My eyes scanned the room, looking for something to use as a weapon if I needed one. My eyes landed on my cell phone. It was still on the kitchen table. It was so close yet so far away. I knew Jesse wouldn’t be able to answer if I called him, but Andy wasn’t working today. If I could just get to my phone, I could call him to help me.

  “Why are you really here?” I asked.

  “Can’t I just come to visit you guys? I mean, you’ve pretty much moved in, and Andy is here whenever he isn’t working.”

  “You’ve been watching us.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “I have. It’s funny how blissfully unaware you three are. I mean, I was practically part of the party on your birthday. I have to say, I liked the second movie a lot better than the first.”

  “You were here?”

  “Well, I wasn’t in the house, if that’s what you’re asking, but I was around.”

  She was seriously starting to freak me out. It was clear that she had been stalking us. She’d never left.

  “Why didn’t you leave, like Jesse told you to?” I asked.

  She laughed. “Jesse is just confused. He’ll come around eventually.”

  “He’s not confused, Ally. He hates you for what you did to him, to us.”

  “You’re being silly. Jesse could never hate me. He loves me.”

  “Ally, something is seriously wrong with you. You need help.”

  She just laughed as she stepped closer to me. If she came much closer, I wouldn’t be able to make it to my phone. I needed to distract her, so I could either make a run for it out the door or get to my phone. Right now, she was still between the door and me, so I needed to make a move toward my phone.

  “So, why do you think Jesse loves you?” I asked, trying to distract her.

  She smiled. “You wouldn’t want to hear why.”

  “Of course I do. If something happened between you two, I should know about it. That would mean he lied to me.”

  She studied me for a minute. I tried to look like I was genuinely worried about what she would tell me. I knew she would probably say the most horrible thing she could think of just to hurt me. I wouldn’t believe anything she might say.

  “He told me he did,” she said quietly.

  That wasn’t what I’d expected at all. I’d assumed that she would make up some story.

  “When?”

  “The first time was when we were just little. There was a boy at school who liked to pick on me. It was before I started taking up for myself. Jesse saw me crying on the playground, and he tried to make me feel better. He told me that he loved me and that he would always protect me, no matter what. Besides Andy, he was the first person to tell me that he loved me.”

  My heart broke for her. It was obvious that her childhood hadn’t been that great. I knew I shouldn’t feel sorry for her, but I did.

  “Ally, I think he meant that he loved you in a different way than you think. He loved you like a sister.”

  She glared at me. “You have no idea what you’re talking about! Jesse loves me! He loves me, not you!”

  I shrank back as she screamed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “Yes, you did. You always try to hurt me, but you can’t. Jesse loves me, and he is mine!”

  I crept closer to the kitchen and to my phone. “Ally, he loves you. I know he does. It just isn’t the way you want. He loves me. I know it hurts to hear that, but you need to understand. You’re obsessed with him, and it isn’t healthy.”

  “He loved me until you came around. I knew as soon as I saw you on the beach with him that day that you would be trouble.”

  “On the beach?” I asked.

  “When he was teaching you how to surf. He was so caught up in you that he didn’t even notice me, but I was there. I’m always there.”

  I felt a chill go down my spine. Ally’s obsession with Jesse wasn’t new. It wasn’t due to the fact that he’d left her in California. No, it was much older than that. If she had watched us that day, then she had been watching him before that, before I even knew him.

  “I saw the way he touched you that day. I wanted to drown you in the ocean. Then, he started bringing you around. I tried to warn him about you, but he wouldn’t listen. I only wanted to protect him.”

  “Ally, I would never hurt him.”

  “You destroyed us.”

  She closed her eyes, and I scooted closer to the kitchen. I was almost close enough to sprint to my phone.

  “If you left, he would come back to me.”

  “You can’t really believe that. You hurt him when you lied about being pregnant.”

  “I know now that it was stupid to lie to him like that. Once I apologize to him, he’ll forgive me.”

  “I don’t think so, Ally. You really hurt him.”

  “I wouldn’t have had to do that if you hadn’t screwed everything up. Once you’re gone, he’ll need someone to help him get over you again, and I’ll be there. I’m always there when he needs me.”

  “When I’m gone? I’m not going anywhere, Ally.”

  She smiled. “Yes, you are.”

  I was as close as I could get to the kitchen without tipping her off to what I was about to do. It was now or never.

  “Oh, thank God! You’re home!” I said as I looked over her shoulder.

  She spun around, thinking Jesse was behind her. As soon as she turned, I shot across the kitchen and grabbed my phone. I unlocked it and started to push Andy’s speed dial number when she plowed into me. I dropped to the floor, and my phone went flying across the room.

  “No!” I shouted as I watched it land several feet away from where I was.

  “You sneaky little bitch!” She climbed on top of me.

  I thrashed around as I tried to push her off of me. I managed to grab her hair, and I yanked as hard as I could, making her scream in pain. It gave me the opportunity I needed to shove her away from me. As soon as I was free, I scrambled to my feet and ran for the door.

  I almost made it. Just before I reached it, she tackled me from behind. My forehead slammed against the floor as I went down. Black dots danced in front of my eyes as I tried to crawl toward the door. I had to get away from her. If I didn’t—well, I didn’t want to think about what she might do.

  “You’re not going anywhere!” She grabbed me and flipped me onto my back.

  Her fist connected with my face, and the black dots became larger. I could barely see past them. I reached out blindly and tried to push her away.

  She laughed as she slapped me across the face. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

  “Please let me go, Ally. Please,” I begged.

  “Why? So you can go running to Jesse to tell him what a mean, horrible person I am? I don’t think so.”

  I felt like the world was spinning off its axis. My stomach lurched, and I fought to keep myself from throwing up. Ally’s fist connected with my face again, and I raised my hands to try to protect myself. She laughed at my feeble attempts as she delivered another blow. My eyes closed, and darkness took over.

  I welcomed it. I’d do anything to escape the pain.

  My head felt as if it was going to explode. I refused to open my eyes as pain shot through my forehead to the base of my skull. Everything was fuzzy. I took a deep breath as I tried not to cry out. I’d never felt such pain in my life.

  I cracked one eye open to look around me. There was very little light in the room, but it still hurt to open my eye. I was in a room with no windows. Nothing was in the room, except for the floor lamp across from me.

  Where am I?

  I tried to remember how I’d ended up here, but I had no idea.

  I was eating cereal, and then my mom called. What happened after that? Someone knocked on the door. Neighborhood kids were playing a prank. No, that wasn’t it.

  Pain shot through my head, and I clenched my jaw as I waited for it to pass.

  Danger…I tried to reach for my phone.

  Ally’s face slammed into my mind like a hammer. I gasped as I finally remembered.

  She came to the house and attacked me. I tried to escape, but she tackled me. I hit the floor, and then Ally hit me. Black dots. After that? Nothing. I must have blacked out.

  I tried to stand, but something stopped me. I forced my eyes open to see that my legs were tied to a chair. My arms were tied up behind me. I am so fucking screwed. Ally was crazy, and I was alone and defenseless.

  “It’s about time you woke up, princess.” Ally’s voice came from behind me.

  I turned my neck to look for her, but I didn’t see her anywhere. Suddenly, she was beside me. She slapped me across the face, and I cried out in pain. The pain in my head increased until I couldn’t bear it anymore. I wanted to black out again. I’d do anything to escape that pain.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked sweetly as she pulled a chair in front of me.

  She must have grabbed it from somewhere behind me because there was definitely nothing in front of me.

  “Like someone cracked my skull,” I spit out as I looked away from her.

  She laughed as she raised her hand. “Guilty.”

  “Let me go, Ally. Just walk away, and no one has to know what you did. You got your anger out. It’s over.”

  “Oh, it’s far from over, dear Emma. I’m just getting started.”

  There was a coldness to her voice that made me wonder if she would actually kill me. I looked up at her. As soon as I looked into her eyes, I knew she would kill me without a second thought. Her eyes were cold, and there was no kind of emotion behind them at all.

  “Please let me go,” I quietly begged.

  “But we’re just starting to have fun. Don’t you want to see everything else I have planned for you?”

  I ignored her question and looked away. She could hurt me all she wanted, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of me begging a second time. I already knew that she was planning to kill me. That was all I needed to know. The less I knew, the better. Maybe if I didn’t fight, she’d get bored and make it quick.

  Jesse would lose it when he found out what she’d done. I had no idea how long I’d been out, but I knew it had to be a while from the pain shooting through my skull. He had to know by now that I was gone. Maybe he was searching for me. Hope swelled in my chest as I pictured him rushing in to save me.

  My hope was crushed when I realized that even I didn’t know where I was. I might not even be in Morgantown anymore. Hell, I might not be in West Virginia.

  “Where did you bring me to?” I asked.

  “My house.”

  “And where exactly is your house?”

  She studied me for a minute. “I guess it won’t hurt to tell you. It’s not like you can call someone for help.” She laughed as if she’d said something funny. “You’re still in Morgantown. Actually, you’re only about twenty minutes away from Jesse’s house.”

  If I was still in Morgantown, Jesse stood a chance at finding me. It was a slim chance, but I needed to hold on to something.

  “You’ve been staying this close to us the entire time since you left, haven’t you?”

  She nodded. “Yep, and you guys had no idea. It’s kind of funny when you think about it. I’ve spent a lot of time watching you at Jesse’s house since he kicked me out. I’d give you some advice about closing your curtains, but I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that anymore. There are no curtains where you’re going.”

  I turned away from her. I couldn’t even stand to look at her right now. I felt sick. She’d been stalking us for weeks, and we had been clueless.

  “Get away from me.”

  “Why? Did I say something wrong?” she asked innocently.

  “You’re a fucking psycho,” I told her.

  I tried to break free of my restraints. The rope dug into my skin, but I ignored the pain as I struggled.

  “You might want to stop before you hurt yourself,” she said happily.

  I stopped struggling once I realized that the ropes weren’t going anywhere. “Just do what you’re going to do, and get it over with.”

  “Oh no, I want to draw this out,” she said quietly. She placed her finger under my chin and lifted my face to look at her. “And I can’t wait to watch you cry out in pain.”

  “You won’t get away with this, Ally. The police will catch you. Jesse will know that you had something to do with this. He hates you now. You know how I told you that he’d meant he loved you like a sister? You don’t even have that from him now. Even if I die, he will never be yours.”

  “Shut up!” she shrieked as she slapped me again.

  I clenched my teeth to keep from crying out. One thing was for sure—the bitch was strong. Even her slaps were enough to make my head spin.

  “You know nothing about how Jesse feels about me. You have some kind of power over him. Once you’re gone, he’ll realize that he loves me. We’ll be happy together, and he’ll forget all about you.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “Think whatever you want. You’ll see.”

  “You know what the worst part is?” she asked suddenly.

  “That I’m tied to a chair?” I asked sarcastically.

  “When I watched you guys, I saw you…together. It made me sick to see him touch you.”

  My stomach rolled at the thought of her watching while Jesse and I’d had sex. “You’re sick.”

  “I didn’t want to watch, trust me.”

  “Then, why did you?”

  She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  She stood and walked behind me. I could hear her moving things around, but I couldn’t turn around far enough to see what she was doing. I glanced around in front of me, hoping to see something that would help me. There was nothing. The room was as empty as before.

  I tried to hold my tears in as they filled my eyes. I wouldn’t give Ally the satisfaction of seeing me cry. While I knew something was wrong with Ally after everything she’d done to Jesse, I never realized that she was capable of something like this.

  She silently walked back over to me. I met her gaze head-on. Fuck her, I wouldn’t shy away.

  “I overheard Jesse talking to Andy about you one day at our old house. Jesse told him how beautiful he thought you were.” Her eyes were so cold as she spoke. “You and I both know that I’m prettier than you, but Jesse doesn’t seem to realize that. I’m going to change that. When they find you, he’ll realize that you could never be as pretty as me.”

  I had no idea what she planned to do, but I knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant for me. She had kept her hands behind her since she walked over. I watched silently as she finally moved them. My stomach dropped when I saw the knife in her hand.

  “Ally, think about what you’re doing. We can still work something out. If you use that, then you’re done.”

  “I think you’re confused as to who is tied to the chair and who has a knife. I’m in control, Emma, and I always have been.” She ran the dull side of the knife across my face. “You’re not pretty in the least, but you obviously have something that Jesse likes. We need to fix that.”

  “Ally, let me go. You don’t want to do this,” I pleaded, forgetting my earlier promise to myself that I wouldn’t beg.

  “Trust me when I say I do. I want nothing more than this. I want to hurt you as bad as you hurt me.”

  She turned the knife, so the sharp edge was pressed against my cheekbone. I held my breath as I waited for her to kill me. I wouldn’t scream. I would never let her know how much pain she caused me.

  Despite my determination not to cry out, a small whimper escaped me as she ran the knife down my cheek. The cut didn’t hurt as bad as my head, but it stung. I shuddered as I felt blood start to slide down my face. Apparently, she didn’t plan to stab me like I’d originally thought—at least, not yet. With the shallow cut, she only wanted to cause me pain and destroy my face. I was too worried about how to escape to even think about my face. I had to figure out a way to get her to untie me.

  “Does it hurt?” Ally asked softly as her eyes followed the drop of blood that had dripped from my cheek to the floor.

  “No,” I said stubbornly.

  “Then, you won’t mind if I try the other side.”

  She held the knife up to my face and made a cut on my other cheek. It was shallow like the first one, but it still hurt. Blood ran down my face and fell to the floor. It was like I was crying blood.

  “There—now, you match.” She giggled.

  “Thanks,” I muttered.

  She circled me slowly. I turned my head as she went, afraid to let her out of my sight for even a second. There wasn’t much I could do if she decided to stab me in the back, but it still made me uneasy to have her right behind me.

  “Are you sorry yet?” she asked.

  “For what?”

  “For ruining everything I had with Jesse. Duh.”

  “I didn’t ruin anything. If he wanted you, he never would have come to me.”

  “It’s not his fault that you tricked him. He’s only a guy, and we both know guys never think with their heads. Well, at least, they don’t think with the right heads.”

  “You think he was only using me for sex?” I asked incredulously.

  “Of course I do. What else could he want from you?”

  I didn’t even know how to respond to that. Ally was living in her own little world, and nothing I said would change that. There was no point in fighting with someone who couldn’t view reality like a normal person.

  “I’m hungry, and I need to pee.”

  “I don’t have any food here.”

  “Fine, but I still have to pee.”

  “You just want me to untie you. I’m not stupid.”

  “You’re going to look very stupid when I piss myself, and you have to clean it up.”

  She studied me for a moment. If I could get her to leave me alone in the bathroom, maybe I could escape. If not, maybe I could find a way to subdue her. The thought of me hitting her over the head with my chair was very appealing.

  “Straight to the bathroom, and back here,” she finally said.

 

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