Page 127 of Destroying Everleigh

Dallas was older than me. By a lot. He was already eighteen, but he was still living with his mom. I was only eleven. He still always played with me when he came over, though. Probably to distract me.

“Where could he be?” he asked, amusement lacing his tone.

I bit back the laugh that threatened to tumble from my lips. Silence stretched on as he stood there, waiting for me right outside of my hiding spot. Anticipation sliced through my body, and I was sure it was his intended effect. After a few long moments, he started walking again, his footfalls growing distant. A breath of relief spilled out of me, and I slumped against the tree, allowing the rough bark to dig into my spine.

Out of nowhere, he jumped in front of me, causing me to yelp out in surprise. My heart was hammering against my ribcage with reckless abandon.

“Dallas!” I snapped, sucking in fast, ragged breaths.

He just smirked down at me, his biceps bulging in his tight black shirt. “I told you I’d win,” he supplied. “I don’t understandwhy you intend on playing this silly little game when you lose every time.”

I shot him a glare, anger bubbling up inside of me. His light brown hair was styled neatly, not a strand of it out of place. It was clear that he paid special attention to his appearance. It seemed pointless to me. Maybe he did it for girls. Not that I’d know much about that. I only really cared about hanging out with my friends and playing video games when Dad let me. Lately, he’s been letting me a lot more frequently. I think it was so I wouldn’t bother him.

“I’ll beat you at something one day,” I vowed.

He grinned back at me, revealing rows of perfect white teeth. “We’ll see. I’m quite competitive.”

I grumbled in frustration. I wanted to wipe that stupid smile off his face. Once my heart had calmed down enough, I started stomping toward the opening of the trees where my house resided on the other side.

“Where are you going?” Dallas called from behind me, a hint of something panicked in his gaze.

“I’m thirsty.”

His footsteps echoed from behind me, and he caught up in no time, walking by my side. “Are you sure you don’t want to play another game?” he pressed. “We can grab a drink afterwards.”

The thought of another round did sound appealing. But my throat was raw from running and my tongue felt dry. “I’m really thirsty,” I told him. “Why are you being weird?”

He cursed under his breath, running his hands through his perfectly styled hair. Clearly something was bothering him. “Do you have a water hose? Maybe you can drink from there.”

I shot him a disgusted look. Even if we did have a water hose, I wouldn’t drink from it. I wasn’t an animal. “No.”

He seemed to give up after that, not bombarding me with any more questions. For some reason, he didn’t want me to go home yet. I already told him I’d play with him afterwards. He was coming off desperate. When we reached my house, I crept inside. The carpet was worn and weathered from years of use and spills. But nothing was new for long on the north side of town. Mom was away at work and Dad and Helen were hanging out somewhere. Probably smoking cigarettes in his room like they always seemed to do.

I grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, offering one to Dallas who accepted it. His gaze was darting around the house like he expected something to jump out at him. He came from a rich family, so maybe he just didn’t like being in a house of this condition. Dallas had a brother, but he lived with his father, and I’ve never met him. Apparently, he was my age. He’d probably be more fun to play with.

I unscrewed the cap and took a long drink. The cold water felt good going down my throat and I greedily drank more and more until my stomach felt full.

A weird noise echoed through the house, making me pause. A bed creaking, maybe? I glanced over at Dallas, wondering if he heard it, too. His body was tense, his skin looking paler than usual.

“Are you done drinking?” he asked, staring down the hallway where the noise had come from.

I nodded, twisting the cap back on the bottle before returning it to the refrigerator. A loud moan sliced through the air, making my stomach twist for reasons I couldn’t understand. Against my better judgement, I started making my way down the darkened hallway.

“Jameson,” Dallas hissed in a low tone. “Let’s go outside.”

Ignoring him, I continued toward my father’s bedroom. The door was closed, but the noises were becoming more frequentand louder with every step I took. Once I reached his door, a scream shattered through the air and I jerked the door open, thinking Helen was being hurt or something. My dad could be aggressive sometimes, but he’s never hurt any of us.

My heart got stuck in my stomach when I took in the scene in front of me. Helen was on her back completely naked with my dad between her legs. He was humping her fast and hard into the mattress, her head tipped back in pleasure. My gaze caught on her large breasts as they jiggled with every movement.

Bile rose to the back of my throat, and I quietly closed the door, not wanting them to catch me snooping. Tears blurred my vision as I whirled on Dallas who was still standing at the end of the hallway.

“H-he’s screwing her,” I whispered, my voice cracking.

Dallas glanced down at the floor. “I know.”

That was another punch to the gut. “You know?” I repeated. “You knew this has been happening?”

He didn’t reply, but his silence told me everything I needed to know. Helen has been bringing Dallas over this entire time to keep me occupied so she could have sex with my ‘married’ father. And he knew all about it. He helped her do it.

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