tricks of time ― grayson hawthorne [the inheritance games]

017. SHIRT UP, SHORTS DOWN.

I roll my eyes at him. "God, where do you come up with all this shit? Like seriously," I say between laughs, "what floats around in that thick skull of yours?"

He shrugs. "They just come to me. And don't laugh, Lee, seriously, when your kids come crying to me because they didn't get into Cornell, I'll tell them why!"

"You wouldn't!"

"I would!"

He laughs, and when I see him laughing, I laugh even harder. It takes a minute or two for us to stop laughing completely and I sigh.

"Hey," he says, his tone suddenly more firm and serious than before. "I was wondering..."

"You were wondering..." I trailed along after him.

"Would you ever...want to, you know, go to the Movies, or something, together?"

My expression fades. "I-James, that's really sweet, really, but I-uh," I try to get out of his offer and reject him in the subtlest way possible. "That's really sweet, James, but, uh, I just have a lot going on right now." Yes, this is the right way to do it. "You know, with the inheritance, and all, it's all been a bit of a shock. I think I just need some time to adjust to all of this. It hasn't been easy."

My words hurt him, I can tell. His face wasn't as bright and cheerful as it was before. "That's okay, Leah," he tells me. "I understand."

I fix my gaze on him for a few seconds. "Are you sure? " I tell him, attempting to convince him that I didn't think he was an absolutely horrific person to ever go on a date with.

He nods, and goes back to his work. I glance at him a few times, here and there, and I feel the electricity of his face. His bubbly self wasn't apparent anymore— his face looked stony, cold, and unsettling.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get something to drink. You want anything?"

I furrow my brows, before eventually nodding. "Yeah— actually, thank you. That's perfect."

He winks at me. "Perfect. I'll be back in a second."

I go back to the math on the sheet I'm doing. It truly seems like an endless supply of paper.

I smile at him sweetly till he leaves the room, and then let out a sigh of relief. A few minutes away from him was pure heaven.  Especially in light of how I'd just declined his movie date.

It's not long till he's back though, carrying two pink drinks topped with a cherry and a straw. The sight of it makes me almost want to melt.

"Wow," I say, looking at it in pure disbelief, "that looks really good."

He smiles. "It's my favorite. I thought you'd like it too." He hands me one of the cold glasses. I wait for him to take a sip, but to no avail.

"Well? Aren't you going to have a sip?"

He nods at me. "I will. But I want to know what you think first."

I look at the pinkish-orange drink for a few seconds before taking a sip. Small at first, but then I swallow it and look at him, appalled.

"James! This is...this is really good!"

He nodded at me. "Glad you like it. Drink up, I guess."

I rolled my eyes and drank.

And drank. And drank. And drank.

"You're going to have to give me this recipe, you know."

He smiles.

I stopped for a minute, just to catch hold of myself. The room was spinning. I look back down at the drink. "Hey, uh, James, is there, alcohol in this, by any chance?"

He shakes his head innocently. "No, I don't drink. Why? Are you alright?" He stood up as I did.

I shake my head woozily. "I feel sick." My brain felt suddenly foggy and I couldn't think. The room felt stuffy and I had to get out of here and I shouldn't have drank that drink. He'd done something to it.

My mind was screaming at me, telling me to get up and away from him, but my limbs weren't listening. I couldn't.

TW— SA

Through the drugs, I felt him take my hand and pulled me close to him. I breathed in cologne and beer and something I couldn't identify. I fit in against his body perfectly, my head level with his shoulder. I was dizzy and I needed to lay down but everything was blurring and spinning together and I couldn't see straight. I laid my cheek on his chest. He wrapped one arm around my back. His other hand slid down to my butt. I thought that was a little rude, but my tongue was thick with whatever drink he'd given me and I couldn't figure out how to tell him to stop. Where was Grayson? Or Xander? Or Leslie? Were any of them going to come and help me?

He tilted my face up to his. He kissed me, man kiss, hard sweet and deep. The kiss nearly knocked me off my feet.

"James...stop," I said, unsure of what was going on. He didn't listen. He kissed me again.His teeth ground hard against my lips. It was hard to breathe. I tried to get out of his clutches but I couldn't. He was too strong and I was too weak and too drugged up.

"Do you want to?" he asked.What did he say? I couldn't hear him. I didn't answer. I didn't know.

We were on the ground. Or the bed. When did that happen?

"No," I mumble. I did not like this. I was on the ground and he was on top of me. I feel my lips mumble something about leaving, I feel myself say Grayson. I can hear myself— but I'm mumbling like a deranged drunk. His lips lock on mine and I can't say anything. I twist my head away. He is so heavy. I almost feel like there is a boulder on me.

I open my mouth to breathe, to scream, but his hand covers it. In my head, my voice is as clear as a bell. But I can't spit it out. I'm trying to remember how we got on the ground or the bed and how it feels like I've been trapped here under him for the last hour. I'm trying to understand why Grayson hasn't come back yet and why he isn't helping me.

A few minutes later, shirt up, shorts down,and the world feels dark. And then I see him faintly zip his jeans and smiles, leaving me there on the oak floor.

I'm not really here, aren't I? I'm dreaming, aren't I? This has to be a dream.

authors note

LISTEN THIS IS VV IMPORTANT: sexual assault and rape are so terrible and such a prominent topic these days. if you ever need help, there are sexual assault and rape hotlines you can call. and if you ever see someone in danger, please help them.

sexual assault hotline (usa): 1-800-656-4673

suicide hotline (usa): 988

police (usa): 911

domestic violence hotline (usa): 800-799-7233

stay safe, everyone.

word count: 1825 words