72

I cringed, but telling him about Darren was easier than explaining about Jessy. Darren couldn’t torment me anymore, not with Sebastian forcing me to live with him. Jessy, on the other hand, could still get to me.
“Darren likes to drink.” I shrugged. “He gets rough. I ran and locked myself in my room. He was trying to break down my door, so I climbed out the window and jumped.”
“You jumped from your window?” Sebastian’s voice was calm.
“No,” I replied, deadpan. “I jumped from the roof.”
“That fact makes no difference,” Sebastian growled under his breath.
“Look,” I sighed, “don’t go playing the caring father card. Seriously, for my sanity, don’t do it.”
This entire conversation was giving me a headache. My heart was being pulled in so many different directions; I wondered if it could withstand all the torment. ‘Only a few more days,’ I told myself. Then I’d be in the wind, with not a single person to worry about.
Two devastatingly handsome faces walked through the doors of the restaurant, making my heart skip a beat. I choked on my drink, nearly spewing soda across the table. Ethan and Kieran strolled through the front doors, stopping in front of Jenny to be seated. It was as though they could feel my eyes on them. The two of them looked up at the same time, meeting my eyes instantaneously. They didn’t even have to search around the room. They moved in unison. Their eyes flickered from me to Sebastian and finally back to me. It took all the willpower I had in my body to peel my eyes away from theirs, only to meet another familiar pair.
Jessy was walking through the front doors, Lilian on one side and a dark-haired girl on the other. She too met my eyes instantaneously. A cruel, shit-eating grin spread on her face as she waited behind Ethan and Kieran. Her eyes were glistening with knowledge, with superiority. It seemed she hadn’t noticed my healed face, but that didn’t surprise me. She probably only noticed my fear and how I practically reeked of it.
Jenny sat Ethan and Kieran at a table, but Ethan shook his head. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I quickly figured it out when Jenny sat them at the booth across from us. I had a clear view of Ethan and Kieran, and it was hard to keep my eyes off of them. The two of them continued looking at me, having their own hushed conversation between glances. Jenny gave me an apologetic smile as she walked away, and I nodded once in her direction.
Jessy, Lilian, and the other girl were seated at their own booth, not much farther from Sebastian and me. The restaurant was feeling much too small. My own personal hell would be complete if Lauren and Darren walked through the doors. With how this afternoon was going, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything.
Kat came out with our food, setting it down in front of us gingerly. I looked at the white Ellen sauce and tried not to breathe too deeply. My stomach was in knots, making me feel nauseous and somewhat sick.
“You alright?” Kat murmured down to me, her eyes flickering from Ethan’s table to Jessy’s.
“Yeah,” I breathed out. “I’m good.”
Kat didn’t look convinced. She could see through my bullshit from a mile away, yet she didn’t question me. I was beginning to appreciate her subtlety more and more.
“Friends of yours?” Sebastian asked, his head tilting over to where Ethan and Kieran sat.
I shoved some food in my mouth, taking my time to chew and swallow before answering. “No,” I shook my head. “Not friends.”
“Boyfriends?” Sebastian raised his eyebrow, looking much more uncomfortable.
The word ‘boyfriend’ got Ethan and Kieran’s attention, but it also got Jessy’s. It felt like every damn person in the restaurant was looking my way, waiting for my answer. I had never felt so much silent pressure in one room before.
I looked at Ethan and Kieran from the corner of my eye. Both were staring at me, the same expectant look on their faces. They looked like they were ready to leap from the table and come to my side, all I had to do was say the word. Jessy, on the other hand, looked livid, while Lilian looked kind of sick.
“No,” my voice was quiet, “not boyfriends.”
My voice lacked conviction and was unconvincing.
“I just go to school with them,” I struggled to keep my voice even, keeping my eyes far away from Jessy.
“I see.” Sebastian nodded, unconvinced but satisfied by my answer.
I hurried with my dinner, scarfing down what I could as though I hadn’t eaten in months. I sighed with relief once Kat brought the check. Sebastian refused my offer of money and paid himself, leaving Kat a hefty tip.
Sebastian headed towards the front of the building while Kat pulled me aside.
“Jenny said that’s your dad?” Kat’s jaw dropped as her eyes locked on Sebastian.
“Yes,” I huffed, unsurprised that Jenny had told her. “His name’s Sebastian.”
“I expect a detailed phone call tonight,” Kat grimaced, pulling me in for a hug. “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now.”
I nearly burst into tears. I had never heard those words before. All the physical affection I’d ever received came from my grandma. No one besides her had ever simply pulled me into a hug or tried to console me. The simple act made me want to bawl and confess the horrible week I’d been having. For my own sake, I remained strong. Now wasn’t the place to break down. I could do that later, alone in my bedroom.
“I’ll call you tonight,” I replied hoarsely, blinking the tears away.
Kat gave me one last squeeze and let go, rushing to the back to grab the rest of her tables’ food. Just as I turned to walk away, a hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. The sensation that crawled over my skin was completely unexpected, like tiny pleasurable pin-pricks or little moving sparks. Kieran looked up at me in shock, his hand still lingering on my wrist. Ethan noticed the alarm on his brother’s face and reached towards me slowly, his hand connecting with my forearm and trailing lightly down to my hand.
The same unmistakable feeling ran through me. It felt like when I was a kid and decided to put a piece of cutlery in a wall outlet-only less painful and more pleasurable. Something was burning holes into my skin, and I turned to meet Jessy’s furious eyes. The spell was broken. My attention shifted from the comforting sensations to Jessy’s murderous glare.
“Talk to us, doll,” Ethan frowned, his eyes widening with concern as I struggled to pull myself from their grasp.
My eyes were glued to Jessy, and the sheer murder rolling off her in waves. Fear pulsed through me, remembering the night she had me drugged. Her rage-filled eyes locked me in place, making it hard to hear what Ethan and Kieran were saying.
“I need to go,” I scrambled, yanking my wrist from their grasp with more strength than I thought I possessed.
Kieran’s grip on me released with little struggle. Neither of them had been holding me tightly enough to prevent my escape.
As I scrambled out of the restaurant, I allowed myself one last glance at Ethan and Kieran. I told myself this was my goodbye. I couldn’t tell them out loud, but one last look wouldn’t hurt.
When I turned and looked at them, their eyes were locked on Jessy. An innocent look adorned her face, while they looked downright murderous.
‘Nothing happened, nothing happened,’ I murmured to myself. ‘They don’t know anything. Jessy will make up some excuse. It’ll all be fine.’
From Sebastian’s face, I could tell he saw what happened inside the restaurant. I was eternally grateful he kept silent during the entire car ride home. I didn’t want to talk about it, and I didn’t want him to ask. I was tired of people pretending to care about me. First Lauren, and now Sebastian. As far as I was concerned, the only person allowed to care about me was Kat. I wasn’t even going to bother thinking about Ethan and Kieran.
The more I argued with myself internally, the more the annoying voice in my head decided to speak up.
‘Between the two of us, you’re definitely more annoying,’ the voice commented, letting out a chuckle.
‘Great,’ I mumbled to myself. ‘Now the voice in my head is making fun of me. Taking self-deprecating humor to a new level.’
‘I’m not you, Sophia,’ the voice huffed, rolling its eyes.
The more the voice called out in my head, the easier it was to picture what it looked like. It was a girl, just like me. Her eyes were mirror images of my own, yet she didn’t look like me. Her hair was extremely dark, almost black. It was short and straight while mine was long and wavy.
‘Then who the hell are you?’ I grumbled, regretting entertaining the voice.
‘I thought you’d never ask,’ the voice huffed. ‘You can call me Silver.’