XXIX
*Don't call the police.*
Don't call the police?!
That's all that he has to say to me after he's been missing for two days?
Wow.
I wipe my tears away and gulp. Well, at least I know he's okay, except if it was somebody else who sent this message, but I doubt that.
The fact that his reply was so fast meant that he was on his phone, reading my messages and knowing that I was worried. Yet, he still didn't think it would be nice to tell me that he's okay?
That's just... cruel.
*I want an explanation.* I send and receive no immediate reply, as expected.
Huffing, I type another message.
*I know you're reading my texts.*
Moments later, I receive another message from him and my heart flutters.
I quickly open it, excited for another few words from him, but my excitement dies as soon as I see the message.
*Stop texting me.*
I purse my lips and throw my phone on the chair next to the bed. What an asshole. I throw my clothes off of me and put on my PJ, feeling immensly tired but I knew that sleep will be hard to get. My thoughts kept on bugging me. I really felt like we grew much closer over the weekend, but then something like this happens each time. It hurts me, more than it should. I'm not even sure anymore if the happiness I feel when I'm with him is worth all the pain. I keep on tossing and turning that night and when I wake up I feel even more tired then when I went to sleep. I don't put any make-up on, I don't see the point. Throwing on the first clothes I see, I begin to drag myself out the house and to school. "Wow, you look like shit." are Amber's first words when she lays her eyes on me and I sigh, nodding.
"I'm perfectly aware, thank you."
"My brother really is taking a toll on you, isn't he?" she asks and I shrug.
"I guess. I heard from him last night." I say and her brows shoot up.
"Really? What did he say?" she asks and I open the phone, showing her our conversation.
"Sophie! Hi!"
I turn to see Theo walking towards me with a big grin on his face. Smiling, I hug him.
"Hi, Theo."
"How are you?" he asks and when we break the hug and he looks at me, he frowns. "You look horrible, are you okay?"
I nod. "Yeah, just kind of a lot is going on right now."
"You want to talk about it?" he asks with worry in his eyes.
"No, it's fine." I force a smile.
"Well, I gotta go to my class, but I'll text you later, okay?" he smiles and I nod.
"Yeah, sure. Have fun."
"You, too." he grins and walks away, waving.
When I turn back to Amber, she's watching me intently. She motions with her finger between me and Theo, a questioning expression on her face.
"I'll tell you later." I say. "Did you read the texts?"
She nods. "Yeah. He's being a dick, like usual. At least we know he's alive and all."
"Look, Amber, I know I promised you that I will give him a chance to explain, but-" I begin and lift my hands up in exasperation, looking up at the ceiling.
"I know." she says and I let out a breath.
"I was really worried about him, and when he replied like that, so heartless, it's like just another reminder that whatever we had was never going to work. He keeps on hurting me." I try to explain and Amber hugs me.
"I know, Soph. You're a really great person, you know. You really deserve someone better."
"I'm really glad that I have you as a friend." I say into her ear.
"Yeah, I know I'm amazing." she says and throws her hair back in a dramatic motion.
I laugh and pull her with me towards our class. "Come, we're gonna be late."
***
"You know," I lean towards Liam during our first period, "I really hate Maths."
He snorts. "Yeah, tell me about it."
I copy everything from the table and try to understand it at the same time, but it just doesn't work. I have literally no idea what the hell the teacher is talking about.
"Can I tell you something?" Liam whispered in my ear a few minutes later.
I turned to look at him and nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"You have to promise not to tell anyone, though." he says and I give him the are-you-kidding-me look.
"Liam, who would I tell it to. Literally the only person I hang out with, besides you, is Amber." I tell him.
"You can't tell Amber, Soph." he says and I frown.
"Why?"
He shrugs. "I just don't want this to come out."
"Okay, I promise I won't tell her. What is it?" I ask and he looks away, smiling a bit.
"There's this girl..."
"Oh my god, do you have a crush on someone?" I ask with a huge grin, and he blushes.
"Shh, don't talk so loud." he says with a smile.
It's such a luck that everyone is always chatting during this class because we all hate it, otherwise the teacher would've given both me and Liam detention by now. This way, however, she's too busy calming the other pupils down and explaining Math at the same time.
"Who is it?" I ask him with excitement.
"Just some girl." he says, trying to brush it off, but I'm not having it.
"Oh, come on, Liam. Do I know her?"
He bites his lip. "Maybe."
"Oh my god, I know her. Please, please tell me who it is." I beg him and he shakes his head.
"No, you'll overreact and make a scene." he says and I purse my lips, deep in thought at who it might be, but I have no idea.
"You will tell me, Liam, I'll get it out of you somehow." I tell him as the bell rings.
Nothing exciting happens through the rest of the day and I come home felling better because of my two amazing best friends .I do my homework and write the essay that isn't due till the next week, but I had time to do it so I did it. At seven PM, my mum calls for me.
"Sophia! Can you come downstairs?"
I put the pen down and make my way to the kitchen, to see her making the dinner.
"Could you go to the store, please? We've run out of milk and eggs." she says and hands me a couple of dollar bills. "You can buy yourself some chocolate if you want." she smiles and I return the smile.
"Sure, mum. I'll be right back."
I put on my coat and shoes, and begin to make my way to the store. It's already quite dark outside so I begin to walk a bit faster. The silence around me is forcing me to think about a person that I really do not wish to think about right now. The green of the leaves begins to look like the colour of his eyes. All the dark around me begins to remind me of the way he is; the way he dresses, the way he thinks of himself. I push all thoughts of him to the back of my head, and pull the jacket closer to me, finally making it to the store. I grab some milk, eggs and a small chocolate for me. Quickly, I pay for them and exit the store. I take large steps, but as I pass the dark and hidden place where I found Axel fighting a couple of weeks back, I get an idea.
Instead of turning home, I turn in the direction of his house.
What if he's been at home all this time?
Maybe he was just too lazy to go out and deal with the world.
Or what if he's hurt?
I don't know, but I really want to find out. Who knows, I might get some answers. I start to walk towards his house, my steps echoing on the wet floor. It's been raining today for a few hours while we were in school. The asphalt and the bricks of the buildings around me look black at night. Soon, I begin to see the outline of his old house, and my steps become faster.
The house looks just like it did the last time I was here, no signs that the owner is missing. I walk up to the doors, and try the door knob. Just like I expected, it's locked.
I knock on the door, just to see if maybe someone's in it.
"Axel?" I call out, but I get no answer.
Sighing, I turn around, feeling defeated.
I don't know what else to do.
I take a step away from his house when something in the corner of my eye catches my attention.I stop walking immediately. There, hidden in the shadow, I can see a clear outline of a human figure. The figure takes a step closer to me, out of the shadow, and I recognize him immediately.
He gives me a wicked smile.
"Hey, baby."
I want to scream, I want to run far, far away, but it's like I can't control my body anymore.
Shock. You're in shock.
"Missed me?" he asks and takes another step closer. "Because I sure as fuck missed you." he says and it triggers a flashback in my head.
"Hey! Leave him alone!"
"Well, well, well, who do we have here? Is this one of your girlfriends, Jarvis?"
"She's hot, guys. You think we could...?"
"Leave her alone." Axel looks up at us through his swollen eyes.
I feel like vomiting as the image continues to play in my head.
"I'll scream."
They all laugh.
"Oh you'll scream? I bet I could make you scream louder, baby." one if them says and caresses my cheek with his disguistung hand.
I remember they left after that, but not before one of them makes a promise.
"Soon."
I will always remember those horrible black eyes which were staring down at me when he made that promise.
Soon.
As I look up, up at his face I feel the terror I have never felt before when I see his eyes. When I recognise his voice.
It's him. It's the guy who Axel wanted to protect me from by sneaking up at my room every night. And I bet he wants to keep his promise.
"We're gonna have so much fun, love." he says and laughs.