WE'RE JUST FRIENDS {C + EDITING}

Chapter 35

"So the reason I'm a red," I replied in greeting, "is because you can't find any way to attempt to keep a teenager locked inside a facility?"

Steven had a smile that transformed his face from mysterious to scary. "Yes, though you are only a seventeen year old child, you are still a threat to my entire empire."

I heard my dad repeat my age behind me, quietly, his voice taken over by sadness.

"Okay, Darth Vader, I'm going to need you to calm down the theatrics."

Steven's phone buzzed twice, and I quickly glanced towards Jones and Lucy, who were both stiff as a pole, and were both avoiding my eyes. He slid the phone up to his ear, his eyes never leaving my face. I heard a faint mumbling over the phone, and I realized how easy it would be to take him out, right here,

Another smile transformed his face, "Fantastic, bring them in."

Dread filled my stomach, and I knew. I knew the moment my wrist had a little zap shocked into it, and my wrist turned a deep orange. I squared my shoulders. The doors swung open, and I was greeted by my mom, followed by three guards. And behind them, the two brothers and their idiotic best friend who were always there to save my ass.

A low sound came from the base of my throat. Carson's eyes met mine, and the sheer amount of emotion I saw in them almost made me fall to the ground.

I saw my mother flick her eyes towards Steven, and my dad. She refused to meet my eyes, even as she brought my friends, who all had electronic bracelets snapped around their wrists, in front of Steven.  All three boys looked like they had put up a fight, with bruises tainting their faces.

Even as Carson was put in front of Steven, he refused to take his eyes off me. Steven smiled at them. "Welcome," He paused. "I'm Steven, and I'm sure you all know why you're here." Steven threw his eyes up to look at me. He clucked his tounge and stepped around the boys.

He walked up to me, and started to slowly circle around me, taking in every single minuscule movement, every single flick of my eyes.

A hawk circling it's pray.

"All I'm wondering is," He grabbed a piece of my hair that was hanging down from the ponytail, and it took every fiber in me to not flinch. "why has nearly everyone in this room sacrificed freedom for you, little red?"

I threw him a dry, unamused smirk. "Well, I imagine they did it because a complete psychopath was hunting them, and their kid down."

He stopped circling at this, and started into my eyes like we were in some dramatic final episode where he was about to reveal some epic sad story about how mommy never loved him enough as a child, and daddy never cheered him on at his baseball games.

"But why these boys? All three of them, willing to throw everything away for you,"

I let out a bitter laugh, "Shocker, right? See normal people? They have people who care about them, who don't try to run away from them every possible second."

Steven's hand made contact with my cheek before I could even tell what was happening. My head whipped to the side, and a couple shouts rang out throughout the room. Mine, dad's, and Carson's. Over Steven's shoulder, I could see Jake struggling against his restraints, however, Colton told him to stop.

Thank god they brought him around. He's probably the only reason they are even alive. Idiots, complete idiots for coming here, but alive.

I spit blood out onto Steven's fancy loafers, and smiled, though I could taste blood on my teeth still.

"Do whatever you want to me," I spit more blood out. "But just to let you know: you're getting pleasure from punching a seventeen year old girl in the face."