Page 49

It’s another two hours before the city lights surround me as the sun goes down, the night chill setting deep in my bones. The city is extra busy, all the teenagers and kids walking with their parents wanting to spend all their Christmas money. I pull into the large parking lot of the mall, parking somewhere towards the back of the parking lot so nobody hits my precious bike.

I’ve had a month to ride this bike. I’ve grown to know every inch of how it rides. How it feels at certain speeds, learning to control the death wobble. Which, by the way, you just take your hands off the handlebars. I’ve learned the perfect angle to lean when it’s time to turn.

I slide the key out of the ignition, shoving it in my pocket before walking to the front doors. People are covering every inch of the lot, going in the doors, and the people coming out are rushing to their cars. I take off my helmet while walking, clipping the straps back together and putting it around my arm like a purse.

The familiar rev of Riot’s car is like music to my ears, until I realize the situation. I snap my head in the direction it came from, but I don’t see him. I look around for a few seconds before I hear the rev again, but longer, louder, more powerful. His foot presses the gas down and lifts before repeating that like clockwork, the noise roaring in the wind, bouncing off all the buildings, making it sound even louder.

I quicken my pace to the front door, wanting to get inside before I see him. I know he already sees me just from his revs.

I shoulder my way through the doors, turning around to see his car in the aisle in front of the door, LED headlights shining bright as fuck.

Turning around, I walk into the crowded mall, heading straight for my damn candy store.

Once I’m in here, I fill up the biggest bag they have with peach rings and gummy sharks. I look through the store’s selection of pre-packaged candy. Seeing goo tubes, sour rings and cubes, sour sodas.

Man, the group would love this shit. Grabbing six of pretty much everything, I walk to the counter and pay with Riot’s card that he gave me when I got here before he got in his car and left. I’ve spent so much money on this card, I’m surprised he hasn’t run out of money yet.

I walk out of the store, stopping at a small bench outside the store and take my backpack off, shoving the candy in there. The bag doesn’t zip, having too much candy in it. Taking a few packages of candy out, I shove them in every available pocket on my body.

Looking up, I see him. He’s standing at the end of the long hall lined with stores. What’s different about him is that he has no mask on. For the first time, he’s in public with no mask. His hair has grown out slightly, enough that I can snake my hands in it and pull. He looks much more muscular than he already was, his shirt buttons ready to snap open if he sneezes.

A smirk grows on his face, the scar cutting over his left eye and slicing over his lips, dipping under his chin before stopping. Fear courses through my body at the sight of him, but also anger. He left. He didn’t think about my feelings before he packed up and left. The fucking country to add at that!

I ignore him, turning on my heel, slinging my backpack over my shoulder, and walking towards the exit. Did I just drive three hours to New York just for candy? Yes, I did. Don’t judge me, it’s not your place. It’s not about what I’m getting; it’s just about the fact that I like being out. Sometimes being in the Manor feels like I’m a prisoner, but I’m not, and being outside where I love helps remind me of that.

A store catches my eye, and my feet automatically move towards it. It’s full of every drawing and painting supply you could ever think of. I love coloring and drawing. Mom always made sure I had stuff to color and pencils to draw, papers to do so on. She hung up every coloring and drawing on the fridge.

They stayed there for years after her passing, before my father ripped all of them off in one of his fits. He tore them to shreds. I tried to glue them back together. It didn’t work.

I look around for a few minutes, making a mental note to come back with my car to buy the whole damn store. Making a swift exit from the store, I run into a hard chest. Looking up at the man, I see Riot’s face. His hands grip my forearms, the skin burning from his warmth that surrounds me. “Moss,” he whispers, and I can feel the desperation in his voice.

Feeling the anger overpowering the sadness, I rip my arms from him and storm out the front doors, walking to my bike, starting it, and peeling out of the parking lot, desperate to get on the highway and let the bike scream the emotions my heart can’t handle to say.

…

I’m walking down the hallway to the living room, trying to find a certain someone. I started ‘dating’ someone new. Per the wise words of Viktor. He wants to leave. I’ll make him regret it.

His name is Mason Glun. He’s a little on the short side, but I’m insanely short, so anyone is taller than me. He has blonde hair, green eyes like mine, and thin lips. He’s attractive, not my type, but still attractive.

I see him talking to another man through the kitchen door, so plastering on a fake smile, I make my way over, circling my hands around his waist from behind.

He turns around, a smile on his face, showing his slightly yellow teeth from smoking. I hate people who smoke. It kills you.

“Hey Pell,” he says in what he thinks is a sexy voice, but it’s far from. I hate his nickname for me. Couldn’t think of anything better than Pell? Like really?

I look at the little black camera in the corner of the ceiling before I make my way to Mason’s front and kiss him, shoving my tongue down his throat. One of his hands cups the back of my head, pulling tightly enough at the strands that I wince. I whine, and he thinks it’s out of pleasure, so he pulls tighter as tears prick the corners of my eyes.

I pull back and look away, trying to pull myself together. He’s always been a little pushy, always wanting sex, but I don’t want that. I don’t want to have sex with someone unless it’s him. Sex with this creature repulses me. I don’t even want to kiss him.

“Whatcha want to do for the night?” He asks, that tone in his voice suggesting something I don’t want. I look at him, and his eyes are glazed over, the green in his eyes muted.

“Ummmm, want to go swimming?” I drawl. I love swimming. I tend to be in the pool a lot. It’s relaxing to feel the water envelop me, the warmth of it settling in my bones. I like to turn the lights off completely in the pool room and turn on music. I’ll float on my back and just relax. Letting the music bounce off the walls and flow right into my ears.

I’m in my room picking out a swimsuit. I don’t like to feel his eyes on me, so I settle on a one-piece blue set that is a decent low cut. Leaving very little to the imagination, but this one is the most modest one I have, considering Destiny picked most of my clothes out.

I told him I’d meet him in the pool room in twenty minutes after I got ready. Walking out of my room to the kitchen, I have a towel wrapped around my waist, my phone sitting between my boob and the fabric barely covering it.

I run into Destiny in the kitchen when I grab a bottle of water. “Penny! What are you up to, looking like a snack?” She wiggles her eyebrows in a suggestive tone. I laugh, slapping her in the stomach.