The Bad Boy and The New Girl

Chapter 14

"Maddie.."

I shifted in my sleep at the sound of someone saying my name.

"Maddie.." the voice repeated.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to see piercing blue ones staring back at me. I frowned, confused, and sat up. The figure stepped forward, and as he came closer to the bed I recognised the blonde hair, the blue eyes, the rings on his fingers. 

Cody knelt on the mattress next to me, the bed dipping with his weight, but I was frozen, unable to move as he got nearer and nearer.

Stop, I thought, but my mouth wasn't making any sound. 

"Don't be difficult, baby," he whispered, moving ever closer, "just relax. It's just a bit of fun."

Cody's words from the party continued to echo around the room, even after he closed his mouth and stopped speaking. I could tell you want this. I was making things easier. It's not a big deal. Don't be difficult. I was frozen in place as his sentences repeated, reverberating through the air, getting louder and louder, overlapping each other to form an intense cacophony of noise, and all the while Cody kept moving closer, closer, closer-

I awoke suddenly with a gasp and lurched bolt upright in bed, my heart pounding in my chest. I was shaking, but I felt hot and clammy. The room was dark, and it took a few seconds for me to remember where I was and realise that it was just a nightmare. 

I threw back the covers and got out of bed, then padded across to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. My hands were trembling as I turned on the tap and splashed some cold water on my face in an attempt to calm down. I braced my hands against the edge of the counter and leaned forward over the sink, breathing rapidly. 

It was just a dream, I reminded myself, forcing myself to take deep breaths. Just a bad dream.

My eyes stung as they prickled with tears, but I just kept focusing on trying to steady my breathing. In, out, in, out. I kept repeating it, over and over, until my breathing started to return to normal.

A moment later, there was a quiet knock at the door, followed by Mason gently mumbling, "Maddie?"

Damnit. I hadn't meant to wake him up.

I hastily wiped my eyes to brush away any tears before reaching for the doorknob and opening the door. 

Mason was stood leaning against the doorframe, hands in the pockets of his sweatpants, and he squinted a little against the brightness of the bathroom light as I pulled the door open. His dark hair was messy and his white t-shirt was crinkled from where he'd been sleeping.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," I apologised, feeling guilty for how tired he looked.

"Don't worry about it," he murmured. His voice sounded hoarse and a little deeper than usual from where he'd been asleep. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, I just...had a nightmare," I replied. "The doctor said that might happen though, so.." I trailed off, absent-mindedly fiddling with the hem of the top I was wearing. 

Mason nodded, then gently offered, "do you want to talk about it?" 

I shook my head as I stifled a yawn. I appreciated his concern but really didn't want to even think about it right now, and I also didn't want to keep Mason awake any longer.

"Okay," he said. "Maybe you should try and go back to sleep."

"Yeah, maybe," I replied unconvincingly. I felt far too on-edge to fall asleep.