Page 70 of Monster
“Why not?” I ask with a smirk playing at the corners of my lips.
“Because I don’t want to fucking know. I know you probably did something stupid out of anger I don’t want to know about. But I swear to fucking God, Vincent,” he says, his tone getting louder. He turns his head to glare at me as he says, “If you fucking killed him, I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Who?” I ask, playing with him. I knew he would know. Leo just fucking knows things, the psychic bastard.
“Do not play dumb with me, boy,” he grumbles as he smirks lightly.
“One, I’m not a boy.” Leo scoffs, but I keep going. “And two, I didn’t fucking kill him,” I say, only to reassure him.
“Just kicked his ass then, huh?” he asks as he laughs.
“Something like that. Where is Essa?”
“I locked her little ass in her bedroom when I heard you pulling up. Fair warning, she is fucking pissed.” He drops his cigarette to the ground at his feet and stomps on it, putting it out.
“I figured as much,” I huff. The air is chilly, and it causes goosebumps to break out across my bare skin. I glance down and stare at my tattoo. The poppies and the word Baby Doll stand out more than my others, but I’m okay with it. That was the point.
My baby doll. Always fucking everything up.
Both of our heads snap up to the house when we hear a loud bang. “What the f—”
“Essa,” we both say in unison. I roll my eyes and Leo shakes his head as we both make our way to the front door. When we step inside, the banging magnifies and I can feel the anger I spent all night trying to get rid of, come rushing back.
“What in the hell is she even doing up there?” Leo asks from somewhere behind me. I don’t even bother to answer him. Instead, I grab my hoodie which is hanging up beside me and pull it on before I begin to climb the staircase. I clench my fists the closer I get to her room.
She is definitely getting her fucking ass beat after this little stunt.
When I make it to her door, I stand outside of it for a few, listening with my ear pressed against it. I probably look creepy as fuck, but I don’t care. It’s my house and there is no one here to see me anyway—other than Leo. And if Leo did come up here and see me doing this, he wouldn’t even be surprised at this point.
The ruckus has stopped, and I can’t hear anything now other than shuffling of feet across the floor. I pull my keys from my pocket as quietly as I can and push the key to her room into the lock. I turn the knob and kick the door open.
Essa lets out a shriek as she jumps back, and I laugh as I step into the room. “What the fuck have you been up to?” I ask as my eyes roam around her room. Everything—and I do mean everything—is astray. Her bed is halfway off the bed frame, probably because she couldn’t move it all the way. Her clothes are everywhere. The chair I always used to sit in, which was in the corner of the room, is now lying on its side against the glass wall. The blankets, sheets, pillows, and curtains all strewn about and many of them are torn into pieces.
I grit my teeth as I glance around the room one last time and lock my eyes on Essa’s frozen figure. She’s standing by the door to her bathroom with a deer in the headlights look on her face. I crack a wicked smirk as I move toward her. Once I’m standing a foot in front of her, I reach out and grip her chin with my fingers, tilting her head back.
“Look at me,” I demand. Her eyes remain locked on the floor, and I squeeze her chin hard enough to bruise.
“I said look at me, Essa Jaymes.” Her eyes flick up to mine at the use of her middle name—which I rarely ever use—and all I see is vulnerability.
“What have you been doing up here?” I ask as I quickly glance around us at the disarray before focusing back on her. I want to be so fucking mad but seeing her look like this does something inside of me. The anger diminishes and all I want to do is hold her. Kiss her.
But I can’t.
I will never fucking kiss her again.
A kiss is what started this fucking chaos in my head, and I can’t risk her getting inside of me again.
Oh, who the fuck am I kidding? She’s already in me so fucking deep, I’m drowning right in front of her eyes.
“Where were you?” she asks, but it sounds more like a demand.
“None of your business, baby doll,” I retort, and I can feel her jaw clench beneath my fingers. “Got something you wanna say?”
“Nope.”
“Sure as fuck doesn’t seem like it.” Essa jerks away from my grip and steps back. She almost trips over all of the clothes and whatever else covering the floor, but she catches herself. I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips, and she glares at me even harder. Her pale skin is flushing pink with her anger and her clothes; a black Sublime hoodie and leggings, instantly remind me of the first time I met her.
She was wearing the same fucking hoodie and the anger she has towards me right now is so similar to back then.
