Page 18 of Mayhem

Serena is barely looking at me. She seems so uncomfortable, and I hate that. I like having her next to me, it's an addicting feeling. I want her to feel the same way with me.

“Zeus shouldn’t be standing up for a nobody like her.” Valerie loudly says. “She’s a freak.”

I look over my shoulder at Valerie, ready to yell at her. Midas has his hand around her throat, squeezing. Valerie's eyes light with excitement at first until Midas tightens his grip. Valerie starts to panic and claws at his hand. Odin is on his feet, looking ready to step in if Midas will let him play. Melanie wisely sits quietly and doesn’t dare try to get in between.

“I don’t give a fuck what Zeus does, and he certainly does not take orders from you. You better remember your place, or I will remind you. Trust me when I say you won’t like it.” Midas throws Valerie to the ground. Her body crumbles to the ground. A roaring chorus of laughs sounds through the cafeteria.

I turn back around to see Serena gone.Fuck.I don’t see her in the cafeteria at all. I want to get up and look for her, but I have no clue where she would go. I grab my tray and sit down next to Odin. Valerie is still on the ground, staring daggers at Midas. At least she is smart enough not to say anything else.

Valerie eventually gets up and sits back beside Midas. She acts like her excessive public humiliation didn’t happen and starts flirting with Midas. She cautiously touches his arm and leans to whisper something in his ear. He stays frozen like a statue while she whispers in his ear before nodding to her.

I don't know what is happening between Midas and Valerie, but it's not good.

Serena

The rest of the day went by quickly enough. Valerie constantly stared at me in the one class we shared in the afternoon with a look of pure hatred. I have never had someone look at me that way before. It sent chills down my spine. Cleo didn’t even look that mad at me when Evan and I started dating. I don’t know why Valerie hates me so much, but my bet is it has to do with the Kings. She wants them for herself, and the feeling does not seem mutual.

I saw Midas grab her and throw her to the ground at lunch. I used the distraction to get out of there. I needed as much space as possible from Zeus. I felt so claustrophobic at that moment, but not because of him. It was because I knew how Evan would react if he saw. I shouldn’t have let Zeus walk me to my locker and the cafeteria. I shouldn’t have let him put his hand on me, even if it sent tingles through my entire body. I shouldn’t have eaten that fry. None of that is allowed.

I wanted to run to the bathroom and expel it from my body. The voices in my head kept telling me that I needed to. Telling me to purge those feelings to make myself feel better. I want to fight back against that voice that sounded like Evan. The voice that should be loving, but it is full of hatred.

I am already so tired of these rules. Texting Evan whenever I go somewhere, and if I don’t, he angrily messages me. This morning, while I was at the café, I texted Evan to let him know. The response I got wasDo not order anything but a black coffee. He doesn’t want me to eat pastries or extra sugar and get fat. All I wanted to call him was a sexist pig, but I held back.

This distance between us is putting things into perspective for me. I always felt so trapped because of him. A part of me still does. The little girl that never feels like she is good enough. When I think about it, Evan is the one that made me feel that way. He set impossible standards for me, and I never could reach them. I put my body through so much trying to be better for him. It was never enough.

I agreed to marry him. Granted, that was because I wanted him to stop hurting me that night. This is not what I want in life. I need to talk to him about these rules. They are beyond unreasonable. I can’t live life like this.

I pull the car into the laneway and shut it off. My hands were shaking the whole drive home. His voice never stopped. I should tell him what happened today, but I am scared. It is not like he can hurt me from this far away, but that does not lessen the worry.

I go straight to my room and plop down on the bed. I hit call on his name and waited for his face to come on my screen. It doesn’t take long for him to answer. He looks a little sweaty and out of breath. Evan shushes whoever is in the room before scampering into his bathroom and closing the door behind him.

“Hey, baby.” He breathes out. “Is that what you wore today? You look awful in that dress. It’s much too tight for you. You don’t have the body for it. I told you that before.” He gives me a look of absolute disgust that breaks my heart.

“I thought…” I start saying.

“You thought wrong, don’t wear that dress again.” He cuts in.

I clench my fist and dig my nails into the palm of my hand, anger building in me. I hold back the tears that threaten to fall.

His face softens. “I only say these things because I love you, Serena. I want what is best for you. That includes what you wear. I care too much about you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” I hear a door slam behind him. He looks back and curses before turning back to me. Evan gives me a big smile that he rarely gives me. He has always known the right things to say and do to make me forget the bad.

We talk for a bit. Evan tells me about his day, his classes, and his friends. He goes on and on without letting me get a word in, not that I try hard anyway. I prefer to let him talk and keep the conversation going. I don’t know what to say to him half the time anyway.

He continues talking about the wedding. He found a dress he wanted me to wear and ordered it for me. He doesn’t tell me what it looks like, stating he wants it to be a ‘surprise’ for me.I know best, Serena. The dress will look good on you.I roll my eyes. Thankfully, he didn’t notice.

After almost an hour of listening to him drone on about everything, he finally asked how my day was. Internally, I debated if I should tell him or not. I know how he will react, but maybe that is what I want, a reason to make him mad. I grab the hem of the dress and play with it while I recount what happened today. Valerie pushing me to the ground, trying to be catty because I am the new girl. I decided to leave out everything that happened with Zeus. As much as I want a reason not to speak to Evan, the hassle of him being angry is not worth it. Life is easier for me when he is happy. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

Evan's eyes focus something on his phone. He goes dead silent and sneers down at his phone. He does not say anything to me before he hangs.

It has been three days since Evan and I spoke. I have tried calling and texting, but he has been ignoring me. I still don't know why he hung up on me and why he is ignoring me. The first day of silence, I enjoyed it. After that, I became worried. Every time I texted, he never even opened them. He has never done that before. I am still texting him and following all his rules. As much as I wanted him mad at me and the space it would give me, this is killing me. I am so paranoid he will get on a plane and fly out here. He is crazy enough to do that.

I’ve even been ignoring Evie lately. I just haven’t felt up to socializing at all. I reverted to my old self, the loner girl who doesn’t want or need other people. I feel terrible for ignoring everyone, but I am used to being alone. At least it’s Friday, and school is almost over.

I have been doing everything I can to ignore and avoid the Kings. It’s been easier said than done. Zeus tried to get me to sit with him at lunch again, and I just walked away from him. I didn’t say anything. I just gave him a sad look and left. I’ve been eating lunch in the library. Odin tried to talk to me, but he eventually got the message that I didn't want to speak. It hasn’t stopped him from looking at me. I have noticed his eyes following me when he sees me. Midas has been ignoring me as much as I have been him. Every time I see him, he has his arm around Valerie.

The last bell finally rings, and I rush out of the class and down the hall to my locker. The quicker I get my stuff, the sooner I can get home. I grab my bag before closing my locker and rushing out the front door.

Halfway to my car, I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders, pulling me into a solid side and squeezing me into them. I look up to see Odin smiling at me. He looks like a kid in a candy store, so happy and smug. I try to get out of his arms, but he has too strong of a hold on me.

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