A thousand bad times - Post Malone

Seventeen

⚠️ this story gets a bit violent from here so if you don't like that or it's too triggering skip the next three chapters (17, 18, and 19).

If you have gotten this far in this story I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read this book and I really hope you are enjoying it.

Ok, here we go...

"Holi...Holi...come out, come out wherever you are."

Holi feels like her chest is collapsing and finds herself having to take in deep gulps of air to try and calm herself. She should have known Chuck was watching. This is her fucking fault! When she was on the streets she was always looking over her shoulder but now that she has Austin she had not felt the need to. He would protect her...keep her safe.

At the thought of Austin, her lips twitch into a smile and she feels calm. There is nothing Chuck can do to her anymore. He can smack her around in this bathroom, threaten her, even scare her but it won't change the simple fact that Austin and a team of lawyers are waiting in a courtroom for her and that in just a few hours her, Austin, Mac and Bell will be on their way home...to a real home.

Fuck Chuck. He may scare Holi but she is tough as fuck. He can't hurt her. She cleans herself up, flushes the toilet then unlocks the cubical door and stands back a little as it slowly swings open to reveal a nasty-looking Chuck who is sporting a sickening smirk.

"Boo," he says popping the 'B'. He has always been a little theatrical. Holi rolls her eyes pushing him aside as she walks past him to the sink. He leans against the sink and watches her like she is the most fascinating creature he has ever seen. Holi looks at him through the mirror...not ready quiet yet to face the real demon just yet, "what are you doing here, Chuck?" she asks, making sure to keep her voice flat as she talks.

Chuck reaches out and tucks her hair behind her ear leaving her skin cold where he touched, "I am here to fetch you...take you home. After all you were promised to me. You belong to me," he says calmly. Holi turns the tap off and steps back grabbing angrily at a stack of paper towels and starts drying her hands, "there is nothing you can do to me, Chuck. I have a team of lawyers in that courtroom and I will get my kids back. I will never go back to the streets again and I don't care what you do with my mother. Face it...you have lost. Now just fuck off and leave me alone," she spits out her words and throws her used paper towels in the bin.

Chuck's shoulders drop and he nods his head, "oh, Holi. You are right...I have lost. I was hoping you would see the good in me, forgive me, and come home. But I see now that is not the case. There is nothing I can do to you. So I will go. But please, you must know that you have changed me so in your honor I have decided to stop selling meth and instead open a rehab...you know - live my own white picket fence type of life clean and violence-free," he says his voice laced with sadness or sarcasm...Holi is not sure.

Holi grips onto the sink. What the fuck is going on? This is never how these encounters go. But Chuck turns around and walks to the main bathroom door. She watches him put his hand on the door handle and then he looks at her - his face sad, "I am sorry for everything, Holi. I hope you have a good life...goodbye," he says softly then pulls the door open. But just as he is about to step out he stops and slaps his forehead with his hand, "oh! I almost forgot," he says and then steps back into the bathroom letting the door close again.

He cocks his head and gives Holi an almost comically large grin. He reaches into his back pocket shaking his head and chuckling, "silly old me...I swear Holi, one day I will lose my head," he says. He pulls out what looks like paper and then practically skips over to Holi and smiles, "I hope you don't think me out of line but I must say this bathroom light makes you look a little pale...sick even," he says with another grin.