Page 4 of Stalked

Riley, get your ass back down here!

Four months ago, Riley and I officially called it quits, but he wasn’t out of my life forever; he was my best friend, too. I practically begged him to move on and find someone else, even for just a night. He deserved to be happy.

“Riley,” I asked aloud, forcing my eyes to stay open. “Who did he go upstairs with?”

The Nick guy flashed me another forced, bitter smile. “Oh, it seemed you were shifting from his touch all night,” he said, almost sounding genuine. “I thought maybe you needed rescuing, so I sent my friend Nadia to take care of him. Don’t worry,” He moved back, giving us space, “she’ll be really gentle. Just as he likes it.”

I squinted again, my blurry vision clouding over my eyes. “How would you know?” I asked, hearing the slur in my speech getting worse. I gave him a friendly wink. Maybe if I played fun, he’d tone down his intensity, and I wouldn’t feel so freaked out.

A tiny smile pulled on his lips, but it wasn’t friendly. “It’s not too difficult for men like him to get off on bimbos who pay attention to them.”

Well,I’m becoming less afraid and way more annoyed by this douchebag.

I didn’t like the way he was talking about Riley. We may not be together anymore, but he was still my best friend, and the fact some stranger sent a random girl to suck him off was really pissing me off.

Was I jealous? Probably. Did I care? Fuck no.

“I need you to—” I blinked once, feeling my hands tingle at the tips. It felt like electricity vibrating violently under my fingernails, aching to be released. Pressing my hands to my chest, I concentrated on willing the feeling away.

That wasn’t the first time it had happened. My body no longer felt like mine anymore. It hadn’t felt like mine in a long time. However, in the last few months, a lot of weird shit had been happening to me. Unexplained tingly fingers when I was upset was one of them. It wasn’t a nerve issue or something medically explainable, but it felt as if there was a cloud of smoke beneath my fingers, trying to push through my skin.

It was just one more strange thing happening in my life.

For real, though,why does it keep doing that?

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked, his face growing hard, as if I had offended him in some way. His eyes, though, his eyes were at my fingers. I glanced down to see what I thought looked like green moss coating my fingertips. I blinked rapidly, and one moment it was there, and then it wasn’t.

What the hell?

“Did you slip me something?” I asked him, trying to stand, but Nick moved back as if I suddenly repulsed him.

“I changed my mind about you, you freak,” he said, turning his back on his heel and heading up the stairs, into another room.

I clambered to my feet, drawing my attention to the sound of a door opening and footsteps on the stairs. Relieved, I watched as Riley hurried down the steps while Nadia emerged from a bedroom, her arms folded tightly over her chest.

I scoffed, sizing him up. “Seriously, Riley?”

A shy smile adorned his face. “We just talked.”

I rolled my eyes at the response that I had no right to be upset about. Right then, my body fell forward, the floor reeling under my feet. Riley’s hands reached out to catch me, but the moment his hands found purchase on my arm, I pulled back, stumbling over my feet and landing on my backside. The ceiling fan spun, and so did my head. Everything, and I mean everything, climbed up to my throat.

It’s just today, I thought.Tomorrow, everything will go back to normal.

Three years ago, I was a completely different person. I always looked forward to dressing up for parties like this. The old Mercy was popular, beautiful, with lots of friends and a great outlook on life, but I wasn’t that girl anymore. The person who stared back at me in the mirror was a stranger. All I could see were the horrors hidden in the depths of her emerald eyes and the long, dark brown hair which didn’t quite shine anymore. She was merely the shell of the person I used to be.

“Riley, I’m going to be sick,” I said quickly, jumping to my feet, and rushing outside, vomiting right over the front porch railing. There were a few obnoxious chuckles and jeers from some of the frat boys to the right of me. Cami and Shannon called my name while simultaneously telling the guys to eat shit.

I leaned back up, wiped my mouth, and held my stomach in a tight grip. Taking a deep breath, I stepped down from the porch and walked to the back of the home. Thankfully, I could get some peace and quiet, as the backyard had already cleared out.

As I glanced around the yard, my eyes strained as I caught a figure between the tall grove of trees that lined the river. I felt my face pale as I bent forward to get a better look, hoping it was only a hallucination caused by the drinks.

But no, it washim, watching in the shadows again. It was the third time this week that I felt his eyes on me in the darkness. Their constant gaze felt like icy fingers trailing up my back, eliciting fear from the depths of my soul.

When the stalking first started, I convinced myself it was only my imagination. But after hearing the rustling of leaves and the soft crackling sound of twigs breaking the last two weeks, I knew someone was there?—watching me.

Last Sunday, I felt this warm breath on my neck, causing the hairs on my skin to stand up straight. My body stiffened as I twisted around to see who it was, but they had vanished.

I’m not imagining this,I thought.I can’t be.

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