Page 78 of Falling With a Spin

“How sure are you of that? Parents have never liked me.” I softly whisper, my insecurities showing brightly.

“I’m one hundred percent sure because I love you.” He kisses me softly, and the flutters in my stomach erupt as I smile into the kiss.

“Alright, if we don’t get out there, they will come back and drag us by the hair,” I say pulling away from him and taking his hand, walking out the door and down the narrow hallway.

Once we are back out onto the floor, I let Hunter know that I’m going to get us drinks at the bar and I’ll find him later. Squeezing my way through the crowd, apologizing to anyone I bump into, I finally get to the front, but once I’m there, I really have no idea what Hunter or I want. Chewing on my bottom lip, I stare at the possible drinks to choose from. I start drumming my fingers against the counter when I feel someone come up next to me, and my whole body tenses when I hear their voice.

Chapter 29

Emma

It’s unbelievable how the mind works when you’ve gone through trauma. You slowly start to put yourself back together, and you feel whole again. Normalcy starts to wrap itself around you once that final piece of the puzzle is in its place. But all of it can come crashing down when the one who causes you to stay awake at night, be cautious of the ones around you, and can’t go anywhere alone without breaking down says five little words to you.

That's what Chad does to me.

“Oh, look who it is.” I turn slowly, and Chad stands in front of me. His left arm props up on the bar counter with a beer in his right, dangling in front of his lips as he smirks at me.

Everything inside me goes cold as we stare at each other. The pure hatred I have for this single human being - if you can even call him that - is stronger than anything I have ever felt.

I clench my hand in my fist as he just stands there. His eyes roam down my body, and I can feel everything he has ever done to me. The touches that he stole, the words that he would throw at me, the scars he made that aren’t visible.

A loud booming laughter tears my gaze from him, and I see behind him that the rest of the basketball team is here, standing around a table with drinks in their hands and girls hanging off of them. Classic.

One of the guys tips his drink towards me with a sly smile. My face twists into a grimace and I look back towards Chad. How would he look if I just got one punch in? But, the thing with that is, it would only feel good in the moment. The after-effects would hurt me because I can’t fathom hurting someone else, even if they deserve it.

“What do you want, Chad?” I ask through gritted teeth.

He looks around the bar and I follow his gaze to see Hunter with the rest of the guys and Taylor in the corner at a table. They’re laughing and enjoying each other. Cole says something because the next thing I know, Taylor is throwing her head back laughing, Justin is giving money to Garrett, and Matt is hitting Cole across the head. Then my eyes drift to Hunter. He is looking around the place, searching for me, and I quickly turn away before he can see where I’m at.

“You know your little group seems really happy, and you aren’t even over there.” He points with his beer bottle towards the table. “Do you ever think they are happy without you? That if you just disappear, they will move on with their life?” He moves closer to me with each question, and I can’t seem to move away from him.

My hands become clammy, and my mouth goes dry as he leans in. I can smell the beer wafting off his breath, and it takes everything in my power not to vomit all over him. I just want to push him away, but I can’t. It’s as if my body has gone to stone, and I’m trapped with no way out.

“Now you’re going to do something for me,” He pushes back a piece of my hair that has fallen, and a shutter goes through me. I squeeze my eyes shut, attempting to block him out. “I don’t know who you’ve told about our little time at the party,” he whispers in my ear, “but you will keep that pretty mouth shut about it. If you don’t, you will find out just how happy that group is without you.” He takes my chin in his hand and moves it to the table where my friends are.

Anger, hurt, and anxiousness run through my body. All I’ve wanted is to forget the night I had with Chad. To move on and be happy, but how can I when I get threats like this from him.

“Do you understand, Emma?” His hold on my chin tightens, and I wince slightly.

Nodding my head, he steps away from me, taking a sip. “It was nice seeing you.”

Bile rises in my throat at the same time my anxiety does as I watch him walk back to his friends, and I close my eyes, attempting to push the conversation to the back of my mind. A hand comes down on my shoulder, and I jump, startled by the touch. I turn around to see a girl behind me who has irritation written across her face. I quickly move out of her way and walk towards the entrance, brushing through the crowds of people, making sure to dodge people who have drinks in their hands.

The cold air hits me once I get outside, and I grab onto the wall to keep myself up as the weight of Chad’s words weighs me down.

“They’ll be so happy without you.”

Richie tries to call for me, but I stumble away, not caring what he’s saying.

“You better keep that pretty mouth shut.”

I keep walking, not knowing where I’m going, as his words continue their torture.

“It was nice seeing you.”

Eventually, I hail a cab when my feet and hands become numb, and when I climb in, I realize I don’t have my bag or phone. I must have left it in the dressing room.

“Where are you going, miss? It’s a busy night.” The cab driver looks through the rearview mirror. He’s an older man with white hair peeking from a cap and bushy eyebrows with a smile that feels like home.

---