At lunchtime, Dailey had planned on sitting with Toni. She'd been looking forward to it. But she saw Drake waving his index finger in her direction, beckoning her over.
She slouched over to him, dragging her feet, and looking down to indicate her lack of interest in playing whatever game he was planning.
"Chop chop," he encouraged, clapping his hands.
His friends exchanged glances and whispers, confused by her presence in their tight-knit group of weirdos. Their clique usually hung out and ate lunch in the courtyard by the steps, far away from everyone else, a fact she was glad for today.
"Get on all fours," Drake demanded.
'Why?' Dailey wondered in a panic. 'What are you going to do to me?'
When he began to click his fingers repeatedly in her face she complied, tutting as grit and stones lodged into the soft flesh of her p
Toni glanced about the room, at the stark walls and windows with cream blinds that looked as though nobody had dusted them in the last ten years. It was nothing like her last school. Well... except for the fact the mentality of the people was pretty much identical. The segregation of popular kids, the cool kids, the nerds, and the freaks. Glancing to her left, she spotted the guy Dailey had told her about. She couldn't see much of his expression because his long, dangly black hair covered his face. Normally, he'd be just her type; dangerous, weird, and twisted... but she had the distinct feeling her only friend in this hell hole would end up falling for him, meaning he was off limits. She felt the life drain out of her as Tommy took a seat beside her, scraping his chair and table loudly as he pulled them closer to hers. Something about his energetic personality was draining to Toni. Just watching him fail to sit still for five seco
Toni didn't know which was worse—the smell or the humiliation. She'd seen kids thrown in dumpsters a couple of times, and while she felt bad about failing to intervene, she never imagined she might end up on the receiving end.What if nobody came to let her out? Would she end up in the garbage crusher?Morbid thoughts about being squished to death prompted her to call for help when she heard voices in the distance. Screw the embarrassment. She wanted to live.
When Dailey arrived at the beach it was beginning to get dark. A group of kids had created a bonfire and were currently feeding it sticks. Some weren't dry enough. They crackled and hissed as they burned, releasing a foul-smelling acrid smoke into the salty air.Dailey watched, keeping to the grassy shore when she spotted Sam by the keg. He and his friends filled red plastic cups with beer and joked together, perving not so discreetly on a couple of scantily clad girls from the year below.'Already moving on to someone new,'Dailey thought.'Typical.'She tried to tell herself it didn't matter—that she was done with him—but seeing him still hurt. He hadn't even spoken to her about the images, probably assuming he'd simply lost the files. This could only be a good thing. She hated him, but she also still loved him and always would. Getting him involved in the mess with Drake would o
Dailey couldn’t stop thinking about the quote Drake had chosen to leave her with. Did he somehow know she was desperately lonely? Maybe. Or maybe it was just a fluke.With her friends and boyfriend gone, she had nobody around to confide in. Yet, it surprising how little her mentality had changed. Her friends didn’t talk, only gossiped, and her boyfriend and been someone to make out with rather than a legitimate partner.‘I’ve been very lonely for a very long time,’Dailey realised.As she walked to school alone, she saw Toni and smiled, rushing over to say hi. The first time she’d seen Toni, Dailey had expected her to be scary and antisocial. She was happy to find out how wrong her judgement had been as the girl ran over and hugged her.“How’s it going?” she asked, meaning the Aaron situation.“Nothin
"I decided today is the day," Aaron said. He leaned so close his chest was pressed up against hers. Toni could feel the hardness of his muscles and the warmth of him as he breathed down her neck.Instead of melting, she stared at him with defiance, determined not to take any of his crap."Today is the day you quit," he clarified."Why?" Toni asked, feeling brave. "Because Drake is getting involved?"Aaron flinched ever so slightly at the mention of that name."What did he do to make you so afraid of him?" she asked, not in a taunting way, but genuinely interested."I ain't scared of him," Aaron scoffed, curling his lip as he licked his teeth. He shook his head. "We used to be mates is all. Not that it's any of your business.""It is, actually," Toni said. "My friend is at his house right now and honestly... I don't trust him."&nbs
"May I have a drink of water, please?" Dailey asked. She sniffed away tears and wiped at her face before taking the glass of water.It was tepid and tasted different to the water from her tap at home, but at least it cleared away the awful film coating her mouth."So... tell me," Drake said, taking the water from her hand and placing it on the table. "What was that little outburst all about?""I... I..." Dailey fumbled, unsure of what to say, what he wanted to hear. Not sure of the truth."I just want you to like me," she cried, throwing herself into his arms. She clung to the fabric of his black hoodie, snuggling her head into his chest. "I'm sorry for all the times I was a bitch to you. I'm sorry. Please stop hating me.""I don't hate you," he told her. "I'm indifferent to you."That was so much worse than hate."I like you,
The walk to Aaron’s house only took ten minutes in real time but seemed to go on forever in Toni's mind.He didn't speak, just kept looking back at her with this awful smug look on his face. His annoying cute face. It simultaneously made her want to punch and kiss him.'I'm so confused,'she thought.'Why am I doing this?'It wasn't like he could force her. 'It was a bet,' probably wasn't going to stand up in a court of law if he forced her into sex. There was the obligation... and something deeper.'You want to see his massive dick, you pervert.'Toni had done pretty much everything sexual. Everything but anal.Today that would change.Aaron stopped outside a large but plain-looking red brick house. The garden wasn't pristine, but it was mowed and weeded. A trampoline and a swing set sat b
When Dailey arrived at school with Drake, people stared. As they noticed the collar and leash, the stares become whispers and murmurs.Someone was bound to bombard her with questions, it was just a matter of time and a question of who it would be.She sighed as she noticed it was Sam who approached, walking with swagger, and puffing up his chest in some lame attempt to be manly."What the hell is this?" he asked. "Are you two, like... an item now?""How is that your business again?" Dailey asked, wrinkling her nose.When Sam moved in closer his eyes widened, taking in the dog lead with undisguised horror. He shook his head."What the fuck?" he cried.His friends—her former friends—formed a circle around the new couple, wearing equally horrified expressions.Tommy didn't help matters as he ran o
"How's Aaron doing?" Dailey asked Toni. She ran her fingers through the sand, dislodging the warm layer on top to poke her fingers into the cooler, wetter sand below."He's complaining a lot," Toni said with a smile. "He lost a lot of blood and the wound got infected, so they have to keep him in for a little longer.""I feel awful," Dailey said.Toni shifted on the blanket, turning to push her face up against Dailey's. "You know none of what happened is your fault, right?""Hmm," Dailey muttered, looking down at her sandy fingers. She thought back to the time she'd spent on the beach with Drake, knowing that should have been a warning sign. This whole thing could have been avoided."The counsellor I talked to said I showed signs of Stockholms Syndrome," Dailey told her friend. "High levels of stress can feel a lot like being in love, but... it felt so real."
Dailey froze in fear for just a second as Drake descended the staircase, tutting and shaking his head. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Aaron cower, huddling himself back against the wall. He was muttering to himself, but Dailey couldn't make out the words.Toni did the opposite, taking a rigid and inexperienced looking fight stance with the axe poised in shaky hands. She held the thing with her hands a few inches apart and cocked it to the side as if it were a samurai sword.The chains slipped from Dailey's wrists as she stood, noisily forming a pile at her feet."Drake," she said in the most calming voice she could muster. "Nobody has been seriously hurt yet. We could all just walk away and pretend like this never happened."She saw the look Toni flashed her. A look that asked,'We can?'Dailey did her best to communicate with the girl non-verbally, staring in
Toni searched the courtyard, looking for Dailey. She hadn't responded to any of her messages for hours now, which was unlike her. Usually, she replied within a few minutes. An hour at the most.Checking her phone again, she found the messages hadn't even been marked as seen.'It's possible she misplaced her phone,'Toni thought, but she didn't believe it. Something felt wrong.Putting her phone back in her pocket, she looked about for Aaron. He wasn't in his usual smoking spot or hanging out by the football field.A thin drizzle of rain fell from the grey clouds above, making it plausible he'd decided to stay inside. As she entered the break room Tommy ran over to greet her. He almost tripped over a bright green stool as he stumbled toward her, picking it up and fluffing his curly mess of hair as he asked how she was doing."I'm good," she replied withou
The only light came from the bulb above, making it impossible to tell the time. Dailey assumed it was around seven am, only because her inner body clock would wake her up a few minutes before her alarm each morning.Dailey watched Aaron for a few minutes before deciding to try and wake him up. She placed a hand on his shoulder and shook gently at first, becoming more vigorous and shouting his name when he didn't respond."Arrgh!" he cried, raising both fists and almost punching her in the face. Luckily, Dailey was fast enough to dodge his hand. She raised hers defensively, backing away from him as much as the chains would allow."It's okay, it's okay," Dailey assured him.This was a blatant lie.Nothing about this situation was okay.Aaron scanned his surroundings and pulled at his restraints for just a second before giving up. He pulled his knees
“Come here.” Drake grabbed a fist of her hair and pulled her to the centre of the room. Every follicle cried out in pain as he shoved her head to meet the carpet. “Stay.”Dailey obeyed but lifted her head an inch to observe him. He appeared angry, but what she had done to anger him was a mystery. It could be something to do with the incident at the party. Maybe someone had told him, and he was pissed that she hadn't thought to fill him in on the situation.She considered saying something but didn't want to get the others into trouble and make them hate her even more if it wasn't the case.'I'll wait to see what he says,'she decided, watching as he ripped off pieces of masking tape with a confused frown. It wouldn't work as a binding, being so flimsy and easy to tear.Her confusion deepened as he began to place strips of tape along the carpet, eventually forming
Toni walked the neighbourhood at the fastest pace she could manage, feet pounding concrete and just beginning to ache. She wished had a better memory, because she couldn't for the life of her remember where he lived.'If only he would answer my messages,'she thought, checking her phone for what felt like the hundredth time.The problem was, all the streets in this part of the town looked the same. They wound together like a cluster of snakes, cutting off into cul-de-sacs, disused warehouses, or allotments."This town sucks," she huffed under her breath.A dog walker passed, looking up to flash her a friendly smile."Hi," Toni cried. Gravel sprayed as she spun on her heels, turning to chase the man. "Do you know how to get to Parkside Road?" she asked.The man turned to face her, frowning. "Err, you mean Parkside Row?"&
"Rhys," Shane cried as he jiggled the handle. "I was just messing about. I swear."Staying silent, paused with delicate hands raised, Rhys turned to Dailey and shrugged."He wasn't joking," Dailey whispered so quietly Shane wouldn't hear."I know," Rhys said, matching her hushed tone. "He's just worried about what Drake will do now he's had a chance to think about it.""Come on, mate," Shane whined, his voice muffled by the door. "I can't believe you're choosing that dumb slut over us."Rhys rolled his eyes and made an exasperated face.Without discussing it, he got up and pulled the chair away. Placing a foot against the door he opened it a crack to face Shane."I didn't chooseher. I chose Drake because I'm not stupid enough to get myself killed."'Killed?'Dailey though
"Come on," Drake said. "We're going to a party."That was all the warning he gave before yanking of the chain attached to her neck. She almost tripped and choked herself to death as he strode across the bedroom, managing to catch herself at the last minute."Do you want me to get changed?" she asked.When Drake stopped abruptly, she walked into his back."Sorry" she uttered, looking down.He didn't seem bothered about her barging into him, his mind on other things as he assessed her outfit."What to wear, what to wear," he muttered under his breath. Then he smiled. "You can wear that maid outfit I bought you."He riffled through the draw he'd designated as hers and pulled out the tiny piece of fabric. It was short and frilly, with matching knee socks and tied at the back with a belt. She looked good in it... if not a little odd sinc
Toni saw Aaron sitting alone in the cafeteria. He was biting into an apple and appeared to have nothing else but a cheap can of energy drink.She scanned her card, paying for her salad before approaching Aaron. He looked up as she sat, brows knitting together in confusion."Is this okay?" she asked.Aaron shrugged and looked down at her plate with disgust."Why would you choose that green crap when they have pizza?" he asked, curling his lip."I love salad," she told him. Her mother was very big on healthy eating, so it had been drilled into her since birth. With a dressing and a cheese, her mother wouldn't fully approve of this particular salad, but she wasn't right about everything. You had to have something tasty on the plate."You're mad," he said, watching her eat a tomato with interest. "I've never eaten a tomato before."