Vera's POV
The convention center is behind us in an instant, the whole city becoming a blur through the windows at the speed Cam's driving. "Colin," he mutters, his eyes squinting as he grips the steering wheel. His knuckles turn white against the steering wheel; and his temple pulses at his clenching teeth. Holding onto the handle of the door, I press back into my seat. What did I get myself into?
"Please, Please Cam. Stop, stop so we can talk," I say, trying to gently persuade him to pull over. Cam slows down, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. Thankfully, he slows to five above the speed limit. I let out an exasperated sigh, trying to gather my own thoughts. My body is still slick with the scent of love making with Colin, my hair falling apart over my shoulders. A feeling of shame and guilt washes over me as I think about how Cam caught us in the closet. It was so rude of me to put him into that situation, to leave him-my date, to rendezvous with someone else.
As soon as we get to a stoplight, Cam makes a right and pulls aside to an empty playground. It's early morning, the sky turning lighter hue of midnight blue. We both sit in silence for a while; all that can be heard is Cam's labored breathing. I fold my hands in my lap, nervously trying to figure out what to say as I watch the swingset at the playground, the swings swaying in the breeze.
"Cam..." I start.
"I don't want to hear it Vera!" Cam snaps. I'm taken back by his tone. He turns to face me, his expression turning to fury. His sweet dimpled face is replaced by a mask of anger, his eyes bulging out, his white teeth bared to me. I lean toward the door. Never have I seen Cam this way.
"What does that motherfucker have that I don't have?" Cam spits, his voice suffocating me in the tight space of his car. I sit back in my seat, on edge at Cam's demeanor. My heart is beating fast, and I have no idea how to react, or what to say.
"Are you serious Cam?" I ask, trying to read him. I know I acted out of place at the gala, but nothing warrants the way he's talking to me.
Cam punches the steering wheel violently, the force of his hand making the whole car shake, the horn lets out a beep and I cringe back. He points a finger at me, his eyes bulging out in anger. His nostrils flare, lips curling.
"How long do you have to keep running back to him, huh? You fucking slut!" Cam's voice is so loud as he yells at me, my ears hurt in the small space of the car. I look up in disbelief, trying to figure out if this is really happening. This can't be happening.
"No, uh uh, I'm not doing this," I reach to open the door to leave, but Cam roughly grabs my arm, locking the car doors.
"No bitch, you aint goin nowhere!" Cam releases his grip on my arm and I slam against the car door window. I reach for the area of my arm Cam grabbed, a red hand mark staining my skin. Looking up at Cam in complete horror I feel hot tears prickling in my eyes.
"What's your fucking problem!" I scream, trying to look out of the windows for help.
"You're my fucking problem! Bitch! I'm tired of this bullshit. Colin gets whatever, whoever the fuck he wants, well guess what, he ain't getting you!" Cam is hysterical now, his angry laughter filling the car. Why didn't I see this before? I couldn't see it before. He hid it so well. Colin was right. He was right about Cam.
"Let me fucking go!" I scream, unlocking the door. I'm scared now, scared out of my fucking mind. The way he's yelling, touching me, his voice threatening. What is he going to do to me? Oh God...What is he going to do to me? Colin locks the doors again and again as I'm trembling to try and get out, desperately looking to the backseat for some sort of answer. His hand comes against my face before I even have a moment to grasp what happened. My head slams against the window and I hear a ringing in my ears.
"I said, you're not going anywhere." Cam starts the car again, aggressively reversing and speeding away from the park. My head nearly hits the dashboard. My hair is wet against my forehead; sweat mixing with tears. Is this seriously happening to me? Why, Why, Why, did I come? Why did I leave with him? Why did I leave Colin? Why didn't I just stay at the gala? I let out a scream, an exasperated scream. I'm here, I'm stuck here, there's nothing I can do.
"Stupid ass bitch. That bitch ass Colin. I hate him," Cam sneers, taking sharp turns down random streets. Each swift turn I grab for the side of the door, praying to God a police car is waiting to pull him over.
Is he going to kill me? The thought is mixed with the panic, and I am frantically praying, trying to figure out a way out. My hands clasped tightly in my lap, my nails digging into my palms. I tug at the skirt of my dress, praying for a way out. Please, please.
"The fuck is your problem? The fuck are you looking at?" He snaps. I sit quietly, looking for a sign. Anything.
Suddenly, I feel something cold roll against my foot. It's a glass bottle. I look down without moving my head. Through strands of my hair I can see an empty glass tea bottle, a big one. I look to Cam, he's muttering things under his breath, nervously looking out of his window as he drives.
"Stupid bitch. I can't believe I fuckin gave you the time of day! And you didn't even give me any fuckin pussy," Cam shakes his head. I slowly kick off my heels, my toes sore from the night's events, and grab the glass bottle in between my feet, the cool surface a savior in the heat of this hell.
"Let me go, now!" I exclaim, finally finding courage in my voice. My heart is beating so hard, my breathing is labored, my anxiety through the roof. I am exasperated. I am desperate. I decide I'll give him a chance before trying to attack him. If he lets me go, I won't have to get physical. But if he doesn't, I'll do what I have to do.
"You...fuckin....bitch," Cam snaps. He turns to look at me in disgust, his eyes narrowing as if I'm the most vulgar thing he's ever laid eyes upon. He looks down at my dress, his eyes wandering to the opening near my cleavage. His expression changes immediately, the wrinkled line above his eyebrows softening.
"You know what, okay. You didn't want to give me what I want, but now you don't have a choice," Cam smirks, speeding up.
Oh no.
I feel my body tensing. Cam accelerates even more, his head swiveling from side to side to see if any cars or onlookers are watching us. I silently pray. Please don't let there be any empty places where he can hurt me! I bite my lip so hard I can taste blood on my tongue. The iron taste keeps me present in the moment. I'm about to lose my damn mind. As fate would have it, there's an abandoned parking lot. Fuck. Cam speeds up to go in. Fuck, fuck fuck fuck. He forces the car in park and then reaches across the center compartment of the car for me.
"No!" I scream, trying to reach down for the glass bottle. But Cam already has his hands roughly wrapped around me. His suit jacket is snagging on the shift of the car and he shrugs it off, throwing it to the back seat, irritated.
"Shut the fuck up!" he screams, slapping my mouth. The sting that comes across my jaw is horrifying, stunning me into silence. Cam is strong, I can feel his strength in the pain spreading across my lips. At that point I realize I've been crying that entire time, tears just falling without me being aware of it, my heartbeat suffocating me. I fight back against him anyway, my small frame moving with all its might against his. I try to push him away as he forces my legs open, but there's no use.
" NOOOO!!!!" I scream, tears burning my eyes. I feel Cam's fist connect with my face, his other hand grasping onto my throat. His nails dig into my tender skin, and I can't breathe. I can't fucking breathe.
"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He bellows. I feel disoriented, my vision clouds at his blow. I have to fight. I have to get to the bottle. I squeeze my eyes shut; I'm barely able to move. As soon as Cam eases a little weight off of me, I seize the opportunity to reach down to the floor and grip onto the glass bottle.
Cam unzips his pants. The sound makes me cringe.
"Yeah, yeah that's right, it's my turn," he says. My eyes are still shut and I turn away, trying to ignore Cam pleasuring himself over me. It is the ultimate powerlessness. He has reduced me to an object, to a thing, to be used at his own discretion. My lips are swollen, and as soon as he comes back down to try and put his disgusting mouth against mine, I catch him in the element of surprise, bashing the glass bottle against his face. Cam's expression is shock. Before he can react I knee him with all my might right between his legs. "Fuck!" he gasps. I lift the heavy bottle and continue to strike him in the head, fighting every other part of his body with my legs, trying to get a good kick between his legs again. He cringes and reaches for his balls as I smash the bottle against his head repeatedly. He swings and grabs for the bottle, pulling at my arms, scratching me, hitting me. The glass goes from transparent to blood red, as Cam gives up and finally crumples on top of me.
I scream, letting go of the bottle, my hands trembling, my whole body heaving and shaking. I push myself up, trying to get him off me, but he's too heavy. I'm screaming, crying, his face on my legs, his blood soaking my already red dress. I unlock the door behind me, crying hysterically as I try to pull myself out from under his weight.
"HELP!" I scream, my bare feet finally hitting pavement as I get out of the car. I stumble forward, falling against the ground of the parking lot. I can't see clearly, my face stinging in pain from Cam's hits. I try to reach up with all my might to get away, to run, but I can't. My body refuses to move. I am weak. I feel my face against the ground, gravel in my mouth. And then darkness.