𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐞

Chapter 14

After soaking in a hot bath to ease my sore and overused muscles, I gave in and called Willow. I needed to know if we were okay. The phone rang for a while and I almost gave up when she finally picked up.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Willow." I tried to sound normal despite the nervousness I felt.

"Hey," she replied in a dry tone.

"I'm sorry about Friday night." I struggled with the right words to say in my mind but the truth was I didn't know what else I could say.

"That's it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Cut the crap, Lake. You were getting ready to tell me something about Dash. What's going on?"

"I can't – I can't tell you." I knew it was lame but while I couldn't tell her the truth, I couldn't lie to her either. "You can't tell me?" she hissed. I could picture her standing with a hand on her hip and her eyes narrowed.

"It's complicated, Willow. But you know I would never do anything to hurt you."

"No, but apparently you would lie to me."
"Willow..."
"Forget it."
She hung up the phone and I sat there for a minute with my head in my hands. He'd done it. Keiran managed to break apart our friendship without doing much at all. I considered going over to her house and making her talk to me but I decided it was best to let her cool off. Besides, what would I say to her anyway? My phone pinged a few minutes later with a message from Jesse again.

Jesse: Let me help
Lake: How would you do that?
Jesse: We could tell someone...
Lake: I can't do that and please don't say anything.

I silenced my phone and tossed it on the coffee table. Jesse was a good guy but Keiran was out of his league. Keiran wouldn't see Jesse as a threat but rather another pawn to use against me. I busied myself with chores and homework to pass the time and take my mind off my sorrows.

Normally I would be at work but Keiran had screwed that up for me as well. The day after the incident I'd called Charlie who assured we were good but also said I couldn't have my job back. The local owner apparently had gotten word of the fight and didn't want me back. It was yet another thing Keiran managed to steal from me.

***

Two weeks passed quickly but nothing got better. In fact, everything just got worse. Willow wouldn't talk to me, Trevor was watching me, and random girls kept picking fights with me. Just yesterday I was pushed against the lockers by one of Anya's friends.

Keiran also changed...sort of. He ignored me completely in school now but every night he came for me. As backwards as it was, his nightly visits were the only time I didn't feel alone. I also felt like the dumbest girl in the world because no matter how much he turned my world upside down, by body always welcomed him. Every time he touched me he took without giving anything in return. Sometimes I cried after we had sex but it wasn't from physical pain. It was the suffocating feeling of hopelessness. Keiran had succeeded in making me his prisoner.