To Be A Prize

Chapter 20

"You", my finger outstretched, pointing at my ex, "didn't I tell you to sit down?"

Karl is stood, holding Punz by the scruff of his collar who pauses his attempt to reach around his attacker and hit Dream who is still sat, snickering.

Unsure of what to do, whether to submit or not, Karl just stares at me.

"You heard the lady," Punz grunts out, slightly strangled by the fabric of his hoodie pulled taught across his neck.

"You too, smart ass. Sit." I command, thinking about how much I sound like my mother.

Both Punz and Karl slink down into their seats and Dream follows, swallowing his laughter.

I beckon Sapnap over with my finger as I take a seat myself. As the five of us now sit round the table in the dining room like a dysfunctional family, it suddenly occurs to me that I have no idea what to say next. I quickly hop on the defence, giving myself time to collect my thoughts, as hard as this may be with the pulsing pain in my arm nagging at me for my attention.

"What made you decide to come back to us?" I ask Karl, avoiding eye contact by carefully examining my arm.

"Not them, you. I came back for you," he replies, his voice pained and hopeful.

"How sweet," I smile, meaning it. And just like that, I decide what I'm going to say, how I'm going to take back control of this situation. Resituate myself in this game so that I am no longer just a prize, but the game's leader.

Still smiling, I survey the faces staring before me: confused, worried, charming, and harrowed, like a bad retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Or in this case, four.

"You've all played with my emotions and taken my free will for granted. For that, I should never speak to any of you again," I begin. As I lead with this threat, the four men suddenly look worried that I might actually get up and walk out of their lives forever. "Fortunately for you all, I am a very competitive person and when a game has started I like to see it to the end."

I am reminded of all the times I sat and watched Karl play games on his computer, snuggled up in a chair pulled up next to his. On the other end of a headset the other three men would chat away, making fun of each other and cracking jokes. Who would have guessed that in the moments that I wasn't there, they were talking about me as if they owned me.

Maybe I've gone crazy. Maybe finding out that the life I had built for myself was actually planned by other people sent me over the edge. Or maybe I was like this all along. Either way, I am going to take back ownership of my body and my life.

"You see, I feel a little bit used," I continue, breaking the silence as the rest of the room hangs on to my every word, waiting for me to finish. "So, in return, I would like to use you all too."

"Use us?" Karl repeats what I said, questioningly.

"Use us how?" Sapnap asks, childlike wonder shining in his big hazel eyes.

"Don't be so naive, you moron. How d'you think." Punz chips in, excitedly leaning forward in his chair.

Before I can answer any of their questions, they all start bickering again, Karl shouting at Punz for looking so eager whilst Punz also gets an earful from Sapnap for calling him a moron.

"Guys!" Dream shouts, gaining the rooms attention, "let her finish! I want to hear where she's going with this."

I smile at him, grateful but also taking note of the power he wields over the rest of the men. He's clearly the leader in their group.

"Use you," I repeat myself, "however I want. You've all had far too much say in my life. I've read your little notebook so I know all about you rules. And then of course I was locked up in my own bedroom so I've had a lot of time to think things through."

Now I turn to Karl, "I don't want to give up what we've spent so many years building." He nods hopefully before I sweep my attention to the rest of the men and address them, "but I find you all so appealing too. So I've decided that now its my turn to come up with some rules. Rules that outline how I'm going to be dating each and everyone of you."

"Starting with you."