Page 33 of Obsession

My fear grew while I was powerless to protest. If I asked for help, everything would turn into a big fight. In the distance, I could hear Zac and the other guy arguing.

“Harris, what are you up to?” the guy whispered as Harris leaned down and sat me in the cold seat, and I winced as his warm arms left my body.

I couldn’t believe I wanted that closeness back. His hands wrapped around me in a flash, fastening my seatbelt and closing it over my abdomen. The door closed behind him with a soft sound.

I watched the two of them through the tinted window as they seemed to be talking, but I couldn’t hear anything. Either the car was soundproof or the ringing in my ears was too strong. Harris crossed to the driver’s side like a shadow and sat behind the wheel. He looked at me for a few seconds, almost as if to make sure I was still alive, then pressed a few buttons.

The engine howled, and he quickly backed out of the parking space, turned the car around in the busy parking lot, and sped past the sea of stunned students watching us as if we were fleeing a crime scene.

“Where are you taking me?” I whispered barely audibly.

He didn’t answer, instead he turned his head towards me and stared at me with a serious look.

“How long have you been using?” His thick voice unclogged my ears and I stared at him.

How could he know that?

“I’m not,” my answer was followed by a cough, and I felt like my body was swaying in all directions, or maybe that was just a figment of my imagination.

“Yeah, right…” he snorted and turned his gaze to the road, “I know those bloodshot eyes and schizophrenic tremors very well.”

“Where are you taking me?” I repeated the question, irritated as I tried to raise my voice.

Again, he didn’t answer, but kept his eyes on the road. At that moment, I realized how fast we were actually going, we were literally flying through the cars on the highway. I wanted to shout at him to slow down, but he wasn’t going to listen to me anyway. Strangely enough, his crazy driving made me feel safe, even though I couldn’t understand why. I remembered the joke I had said about him the other day and I could now imagine how much that must have annoyed him.

From time to time, his eyes wandered to me, observing everything closely.

“Are you cold?” he asked calmly.

I decided to stop lying and nodded, curling up on the seat and wrapping my arms around my body. I was freezing, and I didn’t know why when it was so hot outside.

He looked right and left as if he was looking for something. He bit his lip in thought and, the next second, his hand left the steering wheel, undid my seatbelt, and let it fly across my chest as he grabbed my waist. He clutched my midsection and pulled me to him, and I was surprised but vulnerable to him, too weak to care that he had just kidnapped me from school.

It wasn’t very comfortable now that only half of my butt was on the seat and the other half was struggling over buttons and levers. A shiver ran down my spine and I lifted my arms to hold onto his shoulder and bury my face in it. He squeezed me tighter and pulled me even closer to him as his lips touched my head and slowly blew warm air into my hair. A simple gesture that electrified my body.

“Sitting on my lap doesn’t seem so bad right now, does it?” he whispered, and I gulped, not knowing if he was saying it to tease me, to be sarcastic, or if he actually meant it.

I was too dizzy to figure it out, but I growled into his shoulder anyway, and I think I heard him snicker. I wasn’t sure though.

“Put your arms around me,” he spoke, tightening his grip around my waist.

I resisted because the closeness we already shared was enough for me.

“Katherine…” he scolded, his tone becoming sharper.

I exhaled defeatedly and let my right-hand slide over his stomach while my left wrapped around his back as he moved toallow the hug. I was hesitant at first, but his body exuded such a pleasant warmth that I clung to him tighter without thinking and willingly moved closer.

He was driving with only one hand, but that didn’t seem to bother him because the car kept speeding. I was shaking uncontrollably, and my eyes kept rolling into the back of my head because I could not keep them still. Strange images were already forming around me, and I was on the verge of losing touch with reality. Suddenly my whole body began to itch, as if a thousand cockroaches were crawling under my skin. The need for drugs had returned like a burning fire in my every cell, and I was capable of doing anything for a dose.

“Katherine, I need you to tell me how long you’ve been using,” his thick voice boomed in my ear like an echo, and I squinted and swallowed hard before answering.

“A year, give or take,” I whispered, burying my face in his t-shirt, trying to remember the exact time.

My parents’ divorce hearings didn’t last long, but I started using drugs right after my mom made the decision to change her life – a change Dad and I weren’t a part of.

“What drugs?”

“Lots, but mostly crack,” I felt his arm tighten around me.

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