Tempting Trouble

Chapter 7

Claire

I'd never really understood why people listen to songs about relationship break ups when they're going through a break up themselves, I always wondered why anyone would choose to make themselves more depressed with the same song on repeat. Now I understand completely, thanks to Andrew Stephenson and his lips, the harrowing song I'd had playing on repeat, since he drove me home from the park without a word uttered between us, was speaking volumes to the crushing agony inside my chest. 

I didn't ask for him to kiss me but I wasn't going to stop him either, I never asked for him to take up space inside my head but there he was, consuming my every thought, the good thoughts from the way his tongue felt as he swept it against my own so naturally, to the bad thoughts of him telling me that the kiss, my very first kiss ever, was a mistake. He stole my first kiss out from under me and left me feeling ashamed and embarrassed. 

Even if I was terrible at kissing, surely there would have been a more sensitive way to tackle the issue? Maybe I used too much tongue? Maybe not enough? Maybe this was just another one of Andrew Stephenson's sick, manipulating head games that he enjoys playing. Whatever the reason for his rude, uncivilised behaviour yesterday, he won't be granted a second chance to ever kiss me again, my lips, in fact all of me, will now be considered an Andrew Stephenson no go zone. 

The song nears the end but I'm not ready for it to be over just yet, my anguish is begging for a release so I skip back to the start of the song, for the thousandth time since I woke up. I just want to wallow in self pity while I imagine horrible things happening to Andy. I check the time on my phone, it's just after 7am, Andy will be knocking at my door within the next half hour, I'd gone over in my head so many times what I plan to say to him and then will slam the door in his stupid, pretty boy face. 

A knock at my bedroom door startles me, is he early? Did Mum or Dad let him in and he's on the other side of my bedroom door? He's had all night to work on an apology, maybe he's come to beg for my forgiveness? Well be prepared to grovel Andy, on your knees. 

I stomp over to my door and fling it open, expecting to find a shamed faced Andrew but instead I discover my Dad, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed. 

"What is with the depressed fest in here? That song is making my ears bleed Claire." Dad complains, putting his fingers in his ears to over dramatise the effect my song is having on him. 

"It's my new anthem Dad, the song of me hating all men and wishing they never existed." I explain to him, which makes him laugh heartily, nice Dad, I'm so glad you find my pain and suffering funny, glad I could entertain you while I'm trapped in hell. 

"Well when you're done hating all men and wishing they never existed, do you think you could grace us with your presence at the dinning table for breakfast?" Dad asks me, struggling hard to keep a straight face.

"Fine." I grumble, pushing past him and making my way down the stairs. I swear sometimes he forgets what it's like to be a teenager. From behind me I hear Dad's phone start ringing and when he answers it I can tell from the way he's talking that it's Lucas on the other end. I hope Lucas is calling with bad news about Andy, like he got mauled by a bear, not that we have bears around here but it's nice to imagine Andrew getting ripped apart by sharp claws while he screams out helplessly. 

Dad stops at the top of the staircase, his voice becoming much more serious, indicating that this could be a school matter and not a call to announce Andrew's demise, shame, I was hoping for some good news today. I carry on into the kitchen and begin preparing my breakfast, two slices of toast with two eggs and cheese melted on top, plus a strong coffee, I inherited my caffeine addiction from my Mum. 

By the time I sit down with my breakfast, Mum and Heath are just about finished theirs which is great because I want to be alone with my thoughts of the many ways I can cause Andy immense pain without being interrupted by idle chitchat. Heath gets up from the table, plate in hand and walks into the kitchen to wash it but Mum stays, lingering in her spot, distracting me every so often with her murmurs as she reads from her phone. 

"What is it?" I ask her when I realise I'm going to have to engage in order to get her to stop. 

"There was another assault over the weekend." She explains, looking up from her phone, I can see the sadness written all over her face, empathy that she holds for a girl who was innocent, no doubt, just like the others. Teenage girls, not much older than me, were being targeted. 

"That's like four now right?" I ask her, suddenly my own problems felt minuscule to what these girls had endured, drugged and raped. 

"Five actually." Mum corrects me. "Similar stories though, all were students at Claremont High, attending local parties of friends, their drink gets spiked, leaving the poor girls just conscious enough to realise they are being raped but too weak too fight off the predator." 

"That's disgusting, whoever is doing this is a monster." It's hard for me to even fathom that there's someone out there, in our sleepy little town, preying on young women, destroying their lives in such a cruel way.

"It's possible they're not just a lone wolf, it could be someone setting up the bait and another going in for the kill." Mum says, reading more from her phone. "Police state that the drink in question was handed to the victim by someone known to her but they have been cleared of all suspicion." 

"You said that all the assaults have happened at parties of friends of the victims right?" I ask Mum and she nods. "That means that the perpetrator could be known to the victim." 

"It's a possibility or it could just be an outsider, someone looking to stir up trouble." Mum ponders. 

"Well whoever it is, I hope the police catch them soon, five assaults is five too many." I say, staring down at my breakfast which I don't think I can even stomach now, not with such sickening thoughts in my head. 

"They will." Mum assures me. "Please just be very vigilant when you go to any party Claire, never accept a drink from anyone unless its being poured right in front of you."

"I won't." I promise her, my parents have drummed safety into Heath and I since we were kids, we'd often get stalked by photographers who would try to lure us into posing for shots and even though the interest in my family has long died off, Mum and Dad still try to make us well aware of the dangers of trusting people we don't know. 

"I'm guessing you heard the news?" Dad asks us as he enters the room and throws his phone down on the dinning table. 

"Yeah, it;'s all over social media." Mum replies, holding her phone up to show him her newsfeed which is filled with articles about the local girl who is the latest victim. 

"That was Lucas on the phone, he's taking the day off to go talk to the young girl's parents, just to offer support." Dad explains. "He's taking Andrew with him too."

"Why would he take Andy with him?" I ask Dad, feeling the bitterness for the boy rise up inside of me at the mention of his name. Andy is probably too scared to face me so he is hiding away like the little boy that he is. He makes me so angry, I swear. 

"I'm sure he has his reasons but he didn't say." Dad tells me and I just catch a glimpse of the look he and Mum share before she looks away. They're hiding something from me, I can always tell. 

"I thought you said we can be open and honest with each other." I say, calling them out. 

"Claire, you have to understand, sometimes in life there are things we can't tell you, not because we don't trust you, we do but some stories are not ours to share." Mum explains vaguely