It's been two weeks since the last note and I don't know whether I should feel relief or scared. Maybe it was just a prank and whoever was behind got bored, or maybe they were just getting ready for something worse. Maybe I should just tell my parents and go to the police.
That would be the smart thing to do.
But it has been two weeks, if it was serious it would have escalated by now, that's what happens in every criminal case of the sorts they show on tv. It has to be a prank.
I am supposed to meet everyone at Micah's. Noah is already there but I have some time and decided to make a detour. I stop at the ice cream shop and buy one vanilla and chocolate cone to go.
As I get out of the shop, I bump into someone and cuss as I almost drop my ice cream, but I managed to recover my balance and avoid a disaster. I swiftly turn to apologize to the person. A cute guy shakes his head at me with a warm smile.
"No, it was my fault. I was completely distracted," he said, and we left it at that.
I think Ava would have liked him; he was totally her style. I stop and turn back to glance at him. He reminded me of someone. You know that feeling when you're almost sure you've met someone before but can't really put a finger on it?
A grin spreads to my face as I realize he kind of looks like Tyler. He's definitely Ava's style. I chuckle and my cheeks warmed as I remembered them cuddling in bed and walk back to my car.
With my craving for cold sweetness satisfied I drive to Micah's. His mother let me in, and I found the group in the game room.
"You're late," Noah stated when I greeted them.
"A queen is never late everyone else is simply early." I drop myself in a bean bag, grinning at them.
But my smile disappears when I notice Nick's eyes staring at me with a mischievous glint. "She's been eating ice cream and didn't even invite us."
Son of a bitch, how did he know?
I frown at him. My lips parted as he smirked at me, tapping the corner of his beautiful mouth of his with his finger. I swiftly rub my mouth to clean up whatever signs of my crime remained. It was too late.
"Wait, what? You went without us?! You know I never miss a chance to eat ice cream," Tyler said affronted as if he loved ice cream that much. I snorted, not buying his drama queen façade. "Especially since they hired that new girl. Damm, she's cute."
I laughed. That sounded more like him. "Well, for all is worth she wasn't there."
I sat on the floor next to Nick's legs, pinching them as payment for snitching me out. He simply chuckled tugging my hair softly from behind. Micah started the movie and turned off the lights. A shiver passed through my body as a thread of my hair twisted in the back of my head. Nick was still holding a strand of my hair in his fingers, playing with it as we watched the scenes unfolding on the TV.
A smile crept on my face, but I didn't let the warmth I felt cloud my mind. There was no point in overthinking it. Better just enjoy it while it lasts. So, I let my head rest against his knee, relishing at the moment.
**********************
It was mid-afternoon when my phone rang. It was my mother telling me she had to stay late at work. My father was out in the city, meeting some friends and I didn't feel like being home alone, so I texted my friends to join me there. Another Friday night watching movies and playing games.
Noah got to my place before all of the others replied. The night had already fallen upon us when they arrived. Our diner consisted of frozen pizzas and chips, as usual, but when I opened the freezer to get the dessert, I realized we were out of ice cream.
I grabbed my car keys, before popping my head into the living room. "I'm going quickly to the store to grab some ice cream. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and pistachio?"
They all nodded their eyes never leaving the screen. Only Ava, who wasn't holding a controller in her hands, looked at me. "Do you need help?"
"Nope, but if you're bored you can grab my PC and 'watch you know what'" I said with a smirk. It was a new reality show we started watching together. I hate those types of shows, they are completely fake and sometimes appear to be making a joke out of our intellect but the guys there were hot, and most of the time half-naked, so... we watched it.
It took me longer than I thought to buy the ice cream but after half an hour I was finally parking the car in front of my house. I took the bag from the passenger's side and locked the doors. The bip of the car sounded but another thud caught my attention. I turned but didn't have time to see who was coming.
Someone grabbed me from behind with force, covering my mouth and nose with a cloth before I could scream for help. I struggled to free myself, but everything went black after only a few seconds.
My body hurt. I could hear a drop falling on the floor behind me every few seconds. I rose my neck and grunt at the pain. How long had I've stayed in this position? I pulled my arm up but was blocked by ropes holding my wrist tightly to the chair. Panic surged in me, and I couldn't stop my body from shaking and the tears from falling. Where was I?
"Finally awake," an unfamiliar masculine voice spoke from a dark corner of the room. The walls surrounding me were pure concrete. No windows, the only light coming from a lamp dangling from the ceiling. The only exit: an old rusty door in the wall next to the voice that had spoken.
The man approached, letting the yellow light reveal his features. He looked familiar, but I couldn't seem to remember him.
"Don't remember me? Of course, you wouldn't." He smiled and that was enough for recognition to hit her.
"The ice cream shop..." My voice came out weaker than I expected. My throat was scratchy from dryness.
"Oh yes! We did bump into each other the other day. I was hoping you would recognize me then but of course, you didn't. No, you're just a little selfish, self-centered bitch."
He took a step closer and stroke me across the face. My cheek stung with pain, but I didn't scream. My eyes were burning with tears, not understanding what was going on, but I wouldn't let this psycho have his way. I would fight back. So, I raised my head and held his distasteful gaze.
"Who are you?" I spat.
"I'm Jason, Jason Forbes."
My lips gapped at his last name. Surely, he couldn't be. He looked so much different than the skinny freckled boy she had seen four years ago.
"You know who I am now?" I nodded, taking deep breaths. "You destroyed my life! You destroyed our lives and you're going to pay for it."
"I didn't do anything! I-" I was shut with another slap. I opened and moved my jaw, trying to ease the pain.
"I lost everything because of you! We were happy! I had everything until you destroyed everything with your big mouth!"
"No! You lost everything because of your creepy bastard of a father. He destroyed your lives when he decided it was okay to molest and abuse children."
"Shut up!" Another blow, this time I couldn't hold the tears nor the cry. But I was not going to stop. This lunatic in front of me had to see reason. He spun around and let out an enraged scream.
"Your father destroyed the lives of fifteen young boys, he pushed my friend to kill himself and I'm the one who should pay for it!? You think your life is hard then put yourself in their shoes!" Jason then turned to me again, his eyes red with anger. When he didn't say anything, I continued. "You want to hurt me? To kill me and avenge your criminal disgusting father? Go ahead! Do it! And show the world the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. What a beautiful headline: Rapist father and murderer son reunited in prison." I couldn't help but spit at him before he stroked me again.
Hit after hit, my face snapped to the side. I could taste metal in my mouth. I spotted blood on the floor and laughed. He kept going, crying out of fury. Only to be stopped when the rusty door burst open.
I forced myself to look as he was thrown on the floor by the police. "All clear." Someone said and I looked at the door, at the open exit in relief. I was alive. Tears fell from my eyes as I remembered Anthony. I looked up at the ceiling, whispering a thank you and an apology not to God but to him.
I looked back at the door when someone called my name. Nick rushed to me, holding my face in his hands, assessing my injuries.
"You can't be here," someone told him before helping me up and out of the building. I couldn't concentrate in my surroundings as I was led outside and sat in an ambulance for the medics to evaluate my state.
I was told I didn't need to go to the hospital and my parents were on their way. I nodded and pulled the blanket they wrapped around me closer. After some time, I started having a sense of everything. Nick was sitting next to me, his arm around me, holding me tighter against his chest. He kissed my head and I looked up at him.
"How did you know I was here?"
His face scrunched a bit before he said, "I installed a tracking app on your phone just in case."
"I just got rid of a stalker only to find out I had two of them." I chuckled.
"I don't know how you can joke about this right now." His voice was crackled. I looked up to find his eyes shining, his jaw clenched. I reached his face with my hand, forcing him to turn to me.
"It's my way of dealing with things. Thank you. For everything." I pulled him closer and hugged him. His arms wrapped around me, and we stayed like that for a moment, comforting each other as we could.
"Wait, is this how you knew I went for ice cream before?" I pulled away to see his face.
He shrugged his shoulders, and I couldn't help but smack his arm. "Ow."
"Sure, as if that even hurt a boxing fighter."
"It's MMA." That earned him another hit, but he finally laughed.