by Vivian Ward
My teacher had her sit in the seat next to me and the rest is history. That day, she sat with me at lunch and I carried her books around from class to class for her. At the end of the day, we decided to walk home instead of taking the bus so we’d have more time to spend together. About a block from the school, she reached down and took my hand in hers. From that moment on, my heart belonged to her.
At 11 years old, she was opening my eyes to a world that didn’t exist before she came around. I was used to being a shy, awkward kid who would rather stay in the background than be front and center.
Raina was the polar opposite of me. She loved to be the center of attention and never missed a chance to have all eyes on her. Sometimes I wondered what it was that she saw in me, especially considering how different we were. Whenever I would ask her, she would smile and shake her head before kissing me.
Our relationship continued as we advanced through junior high and into high school. We did everything together. Over time, I started to open up and became much less socially awkward.
Before I knew it, I was attending parties that I never would have given a second thought of going to. I even took her home to meet my mother, who took a liking to her instantly. It was pretty much a given that we were going to get married and start a family.
During our senior prom, she and I were voted the king and queen. It didn’t come as much of a surprise since she was used to winning almost everything she was ever nominated for. In the weeks leading up to the prom, I thought of the coronation ceremony and how it would be an incredible opportunity to tell Raina that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her and ask her to marry me.
I went into the jewelry store and picked out a modest ring. I was still several years away from starting my company and making a good living. This ring had to be purchased using the money I’d been saving working part-time at Lenny’s, a fast food joint. The diamond was small but the ring was beautiful. I couldn’t wait to give it to her in front of all our friends.
I had the entire thing planned out. I sat in front of my mirror night after night practicing how I was going to ask her. I even got down on one knee while I was alone in my room so I could make sure it looked the way I thought it should.
A few days before the prom, there were rumblings that we had some competition and might not become king and queen after all. In a panic, I made a second plan so I wouldn’t be caught off guard and for the next few nights, I practiced proposing both ways. In the end, we were elected king and queen of the prom and, after we accepted our crowns, we moved down to the dance floor for our first dance as prom royalty.
Before the music started playing, I got down on one knee, pulled the small box out of my pocket and asked her to marry me. She was stunned and looked like she might actually start to cry. She took the ring from me and brought it up to her face so she could see it better.
Suddenly, her facial expression changed. What had just been excitement had turned to discuss. She said no, handed me my ring back and walked out of the dance, leaving me down on one knee looking like an idiot.
It turns out the diamond was too small. She would later tell me that she couldn’t waste her life with someone who didn’t think she was worth a much bigger diamond. I tried to plead my case with her, telling her I bought what I could afford and would be more than happy to replace it with a larger ring later but it was useless.
Everything I was saying had fallen on deaf ears. Eventually, she stopped answering my calls and I didn’t hear from her for years until I got a surprise visit out of the blue from her. Not-so-coincidentally, it just happened to come right after an issue of Forbes named me one of the wealthiest men in America.
She realized that this poor kid grew up and made something out of himself. She wanted to come back into my life and make things work but she was much too late. My heart had already hardened and love was not even an option for me.
Sure, we saw each other quite a bit and we fucked like rabbits every time she came to town but there was no chance of a relationship. She would even tell me that she knew we belonged together and that it would happen whether I knew I wanted it to or not. I always laughed it off but I was pretty sure she meant it.
Now, I was finding myself in a familiar situation. I was in the beginning stages of a relationship and, for the first time since Raina, the wall around my heart was crumbling. It felt good but it was scary too. If I had to endure any of what Raina had put me through, there was no way I’d be able to recover.
The thing that alarmed me the most was how willing I was to jump into this with Sarabelle. If it was going to work, I had to put my trust in her that she meant what she said. If she said she wasn’t going anywhere, I had to believe that she really wasn’t.
After coffee and some bagels, I made sure that I got Sarabelle home safely before trying to go about my day. I knew I had a lot of work to do but I had trouble getting any of it done.
No matter what time of day or night it was, whenever I sat down and tried to concentrate on business, my mind turned to her. Knowing that she and I had managed to get so close in such a short amount of time sent my brain into overdrive.
Since I couldn’t stop thinking about her, I did the only logical thing I could think of. I started spending as much time with her as possible. For over a week, I spent at least some time with her on a daily basis.
Instead of me taking her out with the intention of getting her drunk like I would have taken any other women, the two of us went on actual dates. We went to the movies. We played mini-golf. We went to the arcade where I beat her pretty severely at air hockey.
We did things that made me feel like a kid again and I loved it. She was truly the person that had been missing in my life all these years. Unfortunately, I had been neglecting work and had some clients who were starting to get a little pissed off.
I told her that I’d have to get caught up over the following week but hoped she’d be able to stay over a couple nights during that time.
I was doing a lot of work from home but got a note from my secretary that a client had stopped by and really needed to see me. I asked for the name of the customer but all she could tell me was that they were refusing to give their name. I told my secretary to have them wait inside my office and I’d be there within a half-hour.
On my way to the office, I racked my brain trying to think of who would need such immediate assistance. Sure, I was a little behind but none of my work really dealt with deadlines. It didn’t really matter. I didn’t want to have any unsatisfied clients so I made my way to the office as quickly as I could.
Once there, I rushed into my office and started to apologize for taking so long but stopped mid-sentence when I saw who was standing there.
“Raina, what in the hell are you doing here?” I asked.
“Oh Christian, why do you seem so annoyed? I just wanted to see you.”
“Well, here I am. You saw me. I’m gonna go now. I have a lot of work to get done.”
“You’re not fooling anyone. I’ve seen you around town with that little Sarabelle of yours. I have to say, I was quite surprised when I saw who you were fucking around with this time. She doesn’t strike me as your type.”
“No? And why is that?”
“Let’s be honest here. I can look at her and tell she’s a good girl. That’s pretty much the opposite of what Christian Wilde looks for.”
“Well Raina, people change.”
“I hear that a lot but I’m not sure I believe it. No matter how much you may claim to change, I still can’t see her ever being your type.”
“Okay then, what is my type if it’s not her?”
“Well, your type is me, silly. That’s why you can never leave your hands off me when we’re together,” she said as she began making her way over to me. I took a step back but it didn’t deter her. She kept coming closer until I felt like I was backed into a corner.
“Raina, stop. This isn’t going to happen. Not this time.”
�
��Would you grow up Christian? I’ve heard the rumors and know about that girl of yours and she isn’t going to come between us. Now let’s get out of here and go somewhere we can be alone.”
“Did you not understand what I just said? The only place I’m going is back to work. I have a lot to do.”
“Christian, this is ridiculous. This little cat and mouse game has been going on for far too long now. We’ve been in love since we were little kids. Those kinds of feelings don’t just go away.”
“Read my lips. It’s not happening.”
“You know we were supposed to be together. You know that it’s fate. I don’t know why you’re fighting this. You know that this is what’s meant to happen.”
“No, Raina, what I know is that I was very much in love with you and you shattered my heart into a million pieces in front of all our closest friends. And for what? The ring I bought you wasn’t adequate. That’s bullshit. Imagine the kind of ring I could have bought you if you would have accepted my ring and stayed with me. You weren’t interested in me when I didn’t have anything to offer you so I’m not going to be around for you now. Besides, I’m with Sarabelle and I’m happy.”
“Look, you can spend time with your precious little Sarabelle as long as you come home to me. We can have an open relationship for all I care. You can fuck her all you want as long as at the end of the day, you come home to me and then I get you all to myself.”
“I think you are fucking crazy, Raina. Maybe you need some help. The answer is no. Now get the hell out of my office. If you come back here, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”
Sarabelle 13
It was coming up on a month since Christian and I made our relationship official. I know a month might not seem like a long time, but to me and Christian it is since I’ve never really been in a serious relationship and for him because he was always such a ladies man.
Our relationship has been blossoming quite nicely, much like a beautiful flower. We have some learning to do but we’re both putting in equal effort. I have to admit, I never thought I could fall for a man like him but the truth is, I’m falling harder and faster than imagineable.
When I first started dating him, I was sure that things were going to fall apart. He was a playboy and they say a leopard never changes his spots. Christian surprised me, though.
He spent as much time with me as he could and didn’t even look twice when a pretty woman crossed paths with us. When I’m with him, I feel special and wanted. That was all I could really ask for from him.
I managed to pick out a few gifts for him as a small token of my appreciation of our newly found relationship; which happened to be cologne that I personally like. I placed my order, closed my laptop and went to sit on my bed with my phone so I could see what Christian was up to.
Just as I slid onto my bed, my door burst open and Lexi came flying through it. She was in tears and crying hysterically.
“Oh my God, Lexi. Are you okay? What happened?”
She tried to reply but I couldn’t understand a single word she was telling me. Each syllable was separated by her sucking in air as she mumbled with a shaky voice. The sounds I could hear didn’t make any logical sense as words.
“You sit here for just a second and I’ll get you all fixed up,” I said to her.
I ran into the bathroom as quickly as I could and grabbed a rag from the towel closet. I ran it under cold water from the faucet before wringing it out. Finally, I took it back into my bedroom and placed it around Lexi’s neck.
Sitting on my bed, I had my sister lay her head on my lap and played with her hair while she did her best to try to calm down. I didn’t think she was ever going to stop crying but she eventually managed to collect herself.
“I did a bad thing Sarabelle. I did a really, really horrible thing,” she said between sobs.
“What happened sissy? What did you do?”
“It’s so bad that I don’t even wanna say. I’m so ashamed of myself.”
“Lexi, it’s just you and me in here and you know I’m not going to judge you. You can tell me anything.”
“I slept with someone I had no business sleeping with. I don’t even know why I did it. Why do I always make bad decisions?”
“Who did you sleep with?” I asked, ready to choke her if she dared to utter Christian’s name.
“It was Kade. I slept with Kade Nichols. God, what the fuck is wrong with me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” I lied. “Not everyone can make the right decision every time.”
That’s what I told her but those were not the thoughts I was having in my head. I wondered what in the hell was wrong with her? Of all the people she could have chosen to sleep with, why would she want Kade Nichols? I know she would never admit it but I was sure that she did it as a shot at me.
If anyone—especially me—is ever happier than her, she is not above doing whatever she has to do to change things. I’m sure that she had witnessed how happy Christian had been making me so she decided to get back at me by sleeping with Kade. She must have been doing it to hurt me.
Why else would she choose to fuck a guy who was hellbent on sexually assaulting me just a couple months earlier? At the same time, the way she was acting had me confused. If that was her reasoning for sleeping with him, why was she coming to me and using me as a shoulder to cry on?
Typically, if she did something out of spite or to hurt someone, she would be the first person to flaunt it in their face. Showing remorse was not something she typically did. There had to be more to the story than she was telling me. I wasn’t going to pry.
I knew that I’d get the rest of the story if I just kept my mouth shut and I was right. Almost as if on cue, she started telling me more.
“While I was at his place, he must have taken his cell phone out at some point. As I was getting ready to come home, he pulled it out and showed me the naked photos he had been taking of me through the night. Now he says he’s going to show them to everyone unless we give him what he wants?”
“What does he want? What do you have to give him to stop him from showing those pictures to everyone? Does he want money? He should have plenty of his own.”
“No, he doesn’t want money. What he wants is something I can’t provide for him.”
“So tell me what he wants and I’ll see if I can get it.”
“No, Sarabelle, you don’t get it. He doesn’t want anything you can buy. He wants you.”
“He wants me? What do you mean he wants me?”
“I mean he wants you. He wants you to sleep with him. He said that’s the only way he won’t put my pictures out all over the web.”
“What the fuck? You know that’s never going to happen, right?”
“Will you at least think about it? Do you know how hard it’s going to be on me if the world sees those pictures?”
“Do you know how hard it would be on my relationship to sleep with someone who isn’t the man I’m the relationship with? Or how hard it would be for me to have sex with a man who tried to rape me and almost succeeded?”
“Oh right, your relationship. Is that even real? It seems so odd that Christian Wilde would be in a committed relationship all of a sudden. It’s even weirder that he chose you to be in one with.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t think I’m good enough to be with him?”
“No, it’s just that he typically likes his women a little more experienced.”
“Okay, we are not talking about my relationship right now. Let’s focus on stopping Kade from putting those pictures up without me sleeping with him. Why don’t you text him and set up a time and place for me to meet him? I’ll get this taken care of for you one way or another and no, neither of those ways includes fucking the man.”
Later that evening, I met Kade in the gazebo outside our house. I had tried repeatedly to get him to meet me in a public place but he refused to go for it. That should have set off alarm bells right there but th
is was something I had to do for my sister, regardless of why she had chosen to sleep with him in the first place.
When I walked over to the gazebo, Kade had this smug look on his face that made me want to slap him. As I got closer, he held out his arms as if he was expecting a hug from me. He was crazy if he thought that was going to happen.
“So Lexi told me the two of you hooked up,” I stated matter of factly.
“Yep, we sure did.”
“I also understand that you took some photographs of her without her permission?”
“Look, we’re not here to talk about who had permission to do what. She was at my house, in my bed and willing to do what bad girls do to make men happy. I don’t see what snapping a few pictures to commemorate the moment hurts.”
“It doesn’t hurt anything as long as you keep the pictures to yourself. However, she tells me that you are threatening to share the pictures if your demands aren’t met.”
“Damn Sarabelle, you make me seem like some sort of monster or something.”
“What is it that you want Kade?”
“I want you, Sarabelle. I was just using Lexi to get to you. You know you’ve always been the twin that I really want.”
“If I sleep with you, will you finally let this go? Will you leave me and my sister alone if I give you what you want?”
“Yeah, give me what I want and I’ll leave you both alone.”
“Okay, but first let me see your phone. I have to make sure these pictures even exist before I agree to this.”
He unlocked his phone and handed it to me. “Don’t even think about deleting the photos. You can try but it won’t work,” he warned me.
Just to see if he was being honest with me, I attempted to secretly delete the first picture of Lexi I found on the phone and it wouldn’t work. A message popped up saying
This photo has been saved to an external memory source. Please delete using its software.
I am a little more savvy when it comes to electronics than Kade gave me credit for. I knew that the message meant that, instead of being saved to the phone, the pictures were being saved to an external memory card.