Page 78 of Creeping Lily
I felt nothing but shame as I left the house and headed to my room. I didn’t bother to pack a bag. I swiped my keys and wallet off the console and headed toward my car. But something in me held me back. She might not have been willing to let me in, but she needed care. I couldn’t leave her like that. I couldn’t leave her without the care and attention she needed. So I did the only thing I knew to do.
I called my mother, already on her way home from the airport with my father. And I told her what she needed to know; that tonight, Lily was violated by three of my friends, and she didn’t want meanywhere near her. I told her I was leaving so I didn’t cause her any further trauma, and that I thought she should call the doctor.
I didn’t tell her that I raped Lily. No matter that I was only trying to put her back together again; to undo the damage that had been done to her tonight. I didn’t tell her all these things, and I didn’t think it would make a difference if she knew, anyway. Except possibly to kill her slowly for becoming the monster I’d become.
My mind turned to Lincoln. My baby brother Lincoln. He’d always been a little in love with Lily, from ever since we were young. And as we grew older and she flowered into the young lady she’d become; I could see him yearning more and more after her. Lincoln was in love with Lily, even if he couldn’t admit it to himself. And when he found out what happened, I had not a shred of doubt inside of me that he was going to fucking kill me then tear me to shreds.
That night, I left the house. And I never went back. I couldn’t face Lily. I couldn’t undo what I had done. And I couldn’t forgive myself for being such a coward when what she really needed that night was a hero.
THE FUTURE
The future does not wait to be invited.
It hunts in silence,
creeping through locked doors,
arriving with teeth bared.
Even when you close your eyes,
it finds you?—
a shadow that remembers your name,
a dawn that refuses to be denied.
40
TITAN
Istand across the road, hidden in plain sight, watching as Justin cups Lily’s face in both hands, his thumbs brushing her cheekbones. He leans in, pressing his lips to her forehead like he owns the right, like it’s his place to leave a mark there.
It’s not a quick goodbye. He lingers, eyes locked on hers, like he’s trying to memorize the way she looks before she disappears from his sight.
He takes a step back as if he’s about to leave, but then he comes right back in, brushing her cheek with his thumb, leaning close again. Every time he moves away, he’s pulled right back in. It’s pathetic.
I curl my fingers into a fist, my knuckles itching with the urge to cross the street and put my hand through his smug, lovesick face. I can already picture the sound—his teeth rattling loose, clattering to the pavement like dice. It wouldn’t win me any favor with Lily, but watching him press his body into hers and watching her let him—it stirs something sharp and ugly inside me.
It’s only when the first passengers start boarding the busshe’s catching that he finally pulls away. Even then, he doesn’t leave until she’s stepped on board and the driver closes the door. Then he turns, slow, like it physically hurts him to walk away, and drives off.
For Spring break, my little ball of chaos decided to go home to bumfuck nowhere. Why? Don’t ask me. It’s going to be a pain in the ass to keep track of her in a town so small the post office doubles as the gossip mill, where everybody knows everybody and strangers might as well have neon signs over their heads. But it’s a rare opportunity to get close without the constant presence of the guard dogs who’ve been on her since the attack two weeks ago.
Bethany and Justin Collins. My shadows in reverse. Her shadows. The bane of my existence. They haven’t given her more than a breath of solitude since that night. I can’t exactly order Justin away without drawing suspicion, and as for Bethany—well, I’ve never been above killing for a good reason, but she’s the only solid anchor Lily has. And she does her job—keeps Lily out of trouble. She’s exactly the type Goliath needs, but that’s another conversation for another time.
Spring break couldn’t come fast enough. For me, it’s not just a reprieve—it’s an opening. Her first trip back home, her first real stretch of time where I might actually breathe the same air as her without interruption. I’ve already prepped for the long drive and the time away.
I flick my cigarette to the ground, the ember hissing out against the concrete, and watch as Lily steps off the bus at the terminal. She moves with that unhurried caution she always has in public, eyes scanning without looking like she’s scanning. Her hand adjusts the strap of her bag, the overnighter dragging at her side.
Then she stops. Hesitates. Her gaze sweeps the terminal—and lands in my direction.
My skin goes tight.
She can’t see me. I’m too deep in the shadows, too careful for that. And yet, her eyes linger, a crease forming between her brows. It’s not just looking—it’s searching. The way she stares is almost like she feels me there. Like she can see past the dark, past the space between us, straight into my chest where she’s been rooted for months.
Then, without warning, she turns and heads for another terminal entirely. Not the one heading back to her sleepy hometown. Not the one I’ve been planning for. She boards a different bus altogether.
I feel my brow knot before I even realize it’s happening. Not much surprises me. But Lily Snow has a talent for it.
