Dark Attraction

Chapter seventeen - roughhousing

It took a while, but soon enough I was deep in the details of my class assignment. Time flew past and when I eventually looked up it was late afternoon. The weather had turned and it was dark and raining, very unusual for the time of year, but hey, weather happens right?

I closed my notebook and winced as my stomach rumbled, it had been hours since lunch time and most of the other students nearby had moved away.

I packed my stuff, stood up and stretched, wincing at how my back protested the movement. At least I'd finished most of the work I'd needed to, and had some questions for my professors for the last bits of it.

I made my way down to the main entrance and stepped out, pulling my hood up to protect from the rain.

As I turned down the alleyway behind the library to cut through towards my apartment, I found the way blocked. The same guy who had bugged me in the hallway outside my class was there, with his three friends. They'd been waiting for me... all afternoon? They moved out from the shelter of a back entrance to the library, where they must have been keeping the rain off them.

The one who had spoken to me squared his shoulders. "All right, hot shot, your time has come."

One of his friends punched his fist into his own hand.

My mind slowed down a little. It didn't feel real, what was happening, it felt like the scene from some nineties teen movie. I stifled a laugh.

"You can't be serious," I said. I glanced behind me, there was no one there, I could make a break for it back to the library. And then what? Hide in the library until they kicked me out? "Have you actually been waiting here for me in this alley? For hours?"

The main guy's face turned ugly and angry. "Took your time didn't you? But it doesn't matter. I could've waited all night. My sister is very important to me and I take the people who hurt her very, very seriously."

"I don't even know your name, buddy," I said.

"It's Austin. Maybe I should carve it into your forehead."

They moved closer to me. I straightened my back and stretched my neck, making it pop faintly. "I don't want to fight you, Austin," I said. "But I'm not afraid of it. If you really want to do this, let's do it."

My heart sped up, a wild part of me loved this kind of thing. I had no idea what would happen next, or who would be hurt. That unknowing was almost as exciting as being around Gage. Maybe I'm messed up, but danger did it for me.

"We're not going to fight," Austin said. "I'm going to teach you a lesson."

"Sounds kinky," I said, grinning. I felt alive, on fire. "Did you bring a paddle? Handcuffs?" I laughed at his disgusted face.

"You better not have done anything like that with my sister!" He launched at me, no style, just pure brute force, and his fist connected with my jawbone before I could bring my arms up to defend myself. It hurt and my vision went starry for a split second.

I'd been in a handful of fights before, although nothing serious, just stupid bar fights between drunk dudes, but this was already different. Neither of us were drunk, and he was fueled by some serious rage issues.

The punch had me reeling back and my shoulder collided with the brick wall. In an instant Austin's friends were grabbing for my arms. My adrenaline-fueled joy was ebbing, replaced by fear as I struggled against their grips. But these were strong guys, and they had been waiting for hours for this. I yanked and wrenched my shoulder, but they didn't let go, pulling my arms up and out to the sides, so that Austin had free reign on my face and torso.

"Not so smart now, are ya?" Austin leaned in closer, smirking in a nasty way. I bided my time until he was close enough, leaned back against the grip his cronies had on me and then launched forward to headbutt him.

That hurt as well, but it was worth it to see him stagger back, a fine trickle of blood on his eyebrow.

"You idiot," Austin said. "I'm gonna mess up your face so that no one will ever fall for your bait and get hurt again."

I started struggling again, trying my best to get free of the guys holding me. One wrist would slide a little and the guy holding it would increase the force of his grip.

Austin punched me swiftly in the stomach and I would have doubled over except the guys holding me kept me upright.

Austin pulled out a switchblade.

"Fuck, are you crazy?" I spat at him. "This is assault, campus security will-"

"Campus security?" Austin laughed and looked around, acting confused. "I don't see them anywhere, do you Bri?"

Bri, who had a painfully tight grip on my left arm, grunted. "Nope."

"Come on, pretty boy," Austin shoved my chin up with one hand and brought the blade of the knife closer to my skin. My heart was pounding so loudly that it was practically drowning out his words. Not enough to stop me talking back though.

I was terrified, but I wasn't about to just whimper and beg to be let go. He was unhinged, I had no idea what was about to happen to me, and that gave me a sort of freedom.

"If you think I'm pretty, maybe this isn't about your sister at all," I said. My voice was half wheeze, because of the gut punch. "Maybe you're jealous."

Bri chuckled then. This was the wrong response judging from the kick Austin delivered to Bri's shin. The pain of it shook Bri's hold on me and I slipped free, yanking my other arm away and ducked under Austin's arm, walking quickly backwards up the alleyway. I couldn't resist getting another taunt in.

"I've turned a lot of straight guys, you know, if you're interested in sucking my dick, you just have to ask."

In retrospect, that was the incorrect thing to say.

I was tackled to the hard ground by Austin, and Bri and the other one were on me in a moment, pinning me to the ground. Bri kneeling on my arm so I could feel my bones grinding against the hard concrete.

I groaned in pain as Austin sat heavily on my stomach and started tracing patterns on my cheek with his knife.

"You know, I was going to just mark you and let you go," Austin said. His voice was wicked, dark and serious, not unhinged in the slightest. Just filled with hate. "But now I think maybe you're the worst kind of campus vermin. The place would be better off without you."

My heart was in my throat and I closed my eyes as the knife traced closer. That meant I had no warning when he flicked it and cut the center of my right eyebrow. I could feel the hot wetness of blood seeping out and into my eye. He meant business.

I was in serious shit.