OBSESSED

46

"Stay here, please," I said as I leaned up to kiss him.! "I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay. I'll get you something strong." He squeezed my hand before letting me go.

After maneuvering through the masses to reach the restroom, I had to fight the line to even get inside. I checked the sinks and the mirrors where women were touching up their makeup and outfits. Anne nor her doppelgänger were anywhere to be seen. As I left the restroom, I began to really think Isabelle was mistaken. What were the chances she would show up here anyway? None. I mean, she knew I lived here but she had never come to visit or anything. She didn't know anyone else here as far as I was concerned.

I took a deep breath outside the restrooms and rubbed at my temples. Now I had a damn headache. As I closed my eyes, something slammed into my back, shoving me against the wall. Gasping, I flung my arms out for balance while the wall whacked my head. I blinked until I could see clearly. Anne stood right there, hovering over me.

She was bigger than ever, bulging with muscle under her crop top and mini skirt. Her curly red hair haloed her pale face and glazed green eyes. I could tell by the look on her face that she was pissed and probably wasted.

"Anne?" I said in surprise. No amount of warning could have prepared me to see her in the flesh.

"Yeah, it's me," she snapped.

Taking a step closer, she tried to use her height to intimidate me. Unfortunately for her, I had on big ass wedges that gave me like six added inches. So now we were about the same height.

"What're you doing here?" I asked.

"You've been ignoring me." She scowled. "You know more than anyone how much I hate being ignored."

"Anne, I—"

"No! Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut the fuck up." Anne roughly grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the fire exit at the end of the hallway.

"Let go of me!" I hissed, hitting the arm clamped around mine. She didn't even flinch. "Anne, I swear to God, if you don't let me go—"

Before I could utter another sound, her grip shifted to my hair. I cried out as my roots burned with the force. A few people lingering by the restrooms glanced over but only stared. She managed to haul me outside without any interference. I was in too much agony to fight her, only wanting my poor hair to be released.

She huffed and violently threw me forward by the hair. Screeching, I stumbled over my heels and fell onto the gravel. The rocks stabbed into my knees through my stressed jeans. We were outside in the back parking lot where only employees parked. Panic struck me between the ribs. I had no doubt she could whoop my ass without lifting a pinky.

"Get the fuck up!" she barked.

I grimaced and struggled to get to my feet. These damn heels were about to kill me. Glaring at one another, I rubbed at my tender scalp. Anne looked deadly but I was furious. No one had ever manhandled me like that and I didn't like it. Anne was good at making people around her feel weak. I wasn't going to be one of those people again.

"What the hell do you want, you psychotic bitch?" I yelled.

"I want to punish you," she said. "I want to punish you like you punished me. Like you criticized and condemned me."

"What are you talking about? I never did anything to hurt you!"

"Yes, you did! You putted me to our friends and they told the whole fucking school! I can't go home anymore without someone saying something to me." She pointed a finger at me. "You are toxic. You are so fucking toxic that I just had to make sure you paid for it."

My fury momentarily broke as I considered the pain in her words. She thought I did that?

"Anne," I said, more sympathetically. "I would never do that to you. You were my best friend."

"I know it was you. I never told anyone else!"

I shook my head helplessly. "I didn't! I don't know how they knew. I thought you told people."

Twisting her head to the side, she sneered. "Yeah, it's my fault. Always is. Just like how I developed feelings for you. My fucking fault! Just like always, huh?"

She reached out with blinding speed to slap me across the face. The force of her blow whipped my head to the side. I could feel blood instantly ooze out of my nostrils. My mouth felt like it'd been attacked by a bee hive. Tears dewed in my eyes.

Clenching my jaw, I lifted my head. Well, bitch, I thought bitterly, hurt physically and emotionally. Now you're going down. My heels dug into the gravel as I lunged for her. She didn't expect the move and it threw her off balance. She fell to the ground on her back with me on top. My hands latched onto her hair to pull on it when a pair of arms hauled me back.