ALL OF MY PEACHES ARE RUINED || nate & cassie | euphoria abo

c h a p t e r t w e n t y f o u r - finale

chapter twenty four: CHERRY AND PEACH

My head hurt and my vision was blurry. The metal straps of the plastic chair I was forcefully sat on dug painfully into my back. My hands were tied behind my back, and they were starting to get numb. As I slowly regained my consciousness I tried to understand where we were and as I did, panic seeped into my bones. The place we were in was dimly lit but the lights that were on hurt my eyes. My mouth was dry, and I was feeling sick. I fidgeted in my seat, but it only made everything hurt worse.

I tried opening my eyes wider. The place we were in was huge and echoey and it smelled like gas and metal. I looked around – there were cars. It looked like a parking lot or a garage for expensive cars. Aaron was pacing back and forth in front of me, a gun in one hand and another running through his sand-colored hair, ruffling it. I thought of how to escape. He hit me once when I wouldn't stop begging him to let me go as he forced me into his car. That's when I lost consciousness. I awoke here as he was telling me why he did it, why he had to kill me – or my dad, he didn't really care which one. He told me about his sister who was also Nate's wife and whom my dad killed. I knew all that. It was hard to focus on his words, no matter how horrifying they were. I was barely conscious as it was.

And now he was quiet, pacing and muffling something under his breath. This version of him scared me even more. He was always scaring me but back then, when he pretended to be friendly and casual, at least he didn't seem that dangerous. The façade had fallen and his true face was for all to see – well, to me at least.

I should've been more careful, I knew that. I should've told Nate that Aaron was acting suspicious; how he followed me around campus, how he invited me for coffee during lunch one day and I agreed only that one time, but he was persistent. Now I realized he had been stalking me. All this time he was waiting for a chance to kidnap me. Just like Nate, Aaron wanted to avenge Marianne, his sister. But there was so much hurt in his voice that his usual cheerful tone didn't hide any longer. And I couldn't help but feel sorry for him – even if he was ready to kill me.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked, my voice weak, barely a whisper.

Aaron didn't stop pacing. "Who do you think I'm waiting for. Your father, of course."

I didn't know if he was stupid or did I get a concussion; I tasted blood on my lips.

"My dad won't come," I said. "He doesn't even know I'm here. And he doesn't even know about you."

If my only chance of survival was waiting for my dad to come to save me when he was probably lounging around with my mom on a cozy Friday night as they always did, believing I'm safe and sound in Nate's arms, then I'm doomed.

Aaron didn't spare me a single glance.

"There's a lot you don't know, Omega. Your father will come. He will figure it out. Whether with someone else's help or—"