by Ashley Beale
"I did."
"And?"
He chuckles over the line. "What time are your classes done tomorrow?"
"It’s a Monday. Three."
Roman sighs over the line. "Are you able to stay late then?"
"Why?"
I'm not making it easy on him but mostly because I'm extremely frustrated right now and something about Roman brings out even more emotions. I've never been able to pinpoint exactly why. I guess it’s a little of everything.
"I have to run inventory tomorrow. It wasn't supposed to be until next week. I need the extra hands if you're able."
"Yeah, that’s fine," I mutter. I stare at the text books on the floor and realize that I haven't even done my work for tomorrow, and with the way my brain is working, I probably won't finish it. "Actually," I speak up. "I'm missing school tomorrow. I can come in early."
"Don't miss school, Liv. It’s important."
I interrupt. "No, really, I'm not going anyways tomorrow. I may as well come into work when you need me."
I swear I can hear a smile in his voice. "Eight sharp. See you then."
He hangs up his phone before I have a chance to say goodbye to him.
A text chimes through on my phone while it’s still in my hands. It’s from Blaise: Where are you?
I turn my phone to silent. I don't want to talk to him. I want nothing to do with him. I'll just talk with Roman tomorrow about it. He must know something. Maybe he can give me some insight, or even some advice on what to do with the information I found.
"I'm going to shower," I let Tricia know.
She looks up at me to give me acknowledgement then goes straight back to her studies.
I grab everything I need for the shower and head down the hallway to the washrooms.
The best part of showering at night is that I can actually shower with hot water. I let it pour over me, enveloping me in its warmth. The beads from the shower head rain down on me, relaxing me just how I was hoping it would. Once I have my hair and body cleaned, I grab the razor to shave my legs.
The water starts to cool off before I finish the first leg. I rush through to finish it but the water turns to ice cold. It isn't the first time I've had to finish shaving my legs in the sink. I turn the water off, pack everything up into my shower basket, and wrap a towel around my body.
Sliding my feet into my sandals, I walk over to the sink and prop the basket on the table next to the sink. I run the water until it’s at the right temp, then I lift my leg to shave it.
The lights turn off on me. "Hello, I'm in here," I yell out.
No one answers.
"Hello?"
I drop my leg from the sink and walk around the corner to where the light switch is. No one is in here so that is weird. Probably someone walked past and pulled a prank. I roll my eyes at the annoying pranks people do in this school. I turn the light back on and walk back to the sink.
It turns off again.
I swallow hard. "This isn't funny. Turn the light on."
Nothing happens.
I walk back over to the light switch.
A hand reaches from around my back, covering my mouth. I scream against it but all that comes out is a muffled cry. I'm pulled against a rigid body, obviously male. The hand grips harder around my mouth, making sure no noise will come out of it. I can feel my teeth slicing into my lips. The taste of metal coats my tongue.
I close my eyes to keep the tears from pouring down.
The other hand rips the towel from me. My hand reaches for the door handle, my only escape, but as I pull on it, I find that it’s locked. I'm stuck inside here with this... villain.
He pushes me against the door and hisses in my ear, "Don't fight this."
I recognize that voice. My body instantly goes cold.
I knew he was cruel, but I didn't think he was this... horrible. I can't even think of the correct word to describe him.
Blaise reaches down between my legs. I tighten them, making it harder for him to access a spot that is no longer reserved for just him. He shoves his knee between my legs, forcing them to spread apart some. Everything inside me attempts to fight him off but he is too strong for me.
Two fingers push up inside me. "Mmm," he moans against my ear. "My delicious Liv."
I try screaming again, knowing no one will hear me, but I can't help it.
He doesn't stop. The more I attempt to fight him, the more aggressive he becomes. His lips touch at the skin of my neck. His grip is too hard on me, I can't even shake my head back and forth.
"This is mine, Liv. No one else’s but mine." His whispers aren't seductive like they once were, they're horrifying now.
His fingers continue to assault me. I can't stop him.
I close my eyes harder and wish for a miracle. Anything. I need somebody to come here, to stop him, to get him to stop touching me.
"You're so wet," he whispers against my ear.
The fucking pervert things that I'm actually turned on by this.
Tears continue to roll down my cheeks. My elbow goes back to get his ribs.
My body is pulled back and forced forward again, slamming my head against the metal of the door. "Liv," he hisses. "Don't fight this." I do it again anyways, slamming my elbow back into his ribs once more, this time harder.
"You fucking bitch." Blaise pulls me back with him and throws me down on the ground.
I scream out in horror. "Help! Someone, help me! Please!"
Before I'm able to call for more help, Blaise is turning me to face him. He shoves something into my mouth to stop me from screaming. I reach for it but when I do, his hands grab my wrists and put them over my head. I twist and turn to get out of his hold to no avail.
His body pushes between my legs, keeping them spread. I keep attempting to twist around, knowing my adrenaline should be giving me more strength. It’s still not enough.
One of his hands hold both of my wrists as his other goes down and frees himself. I use my tongue to get the rag out of my mouth but it tastes like gasoline. Blaise pushes himself inside of me. I try to scream through the rag but my world turns blurry.
I attempt to fight off the lightheaded feeling but I can't. Black and gray invade my eyesight. I can still feel Blaise assaulting me but I can't do anything about it now. The last thing I remember before the black takes me under is Blaise repeating how much he supposedly loves me.
I wake up in a pool of sweat. My head is pounding so hard I can't seem to force myself to sit up. I reach over to grab my phone to see it’s after eight already. I must've missed my alarm. I don't remember even falling asleep last night.
I force myself out of bed and reach for my purse, desperately needing the Tylenol out of it. There is a water on my stand, one I don't remember putting there, with a single white rose. I wash the medicine down with the water, trying not the cringe from the pain of my chapped lips, before picking up the rose and examining it. When did I receive this?
Tricia walks into the room a moment later and gasps when she sees me. I flinch from the sudden sound. "Sorry, I'm sure your head hurts. I just didn't realize how bad it was. Do you want to go see the nurse?"
"What?" I reach up and feel where it’s pounding. It stings when my hand touches the spot, indicating I have an opened wound. "What happened?"
I stand up and walk towards the full length mirror. My head has two gashes in it, one on top of the other. They looked cleaned up but they definitely haven't been bandaged up. My right eye is suddenly swollen with black coloring its surrounding. What I notice the most is how puffy my lips are. They're covered in crusted blood.
I pull down my lip to examine inside my mouth. It’s all raw and swelled.
"You don't remember?" She asks. "I guess I can see why. You hit your head pretty hard."
"Remember what?" I ask, paying attention to my reflection and not hers.
"Apparently you were trying to shave your legs in the bathroom sink. Someone walked into the bathroom and scared you, causing you
to fall to the ground and hit your face on the cement floor. Thankfully Blaise showed up last night. He found you in there. He said you were mumbling about being scared and falling, and that you should be fine with some rest. He was so sweet, laying with you, keeping your head covered with ice. He left about an hour ago."
"Blaise was here?" I question.
A sudden flash back of last night hits me. A hand covering my mouth, forcing my teeth to bite into my lips. The feeling of his skin against mine. The rag shoved into my mouth. Him... assaulting me.
My knees buckle out from under me, causing me to fall to the ground. Tricia races to stop me but I still manage to hit the floor. My entire body trembles uncontrollably. I can't tell her what happened. What would I say? My boyfriend raped me last night. That would make me seem like a pathological liar.
"Let’s get you to the nurse," she states.
She helps me up from the ground. Even though I'm still shaky, she manages to help me grab my phone and purse. We walk together to the main building where the nurse's office is located.
Ms. Xian takes one look at me and nearly panics. "What happened?"
"I guess I fell last night," I tell her. I have to force my attention on the nurse, because if I drift off I'll remember everything I want to forget about last night.
Tricia replays the story she told me moments ago, about me falling and Blaise coming to my rescue just in time, then being the so called perfect boyfriend by taking care of me all night. I'm truly surprised he didn't just kill me, but I'm sure that'd be all too easy for him.
The nurse examines me thoroughly. By the time she is done, I'm told I have a mild concussion and that I should follow up with my doctor. She gives me a small prescription of pain killers and am told to take them with my Tylenol every four hours. I thank her once the exam is done and walk back to the room with Tricia.
"I have to get to class," she tells me. "Will you be okay in here alone?"
I nod my head. "I'll be fine."
I can tell Tricia is scared to leave me alone, but she is someone who is big with her academics. She'd never miss a class for any reason or would ever forget to do her homework. "Just stay sitting up and feel free to call me if you need. Maybe you should call your dad or Blaise to come keep an eye on you."
"I'll be fine," I repeat. "I promise."
She bites on her lips while examining me once more. Finally with a sigh, she gives in and collects her belongings for the next class. "I'll be back when my class is finished."
When the door closes behind her, I immediately call Clarissa. I can't repeat what happened to me last night, but I know with Clarissa I won't need to use my words. She'll know. Our connection is that strong.
She answers in a whisper by the fourth ring. "What? I'm in class."
I can hear the teacher doing a lecture in the background. It makes me smile to know she loves me enough to answer during class. "I need you," I tell her.
Her voice becomes more rigid. "What happened?"
"I... I can't tell you."
The squeaking of a chair in the background echoes through the phone. She snaps at a voice, "It's an emergency. I'll collect my assignment tomorrow." Seconds later she speaks to me again. "Sorry about that. Are you okay, Liv? Please tell me what happened."
I close my eyes as I say the words that should never have to leave my mouth- nor any mouth. "He raped me."
The phone goes silent. "Fuck," she chokes. "I'm so sorry." I can hear the sobs starting on her end of the line.
"Don't cry, Clarissa. You're going to make me cry."
Tears develop in my eyes instantly. She sighs but I can tell she hasn't stopped crying. "I'm on my way. Lock your door. I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Love you," I tell her.
"Love you more."
Roman calls my phone for the fifth time by nine thirty. It’s been ten minutes since I've gotten off the phone with Clarissa and every noise outside my door terrifies me in believing it’s Blaise about to burst through and torture me once more.
Knowing that I can't sit here and ignore Roman's calls or scream every time I hear a click of the door, I decide to call him back.
"You're late," he answers the phone.
"I'm sorry. I don't think I can make it in."
There is a pause for a moment before he asks, "What happened?"
"Nothing. I'm just... sick. I'm not sure if I'll be in for a few days."
His voice comes out harsher when he repeats the question. "What happened, Liv?"
My body starts to shake again. I'm not sure I will ever be able to get those visions out of my mind. They're going to torment me for the rest of my life. Even though Roman has made promises of protecting me, and he obviously knows what Blaise is capable of, I can't seem to mutter those words to him.
"I'm sick," I lie. "That is all." I fake cough, hoping it'll help with my fib.
"Dammit Liv, what did he do? He left early last night, all fucking pissed off about something. I knew I should have followed him. What happened? You need to tell me."
I start to cry once more. I can't handle the hostility in his voice right now, not with what I just went through. "Nothing," I shout at him. "Nothing that is of your concern. You were supposed to protect me, Roman! You promised!"
"I'm on my way. Are you at the dorm or your Dads?"
"Clarissa is on her way already. I'm fine," I whisper.
"You're not fine. I'm on my way, too. Where. Are. You?"
"My dorm," I whimper.
"Don't leave," he orders.
I sit back and just cry. I cry for the love I thought was true, for the lies that stole my life out from under me, for the promises that broke my heart, for the torture I had to endure last night. I cry for the little girl inside of me who just wants to be safe.
It isn't five minutes later that someone is knocking on my door. It seems fast for both Clarissa and Roman. "Who is it?" I yell.
"Roman. Open the door."
I jump from the bed and hurry to the door. When I open it, he reaches for me but stops himself from actually touching me. He hisses out a few words under his breathe. "That son of a bitch."
His fingers glide down the side of my face, making sure not to touch the actual wounds.
"I'm fine," I try to assure him.
"For the last fucking time, you're not fine."
I look down in shame. At letting what happened actually happen last night, for trusting Blaise more than I ever should have, for trying to be braver than I actually am right now.
Roman's fingers pull my chin up so I can face him once more. The anger that was there just seconds ago is erased, replaced with what seems to be... concern. "I'm sorry I let this happen, Liv. I promised I'd protect you and I didn't."
I shake my head back and forth. "It's not your fault. You warned me and I-"
His finger covers my lips. "Stop. It is my fault. I never wanted this to happen to you."
I try to smile but fail miserably. Not only does it hurt to smile right now, but I honestly don't think that I'm capable of being able to right now. I'm that fucked up in the head over everything that happened.
Roman walks me to my bed and sits on the edge as he helps me get under the blanket. He adjusts my pillows so I'm sitting up straighter. "Do you need anything? Water or medicine or something?"
"I don't need anything," I let him know. "I just visited the nurse and she gave me what I needed."
"When is your friend supposed to be here?"
I reach over for my phone but he stops me from answering. "Where did you get this rose from?"
"It was there when I woke up this morning. I can only assume from Blaise."
He face contours into complete outrage. He keeps his calm when he speaks though. "Call your friend."
"Why?"
"Call her."
Cautiously I grab for my phone and hit the number two speed dial. Clarissa's phone goes straight to voicemail. I hang up and try again. Same thing. I tried for the third time when Roman gr
abs the phone from my hand. He hears the voicemail and hangs up the phone, sliding it into his pocket.
"You need to come with me."
"But what about Clarissa?"
"He has her."
Roman rises from the bed quickly and grabs random belongings from around my room, mostly clothes of mine. "What are you doing? What is going on? How do you know he has her?"
"I'll explain everything, Liv, I swear. You may not like what you hear, but I'll tell you. For now, just get your shit together. Gather anything you're going to need the next day or two. We need to get to my place. Now."
Instead of furthering the millions of questions racking my brain, I gather up the important stuff I need and exit the dorm with Roman. I attempt to call Clarissa several more times but each time it goes straight to voicemail. I'm tempted to call her parent's but Roman warns me that is the last thing I want to do right now.
He gets on the phone in the car and calls a few of his contacts. Nearly everything he says is in code. I only understand a few words here and there. Nothing makes sense except that Blaise has Clarissa and it’s all my fault. He may not say that last part, but I know it’s the truth.
Once we arrive to Roman's house, he orders one of the men outside his home to collect my belongings and bring it to room seven. He then orders me to follow the man, stating he'll be in to see me momentarily.
I do as he requests, fearing to do anything else.
We make it up the same stair case that leads to the den I discovered the night of the business meeting. This time he brings me to the door all the way to the left of the room. This door opens up to a much longer hallway than the other door. I count exactly five doors down the extended hallway.
His employee opens the very first door and I follow behind him. The room is exquisite, not that I'm in the least surprised. I feel trapped inside the Beast's castle... and I'm Belle.
The room has a bed that lays in the middle of the room, decorated in a metallic silver and maroon fabric. A white canopy falls from the ceiling, surrounding the bed elegantly. A stone fire place is to the right of bed and an en-suite bathroom to the left. There is one single dresser and night stand in the room as well, with a few random decorations that really bring the room together.