinner first, then kill her?
He led me to the rug.
“Sit.”
I did as I was told, sitting cross legged on the floor.
He opened the basket, and pulled out a large, black dish. He placed the dish on the floor between us, and pulled the top off it. Sushi. I grimaced. I hated sushi.
I sat back on my haunches, leaving my food untouched.
“Dana would have liked this,” he said. His face turned sad, like Cole’s did sometimes. He put down his bowl, looking over to the side.
I didn’t respond.
“She told me that she was never coming back. And now, after Stephanie, I’m sure that there isn’t anything I can do to change her mind.” His mood shifted, going from sad to unreadable.
His eyes focused on me, and my gut constricted.
He crawled across the rug toward me, not stopping until his face was only an inch from mine.
“Let’s pretend,” he whispered, tilting his head to the side. “Just for a minute.”
My heart sped up. Was he asking me to pretend to be Dana? This was too much. This had gone too far. I wouldn’t do it.
I shoved him, but he didn’t budge. He moved closer, his arms on both sides of me, trapping me.
“Just for a minute.”
“No.”
He bolted forward, his lips slamming in to mine.
I let myself drop back to the floor, disengaging us and scurrying away from him.
He was fast. He threw his weight on top of me, wrestling my arms into submission.
“Just relax!” he bellowed. His eyes were furious and wild. “Chill out!”
“No!” I screamed at him again.
He readjusted himself on top of me, balancing on his knees.
“No one says no to me!” he cried out. “Nobody.”
I panicked, and threw my knee between his legs.
He let out a curse, and fell to the side, gripping where I had kicked him.
It was my shot. I grabbed the keys from the keyring Jake hung them on, and bolted out the door.
“Get back here!” Jake screamed after me. “Get back here!”