Page 62 of You Had Me At Thirteen

‘What did you do?’

I shake my head. ‘Doesn’t even matter.’

Koby grabs the remote again, making quick work of the buttons to get the game started. ‘Well, maybe she could be something good in your life… you know?’ He lifts a shoulder but doesn’t meet my eyes.

I rub the back of my neck. ‘Yeah… Maybe.’

‘Well, get your game face on, Stevenson. I’m about to whoop your arse.’

A smile spreads over my face as I shake my head at my best friend. This talking-about-things shit kinda works. Taking the controller, I press the button to start the game.

TWENTY-SIX

Matilda

* * *

The music pounds my brain into thoughtlessness and I find myself lost in the beat. With my eyes closed, my hands reaching to the ceiling, I sway against the other bodies around me. My cropped shirt and denim skirt cling to my sticky skin as sweat drips down my back and between my breasts, and for a few hours, I can ignore every other thought that doesn’t revolve around sweating my arse off.

No school. No training. No Wren.

Although the last one is way harder to stop thinking about.

I imagine him behind me now, his hands roaming my body as I grind my arse against his crotch, sweat dripping down our bodies in a game of truth or dare.

Audrey leans into my ear. ‘What are you smiling about?’

Keeping my eyes closed, I shake my head. ‘Nothing in particular.’ The words flow out of my mouth easy enough, but my mind is imagining all the things I want Wren to do to me.

‘If you say so. I’m going to the bar. Want anything?’

‘No thanks.’

Audrey kisses my forehead before her scent disappears when she walks away.

The song switches to one with a slower tempo, so I slow my movements to match the mood of the new song. My skin tingles as the energy around me changes, and not even a minute into the song, someone presses up against my back, so I turn around with a smile on my face, expecting to see Audrey.

Except it’s not Audrey at all. The blood rushes from my face as the muscles in my legs tighten in readiness to flee. The bright neon lights flash in front of my face as every second seems to speed up, but every movement slows down. Dizziness fogs my brain, and I try to make a run for it, but he grabs my upper arm and yanks me against his chest.

‘Remember me?’ he says, blowing his hot whiskey breath over my ear.

How could I forget? But, more to the point, how does he remember me? He was wasted the last time I saw him.

I shove him, but his grip tightens when I struggle to free myself. ‘Get the fuck off me,’ I say, pushing harder as I dig my nails into his chest as hard as I can, until I feel pain. It does nothing to him, though.

‘You got away last time, but that won’t be happening again. You owe me.’ He grabs hold of my hair as he attempts to pull me from the crowd. ‘You’re a fucking tease. I’ve been watching you grind that arse against everyone, but I’ll be the last.’

A sob escapes my throat, my limbs going numb as adrenaline pumps through my shaking body. During our first brief encounter, I knew there was something off about him, but I didn’t realise sexual assault would be it. Harassment, maybe. But this is next level.

Everyone else around us is too busy to notice what’s happening, so I know I need to save myself. I lift a knee high enough that it connects with his balls, sending him to his knees and dropping his grip on me to cover his groin. My heart is hammering against my rib cage, sweat covering my shaking body as I rush through the crowd. When I find the exit sign, I make my legs work faster. I’m almost there when someone grabs my arm.

My legs give out beneath me as thoughts of what’s going to happen flood my brain. I’m not even sure why I’m so petrified of this guy, but the glint of terror he wants to inflict shone in his eyes just now, which has me in flight mode.

Strong hands grip my waist, pulling me against a hard chest. When I glance up, I find Wren’s beautiful face etched with concern, his eyes scanning my face and body. ‘Matilda. Baby, what’s wrong?’

My chest heaves as I hyperventilate. ‘I…’ Attempting to cool myself, I fan my face and try to calm myself enough to speak actual words.

Wren places his hands on either side of my face, his eyes darting between mine. ‘What happened?’ He growls out the words, his eyes darkening.

---