Page 3 of Such A Bad Girl

She jumped like she’d been shot, turning quickly and ducking under his right arm to get away. She giggled and shook her head. “Don’t do that, please,” she said, flashing him a smile.

I could hear the low growl of Avett’s voice, but I couldn’t make out his words. He closed the distance between them again, and this time he bent his head to brush his lips against hers.

I cringed at the sight of his lips where mine should be. My fists clenched at my sides as I wrestled with my spinning head. If Ev didn’t stop him soon, I would.

Everleigh put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. “I said, no, Avett!”

He grabbed her hips and pulled her close, but she pushed him away again. He kept laughing, seeming to enjoy her resistance. He grabbed her arm hard and pulled her to him one last time.

“Fuck off!” Everleigh cried. Her knee landed squarely between Avett’s legs.

Avett recovered quickly and grabbed a handful of her hair before she could get away. She landed in a heap on her back, and he straddled her, pinning her to the ground.

My feet began moving before my mind registered what was happening.

“Get off me!” Everleigh cried out.

“Hey!” I shouted, willing my legs to propel me forward faster down the trail. Why the fuck had I stayed so far away?

“You fucker! Let me go! I’m going to fuck you up, you fucking prick! Stop fucking touching me!”

Avett pushed her bra down, exposing her breasts. The sound of Avett’s evil laughter rose up through the trees, mingling with the darkness of the night, and I knew I’d never forget that sound as long as I lived.

More so, I knew the sound of Everleigh’s cries, rising above that evil laughter, would be engraved on my heart until I died. All I could think of was that I wanted it to stop and never hear anything like that ever again.

When my feet hit the long boardwalk, I picked up speed finally.

Just a few hundred feet more and I’d be there.

Rage filled my veins.

“Stop, motherfucker!” I roared, knowing he’d hear me now that I was closer.

He turned to me as my boots slammed against the wooden slats of the boardwalk. His eyes shone with a sick glimmer of pride that turned my stomach.

“Theo! My man! I stopped dead in my tracks, stunned by his lack of fear upon seeing me.

He didn’t give a shit that I was witnessing him committing one of the most heinous things a human being can do to another. In fact, he was proud of it.

He didn’t have an ounce of remorse for hurting Everleigh. Was he even fucking human?

“You want in on this, bro?” His words confirmed to me that maybe he actually wasn’t. This monster didn’t have a heart.

His words sliced through my gut like a flame, igniting something deep in my soul.

A clarity.

A profound knowing that took up residence within the depths of my soul.

I heard a voice in my head — quiet and clear and decisive. Impossible to ignore.

He’s done this before. He’ll do it again.

The world seemed to stop spinning. The moon stopped shimmering. Town Lake stopped sparkling under the moonlight.

Everleigh stopped struggling as she watched me approach, frozen in place by Avett’s sick words.

I’m pretty sure my heart stopped beating.

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