The Dating Pact

Chapter Thirty | No More Tears Left to Cry

This chapter contains some discussion of sexual assault and rape. It doesn't go into much detail so I'm not going to mark it with a warning (especially since a lot of this chapter revolves around the topic). I'm just giving you a head's up.

I hope you like this chapter :)

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Everything stops around me. The bustling of students retrieving books from their lockers and mingling among themselves slows. The noise of distant laughter echoes in my head, making it sound almost mocking.

He appears to be enjoying the frozen expression of alarm on my face, his smirk unwavering. Gazing into his taunting brown eyes gleaming with amusement, flashes of memories pass behind my eyes.

Nick didn't used to be all bad; he was actually amazing to me at first. He had me completely fooled. By the time he began verbally abusing me, I was shocked. However, that shock quickly morphed into dreadful anticipation for his hurtful insults.

I'm not easily manipulated, but Nick was a professional. He was able to twist me into a completely different person—more reserved, meek, and most of all, tolerable of his verbal abuse, which eventually turned physical.

I didn't put up with the physical abuse for long since I found my voice to snap back at him. Of course, I received even worse punishments than before.

When I tried breaking up with him after a year and a half of dating him, he wouldn't allow it. He kept showing up at my house and barging into my room. He had my parents completely fooled, so they happily welcomed him into our home any time he came to visit me unexpectedly.

He was a fantastic actor. Polite and sweet to me in public, but a monster behind closed doors.

Then the absolute worst happened.

The memory disguised as a nightmare passes behind my eyes like it was yesterday.

At the beginning of sophomore year, Avery and I attended our first party with The Pineapples. Like usual, we kept our distance from the boys and ventured off to do our own shit.

Both of us were excited to try our first sip of alcohol and headed straight for the stack of various types of alcohol on the kitchen table. We cracked open cans of White Claws and toasted to our first party.

Before I had the chance to bring the can to my lips, Avery stopped me.

"Let's toast to you being single and ready to mingle!"

We clanked our cans together and took big swigs of our drinks. We both scrunched our faces as the tang of alcohol hit our tongues and slid down our throats, pooling into heat in our stomachs.

Avery finished her can before me and flagged down some random guy making drinks.

"What's the best you got?" She asked.

I finished the rest of my drink, ready to down my next.

The random guy ended up making both of us screwdrivers. While he was in the process of mixing the vodka and orange juice together, I turned away to scan my eyes over the gathering and thickening of the crowd.

That was my first mistake.

After realizing the crowd was forming around my brother and his band buddies, I rolled my eyes and turned back to Avery and the random dude. Avery grabbed her drink from him and immediately took a sip.

"C'mon! Take a sip of this. This shit is good. It barely tastes like there's any alcohol in the drink!"

I reached forward to grab the drink from the guy. His facial expression confused me when I took the cup from his hand. The boy had a mixture of guilt and nervousness plastered on his face. I merely arched a brow, weirded out by the strange look on his face. But my lightweight tipsy self brushed it off and took a sip of the drink.