Stay.

27. A Valentine's Mistake.

I stood in front of the mirror, my sweatpants as baggy as could be. I looked like a wreck. I left the mascara in place- my war markings. The lines of black streaming from my eyes just symbolises another day. I needed to barf and yet there was nothing to barf out. I hadn't eaten for almost two days, and It was starting to get to me. My hair looked like the devil himself, and my arm had its first-one-and-only fresh cut.

It was the Valentine's Dance night. And I was way beyond uninterested. My freshest wound was not the bleeding cut in my arm, but the tear in my soul.

My phone buzzed.

zzz
zzz
zzz
zzz

"What to you want?!" I tried to sound firm and angry so I would be left alone but it cane out squeaky, like a kitten attempting to meow.

"Autumn! Are you okay?" Her voice was hurt, but calming and sweet. "Kate, please stop." My voice was shaky enough until I looked down at my arm and full out lost it again. "Babe, babe, babe I'm coming over. And you're coming to this dance with me."

Kate's voice was soft yet firm, and I suddenly felt overwhelmed. "NO! NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The phone went silent and she hung up. I curled up in tears and continued crying. Do I want her here? I'm not sure. But something in my mix of emotion was wishing I had said, "please come."

I heard a knock on the door.

I'm not getting up.

Another knock.

She called. "What." I groaned. "I am in high heels, but if you don't come unlock this door I will kick the fucking door in."

I felt something inside me laugh at the thought of her trying to kick my door down. I moved slow, but sulked my way to the door and opened it.

"OH MY GOD. A!" She gasped as she invited herself in. Her dress was beyond tumblr and at that moment I felt jealous of the place she was at in life,  and where I was.

"Ka-a-a-ateeee." I stuttered between sobs. We hugged, and the smell of roses and hairspray wrapped around my nose. "Let go to your room." We walked to my room and sat on my bed. "Wanna talk about it?" I looked down. "No..." "Alright honey, well what time is it?" I checked ny phone. "5:34." I sighed. "We have basically an hour to get you fabulous." I tensed. "NO." I pursed my lips and held in tears.

"Lets get out of here and go have fun. Who cares about this? Don't let it hold you ba- OH HONEY." She grabbed my arm and eyeballed my cut like it was one of the lifeguards at our pool. I yanked my arm away. "But what about your boyfriend?" I said mockingly.

"I'll cancel on him. In fact... I'll do it.... Right... Now.Send! See? Now you'll have to go with me or else I'll be alone! "Come with me!" She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. "I'm not going like this!" She laughed. No, we're going to my house. "Ugghh."

She dragged me to her car. It was a short but quiet drive. I actually felt some serenity just being out of the house. We pulled up to this house- And it was a sight to see. It was crisp white. The lawn was mowed in a pattern. It was gorgeous. We walked into her room and I calmed down a bit. Her room was a little bit bigger than mine, with a walk-in closet.

"Here, put this on." She thew a cute white dress with watercolor flowers on it, and it landed on her bed. "How will I know if it'll fit?" She smiled, not taking her eyes off of her mirror. "That's the perk about having a nice body. It doesn't the matter the size. You just look good in everything." I took off my gross sweatpants and sweatshirt and slipped into the dress.

"OMG!" She squealed. "You can't look yet. Its a surprise." My legs needed to be shaven, but as long as she didn't notice, I'd be fine. I sat as she took off my makeup and started applying a new coat on top of it. She moved on to my hair, straightening it to the points. My hair was volumized and straight. I could smell the hairspray that now layered every inch of my head.

"There." She spun me around. I stood as shocked as I could be. "OH my GOD KAT!!" I looked myself up and down, shocked from what had changed since when I looked in the mirror before.

"We'll just be fashionably late, I guess." She giggled. My smile came back. I got up to hug her and we spun in little circles. "I love this dress." I admired it. It poofed out on my hips, and carressed my waist. It was strapless, short, and tangy. I didn't feel elegant, nor would I want to. Yeah. Have fun. I smiled. Yeah.

"You can keep the dress by the way. Follow." She swung out the doorway, and we skipped to her car. I wore my converse, but they fit the dress perfectly.

When we arrived we went to the bathroom first thing, to check up. We took a ton of selfies. That was fun. And then I heard a snap, like a picture being taken. Me and Kat both snapped our head around. There were two closed stalls, and we decided not to make a big deal of it. But now that I think of it, it was pretty weird.

We got a lot of attention. Everyone stared. I felt like Helen Mirren on the red carpet. I was like a parade float, parading around in this bubble of happiness. I told Kate to stay there while I went to the bathroom... When it happened again. A stranger pinned me against the wall, right inside the girls bathroom. "I'm gonna look good inside you." He slurred, grabbing my ass. "Stop!" I said as he licked my neck. I closed my eyes, when the pressure released. I heard a punch and a thud. I opened them, and Kevin stood in the dark, blood on his lip, cowering over the limp body of a drunk highschooler. He saw me and stood, stunned before he ran out. I started to cry again, as I walked around the random drunk slob that grabbed me. I ran to Kate. I wanted home. "Babe don't cry." She wiped my tears. "Lets just dance." She pulled me out on to the floor. I felt nauseous. I didn't feel sexy. I didn't want to. I didn't want to move my hips. The music was blurred.

I woke up in my bed, seeing a blurred man hover above me. I couldn't move, I couldn't see. I raised my hand up to his face and tried to smack, but it was more like a pat. I blinked a few times when I noticed it was Kevin. He was in all black, and a dark brown beanie. "Kev..." I mumbled, unable to think. I remember tears in his eyes, along with fear. They we're just like Jason's eyes when he told me.

"Lock your doors, close your blinds, you're in trouble." I attempted to reach my hand out to him in a failed attempt to assure him everything was alright. "You know what, I'm staying here tonight." I felt heartbroken. Don't. I thought. I'd rather get hurt by whatever force was going to harm me than stay in a room with the man that broke my heart.

"Kevin. Just... Kill me before I do it myself." I slurred. Was I drunk? I thought. I passed out.

I woke up. It was still dark and I shot up in my bed. I had a bad dream. I started sobbing. I looked up to see Kevin, worried and afraid. He sat by me and cradled me in his warm hug. "Its okay." His voice said. Calm and sweet. "No. No. No. No. Its not. I don't-" I started crying again. I was afraid.

"You're safe." He said, getting up. "Tell me! TELL ME WHAT WANTED TO HURT ME." He kept walking and closed my door behind him. "TELL ME YOU LYING BASTARD. THIS IS WHY WE ARENT TOGETHER. SLEEPING IN THIS BED TOGETHER. YOU. BITCH!!!!" I screamed in agony, the wound of my broken heart to big for words. I heard him sobbing, the sound slowly fading into the night.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"That was a night to remember." I put the pen down, looking at the text again.

"Someone very close to you isn't on your side. You better watch your back before the alligator snaps." Unknown.

I was in a bubble of thought. Both Jason and Kevin had the same fear. But Kevin told me before Jason. And I know for a fact Kevin is still alive. I tried connecting the dots. Were they tied in with...? No. No way. They wouldn't work with Joey.

My head hurt. My heart still ached but was better now.

Wow it feels like my life is turning into Pretty Little Liars. And yet, I'm on my own.