by Sam Crescent
“That boy doesn’t know when to stop,” her mother said, coming back into the room.
Skye let go of the curtain and turned to her very smiling mother.
“So, where were we?”
“You were trying to convince me to talk to someone.”
“That’s right. I have a friend—”
“Mom, why don’t you want me to see Noah?”
“What?”
“You send him away all the time. I don’t know why. Why don’t you want me to see him?” She folded her arms across her chest, waiting.
Lilly’s face went bright red. She actually looked embarrassed.
“I don’t think it’s good for you to dwell on what happened. Noah was there, and he could spark memories.”
“Mom, I don’t have amnesia. I remember perfectly fine.” Her parents knew some of what happened, only because her injuries had been told to them, along with the knowledge that she wanted the pill and an examination in the event of a suspected pregnancy. There had been trauma to her anus, and her vagina had shown rape as well. It didn’t take a genius to fill in the blanks, not that she talked about it.
“I know that, but it must still be scary for you. I wasn’t even there, and it sounded scary to me.”
Skye stared out of her window, and there was no trace of Noah. The nights were the worst. Lying in bed, staring at the empty space where he’d once been. She didn’t know it was possible to miss him. They had been forced together against their will. She’d gone from being his annoying tutor to his roommate, and then his fuck buddy, and then what? His escape partner. The cop that had come to her room, Denison, wanted her to tell him everything, every little detail, and he kept coming back to Noah. It was like he wanted her to make his life easier by accusing the guy who had helped her to safety.
She wasn’t going to accuse Noah of rape. It wasn’t the whole story. Noah was forced just as much as she was. At least they had each other, and for Skye that was all that mattered.
No one would understand. Not her parents, or Noah’s, not even the cops. No one would understand what they had gone through.
“You don’t want to talk about it. I’m going to go and make us some food. I’ll make spaghetti with meatballs, your favorite.” Her mother patted her knee.
That small action made her tense up. She ignored it though and stared through the window, wondering how Noah was coping.
Did he sleep? Was he able to do anything?
Did he remember their time in the cell? Did he lie awake in the morning, and it took hearing the rest of the house wake up before he even realized they were no longer locked in a room? She loved her shower more than anything, that and the bathtub. She could spend hours in both at a time.
Her parents had taken some time off work. Apparently, they had a lot of vacation time to spend with her. This didn’t make life easy; far from it.
They were around all the time, and neither of them would listen to her. She wanted to talk to Noah, but they were more intent on making her see a shrink, a friend of theirs. There was no way in hell she’d talk to a shrink that was their friend.
She believed in patient-shrink confidentiality, to a point. She also knew her parents shared details of their own work, so nothing was private, nor confidential.
What happened with Noah would stay between her and Noah. It was their secret to keep.
“Your mother means well,” her father said, entering her room.
Since getting back from the hospital, he always kept his distance, as if he knew she was afraid of him. She wasn’t.
Men didn’t scare her.
“I know. What do you guys have against Noah?”
“He was there with you, and we want to focus on you, not on him.”
“He’s a good guy.”
“Skye, we know he’s a strong guy, but we have to wonder why he didn’t get you out sooner.”
“Seriously?” she asked. “You blame him for my stay at a fucking nuthouse?”
“Skye!”
“No, you can’t do that. You can’t hold that against him. Noah is a good guy, and you don’t even know the half of what we went through together. I can’t even believe you’d think that. He did everything in his power to save me, to keep me safe.”
“Then tell me. Let me understand so I can help you.”
“I don’t need your help, Dad. What you need to stop doing is blaming Noah for something he couldn’t control. We were both there. I couldn’t get him out either. We only had each other, and I failed him. They were after me, not Noah. He got picked up because of me, and you can’t blame him for anything.” She shook her head, staring at her room. It was plain with cream walls and a few photographs of their time away when they could afford to go on vacation, which wasn’t a whole lot. They were talking about her going back to school.
She hated the thought of returning to school, but it was also on the tip of her tongue to be homeschooled, only being at home was driving her crazy.
Getting to her feet, she grabbed her coat.
“Skye, where are you going?”
“Out.”
“No, you’re not, young lady.”
She rushed out of the room, pulling her coat around her.
“You’re not going to him,” Lilly said, coming to the front door.
“I know I’m not going to him. I’m going out for some air. I need to be able to breathe, and right now you’re both strangling me, and believe me, I know what that feels like.”
Her words had the desired effect. They were both pale, and as she brushed past her mother, she broke out into the night, running down the short driveway, heading down the street. She had nowhere else to go, so she went to the twenty-four-hour grocery store. It was the only place to get gas late at night.
She shoved her hands in her pockets and walked the short distance. Even though it was dark and late, she kept on moving, never looking back. She knew cops followed them, and because they hadn’t caught every single person involved in her and Noah’s kidnapping, more cops were on the streets. She saw them in cars on the streets, men walking, and just everywhere.
It helped her to feel safe, or at least gave her a sense of safety.
She hadn’t been back to the creek where it all started. Where she and Noah were talking about his homework. He’d been doing so well, but it was like he’d changed. At the creek, instead of him doing the homework, he wanted her to do it as he got tired of trying. Noah had the ability to do whatever he wanted. At least, the old him had thought that. Since getting back home, she didn’t know what he was like at all.
Running fingers through her hair, she tried not to think too much of their time away. Her parents just kept telling her to talk to a shrink, to talk about her feelings with someone, anyone, who would help her.
She didn’t want to. To her, it was a waste of energy. Noah knew what happened.
Talking to a stranger just meant someone else knew what had happened, and she didn’t want that.
Entering the store, she gave a quick smile to the guy at the register and walked down the aisles. She took her time, not wanting to rush. Going back home would just result in more talking, in more expressing of her feelings, and she was growing so tired of all of that shit.
Running her fingers across the candy bars, she couldn’t make just one purchase as they all looked good.
She wasn’t greedy though and took only two.
Since being home, she’d not indulged like she thought she would. She stared at the chocolate ice cream at home and had reached for it, only to not take it. She refused to give in, to cave to that need swirling inside her that she couldn’t make any sense of herself.
Taking the two bars of candy to the counter she pulled out her purse and handed him over some bills.
“You’re that chick that was taken,” the guy said.
She looked up at him and didn’t like the way he stared at her.
“I’ll just take these.”
“I would recognize you. We had yo
ur picture and that guy you were with. Some guys thought you had run away together. You know the whole teen romance shit that people like to fill their heads with.”
She wondered why he still kept on talking.
“You hadn’t though, had you? You guys survived a lot together.”
He held out her change, and she shook her head, taking the bars. “Keep it.”
“If you ever want to go out sometime let me know. You’re a celebrity now.”
She ignored him and headed outside.
Unwrapping the first bar, she took a bite. The chocolate melting on her tongue was a delicious pleasure she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in such a long time. She had missed eating chocolate.
She didn’t linger outside of the store. People wanted to talk to her.
The last thing she wanted to do was talk.
Walking back home, she nodded at the cops, who held their hands up in a wave, and she arrived to her front door in record time.
She’d been warned that there was a chance she and Noah could be taken again, or one of them. Whoever had taken them hadn’t left behind a single trace, but they didn’t want them to get too comfortable and make mistakes in their safety, as the next time, they may not make it out alive.
Her parents had been so angry with the cops’ bluntness, but she knew what they were saying. She and Noah had spilled the beans on the house’s location, and they saw enough to know, it was making a fortune. Not only that, it meant they were the enemy now, and with it, they were going to want revenge, which meant she and Noah were potential targets.
Opening the door, she froze when she saw Denison in their front room. She kept her coat on her, just in case she had to run.
“What are you doing here?”
“Your parents were worried and upset,” Denison said, standing up. “They have a right to be.”
“I went out to get a candy bar. We didn’t have any.” She held out the wrapper for them to see.
“I’m so sorry, Detective,” Lilly said. “When it comes to Skye, I seem to be … all over the place.”
Denison smiled. “It’s more than fine. I can understand your concern. She’s back now all safe and sound. Skye, will you see me out?”
“Sure.”
She kept her coat on and left the house. She’d been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t seen his car parked in the driveway.
“Bye,” she said.
“Skye, you might want to consider your parents’ feelings before walking off again.”
“I didn’t walk off. I went to the store. What do you mean ‘again’?”
“You were taken once.”
“I was kidnapped. I had no plans to run off. I don’t even know why people think that.”
“You and Noah are close?”
“No,” she said. She hoped he didn’t see the tension inside her. Whenever it came to questions about Noah, she always felt a need to protect him. “I tutored him.”
“You know, you can talk to me about anything.”
“I know. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“We’ll see.”
She watched Denison climb into his car and pull out of the street. She had no desire to talk to the cop about anything.
Chapter Eleven
He couldn’t put off school any longer, and finally, after another week, Noah arrived in the school parking lot. There were already so many students there. They were once his peers, but now they were just students, a bunch of guys and girls gathered in one building to learn.
Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, he couldn’t help but question if this was a good idea or not. There’s no way this was going to be a good idea. It was a fucking foolish idea, for one.
He had to move though. Going back home would mean the possibility of being sent to a shrink, and he was so not into that shit.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Derek said, knocking on the glass.
Even though he’d fucked up big time at Rebecca’s party, Derek was making sure she didn’t pull away from their friendship, and for that, he was thankful. Noah couldn’t handle any more shit right now, and at least he had Derek.
Who does Skye have?
He looked around the parking lot, and he didn’t see her car. From what he remembered of Skye, she didn’t have many friends, if any. Did anyone, besides her parents, even care that she’d been gone?
Climbing out of the car, he locked the door, like he always did now, and shook Derek’s hand. He was very much aware of all the stares they were getting.
“I feel like I’m with a celebrity.” Derek slapped his back. “Come on, let’s get you inside. You got all your books to collect, right?”
“Yep.” All of his stuff had been taken by Mitch. He wondered if Skye had already gotten her things or if she was even returning to school. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, you can ask me anything.”
“Do you know if Skye’s returning today?” He glanced over at Derek in time to see the shock on his face. “What?”
“Seriously? That’s what you want to ask me?”
“What’s wrong with that question?”
“It’s Skye. Look, dude, I know you guys were, like, kidnapped together and all that, but you’ve got to realize that it’s over with that, otherwise you’re going to lose a lot more than a few weeks. You know what I’m saying?”
“I just wanted to know if she was coming in today.”
“I don’t keep an eye on the losers, Noah. You want my advice, you shouldn’t either. That shit is in the past, where it should remain locked tight for no one to find it. Just my personal advice. But then what do I know? You know what, I can totally get you hooked up with Rebecca again.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m going to take it slow.”
“Take it slow?”
“Yeah.”
“Fine, whatever. I’ve got to get to class. Have fun, Noah.”
He watched as Derek walked off, heading in the opposite direction. He went to his locker for the first time since he’d been taken.
Man, he’d been so cocky the last time he’d been standing in this very spot. Laughing, joking, believing he could get Skye to do his homework for him because he was a fucking jock and all girls loved a jock.
“Noah, what’s this about?”
“I just figured you know, seeing as you’re bright and I’m not so bright, you wouldn’t mind writing my papers for me. We both know I can do it, but I’ve got a life and you don’t.”
He’d batted his eyelashes like a damn clown, thinking that would get him what he wanted. Shaking his head, he grabbed his books and slammed the locker closed.
No matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t the same person anymore, but people kept on looking at him as if he was the same.
Sure, he had the same looks and build. On the outside nothing had changed, apart from his extra workouts and weightlifting. He’d changed all of that. Everything else was the same.
Only, inside, he was completely different, and he didn’t know how to fucking change that. Survival had been on his mind.
For so long he’d felt nothing but weakness. Not only did he have to watch what happened to Skye, but also himself.
“Well, well, well, if it’s not my little boyfriend, all back and ready to face high school.”
He tensed up as Rebecca ran her hand down his chest, resting at the belt of his pants. Every single part of him wanted to throw her against the lockers and have her touch away from him.
Noah stopped himself.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?” Rebecca asked, showing off her pout. “About last night with what you did.”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
She burst into a smile, giggled, and jumped right into his arms. “That’s okay. I can totally handle what you’ve got. You’re so strong, baby. I missed you so much.”
Before he knew what was happening, her lips were attacking his.
His first instinct was again to re
ject her.
You’re back home.
She’s easy pussy.
It’s the only reason he ever went with her. Out of all of the girls here, Rebecca liked going for anything and everything. She was a game girl through and through. He’d even heard some tales from the other guys of what she was like, and he didn’t mind any of that. He was more than happy to have her all to himself, for however long she chose him.
Even as he deepened the kiss, it felt off. Her lips were too hard. Her body was rocking against him, and for another, she was too skinny. Her ass didn’t fill his hands properly, and he felt no arousal.
Still, he kissed her, hoping that giving her some tongue action would help their situation and she’d leave him alone for some peace.
“Get a room,” someone said in passing.
Rebecca broke the kiss with an annoying giggle, which he had once thought was so cute.
What the hell was happening to him?
“I’ve got to go.”
He let her down, and she sighed. “You know, tonight, I’ve got a surprise for you. I’ll pick you up at seven. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to your parents. They adore me.” She batted her eyes at him, and in the next breath, she was gone.
Noah didn’t call after her, and, hiking his bag up his shoulder, he headed toward the principal’s office.
He nodded at the receptionist, who quickly rushed through to the principal. Since coming home from his ordeal, he’d noticed a lot of people didn’t have the first clue what to say to him. They were all scared to say the wrong thing, even if he didn’t lash out. It wasn’t like he growled and snarled at them. He simply didn’t talk all that much.
“Ah, Noah, it’s good to see you back here,” Principal Howdes said, coming out of his office. “Thank you, Tracey, I’ll take it from here.”