“Nothing but the best for my girl.” Levi holds me close against his body. “I love you.” He leans down and brushes his lips across mine. “I’d do anything to put a smile on your gorgeous face.” His fingers flex against my hip as he makes me a silent promise about tonight.
My heart is pounding inside my chest, and I feel as if a swarm of butterflies have taken up residency in the pit of my belly. When we reach the car, he holds out his hand to help me slide in first. Once I’m settled inside the back of the car, Levi slides in beside me and the driver gently closes the door, then goes around to the front to get into the driver’s seat.
“How are you feeling?” Levi asks quietly. I know the question is more about our plans for after the dance, rather than the dance itself.
I lift my head to see the privacy partition is up, separating us from the driver. “I’m not sure I’m ready, Levi,” I openly admit. With my blood thrumming loudly through my veins, I hold my breath and watch Levi’s reaction to my words.
“Oh.” The hopeless defeat in his voice makes me squirm in my seat with guilt.
“I’m so sorry. But I don’t think I can give you that tonight.” This is the first time I’ll be having sex, and even though I know I love Levi, something is telling me to wait.
“Yeah, okay,” Levi responds dejectedly and sits back in his seat. He turns his head and looks out the window, while his left leg bounces up and down. “I thought you loved me, Dakota.” He doesn’t turn his head to look at me, and the knot in my stomach tightens even more. He’s disappointed in me, but I’m not ready to give him my virginity. I can’t do something that doesn’t feel right.
“Can you please wait for me?” I move my hand to touch his arm, hoping he won’t hate me.
He takes a deep breath and slowly his shoulders move up and drop as he expels the air. Levi turns to look at me. His features don’t seem harsh, “Of course I can wait,” he responds and leans in to give me a small kiss on the forehead.
Suddenly the butterflies leave my stomach and I let out a ragged breath. “I’m sorry if I’ve lead you on.” I slide my hand down to his so we can link our fingers.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve been together for seven months now and I thought it was time. But I can wait, I suppose.” He trails his fingers up and down my bare arm while leaning in to kiss my temple. “It’ll be fine,” he mumbles against my forehead.
We arrive at the prom and can hear the thumping of the music from the street. As we walk in, I let out a soft gasp, taking in the brightly colored decorations transforming our usually drab gym into a place of magic.
“Let’s get a photo together,” Levi says as he pulls me toward one of the four photo booths already set up.
“Like we haven’t had enough.” I laugh, referring to the scene with Mom as Levi leads me to a booth.
We spend a few moments taking pictures, and head over to where our friends are sitting.
“Hey,” Jordan sings out as she stands and gives me a hug. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Jordan, but your dress is killer! Crap, check out how low that V is.” I point to where the point of the V stops, inches above her navel. Jordan is one of my best friends. There are four of us in our group; Jordan, Lindsey, Mariah, and me. We’re incredibly close, and have no secrets between us.
“I know,” she coyly responds. “Aaron can’t keep his hands off me.” Aaron is Jordan’s boyfriend and one of Levi’s friends from the basketball team.
“Hey.” I look over to Levi and see Reece has arrived. Reece is Levi’s best friend and those two do practically everything together. They hang out all the time and play ball after school and even on weekends. Reece’s gaze slowly roams over me, and I feel a rush of heat travel up my spine. “You look breathtaking, Dakota,” he says as he leans over to give my cheek a light peck.
“Thank you.” I glance behind him. “You’re not here with anyone?”
“Nope.” He smiles. “The person I like doesn’t even know I exist.” His words are full of sorrow. The worst part though, is that he’s clearly accepted this as fact.
“You should fight for what you want,” I respond.
“Yeah, fight for it,” Levi adds, then turns to give me a wink.
“Anyone want a drink?” Reece asks and moves from foot to foot, suddenly looking uncomfortable being here.
“Grab me a Coke,” Levi says. “Want anything, babe?” he asks me.
“Any type of soda please.”
Reece looks at me, then Levi. “One soda coming up.” He smiles at me. “You can get your own,” he says, playfully punching Levi’s shoulder as he turns to get us a drink.
“Get me a drink, dick!” Levi yells at Reece and Reece turns to flip him off. “Asshole,” he mumbles before jogging after him to catch up.
“Oh my God. Look at Mr. C.” Jordan stares over my shoulder as I sit next to her. Just as I turn to look, Lindsey comes to sit with us. “Hey.” Jordan and I smile at her.
“Who are we looking at?” Lindsey asks.
“Mr. C,” Jordan answers.
Lindsey shivers but looks toward Mr. C, who’s over in the far corner staring at us. “Oh crap,” Lindsey says and looks away. She giggles and her hand covers her mouth as her shoulders come up, looking like she’s been caught staring at the cute guy at the mall.
“He creeps me out.” A shudder of grossness and revulsion runs over me. “There’s something off about him.”
“Last week, Aaron and I went to the movies and he was there. It’s freaky,” Jordan says as she sneaks a look over at Mr. C.
“That’s why we call him Mr. C and not Mr. Collins. The C is for creepy.” Both Lindsey and Jordan laugh.
“You know, I went to the mall the other day, and I swear to God, I saw him sitting in a car in the parking lot just outside the mall. It wasn’t his car, it was another one. He was just sitting there, not doing anything. I waved to him, and he looked right through me. It was like he didn’t see me, but I know he did,” Lindsey says, her face contorting with disgust.
“Yuck.” I pretend to gag and can feel my forehead scrunching.
“Here’s your drink, Dakota.” Reece hands me a cup of soda and sits opposite me. Levi sits beside him.
I thank him and place the cup on the table in front of me.
“Oh I love this song! Let’s go dance.” Lindsey eagerly stands and seductively moves her body on the spot. “Come on, this is our prom!”
As Jordan and I head out to the dance floor, I turn back to see both Levi and Reece staring at us. Blowing a kiss to Levi, he catches it and sends one back. “You two are so cute together,” Lindsey says when we get to the dance floor.
“Yeah I know,” I respond with a smile, because really, I do know how lucky I am to have him.
“You two are going to finally have sex tonight, right?” she asks in a lower tone.
Shaking my head I look down at the floor to avoid the look I know she’s giving me. “I’m not ready.”
“How can you not be ready? You’ve been with him practically forever. Even Aaron and I have done it. Just do it and get it over with.” Lindsey nods in agreement with Jordan’s words.
“Hey, what are you girls talking about?” Mariah asks as she joins us on the dance floor.
“Dakota doesn’t want to have sex with Levi.” Lindsey fills her in. “Hell, if you’re not going to have sex with him, I certainly will,” she playfully taunts. But I know she’d never betray me like that. We’re all tight, like sisters. “He’s mighty fine, he is.” She looks at me pointedly.
“I know. But, I’m not ready,” I say again for all their benefit. “Anyway, we talked about it on the way over here. He was really good about it and said he understood.”
The girls all nod and sigh, telling me how lucky I am that he’s so understanding. The discussion about Levi and me finally wraps up and we spend the next four songs dancing and having the best night of our lives. Mr. C is around, standing in the corner looking creepy, and a few other
teachers are all walking around ensuring the night is problem-free. Mrs. Walker, our English teacher, is standing by the drinks table making sure no one is spiking anything with alcohol.
“I’m really hot, I need a drink,” I say to the girls while fanning myself.
“I’m going to keep dancing,” Mariah says and the other two agree with her.
I leave the dance floor and head toward our table. Everyone’s gone, and the table is completely isolated. Picking up my soda I look around the gymnasium, checking everyone out. Mr. C has moved from the corner and is mingling around the students dancing. I see Levi over on the other side talking to some of the guys on his basketball team. He sees me, and blows me a kiss. He’s the cutest, sweetest guy ever.
I’m so thirsty I down my soda all in one go.
Putting my cup back on the table, I sit and watch the others dancing for a few minutes. Still feeling thirsty, I make my way over to the drinks table and grab another soda.
Mrs. Walker watches me as I pour a drink into a new cup. “Having fun?” she asks once I’ve had a sip. “You’re not dancing?” she questions, looking from me and my friends.
“I was dancing with the girls, but I’m so hot and thirsty I’m taking a few minutes out. Then I’m going straight back out with my new dancing shoes.” I lift my dress slightly to show her my gold strappy heels.
“Very cute,” she responds with a smile, staring at my heels. The music changes into another fast track and Mrs. Walker does a small shuffle on the spot. I have a giggle at her because she’s getting into the music.
Heading back to the table, I decide to relax for a few minutes before I join my friends back on the dance floor. I’m sitting, sipping my soda, when suddenly I’m overcome with an awful queasy feeling of lightheadedness. “What the hell?” I mumble to myself. I must’ve overdone it on the dance floor. I grip the edge of the seat as my head starts spinning. Trying to swallow through my parched throat, I grab my first empty glass and get every last drop out of it, then lift the second empty glass and try to get every drop from that, too.
I bring my hand up to my forehead to wipe away the sweat forming and notice my face is on fire. My body is still heating up and my head spins around and around. The music begins to blur while colorful spots are forming everywhere I look. I don’t know what’s happening to me.
I need to get some water on my face and some fresh air in my lungs. My stomach churns as my head whirls, losing my grip on what’s going on.
Making a beeline for the bathroom, I push through the door and go directly to the sink. Splashing cold water on my face, I try and focus on the girl’s reflection in the mirror, but I can’t see her clearly. She’s jumbled and doesn’t look anything like me. Her face is pasty and white, her eyes are bloodshot, and she looks like a shadow of the girl I’m used to seeing.
Air . . . I need air. My lungs feel like they’re starving for it; my throat is closing on the air I’m attempting to breathe. I can’t get enough air into my lungs.
As carefully as I can, I open the door and try to walk out of the bathroom without seeming like I’m stumbling. The teachers will think I’m drunk. I’m not, and I don’t want them to call my parents.
Bracing myself against the first chair I find outside the bathroom, I steady myself. What the hell is happening to me?
“Are you okay, Dakota?” I hear a man ask. Turning I notice Mr. C standing beside me. Looking at him, I try and speak, but my voice fails me. “I said, are you okay?” he asks again while reaching out to grab onto my elbow.
“I need some air,” I finally manage to mumble.
Mr. C looks at me, and then looks up and away from me. “Just wait here, I have to go deal with a situation,” he says as he drags a chair out and points for me to sit in it. Something’s off with him and I don’t want him to come back to find me. “I’ll be back in two minutes, don’t go anywhere.” He looks to his left and when I try to focus, I see there are a couple of guys from my class about to get into a fight. I’m trying to focus on them and see what they’re doing, but Mr. C’s back blocks everything out.
I need air. My body is burning up, my head is fuzzy, and my stomach is roiling with a desperate need to vomit. Air . . . air . . . air.
Dragging myself out of the gymnasium and down the hall, I move toward the side doors. But with no one here to help me once I’m outside, I will need to sit for a moment out on the steps leading to the back field and gather myself.
My legs become heavier as I get to the doors. The cyclone taking place inside my head is whirling faster, and my vision is so unclear I can barely make out objects.
Stumbling down the first step, I hardly recognize where I am.
“What’s happening?” I think I question.
There’s a cacophony of dense sounds; a combination of white noise, mumbling, and a beat which doesn’t make sense.
My eyes are now so heavy I can barely keep them open. My legs are completely useless as I attempt to make my way down the stairs. I think I’m going to pass out.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” the familiar yet unrecognizable deep male voice says. “Let me get you home.” I know this voice, but it’s muffled by fuzz.
Trying to focus, I start to turn to see who’s here with me, but my eyes close.
Chapter 2
There’s something warm on my face. My mouth is dry and my entire body hurts. Slowly blinking my eyes open, I gaze around me. A bright light coming over the horizon is blinding me, and I can hear the chirping of birds singing to one another.
“Where am I?” I mumble, but no one answers. Turning my head to the left, my eyes try to focus on my surroundings, but I can’t make out anything but the color green. “What the hell?” As I blink wildly, the cloud obscuring my vision begins to lift. I finally realize I’m out behind the school, hidden in some shrubs about fifty yards away from the bleachers. The sun is slanting at an angle that tells me it’s still early morning. “What?” I sit up slowly, and a spike of pain shoots up my back and into my abdomen at the exact same moment.
My body tenses with fear and confusion. I have no idea what the hell I’m doing out here, or even how I got here. Finding some strength in my legs, I manage to maneuver my body so I’m on all fours. Once I finally find my balance and stand, I’m keenly aware of the intense pain shooting through various parts of my body.
Brushing my fingers against my face, I wince in pain when I reach the side of my neck. “What is going on?” I repeat to myself as I look down at my now torn and tattered green gown. I wiggle my toes and notice I’m only wearing one shoe. I feel the soft, lush, green grass beneath my sole while the ankle strap is still attached, the shoe loose behind me.
Trying to think back to last night, clouds fill my mind. I remember getting ready, Mom taking a lot of photos, and Levi coming to pick me up. I remember dancing with the girls, but I can’t remember anything after that.
Did I drink? Is this me hungover? Or am I still drunk?
Did I do something?
As I stumble to where my clutch is tossed, I feel a distinctive pain shooting up from between my legs. I lift my dress to see what could be hurting, and I notice all the blood on the inside of my thighs. My panties are gone, and my legs are heavily bruised with marks I know won’t be fading any time soon. “Oh my God!” I gasp as vomit rushes up to burn my throat.
I barely make it back to the shrubs before I start throwing up. Once, twice, three times . . . it keeps coming up, over and over again. I can’t stem the nausea.
When the vomiting finally ceases, I’m left with an unsteady panic vibrating through me.
Tears are falling while I lean down to take off my remaining shoe, get my clutch, and start walking home. I’m so embarrassed by what must have happened. I’m not ready to look at my phone and the phone calls and messages I know I must have. I know my parents must be going out of their minds looking for me, but I’ll be beyond humiliated to tell them I got so drunk I passed out on alcohol I don’t remember h
aving. They’re going to be ashamed of me, and disappointed.
I walk home, all the while praying they fell asleep early last night and think I’m home and in bed already. Please God, don’t let them notice I’m not home yet. Please God, please.
It takes me about fifteen minutes to walk home and when I do, I use my key to open the front door. My heart tightens in my chest as the opening door makes a low creaking sound. I hold my breath, hoping no one has heard me. I feel a rush of blood in my ears as I listen for any slight sound in my house. I finally realize everyone must still be asleep.
Closing the door softly, I scurry to my room as quietly as I can and lock my door behind me. With my back against the cool timber, I slide down until my bottom finds the hardwood floors beneath me. Bringing my legs up, I hug my knees and begin to silently cry again.
Raw feelings of helplessness and anger choke me. How did this happen to me?
The handle rattles, and I hear Mom whispering, “She must still be sleeping. Let’s go make breakfast; she’ll be up when she’s ready.”
“Okay, sweetheart,” Dad answers.
Dad mumbles something about blueberry pancakes as their footsteps go down the hall toward the kitchen.
My thoughts scatter, trying to build a timeline of last night’s murky events. But my eyes shift from wall to wall, the haze of the evening is screaming at me preventing any kind of focus. My mind is telling me I’ll probably never know the truth. My heart agrees.
I stay on the floor trying to figure this out for minutes, or hours. I don’t know. But what I am sure of is the fact I have no idea what happened last night.
Finally I stand and unzip my dress, and let it fall to the floor. It’s covered in blood and grass stains, torn and shredded around the hem. Taking a deep breath shaky with trepidation, I gingerly walk to my full-length mirror. I’m not sure I’m ready to see whatever will face me in the reflective glass. When I’m finally positioned in front of the mirror, I don’t dare make eye contact. I’m not ready to see the horrific sight which will be staring back at me.
Edge of Darkness Box Set Page 28