Page 23 of Whispers of Obsession

I stare at it and then at him. Seems like he’s been drinking out of it himself. It’s a half-filled beer, and I nod. I could use a drink to calm down.

“Sure, thanks.” I reach out, grab the offered bottle, and bring it to my lips. I take a breath, so I can chug it when I catch a weird scent. Why does it smell funky?

I’ll admit I’ve not drunk much beer, but it doesn’t smell appealing at all.

“Oh, can you smell the lime? I added some to make it taste better.” Jessy smiles, and I shrug. I press the bottle to my lips, and the bedroom door flies open, slamming into the opposite wall.

I scream, already shaken up, and the loud bang sends sharp spikes of adrenaline coursing through me. My heart pounds and my limbs tingle.

Slater stalks in, his whole body seeming to vibrate with rage.

He’s fucking fuming.

“Give me the bottle, Cora,” Slater demands, eyes fixed on Jessy. “I knew you were a stupid piece of shit, but trying to drug someone? Very unwise.”

Slater takes a step forward as I hold the beer bottle out to him. Behind Slater, Andrew steps into the room, arms crossed over his chest and a dark look in his eyes. Lizzy rushes in next and comes right to me.

“Oh, hell, are you okay?” Her words come out in a panicked rush. “Andrew told Slater that he saw Jessy acting suspiciously. They thought he came up here to drug Beth from English lit – he’s always had a thing for her – but —”

“I guess he settled for you,” Andrew finishes.

“Come here…” Lizzy helps me to my feet, and I let her touch me, even though I still feel raw. I don’t want to be touched.

“Drink it,” Slater snaps, handing the bottle to Jessy. Jessy shakes his head, taking a step back. I didn’t see him stand, but he looks a lot less drunk than he did when he came in here.

“No, that’s okay, I’ve already had a lot to drink.” Jessy puts his hands up, but Andrew shakes his head.

“I haven’t seen you drink anything all night.”

“You’ve been a bit distracted, don’t you think? Just because you didn’t see it?—”

“Drink. It.” Slater moves quickly, grabbing Jessy by the neck and pressing the bottle to his lips, forcing it into his mouth. “Or I’ll shove the whole fucking bottle down your throat!”

His loud voice startles me, but it works, and Jessy starts chugging what’s left of the drink. He coughs some of it up because Slater’s holding the bottle to his mouth, not letting him pull his head away to breathe.

“The next time you think about drugging someone, remember this moment and what’s about to happen to you.”

I watch with wide eyes as Slater pulls the bottle back and slams it against Jessy’s head, knocking him out cold. He tosses Jessy’s body to the ground, stepping back and turning to me.

“Are you okay? Did you drink any of that?” he asks with so much concern in his voice it catches me off guard.

“No, I didn’t drink any of it. You burst through the door just before I could,” I admit, but my body is still shaking.

Slater seems to notice and pulls me away from Lizzy, who protests until he gives her a dark look.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” He pauses in the doorway to look back at Lizzy and Andrew, then points to Jessy’s body crumpled on the floor. “Find someone to take him to the hospital. Or don’t. But if anyone rats, I’ll fucking kill them.”

15

CORA

Slater is silent the whole drive back to my house, while I stare out the window and fiddle with the hem of Lizzy’s shirt. I’m distracted, but I can’t wait to get the whole outfit off.

Thank god Lizzy brought me a change of clothes after all. I don’t think I could have handled what happened tonight if it had been in my dress. It may not have been perfect, what happened earlier in the dress, but it’s better than what happened after in the skirt and shirt.

“Are you okay?” I eventually ask Slater as he pulls up to the curb outside.

He didn’t even ask for directions, which is weird because I don’t remember him ever coming to our new house. When my mom and his dad split, we had to leave their fancy house, and Slater stopped hanging out with me.

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