Fifty Shades After

Chapter 23: Bad Guy Jr

It's so dark. Where am I? There's a light showering over me, but I see nothing.

"Sophie, I really liked you.." I say automatically. Before I know it, she's meters in front of me, with another light casting down to her. But it's so dim I can barely see her face
.
She clicks her tongue.

"Oh, Teddy, Teddy, Teddy. You're just a child. I need a man. A real man. Not some poor kid from Colorado who pulled a Cinderella."

Loud- almost angry laughs begin to build up around me.

Sophie morphs into James.

"You're out of your leagues, Theodore! What makes you think you can live up to become a billionaire businessman's son? Your last name?"

The loud laughs are growing hysteric.

James morphs into Kurt.

"Did you hear that, Ted? They called your mom a gold digging whore!"
The ear pinching cackles vibrate like thumps in my ear drums, and I can't mute them with my palms, no matter how hard I try.

Kurt morphs into Dad.

"You sorry excuse. You're not my son." My ears explode with blood, my eyes are gone, and I'm being consumed into the ground.

No... Ted... Ted...

~

"Ted! Ted!" Loud president knocks wake me from my nightmare. The light emanating from the window pierces through my eyes and I quickly close them shut. What in the world... I involuntarily shiver. What the hell was that? That was way too gory, even for my kind of dream. Jesus. I groan and drag my palms up my face. The knocks haven't seized. "What! I yell irritated.

"Wake up, lazy! C'mon, let's hang!" That horrid emphasis in the words clearly discloses that it's James behind my door. I check my watch- my Movado Sapphire watch. Its only eight. I take off the watch and toss it on the black bean bag in the corner. The watch left a mark on my wrist and I massage the discomfort away. Jesus, it's like wearing handcuffs. "James, go home. It's too early." I place a pillow over my face. "Aw, come on Ted! Please?" I groan even louder.

I'm lounging on one of the couches in the game room while James spins the handles of the foosball table. I remember the game with Sophie weeks ago and I look away. "Let's do something, Ted, come on." James says absent mindedly spinning the handles. "What do you want to do?" I shrug and close my eyes. He's quiet. "Do you have any video games?"I peek at him with one eye and shake my head. "What?" He scoffs incredulously. "I've told you. I don't play video games." I close my eyes again.

He scoffs once more. "Then we definitely have to get you some! What kind of adolescent doesn't own video games!" He jumps on the nearest couch. "As if. I don't have any money."
- "What?"
- "I mean, I haven't gotten any summer jobs like I normally do, so where the heck am I gonna get money for video games?" James stays quiet. "You're... You're kidding, right?" I glance at him and he looks genuinely confused. "No," I stutter. Where's he going with this? James suddenly bursts into sarcastic laughter. "What!" I ask, my turn to be utterly confused. "Ted, your dad is like a bazillionaire! Quit being idiotic!"

Oh...oh yeah.
Dad is filthy rich.
Forgot about that.

"Well, it's not like I'm going ask him for brand new games and consoles, for christ sake.."
- "Why not?" He raises a brow. "Because! That money could be useful for something else!" James rolls his eyes at me and jumps off the couch and runs upstairs. "Wait!" I jump after him. He's going to Dad.

I skid across the entrance hall and frantically look to every direction.
James is against the door to Dad's office. He points with one hand and puts his index and pinky against his ear and mouth. "He's in there, he's on the phone!" he whispers. "No!" I hiss. "Come on, ask him for money!"
- "I don't want to bother him." I rub the back of my neck. "When he's done, then!"
- "What if he says no?" James rolls his eyes again and loudly knocks on the door. Shit!