Page 54 of Savage Scream

‘Tell me what you know about Abbey.’

I frown. “What? You want to know about Abbey?”

She nods.

“But that’s not my secret.”

She shrugs and shakes her phone, reiterating what she wants.

“So if I tell you about Abbey, you’ll tell me your one last secret?”

She nods, so I nod, a little confused, but if that’s what she wants, I’ll give it to her.

“So me, Abs, Lex and Marcus grew up together. We could hardly be separated back when we were kids. I thought we’d always be friends, but when Lexi’s home life imploded, Abbey, who was her best friend at the time, turned on her.”

My mind flits back to last year, when all that shit happened to Lex. Abbey was right there with her at first, giving her support. Consumed with worry over Lexi’s safety. Then something changed. She started avoiding Lexi’s calls. Wouldn’t reply to her text messages and emails. It was out of fucking character. That’s for sure.

“We couldn’t make sense of it at the time. Firstly, it’s not in Abbey’s nature to be a nasty bitch. She’s probably the most innocent of us all. Her family is like super religious, and she’s always had a little bit of a goody two-shoes complex about her. But last year she came out of her shell a little more. She was more social. Didn’t seem so different from the rest of us.”

I remember how Abbey used to have a crush on me. It made me uncomfortable, because even though she’s a pretty girl, I just never liked her inthatway. Lexi, though? Well, that’s a different story. One Dee doesn’t need to hear.

“When all the shit with Lexi’s family started going down, Abbey had already been seeing Daniel Stone. I never liked the prick. Such a fucking know it all, thinks he’s better than everyone else kind of guy, but he seemed to treat Abs well and she seemed happy. Until something changed.”

I roll my tongue in my mouth as I remember finding out some of the details that had been happening. It fucking pisses me off.

“At first we didn’t know what was going on. Abbey sided with Tasha, a girl that doesn’t live in Timber Valley anymore, but it turns out that she was secretly seeing Lexi’s brother. The one who put me in hospital.”

Dee’s dark gaze flares with anger, and I forcefully swallow a raging lump in my throat before her dainty hand slips into mine, giving it a squeeze.

Fuck, I adore this chick.

“Anyway,” I continue. “Tasha had been blackmailing Abbey, forcing her to take Tasha’s side, and it took a while for us to find out what Tasha was holding over Abbey, but when we did find out… well, it’s too fucking crazy to believe.”

Shaking my head, I think back to those terrifying weeks that Lexi had been fighting to survive against her brother and dad. I’m glad we were able to be there for her, giving her support. Staying with her when she had no one else. Watching her back.

Fuck. I’m even glad that Ayden came into her life.

He fucking saved her. If he hadn’t got her out of that house of horrors when he did, then I’m not sure Lexi would be alive today.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I return my focus back to Abbey’s story.

“So apparently Abbey’s parents found her and Daniel fucking. Doesn’t sound that bad, right? Probably embarrassing as fuck, and some parental lectures would have to be sat through. But that isn’t what happened.” I drag my free hand through my hair, still hardly believing what I’m about to say.

“Somehow, Abbey’s parents and Daniel’s parents came to an agreement that Abbey and Daniel should get married after they graduate University, but only if Abbey sticks to some fucking suffocating rules. And if she doesn’t, they will move the wedding date up and see them married sooner. Like as soon as they finish high school, or even before that. Like when Abbey turns eighteen.”

I shake my head in disbelief, fucking confused why they are treating their daughter that way.

“They clearly know Abbey and Daniel don’t want to get married but are forcing this on them and blackmailing them with compliance. So Abbey isn’t allowed to associate with Lexi. She has to keep her grades up and stay out of trouble, and if she doesn’t comply, they will marry her off to that prick sooner. It’s too fucked up to believe. We don’t have arranged marriages in Australia. At least not that I’ve heard of.”

Dee taps out something on her phone and shows me.

‘Why is Daniel so mean to Abbey?’

My shoulders drop. “I hate that Daniel is still fucking breathing. He’s been hurting her, and there’s nothing I can do to help her. Mainly because she asked us to keep out of it.” I shake my head in anger. “Daniel turned into a raging psycho after he was forced into the engagement with Abbey. He says she’s ruined his life and seems to think that now she is a possession to be used as he wishes. He seems to be holding their marriage over her head as well, making sure she submits or he’ll tell her parents that she’s not, which will, in turn, move the wedding up sooner.”

Dee nods slowly, her eyes dropping to my chest as she thinks over what I’ve told her.

“Why did you want to know about Abbey?” I ask, and her chocolate gaze returns to mine as she shrugs.

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