“What the hell, Bella?” he asked, rubbing his head with his free hand.
“Where am I?” I shrieked. “I know this isn’t your house because your parents are at your house!”
“Bella, this is my house.” Connor groaned.
“Liar!” I screamed, struggling to kick him.
“What’s going on?” A sleepy James asked, followed by Matt in a similar state. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I realized what was going on.
They were going to sexually assault me!
“Ahhh! Stay away from me, you crazy psychopaths!” I screamed, managing to kick Connor in the shins, causing him to let me go. I turned to run for the door but was scooped up in someone’s arms before I could make it.
“What the hell are you screaming about?” Matt yelled, holding me tightly so that I wouldn’t break free.
“God, Bella! I live here with Matt and James,” Connor explained, sounding tired and annoyed.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, and stopped clawing Matt’s hands. They all exchanged looks as Matt let me go, the three of them watching me cautiously.
“So, Bella, already cracking under the sexual tension with Connor?” James joked.
“Wha—I…no!” I spluttered, crossing my arms.
“Nice dress, by the way. Did you two have sex in the mud or something?” Matt asked, looking me over.
I opened my mouth to protest only to be cut off by laughter.
“Calm down, Bells. We’re only joking,” James said, laughing along with Matt. Connor, in the meantime, was leaning against the counter, not saying a word.
“I, um… well, is there a place for me to sleep?” I asked, playing with the hem of my dress.
“Bella, Bella, Bella. You could just ask,” Matt said, about to wrap his arms around me again.
James laughed as I frowned and moved away.
“She’ll stay with me,” Connor announced.
Matt and James shared looks as they nodded in agreement.
“Here, come upstairs with me,” Connor said. “Still want that shower?”
I nodded and took the towels Connor handed me.
“You know where the bathroom is,” Connor said.
Half an hour later
That was, without a doubt, the best shower I’ve ever had! I thought as I turned it off. The shower had jets shooting from multiple directions, making the stream feel more like a massage than a quick bath. As I stepped out of the shower, wrapping myself in the towel, I looked around in the bathroom, searching for… clothes.
Darn it!
I realized that I hadn’t asked for a change of clothes. Damn it, I thought to myself. I left my clothes with Connor after he insisted that he wash it. The towel was already really short, stopping mid-thigh. Here goes nothing, I thought to myself as I opened the bathroom door.
Wait, where’s Connor’s room? I stepped out into the hall and… slipped on my wet bandages.
“Ahhh!” I shrieked as I fell down. I heard footsteps coming upstairs and I struggled to stand and get back into the bathroom.
“You okay?” Connor asked, smirking along with Matt and James.
“I’m fine, I…”
And then the power went out, leaving me only in a towel and stuck with three guys in a house with no way to leave.
“Fuck my life!” I groaned.
Chapter 06
“Damn,” James muttered, “looks like we’re not going to have power for a while.” He stared out the window and at the blackish blue sky.
A loud bang caused me to let out a startled shriek. It was just lightning that arced across the sky. Connor turned to me, smirking.
“You’re nearly naked and dripping wet,” Connor observed. “This is going to be a fun night.”
I scowled as they all laughed at my pitiful state.
“Can I please just have some clothes?” I grumbled, tightening the towel around my body.
“Why? I have a feeling you’re going to be losing it all very soon anyway,” Matt joked, causing all the guys to laugh again.
I started to get annoyed as they continued to laugh at me.
“Okay, okay. Follow me,” Connor said, amusement still in his tone.
I glared because Matt and James continued laughing as I pushed past them, following Connor as he headed into a massive room. I stood there awkwardly as Connor pulled out a large t- shirt.
“Uh… that’s all?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, walking out of the room. “Here you go,” he added, walking in with…
“Give me those!” I snapped, grabbing my bra and panties from him. I was lucky that it was dark inside the room, which means he couldn’t see the bright blush that appeared on my cheeks.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Connor said almost gently. “36C is quite amazing.”
I slapped his arm as I shrieked out curse words at him. Connor laughed, turning around.
“Um, what are you doing?” I asked, confused.
“Change,” he ordered, still not facing me.
“What? Why don’t you leave?” I asked, annoyed.
“Just change,” he ordered.
I sighed. Like me, Connor could be very stubborn. But since I was staying at his house, I might as well try to be polite. I dropped the towel to the ground and quickly pulled on my panties and clipped my bra. Just as I was bending over to grab the t-shirt, the door was flung open.
“I found the flash——” Matt froze.
I let out a yelp and grabbed the t-shirt, holding it in front of myself.
“What’s…?” James stopped, taking in the scene. “Already?” he asked, disbelief in his voice. “Dude, respect!” He cheered, holding out his fist to Connor, who, like James and Matt, was staring at me.
“Shut up, James,” I snapped, holding the t-shirt closer.
“So? You gonna put on the t-shirt?” Connor asked, now leaning against the wall with his signature smirk all over his face.
I frowned and glared at them all, waiting for them to leave.
“Don’t be embarrassed, we’ve seen it all,” Matt said, smirking along with James. On hearing that, I wasn’t exactly surprised, I was pissed off. I glared at them as they continued to just stand there. I realized that I was faced with two options. I could yell and scream at them to leave, which might not work, or I could do this.
I let out a small sigh and bundled up the shirt, pulling it over my head very slowly. I then took my time as I pulled it over my body, wiggling a bit here and there. After I was done, I looked at the three hormonal teenage boys whose jaws collectively dropped.
“What?” I asked innocently. “Nothing you guys haven’t seen before.” I shrugged. “What time is it?” I asked, feeling a little sleepy.
Connor pulled out his phone and checked the time. “Two,” he said, putting his phone away.
“Party time!” Matt yelled, ripping off his shirt and running downstairs.
Connor rolled his eyes as James followed suit.
“What time do you have to be home tomorrow?” he asked.
“Eight,” I murmured, stifling a yawn.
“Do you want…?”
He was cut off by a crashing noise that came downstairs, causing the both of us to jolt and glance worriedly at the stairs.
“Shit,” Connor muttered, running out of the room.
I followed him as he went down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Look, man, I’ll fix it,” James said worriedly, looking at the broken vase.
Connor just ran a hand through his hair.
“Don’t worry about it, just clean it up,” Connor said, opening a cabinet and pulling out a bottle of… vodka.
In London, I was quite a party girl. But after my relationship with Sam, my abusive boyfriend, I haven’t really gone out much. Basically, there was this one night where I drowned myself in vodka, after Sam beat me up really bad. Since then, I haven’t had a drop. And to be honest, I was happy with that.
“Want a shot, li’l cru
mpet?” James asked, holding one shot out for me.
“Li’l crumpet?” I asked, amused. “And no thanks. I don’t drink anymore.”
“Wow! A 24/7 sober virgin. That’s something you don’t see every day,” Matt observed, looking somewhat impressed.
I shrugged like it was no big deal. But actually, being a virgin meant a lot to me, even though it seems that nowadays most girls freak out more over losing their cell phone than their virginity.
“You said ‘anymore.’ What’s that supposed to mean?” Connor asked, now interested.
“I drank back in London, occasionally. But I decided to stop be——”
“Because you wanted to become a goody-two-shoes?” Connor asked, amused.
The guy really knew how to piss me off.
“Come on, don’t be a pussy,” Connor said, taking the shot glass from James and holding it in front of my face.
Now, I was not usually one to give in to peer pressure, but I do have this compulsion to always want to prove people wrong.
“Unless, you know, you can’t handle all this,” Connor whispered huskily.
I glared at him and grabbed the glass as James and Matt cheered. We surrounded the counter, waiting for the signal.
“On three,” James announced, “One… Two… Three!”
Bam!
“First!” I called out, jumping up and down in excitement. I ignored the familiar burning feeling going down my throat, filling my body with warmth. I couldn’t help but grin as all the guys stared at me in awe.
“Round two?” Connor asked, holding out the bottle.
I shrugged and allowed them to pour me another. I mean, how bad can a couple of shots be?
Three hours later
“You don’t know you’re beautiful!” I screamed/sang along with Matt as we danced on top of the counter. It would be pretty safe to say that I was more than wasted.
“Body shots!” James screamed.
I squealed and hopped down from the counter, hopping around like a bunny on crack.
“Me first!” Connor called out, going to the counter.
I let out a yelp of surprise as he lifted me up and put me on the counter.
“We need a body,” he said with a wink.
I giggled, pulled up my shirt, and lay back. I took the lime in my mouth and Matt put the salt on my stomach.
“Go!” James yelled.
Next thing I knew, I was pressed up against the wall, making out with Connor.
Yeah, pretty safe to say that I was way more than wasted.
“Is she dead?” a voice asked.
“No, she’s asleep, dipshit,” another voice answered.
I groaned and turned to my side, clutching on to the hard warm pillow. Wait a second! Since when did pillows breathe?
“Ahhh!” I screamed, my eyes flying open as I backed away, falling off the bed in the process. I looked up to see James and Matt standing by the doorway, which means…
“I didn’t…” I murmured, my breathing ragged in my throat. It got worse when I realized that I wasn’t wearing his T-shirt anymore.
“Oh, my God! Look away!” I shrieked, covering myself up as best I could with my hands.
“No need, li’l crumpet. You have been like that since 5:00 am when you and Connor started making out in the kitchen.”
My eyes widened in horror as memories of what happened started coming back. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by a pounding in my head, and I doubled over, clutching my head.
“Here, take this,” James held out an aspirin and some water.
I gratefully took them, the pounding lessening as I continued to drink the water.
“Shit! What time is it?” I asked.
“Little after ten. Why? You don’t actually want to go to school today, do you?” Matt asked, surprised.
I panicked and quickly stood up, running into the hallway, and searching for the laundry room. Once inside, I grabbed my already dry dress and slipped it on.
“I need someone to take me home!” I asked, panic rushing through me.
“I will,” Connor said, standing up from the bed.
“I have to go. Now!” I said, running to the bathroom. “Crap! Where are my shoes?” I asked, running through the hallway. I was pulled back into a hard body, arms wrapped around my waist.
“You weren’t wearing them when I picked you up,” Connor answered calmly.
Oh God, he was right! I left them after I fell in the rain. What was I going to tell my mom?
“Let me take you home,” Connor said, pulling on a shirt and guiding me—first downstairs, then to his car. I limply nodded, the panic causing me to just stop talking altogether.
“You’re going to be fine,” he assured me as he started the car.
I dropped my head into my hands as he drove.
“So, remember anything from last night?” Connor asked casually.
“Connor, I really don’t want to talk right now,” I mumbled into my hands, my headache beginning to come back.
“Well then, I guess I won’t tell you,”
That made me snap my head up—despite the god-awful headache—to stare at Connor.
“What do you mean?” I asked slowly, my hands beginning to get clammy.
He looked at me—obviously happy, now that he had my attention.
“Oh, well, I don’t really feel like talking right now.” He sighed, smirking.
Fear rose within me as he continued to drive.
“Connor, please!” I begged. Oh God, we didn’t… No, we couldn’t have!
“Here we are,” Connor said, stopping the car.
I didn’t even turn to look, my attention was all on him.
“Connor!” I said, getting annoyed now.
“Just go,” he said, beaming at me.
I flipped him off as I got out of the car, slamming the door as hard as I could.
“Mum!”
“Where have you been?” she screamed, grabbing me in a tight hug. We stayed like that for a couple of minutes before she released me.
“Pumpkin, what happened?” she asked, genuine concern looming over her face.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” I muttered, heading upstairs.
I flinched at the thought of actually doing it with Connor. I could only hope for the best—but expect the worst—now.
Chapter 07
As I woke up with a start, a wave of nausea took over me. I barely made it to the bathroom before I emptied out my stomach. Gross, I know! I slumped against the wall, feeling the beginnings of a migraine.
“Bella, are you…?” My mum’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw me. I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the scolding.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, rubbing my back soothingly.
Twenty minutes later
“Take this,” she ordered, holding out two aspirin.
The brightness in the room hurt my eyes when I opened them, causing me to wince. Nevertheless, I followed her instructions and took the pills, finishing the cup of water.
“Now drink this,” she said, holding out a mug filled with a dark brown, almost black, liquid.
“What…?”
“Just drink,” she insisted, holding it out to me.
Immediately, I grabbed the mug, hesitating a bit before taking a sip. I nearly gagged at the taste. It tasted like black coffee that had been experimented on, mixed with a bunch of other liquids.
“It’ll help with your hangover,” my mum said, leaning against the counter. “Pumpkin, I could smell you from a mile away when you got home,” she said when she noticed my questioning look.
I groaned and pressed my cheek against the cool tiled wall.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, not looking at her.
“It’s okay, sweetie, I get it. Kids these days drink a lot. Hell, all kids drink a lot. Let me tell you something,” my mum said, pausing, “I drank a lot when I was younger. A lot! That’s how I ended up creating a little remedy for it.”
r /> “Oh God, Mum, please tell me I’m not the result of one of your drunken mistakes,” I said, looking up at her.
She looked at me, completely surprised, then started laughing. Soon enough I joined in, and we laughed for a good five minutes.
“Mum, what time is it?” I asked, standing up slowly. Whatever had been in that mug had worked, I was already feeling better.
She checked her watch and told me that it was 4:00 pm. My eyes bugged out and I looked at her, astonished.
“Pumpkin, you fell asleep as soon as you got upstairs while you were hungover. Of course you were going to sleep for a while. And don’t worry about school. You can skip tomorrow, too, if you want,” my mum casually said with shrug.
“Thanks, Mum,” I murmured, yawning a bit.
She smiled and started cleaning up the bathroom. “Go, get some rest. You need to get your strength back,” my mum said as she took out the Febreze.
“Thanks, Mum,” I said again, slowly exiting the bathroom and heading to my room. Tomorrow’s Friday, I thought to myself, I guess it wouldn’t matter if I skipped.
If only I knew what Connor had planned.
Eleven hours later
My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest and a thin layer of sweat coated my body. Everyone has that one nightmare—that one bad dream that they will always remember. Yeah, well, I just had that.
Calm down. Calm down, Bella, I chanted in my head, rocking my body back and forth. I squeezed my eyes shut, continuously telling myself that I needed to calm down.
After a couple of minutes, my heart returned to its normal pace, and I was able to move around. I glanced at the clock—2:49 am. I groaned, lying back down on my bed.
Screw school!
Oh, Bella, if only you could predict the future.
Eight hours later
“And it feels like I am just too close to love you.”[1]
My eyes flew open at the sound of my ringtone blaring from my nightstand.
I didn’t bother checking the screen as I answered. If I had, I wouldn’t be nearly deaf right now.