Page 49 of Whispers of Obsession

“I’d let that man watch me any way he likes,” Lizzy quips, chuckling.

“Well, I’m sure that’s true, but I don’t like his attention,” I hiss quietly.

“So just ignore him the same way you ignore the attention of every other guy.”

“I would, if he didn’t have such an unnerving stare.”

Lizzy walks me to the classroom detention is being held in, and we say our goodbyes. As I enter, I nibble my lip. I’m not used to getting detention. I’ve always worked really hard in school, and I hate that my standards have slipped, though I know I absolutely deserved to be given the punishment.

I want to take a seat in the back of the room, so I don’t have to deal with the way Mr. Marx stares at me, but I also want to sit in the front, so I don’t have to deal with the jocks and all their bullshit.

The sound of men stomping toward the door has me quickly selecting the front row. Marx huffs a breath like he knows I was struggling with choosing a seat.

I ignore him, and the jocks, as they pile into the room, taking the seats on either side and behind me. They’re loud and don’t seem to give a shit that they’re supposed to be in detention – a punishment – and seem to be treating it like some kind ofsocial event with the way they’re high-fiving and fist-bumping one another.

So far, I’m the only girl here and I’m trying to keep a low profile by sinking down in my seat and hiding my face with a curtain of hair, but it’s only a matter of time before I’m discovered.

I’m kind of praying Mr. Marx insists on silence because I don’t want to have to deal with their comments or their questions.

“Silence!” he snaps, when the last bell, signaling the end of the school day and dismissals, finally rings. I let out a silent sigh of relief. Thank fuck.

I pull out my homework binder and finish all my assignments for the following week. We get a syllabus at the start of the school year, and I like to stay on top of my work.

“Fucking nerd,” I hear one of the bobble heads behind me chuckle, but I just ignore them. I’m used to their annoying ass taunts at this point.

I’ve cared about my education my entire life, and this is just something that comes along with being smart.

Which honestly makes no sense. The cool kids are the ones who get shit grades and couldn’t care less about their education. Okay, well, good luck finding a job without a diploma.

“Someone should break the nerdy virgin in. Maybe she won’t be so uptight…” Steven snarls in a voice not quite low enough for me to fully ignore. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. The threat is clear.

Unlike my new-found desire to be a dirty slut for the masked man, I feel nothing but pure disgust at the thought of Steven’s hands on any inch of my body.

“May I use the restroom?” I ask, raising my hand. Marx nods, without even looking up, and I take the opportunity to scurry out of the room.

I rush down the hall and straight to the bathroom. I splash some water on my face and take several deep breaths. When I look up, taking in the state of myself in the mirror, the lights cut out. I hear the bathroom door click shut and the lock engage.

“Who’s there?” I yelp, keeping my hand on the counter, and using it to guide me as I inch backward.

“Shut the fuck up, bitch.” The snarling voice is whispered, but I can tell right away, that’s not the voice of my masked man. There’s no slightly robotic tone. No. This is someone else, and their intentions are clear. They’re going to hurt me.

I drop to my knees and slide under the sink. I press my body against the wall, and from here, I can see the light from the hall coming in from under the door. My eyes slowly adjust to the dark, and I watch as my attacker lunges at my previous location. I use the opening to speed crawl toward the door. Unfortunately, I give away my location, and he adjusts, swiping at me.

I let out a scream as I desperately scramble to make my escape.

A meaty hand wraps around my ankle and yanks.

“Hold still, stupid fucking bitch!” he yells.

I scream and kick my feet at him, hopefully aiming for his face. He grunts, releasing his hold, and I don’t hesitate, turning to crawl away once more.

This time when he lunges for me, he throws his whole body down on top of mine.

“Get off me!” I yell at him, lashing out, clawing at his face, and thrashing my body. A fat fist connects with my jaw, and I fall limp as my vision goes fuzzy, and my ears ring. The ache in my face is unbearable.

I groan in pain as I struggle to regain my fight. I’ve never been hit so fucking hard before. The pain is unreal. My ears are ringing and there are stars behind my eyelids.

The fist that busted my cheek wraps around my throat and squeezes. My oxygen is immediately cut off, and I thrash.

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