Blake Holly
A few days had gone by and it was the end of the week now. I'm still not sure how I felt about the information I found out about Adrian and Dylan.
I was still puzzled on why my stalker forced me to tell a piece of information that Adrian already knew. Were they trying to mess with me? Was this some type of mind fuck or game to them? I couldn't come up with any logical answers, but then again, there's nothing logical about this. I came to the conclusion that they taunted me like that to fuck with me and prove to me how much power they had over me, it was almost as if they were dangling my freedom from them over my head.
Or maybe this was only a small part of something bigger that was to come. That is what I'm the most afraid of.
I told myself to stop thinking about it as their situation had nothing to do with me, but I couldn't help myself but ponder on why Adrian would put himself through that. Did he feel guilty? I mean, what really happened between Paxton and Adrian? I was itching to know.
Delilah was currently at her club meeting, I started to see her less and less now because of it, and even though I got lonely from time to time, I was happy for her. She seemed to really care about the club and dedicated all her time to making sure it was perfect.
Delilah being gone made me realize how much I missed Vee and how long it's been since we talked. I told myself that I would call her almost every single day, but so many distractions have been keeping me from upholding my promise. She called me once or twice while I've been here, but by the time I noticed it, it was either too late, or I got distracted by one of the many things that are going on in my life right now, causing me to forget.
It was just me in the dorm right now, so I decided it would be a perfect time to call her. Plus it would be nice to talk to someone who isn't involved in all of this Kinderton drama.
"B?!" I heard her sweet but excited voice yelp.
"Vee...Hey" I trailed off. The sound of her voice made me realize how much I missed her and how much stuff I needed to tell her, only then when I remembered the "stuff" I wanted to tell her-I realized that I couldn't. Someone could be watching me at this very moment or, even worse, listening to this phone call and that would only make things worst.
"What's wrong B? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah...I just miss you so much...a lot has happened at this school."
"Well, I have time, I just got off work. Talk to me B"
I exhaled a vast amount of air. I wanted to pour my heart out to her so bad.
"It's just some stupid school drama...the kids here are...different"
"I told you those bougie pricks were assholes. Don't let them get to you Blake, you're better than all of them" She comforted.
I giggled a bit because of the irony, I in fact did not feel better than anyone as I was being reminded frequently of my past. I felt so small here. Insignificant.
"Yeah...I'll be fine though. Everything been good over there?"
"You know nothing happens here. Same old same old." She sighed.
That's exactly what I needed- for nothing to happen.
We talked for a bit more, she caught me up with some of the neighborhood gossips, and I told her about Delilah and Persephone and how I think they should all meet. I felt like those two would change Vee's perspective on Kindertons "bougie" reputation. Well maybe not Delilah at first, she does come off a bit much but once she gets to know her I know she'll like her just as much as I do.
"Well, I do have a three-day weekend coming up, maybe I can drive down there" Vee suggested.
"Really?!!" I beamed. This would be the perfect opportunity for me to get my mind off of things. People. A person.
"Yeah totally, just got to check with my mom but I'm sure it would be fine. I'll let you know soon"
"Cool, well I'll talk to you later. I promise I'll call more often" I said checking the time. I had work in about an hour and still needed time to get ready.
We got off the phone and I made my way into the bathroom, I decided I'll make myself look decent for work today since I'd been looking like a complete barbarian this entire week.
While I was straightening my hair with Delilah's brand new flat iron she let me borrow, I heard the door unlock and open.
"Blake" I heard Delilah's voice call out. Every time the door opened there would be a little part of me that would be scared it wasn't Delilah and that I would be living out my last few minutes. A wave of relief came over me when I heard it was only her. Get a grip Blake.
"In here" I called back out. I saw her through the bathroom mirror as she appeared in the doorway.
"There's my working woman" She winked at me.
"In the flesh" I flashed her a smile.
"You're back early from the club" I said turning her way.
"Oh um...a few people wanted to get back to their dorms early...you know to visit their family for the weekend and stuff..." She responded, now looking at the ground with her arms folded and biting down on her lip.
I gave her a look because I got the feeling that she wasn't telling me the truth but I could bet a hundred dollars it had something to do with Johnathan. I decided to leave it alone though.
"Mhm" I turned the other way and put the last finishing touches on my makeup.
"Blake we need to talk" She finally looked up from the ground, now with a concerned look on her face.
"I'm all ears..." I was nervous about what she was about to say next, given the concern in her expression and tone.
"The other night... I saw you with Paxton"
I almost choked on my spit but refrained from having a coughing attack and swallowed the wallow of saliva that had instantly formed in my throat.
"Who is that?" My instant reflex was to lie but Delilah rolled her eyes and I knew I couldn't lie my way out of this one.
"Seriously Blake, after you left I peeked out the window and saw you two running off into the freaking night like a damn teen romance movie"
A smile that I tried so hard to hide, came across my face as I remembered that night. Paxton was so vulnerable that night and I saw an emotional side of him that I never knew he had in him. When he kissed me it was aggressive which was Paxton's style but passionate. He was passionate.
That smile quickly went away though as I realized I hadn't even heard from him since then. I mean I was avoiding him a little too ever since my talk with Adrian. I was afraid he had already found out that I told Adrian about his little affair with Dylan.
I turned to look at Delilah who had a disgusted look on her face.
"What?"
"Ew...why do you look like that" She took her finger and made circular motions around my face.
"Like what?"
"Like that, when I mentioned his name- Oh my God! you're totally swooned over him" Her hand flew over her mouth.
"No I'm not" I rolled my eyes.
"Blake this is serious... you can't be swooned over him"
"And if I was?... Hypothetically speaking" I responded catching myself.
"Paxton Grant is nobody to be involved with...he's like..he's like The Joker around here"
"Jared Leto was pretty hot in that movie"
"Blake !"
"Calm down Delilah, I do not have a thing for Paxton" I said reassuring her, or was I reassuring myself?
"Good...you don't want to be seen with him trust me"
She was now looking down at the ground, she looked afraid. Why was she afraid?
"Keep talking" I said now walking closer to her with my arms folded. I wanted to pick her brain and see if she knew anything. Did she know about this 'incident' between Paxton and Adrian?
"He's just a bad person Blake, he did some really fucked up stuff last year" She turned away from me and buried her face in her hands.
Was she crying?
"Delilah..." I walked toward her and turned her around by her shoulder to see that she was indeed crying.
"Delilah what the hell? What happened?" I was now 100% concerned and, I too was scared. What the hell happened?
"I can't talk about it...it's not my place, but if you're that close to Paxton then maybe he should tell you. But please make that your last time speaking to him" She quickly wiped her face as if she was never crying in the first place and walked out the door.
I was left standing in the middle of the room stunned. Completely stunned and confused.
I needed answers and I needed them fast.
I put on my work uniform and put on some sneakers before heading out.
The whole walk there my mind was on Delilah and how she looked so afraid at the mention of Paxton's name. Should I be afraid too? I had this gut-wrenching feeling that something was terribly wrong and maybe I didn't know the people at Kinderton as well as I thought I did.
What if what Delilah was so flustered about had nothing to do with Paxton and Adrian and it was just Paxton? That would make two secrets that I don't know about him. I honestly can't even deal at this point.
Speaking of the damn devil.
There he was sitting on the steps of the entrance, smoking a cigarette so openly as if there wasn't a big 'NO SMOKING' sign right next to him. It's like he was smoking there on purpose as if it made him feel superior to be defying the rules so carelessly.
I rolled my eyes and planned to walk past him like I didn't see him. I wanted him to know I had an issue with him, mainly because I hadn't heard from him in days and it didn't help that the piece of information Delilah shared with me had me on edge to even hold a conversation with him.
I began trotting down the steps, expecting him to at least say something or call out to me but he didn't. He let me keep walking.
I was confusing myself at this point, I didn't want to speak to him, but I was expecting him to run after me. I seriously need to get a grip.
A wave of anger came over me causing me to stop in my tracks and completely dismiss the fact that I had work in ten minutes.
"I don't fucking get you Paxton... I seriously don't" I turned around, looking at him with my arms folded. I was now standing at the foot of the steps and he remained sitting a few steps away from me.
He chuckled and took a inhale of his cigarette. Ignoring the shit out of me.
"Such a fucking dick" I turned back around to continue my path to work. How was I supposed to even talk to him if he wanted to act like I was not even there? I hadn't even done anything to him. Why was he so angry at me?
"You just can't keep your fucking mouth closed huh" I heard his voice behind me.
Then it clicked.
That's why is he mad. He knew. He fucking knew.
Suddenly all the anger I was feeling quickly turned into fear. I hadn't even looked at him yet, but his voice sounded so cold and relentless that I was terrified of what was to come next.
Then the fear turned into guilt. Here I was feeling so guilty.
I took a deep breath and turned around to face him again.
"I can explain..."
He looked exactly as I imagined. Cold.
The vulnerable and emotion-filled Paxton I got a preview of was nowhere to be found.
He stood up and began walking toward me, the closer he got the more anxious I became, so much, that I took a few steps back. Why did Delilah have to tell me that? I'm officially scared of him. Scared of him and what he was capable of.
Maybe if this situation that was occurring happened a day or two earlier my usual snappy self would be going off on him right now but I couldn't find the words to say anything.
He was now inches away from me, he flicked the cigarette to the ground and crushed it with his foot, his cold gaze fixed on me.
Normally when Paxton would be this close to me, I would feel nervous butterflies fluttering around in my stomach, but at this moment I felt my stomach drop.
"Explain?" He finally spoke. He was so calm and this terrified me more than ever.
"There's nothing to fucking explain. You're fucking weak Blake I don't know if your Adrian's little messenger or trying to get up under him or something- I mean just don't know what you possibly could've got out of running your mouth to him about some information you don't even fully know about. If you're trying to make him like you then your fucking sadder than I thought. I can just imagine you blabbing to him right now, looking so fucking desperate." He laughed in my face but It was a laugh full of anger which is contradicting in itself.
His words cut through my tough skin like blades. The vibrations of his voice rearranged the organs in my body. Never had anyone's words had an effect on me like this, all I wanted to do was cry.
"You're about to cry? You're pathetic. Go run to Adrian maybe he'll comfort you since you're his lapdog. By the way, I'm still fucking Dylan so you're plan failed."
Yep definitely crying now.
I choked on every word I wanted to say, so I just stood there in front of him with tears welling up in my eyes. I was so pathetic.
He looked at me so disgusted and rolled his eyes before brushing past my shoulder and walking away.
I wanted to curl into a ball and cry my eyes out, he made me feel so small.
I hated him. I fucking hated him.
I hated him because he was right. I am pathetic and weak. I just wish he knew the reason why.
________________________
"Can I get a small salted caramel frap with hazelnut shots and two shots of expresso"
I nodded and took down the customer's order. I was about four hours into my shift and had one left.
I'd been quiet all day, and Cory noticed he checked up on me a few times, but I told him the usual "I'm fine". I know he knew I was lying because he stayed closer to me than usual and tried to keep a cheery conversation going with me. I admired his effort in trying to comfort me and crack a few jokes here and there to make me laugh, and I did a few times, but I was still so hurt and angry from earlier.
I tried so hard not to think about it but the harder I tried the more the flashes of our argument swarmed my head.
"Blake you only have an hour left, you can clock out if you want" Cory said placing himself next to me as he wiped his hands on his towel.
"Really?"
I desperately wanted to go to my dorm and sleep all the pain away.
"Yeah, I'll finish up here" He gave me a warm smile.
I nodded and began untying my apron to hang it up. I clocked out and waved goodbye to Cory before exiting the cafe and heading back to my dorm.
As I was walking up the staircase, I heard a voice call out from behind me which startled me a bit.
"Blake...wait up."
It was no other than Adrian, and I wanted to just run up the staircase and into my dorm. I had no more room for Paxton and Adrian drama. I didn't even want to hear the names, Paxton and Adrian.
Before I could even make a run for it, he had already run in front of me.
Damn those long, gorgeous athletic legs. Damn them.
"Hey Adrian..." I said, my voice full of solemn.
"Can we talk? Please" He sincerely responded.
I wanted to say no but he looked so distraught and before now he always looked like he took attentive care of himself but his appearance before me said otherwise. His hair was messy but not like cute messy, messy like he had been in bed all day and didn't bother to look in the mirror. He had a small stubble that was only noticeable if you looked closely, but of course, I noticed it because I noticed everything about Adrian and I hated it.
"Sure, why not" I threw one arm up into the air, taking a sigh.
He gestured toward a bench that was by the staircase railing. We walked up the remaining steps and sat down next to each other.
He looked closely at his shoes before speaking.
"I'm sorry you had to see me like that the other day" He spoke, breaking the silence.
"Well I was the person who told you the information"
"I could have reacted a little calmer, especially because I knew. I just- I guess I was naive enough to believe she would tell me the truth after she had lied to me the first time"
"So um...did you tell her?" I asked apprehensively. I already had Paxton down my back, and I didn't need Dylan too.
"Yeah...we broke up-I didn't tell her it was you though. She mentioned you, but I lied and said someone else must've caught them."
I knew for a fact that Dylan wouldn't have believed that for a second, but I admired his effort to protect my name.
"I'm so sorry" I felt the same guilt I had felt earlier come back over me. I felt like I had ruined something and brought so much distress to everyone in this situation, including myself.
"No actually thank you. I guess I needed for somebody else to see it and say it to realize that me and Dylan don't work and no matter how hard I try to push the thought of Paxton and her to the back of my mind it's still real. I tried for so long to make us seem like the perfect couple but were just not. There's nothing perfect about what has happened." He agonized.
It's not like I could say, 'Oh your welcome', so I just sat there quietly and bit down on the corner of my lip.
"What happened Adrian...between you and Paxton?" I asked hesitantly. It was the only question that I had been dying to ask, and I felt bad for taking advantage of his vulnerability at this moment, but I needed to know.
He inhaled a deep breath and remained quiet for a bit before speaking again.
"I guess I owe it to you... last summer, something terrible happened. Me and Paxton were close, I could even call him my best friend at one point, we were so opposite in the things we liked and enjoyed, but one thing we did have in common was partying. Paxton has always been the life of the party, me not so much. Until he slowly started to reel me into his world and once I got a taste of it I couldn't stop. All summer we partied together, and I was so out of it that I can't even recall any of the events that took place last summer. I have no memory of that summer...except for what we did to Connor Marshall." He choked on his last words and was now looking away from me.
I gave him a comforting look to let him know it was okay to continue.
"Connor was a close friend of mine, not so close to Paxton. He didn't really like what he stood for. What his family stood for. The Grants are known for doing some really shady business around town, and Connor just couldn't get with it. One night I had convinced him to party with Paxton and me and till this day that is the worst thing I could've done- introduce them. Needless to say, Paxton gave Connor some really hard drugs, and since he hadn't done them before, I guess his body couldn't handle it. We woke up the next morning, and... he was unconscious. Paxton ended up going down for it because it was his drugs, but the Grants are powerful people, they aren't founding families, but they damn sure might as well be with all the power they have. He was acquitted of the charges, and ever since then, we hated each other. I guess he hates me for not sticking up for him and sticking by him the whole trial but I couldn't, I resented him for opening me up to his world which allowed me to so carelessly bring Connor into our mess."
Wow.
Just wow.
I was trying to take all the information in, but I felt my body getting hot.
They killed someone...Paxton and Adrian killed somebody.
At this moment I had no more feelings toward Paxton, and I wanted to get as far away from Adrian as I could, but a small part of me felt bad for him. I mean, he was influenced by Paxton, which allowed him to influence Connor. It was a terrible chain reaction of events.
"So that's why your so guilty..." I trailed off.
"Yeah..."
We just sat there in deafening silence for the next minute or so, which felt like forever. I could feel the tension coming off of his body, and I'm sure he could feel the tension coming off of mine.
"I'm sorry" I said again, and I was. I felt sorry for him. The amount of pressure he must've felt knowing that he is a part of the reason his friend isn't here must be unbearable, and how he's just lost his girlfriend to the person who is the start of all this. This made me hate Paxton even more.
"Me too..."
"Do people know?"
"Everyone knows" He responded, sounding defeated. I felt even more sorry for him. I bet everyone in school was saying inconsiderate things about him after the incident, and I knew exactly how that felt.
"Well uh...I should get back now. See you around Blake" He wiped his hands on his lap before standing up and walking back down the stairs. I could tell this was a story he hadn't told in forever and wanted to forget it even happened. His demeanor was even more somber than before, and he walked away with his head down. Adrian Blackwell had his head down.
I watched him walk all the way out of the building before getting up to leave myself.
When I reached my dorm, all the lights were off, and it was quiet, so I assumed Delilah was out somewhere. I was glad I had the place to myself because I needed a good loud cry, and so I did. As soon as I closed the door, I slid down it, buried my head into my knees, and cried. I cried so hard that my sobs became silent, and my head began to throb.
Everything I had experienced up until this point had hit me at once. It all came crashing down on me like a fallen skyscraper. Every bone in my body felt weak, and I could hear my heart breaking with each tear. I couldn't take any more of it. Paxton. Adrian. The stalker. My past life. None of it. I wanted it to all go away.
I wanted to go away.
The multitude of emotions I felt could almost be compared to the day my father died, and that made me cry even more. It's like when you're already feeling bad, you start thinking of more things to make you feel even worse. Why does the human brain do that? I cried until there were literally no more tears left. The neckline of my shirt was soaked with tears and mascara stains.
As my sobs grew quieter, I could hear yelling and commotion, and it sounded like it was coming from my window.
I couldn't make out any voices or words being said, but as I stood up and walked closer, It sounded like male voices. That's when I drew back the curtains and saw two muscular men dressed in all black beating on a man who was scrawnier than the two. For a second I got a good look at one of the men's faces and saw that he had a full-on beard. He was a grown man beating on what seemed like this younger guy.
I reached for my phone to call the campus police because the person they were beating on looked so helpless. He wasn't even fighting back.
Before I could finish dialing the number, that's when one of the men stepped aside to yell at the lanky figure that laid in the grass before them, and I realized it was Paxton.
My hand flew over my mouth, and without thinking, I dropped my phone and ran out of my dorm. It's like I forgot everything I said earlier, everything he said earlier, and I wanted to run to his rescue. What exactly was I going to do? I'm smaller than all of them, and I probably would've been better off calling the police, but we all know by this point that when it comes to Paxton, I don't think.
I flew down the staircase, almost tripping over my own two feet. I busted through the main doors and ran out onto the field where I saw them beating Paxton up.
"HEY" I called out, still running.
"OH MY GOD, STOP" I yelled, finally reaching them. Now I was able to get a closer look at Paxton, and God I wish I hadn't. I wish I would've just stayed in my dorm and called the police like a normal human being.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM, I'M CALLING THE POLICE" I stepped up to one of them, now in his face, with my finger pointed at my phone. The confidence I got to stand in these buff guys' faces and threaten them was insane. I was insane.
He smirked at me and looked behind my shoulder at Paxton.
"From your father, with love" He winked before walking away with the guy he came with.
What does that even mean?
Paxton was on the ground, his face unrecognizable from the blood sheet covering his face. His knuckles were all bruised up, so I could tell at one point, he tried to fight back but failed terribly, and this thought made my heart hurt for him. He had blood splatters on his shirt, and he rolled over as if his abdomen was in great pain. His breathing was disorted, and I was worried that they broke a rib.
I bent down to him with my hand over my mouth.
"Oh my God...hold on I'm going to call the ambulance. Oh my Go-"
"No !" He sternly said, trying to get up.
"Paxton, what are you doing-"
"Get away from me" He spat blood out on the grass before attempting to get up but collapsed back on the ground.
"What the fuck are you doing here? Get the fuck out of here. I'm sick of you showing up everywhere I go."
Here I was, trying to help this son of a bitch and he was defying me. That's when the rage came over me, I was so angry. So angry that I was going to leave him here, and I didn't give a fuck if he bled out and died. I remembered how much I hated him and timed that by a thousand.
"Fuck you" I growled at him and stood up.
I began to walk away but turned around when I heard some rustling, he was now trying to get up on his knees, and my instinct was to help, but instead, I watched him try to get up and fall and try to get up again, and fall again.
"Look who's pathetic now. You fucking son of a bitch" I spat. He stuck his middle finger up at me and finally got up and limped away.
I shook my head and walked in the opposite direction.
Un- fucking- believable.
I walked back to my dorm, so annoyed with myself that I tried even to help him in the first place. Delilah still wasn't there, so I texted her to ensure she was okay.
I can't believe Paxton. He was so angry at me that he couldn't even put it aside for a few minutes to let me help him. I felt so infuriated that he would rather bleed out on the ground in excruciating pain than talk to me. He must hate me just as much as I hate him. No more than I hate him.
So many questions crowded my mind; Who were those guys? What did he mean when he said 'from your father, with love'? Did Paxton know them? Why didn't he want the police or ambulance to be called? Is this something that happens often? Will he be okay? Should I be worried? Of course I should be worried.
I screamed and threw my pillow across the room, knocking over Delilah's lamp, which crashed to the ground and shattered.
*Ding*
I assumed it was Delilah who texted me back, so I pulled my phone out of my pocket to see the text message that had lit up my screen.
Unknown- Liar liar pants on fire. What really happened to Connor Marshall? XOXO
Unknown- *Sent one attachment*
I was hesitant to click on the photo that was sent, but I knew I had to.
That's when my jaw dropped, and my hand flew over my mouth, causing my phone to drop to the ground.
It was a mugshot of Adrian.
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This was probably the juiciest chapter I have written so far, and I'm here for it lol XD
I hope you all enjoyed it!
Please comment, vote, and share as it brings more attention to this book!