ELIZABETH:" Would you drop your phone and let me do your make up " Alex yelled at me and I giggled before getting up from the bed." I know you are happy to finally be with Adam but you will see him soon, so stop texting like idiots " she warned and I sat on the chair in front of her with a huge smile. I get why she is so offended and upset. Adam and I spoke to each other overnight and I realized that he is kind of very sweet. Alex actually didn't get any sleep because I kept laughing and turning on the bed. " I'm sorry, okay I'm all yours now " I said as I tossed my phone on the bed. she opens her make up kit and then begins to doll up my face. Few hours later of enduring Alex's endless scolding I now looked beautiful. I stood up from the chair and twirled in front of the mirror. " You look so good I don't want you to go. I don't know why I'm not in Mr Michael's class, me and my baby would have gone together " she whined and I hit her shoulder" I told you to come with me as my
ELIZABETH:" You are like a cosmos flower these days " mum said that morning when we were having breakfast. " Cosmos flower? " I asked her looking up from my toast" Yes because they are the most beautiful when they are blooming honey and right now you are the most beautiful " she said and I smiled." Mum " I said and she looked at me. " my nightmares stopped " i said and her eyes shot open. she stood up from her seat and walked over to me." You stopped dreaming? " she asked me as she held my shoulders. I laughed at her expression" Yes mum I stopped dreaming. it's been going on for more than a week now. I didn't tell you earlier because I wanted to be sure and now I am so sure mum. he is gone " I said and she hugged me so tight." I'm glad honey. he is gone and he will never find us here. you should start living your life now okay " she said and I nodded, tears falling from my eyes. " You should start living your life too mum " I said and she broke the hug and stared at my face. "
ELIZABETH:I entered the english class with Adam by my side the next morning. he had picked me up from my house early this morning because he said he wanted to despite how hard I objected to it. my mum feels that part of her work had been lifted off her shoulders since Adam offered to drink me to school and from school from now on till we graduate because he loves me. The boy is so sweet and cute when he wants to and sometimes I just can't believe that he loves me and that he is my boyfriend. Although the whole school doesn't know yet and I'm scared of them finding out so we are a secret till then. Picking me up this morning was a huge risk because my mum made it her life goal to snap Adam and I Everytime we meet. she promised to take a picture but she took many pictures of us later and Adam puts up with everything she hands over and any lover of my mum is someone I would love forever. After my mum left, we left the house and we drove to school. We got to school when the first bell
Mr Mike told us to turn in our English essay project in our next class and then he left our class which concluded the end of the class. our next class was the last class this year before our final exams would start. After the exam we were getting out of this shitty school finally. Thank God we didn't submit today because I would be balling my eyes out by now because my assignment was on the dressing table in my room. I left it there yesterday when I went out with Adam. Since we have been dating I have been spending more time with him than reading and doing my assignments. Before I knew Adam I thought my life was complete but now I knew how boring my life must have been if hanging out with just one guy makes me forget a lot of things. People began to leave the class one by one and I was about to leave when I felt cold hand on my hand. I turned to look at Adam who was currently touching my hand before getting the signal he was giving me. I'm guessing he wanted us to wait till the clas
ADAM: "What do you think I should get her for her birthday this Saturday dude? she is going to be nineteen and I think she kind of has everything in this world because of how rich her family is, what can I get her that she would appreciate?" Cole went on and on while I followed after him He has been talking about how his girlfriend's birthday was this Saturday and he hasn't even prepared a gift for her, he shouldn't even be asking me what to gift her because I have never gifted a woman something before since I didn't live with my mother since she was always so unstable all her life and now that she was trying to change, cancer came around so she has been in the hospital. My sister, Cheryl always liked boys stuffs so it wasn't much banter trying to find her something during her birthdays. There is always going to be this stuffed animal she looks at a lot, there would always be this food she would be craving badly and there would be this dress she wants to see herself in. Cheryl is a
ADAM:The cafeteria chatter was always its own chaotic soundtrack—students laughing, shouting, and ranting about whatever assignments were due next or how Coach Henderson had us running around the field like madmen since the match was in three months time. Today was no different."Man, I can't believe that Alex decided to take Blake's side," Cole muttered, stuffing his hands deep into his hoodie pockets. His shoulders were hunched forward, and his face was twisted up in a mixture of disbelief and frustration.I shot him a side-eye, already knowing exactly what, or rather who, he was talking about."You know that you could have brought it up during lunch," I said and he shrugged "I couldn't Adam, we were planning her birthday, I couldn't just ruin the mood" Cole grumbled, kicking at a stray rock on the sidewalk. "Dude just swoops in, all smooth-like, and now she's suddenly hanging out with him? What the hell."Cole was pissed—understandably so. Everyone in the school knew that Alex
ADAM:"You gonna talk to her?" I asked, breaking the brief silence.Cole didn’t turn around, but I saw his reflection in the side mirror as he shrugged. "Yeah. I think I have to. I’m not gonna let Blake mess with my head anymore."Shawn, sitting beside me, nodded in approval. "Good. The longer you let it stew, the worse it’ll get.""Yeah, you’re right," Cole admitted. "I’m just gonna be honest with her. If she’s not into me anymore, then I guess... I’ll deal with it.""She’s into you, man," I reassured him. "Don’t let Blake’s charm distract you from that."Cole let out a deep breath, and for a moment, I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He wasn’t a guy who liked to feel vulnerable. None of us were. But relationships had a way of messing with your head in ways that even football couldn’t.We pulled up to the pizza place a few minutes later, the neon "OPEN" sign flickering above the door like it was on its last leg. Kelvin parked the car, and we all piled out, the smell of cheese,
COLECurt and I had been sitting in my car for what felt like forever. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white, and I could feel the tension buzzing through my whole body like a live wire. My mind was racing, thoughts colliding with each other like a chaotic storm. Blake. Alex. Dinner. Just the two of them.I turned to Curt, who sat in the passenger seat, cool as ever, scrolling through his phone like we weren’t on the verge of something major. I didn’t get how he could be so calm, so collected, while my stomach was in knots.“I’m telling you, man,” I said, my voice hard and tight, “Blake’s always had a thing for her. I could see it. Every time he’s around Alex, the way he looks at her. And now, dinner? Just the two of them? That’s not nothing. That’s not just friends.”Curt glanced up at me, his eyebrows raised, but his tone was steady, like he was talking me off a ledge. “Cole, you’re overthinking this. You don’t know if it was just the two of them. May
ELIZABETH:My heart pounded in my chest, echoing in my ears as I waited for him to speak, to say the thing I’d been avoiding, the thing I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear.He took a deep breath, and with it, I felt the air in the room shift. “Elizabeth,” he began, his voice low and quiet, but there was a raw edge to it, a vulnerability I rarely saw in him. “I love you.” He paused, his eyes never leaving mine. “I love you so much,"His words hit me like a wave, crashing into me with a force I hadn’t anticipated. My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment, I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. I had known, of course. Deep down, I had always known how he felt, but hearing it out loud, in his voice, with such certainty and conviction—it was overwhelming.“I—” I started, but the words caught in my throat. How could I respond to that? How could I explain everything I had been feeling, everything I had been afraid of, in just a few words? “Adam, I—” I tried again, but the look in his eyes sto
ELIZABETH:Adam.He walked through the entrance, wearing a dark suit, his hair slightly messy like it always was. He looked around the gym for a moment, his eyes scanning the crowd until they found me. And then our eyes locked, and everything else seemed to blur. My heart skipped a beat, and I could barely breathe.I stood there, frozen, as he walked toward me, his expression unreadable. The music, the people, everything around me faded away. All I could focus on was the fact that Adam was here. He had come. After all this time, he had shown up.“Hey,” he said when he reached me, his voice soft but steady. “Can we talk?”I nodded, not trusting my voice to work. My heart was racing, and I could feel the tension between us, thick and heavy. Without another word, we left the gym, slipping out of the side doors into the cool night air. The sky was dark, the stars faintly visible overhead. It was quiet, a stark contrast to the noise and chaos inside the gym.We walked in silence for a few
ELIZABETH:The day of prom finally arrived, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a mix of excitement and nerves. Prom was supposed to be this magical night that you remembered forever, but all I could think about was Adam. The fact that he hadn’t responded to my message still stung. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected him to. After everything that had happened between us, what right did I have to ask him to prom? I stood in front of my mirror, staring at my reflection, trying to focus on something, anything, other than the knot in my stomach. The soft pink dress I’d picked out felt perfect for the occasion, elegant and flowing, but it didn’t feel like me.I felt like I was putting on a show, pretending everything was fine, when really I was drowning in uncertainty. My hair was pinned up in loose curls, and my makeup was subtle, just enough to bring out my features. Cheryl had helped me with the finishing touches, gushing the entire time about how great the night was going to be. I tried t
ELIZABETH:Exams were finally over, and prom was in five days. The relief I felt was hard to put into words, but it wasn’t just the end of exams that had me so distracted. The upcoming prom was hanging over my head like a dark cloud. I should have been excited like everyone else, but there was one person I couldn’t stop thinking about. Adam. The girls and I had just finished shopping for our prom dresses, which was supposed to be one of the most exciting parts of prom prep, but honestly, I had gone through the motions. I picked a dress, tried it on, paid for it, and walked out of the store without feeling any of the usual rush of excitement I would normally feel before a big event like this. I was happy for Cheryl and Alex though—they seemed thrilled with their choices. Cheryl found this glittery, silver number that hugged her body in all the right places, and Alex chose a deep blue dress that made her hazel eyes pop. Meanwhile, my pale pink dress felt like a non-commitment. I coul
ELIZABETH:It felt strange to be back at school, like stepping into a world that had moved on without me. The familiar sounds of chatter in the hallways, the rustling of papers, the ring of the bell—it all seemed so normal, yet I felt completely out of place. I walked through the halls, my head down, avoiding the stares and whispers that followed me. Everyone knew what had happened. They knew my father had been arrested. They knew about the kidnapping, the beatings, and the gunshot that had nearly killed me. And yet, despite the weight of it all, life around me continued as if nothing had changed.I wasn’t sure if I was ready for any of it.As I made my way to my first class, I spotted Alex standing by the lockers, waiting for me. She caught my eye and gave me a small, sympathetic smile before rushing over to me, her arms outstretched.“Betty, hey!” she greeted me, pulling me into a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re back. How are you feeling?”I didn’t know how to answer that. I hadn’t
ELIZABETH:When I finally opened my eyes, everything around me felt unfamiliar, as though I had been transported to a different world. The room was too bright, too sterile. The soft beeping of a machine beside me was the first sound I registered, a slow and steady rhythm that matched my own heartbeat. My body felt heavy, as if it wasn’t really mine, and a dull, persistent ache in my chest reminded me of what had happened. I blinked, trying to make sense of where I was, why I was here, and then it all came crashing back.The basement. The gunshot. Adam’s face as I threw myself in front of him. The explosion of pain when the bullet hit.I was alive. Somehow, I had survived.It took a moment for the rest of my senses to catch up. My throat was dry, and my mouth tasted like metal. Slowly, I became aware of the soft weight of a hand clutching mine, squeezing it tightly, as if afraid I might disappear again. I turned my head, wincing at the pain, and saw my mother sitting beside the bed. He
ELIZABETH:The room was spinning, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Everything hurt. My ribs felt bruised, my head pounded, and I hadn’t eaten in days. I could feel the bruises forming under my skin, the sharp sting of every breath a reminder of how long we’d been trapped in this hell. Three days. Three long, agonizing days since my father had taken us, since he’d dragged me and Adam into this nightmare. I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. My muscles screamed in protest, and I had to bite back the cry that threatened to spill from my lips. I didn’t want Adam to see how weak I was. Not now, when he needed me to be strong. I couldn’t let him see me like this. “Stay with me, Elizabeth,” Adam whispered beside me, his voice barely audible in the stale air of the basement. I could hear the desperation in his tone, could feel it in the way his hand brushed against mine, even though we were both tied to the chairs. “Just keep breathing, okay? We’re going to get out of here.
ELIZABETH:I woke up screaming. My heart pounded in my chest, and my hands trembled as the remnants of that nightmare lingered in my mind. It was the same one again. The same horrifying memory, like a bad movie I was forced to watch over and over. Radena and I, running through the dark, our feet stumbling over broken branches and jagged rocks as we fled from him. My father’s voice echoed behind us, filled with rage and cold determination. The crack of the gunshot always felt too real, the scream that followed piercing the night and making my heart stop every time. Radena fell beside me, her body crumpling to the ground in a way that still haunted me even after all these years. And no matter how much I ran, no matter how fast I tried to get away, I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t escape.“Elizabeth!” Adam’s voice cut through the haze of fear. His hand shook my shoulder gently but urgently. “Elizabeth, wake up! You’re having a nightmare"I blinked, trying to shake off the darkness and th
ELIZABETH:The world was blurry when I first opened my eyes. My head throbbed like someone had taken a hammer to it, and a deep, dull ache settled in the base of my skull. I blinked rapidly, trying to force clarity back into my vision. It felt as though the air was thick, suffocating, and the room I was in was dimly lit, with shadows creeping up the walls. My arms felt strangely heavy, and it wasn't until I tried to move them that I realized they were bound. Panic surged through me like ice water in my veins.I was tied to a chair.My wrists were bound tightly with rope, cutting into my skin, and the more I tried to shift, the more I felt the rough fibers biting into my flesh. The same was true for my ankles, which were tied to the legs of the chair. My movements were futile, restricted to small jerks as I struggled to comprehend what was happening. My mind raced, trying to recall where I was last, how I got here, and why."Elizabeth?" a voice croaked beside me. I turned my head shar