The Perfect Distraction (Volume 1)
Page 15
I tell him that I don’t feel sick. Just then the bathroom door opens and Quinn comes out. I sneak in quickly and lock the door.
Once I open the door I am relieved to see Reed waiting there for me. No one else is around waiting. He steps into the door jam with his arms gripped on each side. He looks good enough to eat. I bite down on the bottom corner of my lip and push my hair behind my ears out of habit. He leans into me.
“You need me to help with that?” He asks eyeing me biting my bottom corner of my lip. I’m feeling brave and frankly just eager to have his lips on me.
“Yes.” Faster than I can register he steps into the bathroom, shuts the door and then locks it. He grabs my hips and lifts me on to the sink counter. His hands move to my thighs and he settles in between my legs pulling me closer to him. Everything seems to happen in one movement as his lips crash into mine and he nibbles down on my bottom corner of my lip and then sucks it in between his soft lips.
We kiss each other feverishly with our hands tangled in each other’s hair. I grip his hair and push him closer into me. He pushes into me and I can feel the length of him against my core. A rush of pleasure runs through me and I feel it down to my toes. I run my hands down his chest to the bottom of his t-shirt and slip them under. His abs and waist are tight with muscles. I can’t help myself from exploring the contours and dips under his shirt. His hands remain in my hair as he continues to kiss me. I’m not sure how long we’ve been in here, but it must be too long because a fierce knock has me practically jump off the counter. Neither of us says a word for a moment until there is another knock. Someone is complaining that they are going to pee in their pants now, too. Reed just grabs hold of my hand.
“Come on, it’s fine.” I look at myself in the mirror and I’m so red even through my olive complexion. “Don’t be embarrassed, if anyone says anything they can deal with me.” He raises his eyebrows at me before he kisses me on the forehead. “Plus, your friends are going to worry if I keep you in a bathroom all night.”
“True. Ok, let’s just get this over with.” He reaches for the door and starts to open it.
“You’re really cute when you’re embarrassed. I’ll have to embarrass you more often.” He gives me a quick wink and then opens the door wide for us to slip out. I follow quickly behind him gripping his hand for dear life. The only thing someone says is the typical get a room comment.
******
Once we reach the bottom of the stairs, I gain my confidence and take his hand leading him to the dance floor.
“Let’s dance!” I don’t give him time to respond, nor do I stop to look at his face to see his expression.
Instantly, Maggie spots me and her eyes light up like a deer in headlights. I smile and threw my head back as I grab onto Reed. I start swaying my hips and moving provocatively to Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado. The look on his face is priceless.
“You don’t fool me, little girl,” he whispers in my ear as he moves my hair to the side. Goosebumps travel all the way down my neck and down my spine. Then he moves his hands to my waist and turns me with my back to his front. This reminds me of last night in my dorm room. Maggie moves closer and mouths to me “bad girl”. I throw my head back into the crook of his neck and giggle.
Kelly and Derek are still dancing nearby. I can’t read the look Derek is giving me, but then I see him gaze at Kelly with amusement. I think he may be surprised to see me with Reed again. In this moment I feel at ease and carefree. I turn back around and quickly become aware that Reed is in a sandwich. Luckily it is just Quinn dancing behind him and when I look at her she winks at me. Soon after she is pulled by her hips to Matt’s grinding moves.
The music turns to a slower Cold Play song and Reed pulls me closer to him. He starts to sway us softly. I dare myself to look up and when I do his eyes look heated and deeper, almost sapphire. Nervously, I bite down on my bottom corner of my lip. Reed runs his hands up to my cheeks and kisses me teasingly slow while lightly sucking on my bottom lip. It feels so good to be like this with him and I am wishing we were back upstairs in the bathroom or back in his room. Moving his head into the crook of my neck he plants sweet kisses just under my ear. As I feel myself getting lost in this moment, I am suddenly broken from it when someone grabs at my shoulder pulling me out of Reed’s arms and turns me around.
With alcohol swimming in me I lose my balance, but I immediately notice the mixed green and hazel eyes that I had once found so loving. Reed shifts behind me and moves his hands protectively around my waist. The anxiety I had been feeling earlier quickly consumes me. I stare in disbelief and fear. Shit.
“Kate, what are you doing?” Kyle’s words are slurred and he reaches out to grab my hand, but I hold it to me.
“What are you doing here, Kyle?” He moves towards me to grab both of my hands and Reed pulls me closer to him. I can’t see the look on Reed’s face, but the way Kyle looks at him I can tell it is something fierce.
“You’re dancing like a little sllluuttt,” he slurs his words out in a grunt. “I told you I was going to be here. I’ve been calling and texting you. My friends are right over there.” He gestures to a group off to the side of the kitchen area. I recognize one of the guys from the previous times he has come up here.
I stand there in shock and I freeze for a moment unable to respond. I don’t know what to say or do. I feel weak and pained looking at Kyle. I glance around the room and can’t find any of the girls anymore. I just want out of this situation. Reed turns in front of me to face me and block me from Kyle. His hands settle on my cheeks and his eyes shift urging me to look at him.
“Kate, look at me, its ok. Let’s go, we’ll go back to my place.” Before I can respond Kyle reaches around and grips my arm tightly pulling me around Reed. I gasp because the stinging sensation of his hand wrapped around my arm burns throughout my arm. I turn to try to walk away, but now he grabs both of my upper arms stronger than I am sure he intended to. The look of pure shock on my face I am sure catches him off guard. My eyes start to brim with tears and my heart begins to beat rapidly, as I look at the face that I had once adored. He looks crazed and frantic. The contact is so fast and quick.
“Get your fucking hands off of her now.” Reed pushes Kyle causing him to release the grip he has on me. The strain in Reed’s neck is pulsing and his jaw is clenched tightly. I stand frozen absorbing the shock of the situation unfolding in front of me. My arms throb as I can still feel Kyle’s long fingers pulsing through my skin. I’m sure I will have bruises to remember this by.
“Who the fuck is this? Your new boyfriend? God Kate, tell me you didn’t fuck him.” The smell of alcohol leaking from him is strong. I start to cower back behind Reed, but feel guilty that Reed is caught in my long and drawn out relationship with Kyle. I know I have to talk to him or this will not get any better. It’s getting nastier by the second. God, where is Maggie? I search and still can’t find her. It suddenly seems much larger and crowded in here. Reed moves up in front of Kyle pressing his body right into him. Reed is only maybe an inch or so taller than Kyle, but his overall physique is much more impressive.
“Don’t talk to her like that or you will have me to deal with. Understand me?” He growls out through his gritted teeth.
“Please Kyle, just leave me alone. I have nothing to say to you. It’s over. I don’t want to fight.” My voice is small and wavering as I cower back.
“You heard her.” Reed interjects, as he stands tall and protectively next to me. His jaw is tense and defined, but his eyes are flared, dark and shifty as he takes in the sight of Kyle.
I nervously step in front of Reed, but only slightly. I will myself to find strength and courage. “Kyle, pl-please calm down. If I t-t-talk to you, will you stop this?”
“All I want is to talk to you alone, Kate.” If smoke could come from Kyle’s ears it would have, and if looks could kill … Reed is in the line of fire.
“I’ll talk to you, but I’m not leaving here with you. I’ll talk to
you upstairs.”
“Fine.” He lets out through his teeth.
Reed’s features are still tight, but he tells me that I don’t need to talk to him. Nor does he want me to talk to him, especially alone. I explain that I have to and probably should have done this sooner. I do not want to have things like this continue or escalate the situation anymore. He wraps me up against him and tells me he will be right here and isn’t leaving without me. He also says that if I am not down in ten minutes he is coming up. I can hear Kyle rasp out the word FUCK at our contact. My heart pounds loudly in my ears as I assure Reed that I have to do this. I swallow the lump of nerves in my throat as I follow Kyle out of the crowd to the stairs. Reed trails behind us, but stays at the bottom of the stairs.
Once we get to the top of the stairs Maggie and Brandon stumble out of the bathroom. Well, that explains where she was. I laugh to myself, dirty girl. Hmm, I guess I don’t have much room to talk considering I had been in the same situation previously. When she sees who I am with she literally drops her mouth and mumbles oh shit. I’m sure they can see my reluctance as I follow Kyle. Brandon stops me and asks if I am ok. I tell them I have to talk to him and that Reed is waiting downstairs. Maggie gives Kyle a look of hatred and says that if I come out hurt or upset he will have her to deal with. Brandon doesn’t threaten Kyle, but he doesn’t have to because he just looks like a force to be reckoned with, especially with his new tattoo sleeve he is sporting. Kyle ignores them and grabs my hand forcefully and pulls me towards the end of the hall to an open bedroom.
“Leave the door open,” Maggie adds before she reaches the end of the hallway.
It reminds me of the time we ended up in a bedroom at Johnny’s house during one of his parties. I’m praying it’s not a repeat, but I never know with Kyle. I need to get this over with and move forward. My heartbeat quickens as he pushes the door almost closed behind us. He has turned the overhead light on and I just take in my surroundings. The room is medium sized with a full size bed and a dresser with a TV on it in the corner next to a window. I walk in further to the opposite side of the door against a patch of wall. I looked hesitantly at Kyle who looks too large in this space. He runs his hands through his hair in frustration and lets out a huff. I bite down on my bottom corner lip and move my hair behind my ears as my fear settles in.
I need to tell Kyle that this is more than just the girl answering his phone a few weeks back. It is much more than that. Yes, that was upsetting and it pushed me over the edge. I feel I need to be overly cautious though because he is in a state of anger. He paces in the confines of the room glaring at me with a rage in his eyes.
“How could you do this to me? I came all the way up here to see you and then I find you dancing … Are you fucking him?” My face begins to heat as I steady myself.
“I never told you to come up here, Kyle. I have ignored your calls and texts for weeks now. I don’t owe you any explanations… including who I may or may not have fucked!” My voice is fiercer than I expected and it feels good. My anger is building and getting the best of me. Take that, Kyle. Since the party at Johnny’s, I have spoken up more, but I always cave in the end… I don’t want to cave any more though.
“Don’t patronize me, Kate.” He charges towards me and gets right in my face and hits the wall close to the side of my face. I flinch and started to shake. I drop myself to the floor. Tears come down my face. I sit against the wall with my knees against my chest and my head down. I am scared and know I should leave, but I am paralyzed. He stands overshadowing and towering me. I hear Kyle take in a deep breath and mumble fuck as he squats down to my level. He wraps his arms around me and I squirm to get out of them. I don’t want his hands anywhere on me.
“Please leave me alone, I want this to be over. I’m done. I want to move on from you.” I am trying to be as clear as possible. I have to do this because there is no other way with Kyle. I can’t be wishy-washy or he will take advantage of me again.
“Shit, I’m s-s-sorry, Kate. Damn it. I miss you. I need to explain the girl who answered my phone. I just kissed her, that was it, I swear to you. I love you and it meant nothing. It was just a drunken mistake.” I rest my head on my knees and just let him hold me as he tells me this. Tears continue to fall from my face. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me. I won’t let you go. We are meant to be together. Do you hear me? I won’t let you leave me, Kate.”
“No, it’s over. It’s not just because of the girl either. It’s everything. The way you are towards me, Kyle, it’s not ok. I don’t want to be treated like this.” I shrug my shoulders to release his hold around me. I stand and he follows me up with tears in his eyes. Part of me aches and wants to take away his sadness, but I know that I have to be firm. It is for the best. I step to move past him towards the door, but he grabs my wrist and pushes me down on the bed. He lies on top of me forcing my legs to spread open with him settled between them. His face hovers above mine as I turn to the side to keep our lips from touching. “Kyle let me out.” I mumble out through my tears.
“No, not until you kiss me. And then I’ll make you forget all about the douchebag downstairs.”
“I’m not kissing you. Get off me.” His hands hold my wrists down on the bed and I squirm wildly, but his body is too strong on top of mine. He releases one wrist and roughly reaches under my shirt grabbing on to one of my breasts painfully. His mouth and tongue force their way into mine. I sob louder than I had thought because the door opens all the way and Kyle releases me instantly. Kyle stands quickly, but is wobbly enough to lose his balance. Reed bursts into the room with Maggie just outside the door. He’s sees me laying on the bed with tears down my face. Rushing to me he pulls me into his arms. I sob loudly in his chest. I can hear Maggie and Kyle cursing at each other.
“Go downstairs and wait for me, Katherine,” Reed whispers in my ear. There is no way I am leaving the room without him though. Before I can respond, Reed is ripped from me by a raging Kyle. Kyle and Reed face each other in the confines of the now shrinking room.
“Maggie, get Kate out of here now,” Reed chokes out. I refuse to move though and stand behind Reed. The look in Kyle’s eyes is out of control. I have seen it, but never this intense before. Maggie’s voice is foggy in the background as she begs me to come to her.
“She’s not leaving with you. Kate is mine,” Kyle barks out right in Reed’s face. Reed doesn’t respond, but pushes Kyle back, which leads Kyle to throw a punch. It lands in Reed’s side, but he barely flinches.
“Nooooo!” I scream. I can’t stop myself. This is my worst nightmare. I blame myself for not dealing with Kyle sooner, but it is too late for that. I can now clearly hear Maggie yelling for me to come to her out of the room. Instead, I start to move myself in front of Reed, but it is too late. Reed has landed a punch in the side of Kyle’s jaw. Blood flies from his mouth around the room. I scream through my sobs. I move myself in front of Reed and face Kyle against the corner hunched down.
“Kyle stop, please just go!” I beg in between my sobs. I am strategically spaced between the two. Reed starts to move towards me to get me out of the way, but he is a step behind Kyle’s next moves. Kyle braces himself back up quickly and lunges forward without really taking me into his sight. I see everything almost in slow motion and know I am in the line of fire. I get thrown back so fast and hard that I slam against the wall. My head hits the hardest. The last thing I remember is Reed screaming mother fucker. I can hear Maggie screaming in horror. I’m pretty sure Reed lands another punch to Kyle’s face before he runs to me. Everything goes fuzzy, dark and then black.
Chapter 25
My body and mind feel weak and prone to drifting further away into the dark. I hear a whimper and feel soft hands on my arm. I think it is Maggie, but I can’t respond. I blink open my eyes briefly, but exhaustion and pain take over. Opening my eyes causes more pain. My head is pounding and the urge to vomit is overwhelming. I drift off and allow myself to stay detached.
I feel an ach
e running from my head down to my toes. I feel like I am trying to move, but I’m paralyzed. I can hear a muffle of voices fading in and out loudly. Maggie’s sobs are the loudest. I think I can hear Kyle in the background with Derek and Brandon’s voices as well. I want to panic because I can’t hear Reed. Then his voice breaks through.
“Katherine, Kate, open your eyes. It’s me, Reed. I’m right here.” I can hear his voice laced with anger and worry. The darkness consumes me as the pain settles in deep. Still I can’t open my eyes or respond. Again I drift off into a darkness, still aware, but unable to respond.
“Sweetie, Kate, they’re coming. They’ll be here soon, I promise you’ll be ok.” My mind becomes frantic over who is coming. God, please not my dad. I flick my eyes open and shut them just as quickly. The excruciating pain radiates strongly in my head causing me to slump to the side. Before I can react, vomit escapes me forcefully. The room is spinning, but I can see Reed off to the side on the phone rushing to me. I do not see Kyle and feel relief. Once my body purges all it can I still feel heaves travel up my throat.
I feel like I am having an out of body experience. I try to push and pull my muscles, but still my body remains frozen and curled to the floor. Words linger in my mind, but strain to make their way out. Pain and dizziness begin to shatter through me again and I start to fade.
My eyes remain closed and my body paralyzed, but I can hear sirens and see flashes of light through my eye lids. I hear Maggie trying to answer questions. I can’t really comprehend her responses though. Again I urge my body and mind to respond, but I feel like liquid. I can’t stop myself from being consumed by the pain and then darkness…
I was lying in my bed in my home that I had grown up in. I was cuddled with my worn blanket from childhood. A warm body embraced me tightly and smoothed my hair. I felt small and childlike. Strays of hair tickled my nose and cheeks. I pulled back slightly from the affection to see my mother’s face. Her blond hair had shine with strands highlighted like always and her face glowed with a flawless angelic structure. The brown in her eyes matched mine perfectly. She looked young, almost teenage like. Her body felt toned and stronger. She was shushing me and saying there, there my girl. She referenced me as her sweet Kate. She pulled me in closer to her and told me everything would be ok. I tried to resist her affection, but I had longed for it more than ever. It had been too long. I felt like I shouldn’t trust her and that I should be angry with her, but I was greedy. I didn’t care if this comfort would be short lived. It was what I needed. I continued to take her affection greedily.