Page 3 of Broken Secrets

Chapter 3

Dahlia

Drip…Drip…Drip. The scalding water brings me out of the memory that destroyed my life. Spreading my thighs wide, the spraying water hits me right on my pussy, but I’m not paying attention to that tonight. After the memory that just hit me, my body needs a different kind of release. Rubbing my fingers over the delicate flesh of my thighs, I find the perfect spot. Not too deep, Dahlia. Don’t cut too deep. Chills travel up my spine at the thought of what I’m about to do. Using my thumb and forefinger bringing the blade to my skin, I press in deeper than I usually would, but I just need to feel something, anything. Dragging the blade along my flesh, my body tingles in anticipation as ribbons of blood flow from my skin down the drain, washing my sins away. The feeling of euphoria hits instantly, and for just a moment, everything is right in the world.

After getting out of the shower, I make it a point to put a small bandage over my cut. I’d be mortified if anyone ever found out what I do to my body when I’m alone.

Fifteen minutes later, I’m opening the bathroom door, steam billowing out, with a towel wrapped around my long raven hair, pretending to be someone that I’m most definitely not. Walking to my room, I see that Via has a few different options laid across my big ass bed.

“What the fuck is all of this shit,” I ask her.

“You want me to pick one of these outfits out for tonight?” She’s lost her mind. I’d rather be in sweats and hoodies than this shit. I’m not the kind of girl who wants to draw attention to herself, and the outfits she has laid out will do just that.

“Don’t you want to look hot, Dahlia? It’s been months since I’ve seen you out with a guy. You know these college guys will be down to fuck, and that’s just what you need.” She says with some sass.

Little does she know that’s not what I need or want at all. There’s been no one since the incident, and I plan to keep it that way. I’ve done other things, but sex, never. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to have sex with anyone. That part of me was destroyed that night. But she doesn’t know that. No one does. All these years, I’ve taken his threats seriously.

“Fine, but I’m not happy about this,” I tell her with a tight smile. She holds up some sparkly monstrosity and then tosses it to the side. Thank goodness, because that was horrendous. She picks up a pair of jeans and hands them to me.

“I know you don’t like all that frilly shit, so what about these? I know these are your favorite jeans. And you can totally tell that your waist is snatched and you have a fat ass. Oh, and here, take this,” she tosses a black lacy top in my face. I put it on the bed next to my jeans, then grab a matching black bra and panty set out of my top drawer. Tossing my towel in the hamper, I put them on. They do make me feel and look sexy. Not that anyone's going to be seeing them. Next, I grab my jeans off the bed, tugging them up over my hips, being mindful of the bandage, and buttoning them up. I’m one curvy bitch. Not that I’m complaining; I love my body. If only I loved what was on the inside even more.

“Via, where did this top come from? I don’t remember buying it.” Looking over at her, I can already see the guilty expression on her face.

“I bought it for you, okay?” she whines.

“I just wanted you to feel sexy tonight. When I was shopping the other day, I saw it, and I just knew that it would be perfect for you.” She looks at me with pleading eyes. Now I can’t be pissed. She’s only trying to be a good friend.

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to do this. I have plenty of shirts. I appreciate it, though. Can you help me put it on?” It’s a beautiful low-cut black lace scalloped-trimmed top that’s see-through. There are buttons all the way up the back. I definitely won’t be able to reach them.

“Of course, I can help. Just put it on, and then I’ll get it buttoned up for you.” Doing as she instructs, I put it on and then turn around for her.

“I think you should put your hair in a high pony tonight, Dahlia. The way this shirt buttons up is sexy as hell.” I’m glad she said that because I don’t feel like fixing my long ass-hair.

“A high pony works for me,” I state as I shoot her a grin. After getting dressed, I run to the bathroom to blow dry my hair and throw it up. I’m not big on makeup, so I use just a bit of blush to give my cheeks some color. I do a quick winged look, add some mascara, and put on some lip gloss. I’m ready to go; all I need are some shoes. Luckily, Via had been getting ready in my room while I was in the bathroom. It seems like she’s picked out my heels too. They are a strappy black number that will look hot with my outfit. Via knows black is my favorite color. Can she see how black my soul is too?

“You ready, Dahlia? Let’s make our first-ever college party our bitch.” she says with a shake of her hips. With that, she grabs her phone and walks out the door. I have this unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don’t know why, but something’s not right, and I’m not going to let Olivia down tonight.

I follow behind her and say, “Let’s get fucked up.”

Chapter 4

Dahlia

Walking up the front steps of this beautiful Mediterranean-style villa, I’m pretty shocked. It’s fucking beautiful. An anxious vibration thrums through me, though. Goosebumps litter my pale skin, and it doesn’t have anything to do with the balmy Luce de Sole weather. It’s humid as hell. Luckily, I pulled my hair up. There is an energy that almost takes my breath away. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up in awareness. It almost feels like someone is watching me.

Taking in my surroundings, I don’t see anyone that’s out of the ordinary. Brushing it off is the only thing that makes sense at the moment. I have seen house parties in movies and stuff, but I wasn’t expecting this. Honestly, this is nothing like what I was anticipating. Red cups litter the front lawn, and there are people spread out all over the place, practically fucking. Stepping inside, I can feel the bass pulsating through my veins. The smell of poor decisions hits me in the face. There’s a mixture of weed, sweat, and sex lingering in the air.

Following behind Via, we make our way to what I’m assuming is the kitchen. How she knows where it’s at is beyond me. There’s a keg on the table and tons of liquor bottles and mixers lining the kitchen island. “Let me make us a few drinks while we wait for Benji,” Via says with a huge smile on her face.

“Works for me, just as long as it doesn’t taste like lighter fluid,” I say with a smirk. She knows what I’m talking about. When we were in high school, we decided that we wanted to act like adults and steal alcohol from her parent's liquor cabinet. She thought she was some fancy-ass bartender trying to make Long Island iced tea. Even though they were nasty as fuck, we still drank them. It felt like I was drunk for days afterward. The hangover sucked.

“It looks like they have punch over there in a cooler. How about I get us both a cup of that? It’s bound to be way better than what I can come up with,” she says with a laugh.

“Punch works for me, but hurry up. I don’t want to stand here alone forever.”

She gives me a knowing look. Walking away, she tosses an “I’ll be right back" over her shoulder.

It seems like she’s been gone a lifetime when the next thing I know, I’m hearing a "Hey, beautiful" being whispered in my ear. My head snaps to the side, and I’m instantly captivated by the deepest blue eyes I have ever seen. My mouth must be hanging open because he gets this cocky smirk like he knows just what he’s doing to me.

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