CHARLOTTEI watched as Taide walked into the room, my heart pounding with every step he took.I got to my feet in a second, my heart thumping. "How did you get my number?" I asked, my voice dripping in spite.The auditorium was silent, causing my voice to echo loud enough for him to hear the venom i
CHARLOTTERunning my tongue over my dry lips, I stretched my hand to get the glass of water for my parched throat, gulping the liquid, while keeping my eyes on the book in front of me. I dropped the glass, my eyes moving to the last line on the page before I flipped it open."Char, look at my nails!
CHARLOTTE Holy shit!” Madeline voiced the thought that’d just flashed through my mind a moment ago. Now, it seemed like too small of an expression in light of the chaos that broke out around us. People pointed and gasped at the burning building, smoke filled the air and debris made it almost imp
CHARLOTTEI shuffled out of the library with my hands aching from all the books I was holding.If I was going to keep that damn scholarship, then I couldn’t let the tragedy of the fire stop me from studying. A parole officer had told us we could go see what was salvageable by the weekend, but until
CHARLOTTE“Why are you even agreeing to this anyway?” Madeline asked, stepping over what seemed to be the charred remains of our bed.A few feet away, the sounds of other girls rummaging through the wreckage of their rooms could be heard.The dean finally gave us the all clear to return to the left
CHARLOTTESilence hung in the room after Reigh’s greeting, the others didn’t say a word, but they pointedly stared at the both of us as though waiting for something.I had to fight the urge to turn around and make my way back to the wreckage of my dorms, that suddenly seemed much safer than whatever
CHARLOTTE Taide was standing much closer than I expected him to be. His breath brushed against the crook of my neck, and I had to suppress the shivers that started in my spine. I'd rather jump down these flights of stairs than let Taide know how affected I was by his presence. I thought he wou
CHARLOTTE The sight of the out-of-place object stunned me. I walked over to the bed, letting the books in my hand drop in a heap next to it as I began to study the box. I ran a hand over the surface, awed. Then, when I read the name written in fine print on the cardboard, I was even more taken aba
CHARLOTTE I stared at the knob in my hand, the metal cool against my fingers. Reigh’s words were still sinking in. My gaze shifted to the door, where the splintered wood and broken latch revealed the damage I had done. Slowly, I loosened my grip, and the knob clattered to the floor with an echo th
Quite the opposite, really.Caeson was perched at the side of my bed, right beside me. He was staring at the ground, with his hand clasped between his spread thighs.I paused at the sight, before I turned my head slightly, seeing Taide sitting on the armchair by the wall. His eyes were closed as he
CHARLOTTEI wasn’t myself anymore.I was fading in and out.What was real, and what wasn’t?I didn’t even know who to ask.My body felt numb, and my senses were muted, but I could tell I was being carried, moved from one spot to another, but I didn’t know where until my body sank into the ice-cold w
How many times? How many times had he smacked my ass? “Twice?” I said/asked. “So then you’re ready to take me?” he asked again. “It won’t be like it was with them.” Oh. Oh. He was talking about how many times I’d… done it. Had sex. His fingers parted my folds, making my legs stiffen as his in
CHARLOTTE Exiting the car. Entering the house, the staircase, all the way to his bedroom. It was a blur, all of it. I couldn’t focus on anything else but his mouth on mine. His hands on my body. Caeson pressed my back against his closed bedroom door, his lips molded to mine with force. Urgency
“Why?”“Because there’s no point.”I opened my mouth to insist once more, but then I paused and studied his side profile. Then I decided to take a different route.After a moment of silence, I spoke softly. “I’m not going to jump to conclusions, but if you’re going through all of this for them, then
CHARLOTTEWith the cat still in my arms, Caeson and I got out of the car, walking further into the cemetery grounds while I looked around warily.As expected for a cemetery, the whole place was eerie and a bit dark. The sun had set, and other than the streetlights a few feet away, there was little t
I turned to look at him.A faint smile crossed his face, and then he said, “I would love to.”I turned back to face the windshield, happy cat secure in my arms. And a smile graced my face. One that didn’t slip away for a long time.The drive to the care home felt so much less suffocating than the in
Reigh pondered my words just as Caeson walked out of the house and to his car. As he passed us, he shared a look with Reigh before nodding. Then, he met my eyes.I looked back at Reigh, and we held eye contact, like a silent war.Then Reigh sighed and looked away. He started with a shrug, “Fine. If