Page 52 of Refusing Kendall

The truth that either she doesn’t see, or is choosing to ignore, is that he’s not acting like a baby, not really. He’s just hurt and wants her by his side. Which, of course, hits me with a pang in my chest. I wish Goose hadn’t cut me out of his life because he was hurting. I’m hoping like hell that he’ll be able to see reason by the time they return.

I help Ry pack up all of her things and give her a super long hug. We make the same promise of seeing each other over the summer. Then I watch as she gets in her Jeep and drives away. Walking back into an empty house is an acute reminder of just how alone I really am. Before I met the guys, I was used it. I lived with Gramps, and I loved him, but we’d become so distant once Nana died, between school and me working to help with bills. When the VanPelt brothers got in their accident, and I lost them too, I didn’t mind the space from people. Preferred it, if I’m honest with myself. These four boys forced their way into my life, made me love them, and now I’m lonely without them. Fuck that. They don’t get to just call it quits because we get angry at each other, and that’s something they’re all going to come to learn super quick.

With a renewed sense of purpose, I easily fall asleep an hour or two after Ry leaves.

The next day, I clean the house from top to bottom, even doing the stuff that I normally save for the guys to do. I may have made up my mind about what’s going down when they get home, but it doesn’t do anything to ease the anxiety of actually having the conversations themselves.

I sit down to a movie downstairs while I finish folding the rest of the laundry. Cleaning must have really taken a toll on me today since I feel my eyelids closing about halfway through the movie. All but a few things are folded, so I choose to just let the sandman do his work.

A noise in the house has me jerking upright from the tiny couch pillow my head is resting against. Once again, when I open my eyes it’s pitch black. The TV is off with no indicator light even showing through the darkness. If I’m guessing, I’d say that all the rest of the lights are off upstairs, too. I want to say that I’m not freaking out, but I try not to lie to myself. I hate being alone in the dark like this.

“I swear to god, Casper. I’m going to hire an exorcist and eject your joke-playing ass from this house,” I mumble, rising from the couch to go find the light switch. “Or it could be that I’m just going fucking insane. Wouldn’t be surprised at this point.”

When I make it to the switch, and it doesn’t turn on no matter how many times I flick it up and down, I shake my head and look at the ceiling, “There’s also the possibility that this house has some serious electrical issues, and I should have called someone about it forever ago. Hell, maybe one of the guys did. And, now I look like a true crazy person standing in the dark talking to myself. Great.”

I let out a deep sigh and fumble back over to the sofa. Digging around and in the cushions, my hands come up empty. The coffee table turns up empty too, and I curse when I knock one of the stacks of folded laundry to the floor.

“Where the hell is my fucking phone?” I ask. No answer comes from the darkness, of course.

Getting back to my feet, I try not to trip over anything as I make my way over to the stairs. I don’t think I left it up there, but who knows? Besides, even if I didn’t, I can open some of the curtains and blinds to let the street lights bring what little light they can inside the house.

I manage to make it up the stairs without falling on my face. It’s a lot harder than one would think to walk up stairs without being able to see a thing. First things first, I fumble hands out like a blind person over to the fridge. There should be enough light from there to light up the kitchen long enough for me to find the switch and see if my phone is on the counter. Only, I’m borderline freaking out when nothing but a big black gaping hole stares back at me when I open it.

Okay. Maybe the power just went out this time.I tell myself as I walk over to the window. Sliding the curtains open, I see lights on all along the street, so that ruins that theory. The silence in the house is deafening. There’s no sound coming from the fridge or from the air conditioner. It’s just me and the dark silence.

The thought no sooner flits across my mind than I hear a noise from upstairs. Barely noticeable, I think my mind is playing tricks on me. It sounded like it came from Teagan’s room in the far back corner, almost as if someone not familiar with the house bumped into something in the dark.

I don’t care if it is just in my head, I’m not going to be one of those dumb horror flick girls. As quietly as I can, I tiptoe towards my room. Reaching out to push the kitchen light switch up on my way by, dread settles into my bones when it doesn’t come on either. I try the ones in the hall and my room too, as I go by them. Nothing.

Fuck trying to locate my phone. I’m not staying in this house tonight. Thankfully, I know I dropped my purse in here earlier. Finding it, I throw the strap sideways across my body and grab the baseball bat that I’ve taken to leaving stored beside my dresser. After the first incident, I didn’t want to feel helpless like that again, and none of the guys ever questioned it.

Now to my next problem. If there is someone here, I really don’t want to walk back out towards the front door. That would mean that I’d have to pass right by the stairs. Yeah, that’s not happening.

Softly stepping over to the door, I push it closed. We’ve never had a need for locks inside the house, but I truly wish we had them now. Fuck it. I’m not hanging around to dwell on the should haves.

My objective is to go out my window, even if the fall is going to hurt a little. The drop would be high for Teagan and Goose, so it might as well be a mountain for me, but I have no choice. Unlatching the locks, I realize that I didn’t take into calculation how long this window has probably been shut. Someone must have painted over it, causing it to stick around the edges. I’m sweating as I give it one final heave, lifting it up and catching it in time before it slams into the top of the frame.

Wasting no time, I toss a leg over the ledge. It’s a pain in the ass to have to hold the window open while clinging to the bat and trying to crawl out, but somehow, I manage to just duck my head under when I feel a breeze against my back. I don’t even have a chance to take a breath as a hand closes around my mouth and starts to drag me back into the room.

I scream with what little breath I have. With my hand going to the one around my mouth, the window comes down with a resounding bang that shatters the glass. Thankfully, my leg was pulled free in the struggle and wasn’t caught underneath it. I’m still close enough that I reach out with my foot and shove against the wall. My assailant loses their balance and their hold on me for a split second, but it’s long enough that I’m able to jerk away from them.

With the room still pitch black, I take a wild guess as to where they are and swing the bat, somehow still in my other hand, for all that I’m worth. It connects with flesh somewhere, because there’s an oomph of pain from them. Keeping the bat, I take off running down the hall towards the front door. My keys rattle inside my purse as I run, reminding me that I bought a thing of pepper spray just for occasions such as this.

Fat lot of good it does me as the stranger catches up to me and practically snatches me out of thin air. One second, I’m running, and the next, I’m not. Hot breath hits my neck, and I go into a panic. Slamming my head back into their face, there’s a crunch followed by swearing. It’s a man, if their tone is anything to go by. I take a step back and bring the bat up for round two on this motherfucker’s head. He must sense what I’m about to do, or is able to see in the dark better than I can. Next thing I know, it’s yanked roughly out of my hands.

Fuck you, buddy. Keep that shit. I turn tail and take off towards the door again. I get all of three steps before something connects with the side of my head. I hear the ding before I feel the pain. It drops me to my ass, and the pain paralyzes me. All I can feel is the throb in my head, and I can hear my shallow breathing as I fight to stay conscious. Unfortunately, the pain wins, and everything goes black.

End Game

There’s a severe pounding that resonates through my skull and every pore of my face. It feels as though my brain is bouncing like a ping pong ball five sizes too big around my head. My stomach churns, and I try my hardest not to puke. There’s motion under and around me, almost like being on one of those old waterbeds from the eighties. Yeah, my parents had one of those.Ugh. Enough. Fucking focus, Kendall.

When I grow brave enough to open my eyes, I’m both thankful and terrified. It’s dark, and for a moment, I fear I’ve gone blind, until I see a small sliver of light peeking through a crack. With the jackhammer in my skull, it takes me a minute or two to recall what happened. The memories flood back in at a rate that makes me have to choke down the vomit again. Moving my hands up towards the light, I realize they are tied together, but my feet aren’t, which may come in handy.

First though, I’ve got to figure out where I am and how to get the fuck out of here.

It only takes a few seconds to figure out the riddle, and it’s no thanks to the scrambled eggs that I have for brains at the moment. A car horn blares from somewhere close and then the loud revving of an engine. The fucking lunatic that broke into my house kidnapped me and stuffed me in a trunk of a car.

Some part of that sentence sparks the right fuse in my muddled brain. If I’m in a trunk, I can get out.

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