The Girl Next Door

~23~

A smirk plays across my face as I walk to the shower and open the door, slipping in right behind Onika.

I wait against the wall, wanting her to see me. Eventually, she turns around to rinse her back and she screams in surprise, almost losing her footing.

I burst out laughing, taking my loafer and my shampoo from its place in the shelf.

"Robyn! Why would you do that?!" She exclaims as I begin to lather my body.

I shrug,"payback?"

Onika groans, stepping back underneath the steady stream of water,"I hate you."

I nod,"I know."

As Onika rinses her body and I leather mine, there a comfortable silence. She drifts her hands across the scratches that she made on my stomach a couple of days ago.

I wince, but continue soaping up my body nevertheless.

"Why are they still there?" Onika asks, looking up at me.

I shrug,"I have sensitive skin. It stay thea fa a couple days, t'en they fade away."

"Oh..." Onika says, her eyes drifting to my tattoo,"when'd you get that?"

"When I was fourteen. It's mah... guardian angel," I reply, struggling as I try to soap up my back.

Onika nods,"lemme wash your back."

Automatically, I decline,"n-nah. I got it."

"Robyn, lemme wash your back. I promise I won't try anything."

I smile, but that's not the thing I'm worried about.

"I got it, Nika," I reassure her.

She gives me a look that pierces my soul and I reluctantly hand over the loafer, knowing that I'll regret my decision.

"Turn around," Onika says.

I slowly turn around and Onika gasps.

"D-don' say anyt'ing," I say, holding my head in shame.

Onika runs her fingers over the multiple scars,"wha-when did this happen?"

I growl, becoming angrier by the second,"I said nah ta ask."

"But Rob-"

Before she can fish her sentence, I whip around and push Onika to the tile wall, wrapping my hand around her neck.

"I tol' ya nah ta fuckin' say anyt'ing! Why ya nah listen ta meh?!" I scream in her face as my vision would constantly go from red to white then normal again. I can feel tears burning the backs of my eyes, but I will myself not to cry.

"R-Rob... Please..." I can hear Onika's faint voice and I can start to feel the scratching at my hand.

Almost immediately, my vision clears and I gasp, pulling my hand from Onika's throat. I watch as she falls to the slick floor, coughing and holding her neck. Oh my god, what did I do?

§§

I walk into school and I'm automatically bum rushed by a heap of girls.

"Are you okay?" A girl, probably the leader of this fan club, asks.

I nod,"y-yea."

"Good, because we were really worried about you. Word got around that the GYC was after you and then you just..."

"Disappeared!" Another girl says, helping out the leader.

"Yea," everyone else agrees.

All of a sudden, a scream is heard through the crowded hallways. My ear twitches, noticing that the scream sounded familiar.