Page 241 of The Perfect Spiral
The door shuts behind me, locking with a familiar click. I sigh and roll my eyes, staring hard at the door as if it might magically open. It won’t.
“If you pull a stunt like that again, I won’t be held responsible for my actions, baby doll,” a husky voice warns, laced with authorityand anger. His hot breath brushes against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
“What I choose to do is none of your concern,” I retort, struggling to free myself from his hold. He’s too strong. So I just give in. His arms loosen, and he turns me around to face him, his blue eyes boring into mine.
“Do you know how worried I was? When I see the rest of the girls come home but not you! And for them to tell me you went home with a guy... but not just any guy, the guy who flirted with you at the beach!”
His tone is low and disapproving, making me shudder.
“Like I said, it’s none of your damn concern! Worry about your own girlfriend, Knox. Stay out of my business.”
I spin on my heel to walk towards the door, but he pulls me back, his hands resting on my waist to keep me there. I run my hands through my hair in frustration.
This isn’t fair. Why is he doing this to me? I need to get over that night. I need to get over him. But I can’t do that if he keeps doing this kind of stuff to me.
“She’s not my fucking girlfriend, Alex! It is my concern, I’ve made it my concern. If you do this shit again, I will hunt you down and drag you out, along with beating the shit out of the guy who touches you!”
He steps even closer to me, and I can feel his heat radiating onto me. I step back, trying to put some distance between us.
“Stop! Just stop it! Leave me alone. I can do what I want. Who I get with is none of your business, Knox! You’re with someone! So stop fucking around with me.”
I place my hands on his chest, pushing him back away from me. He’s too close. I start to pace back towards the door, but he grabsmy wrists and pulls me back to him once more.
I’m fighting every urge to give in to him. I can’t give in to him. But it’s so hard. Why is it so hard?
“Alex—” he begins softly, making my eyes drift upwards to meet his.
“Stop, Knox. Please. You’ve moved on, so let me.” I remove his hands from mine and walk out the door, leaving him alone in the room. What he did wasn’t fair.
I find myself walking down the stairs, the carpet giving way to the cool tiled floor beneath my bare feet. I mindlessly walk back to the kitchen.
I walk past the couples arguing, most likely about me, because they stop when I walk by. I slide the door open and step outside, ready to go swimming.
“It’s raining,” Cole calls out behind me.
“I’m getting wet anyway.” I close the door behind me and keep walking. The cold, damp sand meets my feet as I dodge the shells sticking out of the sand. The cool rain splashes on my skin.
The air is pleasantly warm as I approach the water, taking a deep, measured breath. Holding it in, I feel my heartbeat slow, a steady rhythm against my chest. I step into the shallow water, calm and inviting.
Small waves ripple towards me as I continue to wade deeper into the sea.
No boys. No girls. No couples.
I let the water rise against my body, the chill of it seeping into my skin. I feel the waves lap against me intermittently, my hands skimming the surface of the water.
Lifting my hand, I watch as droplets of seawater fall from my skin, creating ripples as they rejoin the ocean. I submerge myself completely, crouching under the water.
Resurfacing, I watch as the rain begins to fall, each drop disappearing into the vast expanse of the ocean. I look around to find the beach deserted. It’s not a day for beach-goers, but that doesn’t deter me.
After what feels like hours in the water, I remain undisturbed. It’s exactly what I needed. Just me and the silence.
Why is my life a car crash? I ask myself. Everything was going so well. Now, it’s spiraling out of control. One disaster after another. I’ve reached a point where I expect it.
When something good happens, something bad inevitably follows, canceling it out.
I can’t wait for this summer to be over. I just want to return to college, earn my degree, and put as much distance between him and me as possible. Forget about him.
Forget about all of this.
