WE STILL EXIST

Chapter Sixteen- Fair Game

NOAH BLAKE

He was never a lightweight  when we drank, he didn't have that much to drink either.

Avery lies on the ground near a rock to keep him in my sight. I try to talk to Maddie, but seeing people by Avery makes me anxious. What if they step on him or something?

"Andrew and I were thinking about heading home." Maddie tugs on my arm, "are you going to come with us?"

I shake my head, "I have to take care of Avery." She looks down and then back up to me with her eyes lighting up, "My brother can bring him home."

"I don't think he would be up for it," I remember the dark look in his eyes when he saw us earlier.

No favors for me, "he's drunk, isn't he?"

"Pretty sure he stopped drinking when you guys jumped off of the cliff." Andrew comes up to us and wraps his arms around our shoulders, "you two ready to go home?"

Maddie nods, "she doesn't want to leave Avery by himself."

"Can we put him in your car and he can stay with me tonight?" Maddie shakes her head no, "you are sleeping over, remember?

A tall shadow creeps up beside me, "you going home Maddie?"

"Andrew is taking us home, but Maddie doesn't want to leave Avery alone." Coden brushes his arm against mine, "I can look after him and take him home tomorrow after we clean up."

I sigh, we can't all be winners.

Not making eye contact with Coden, I lean down and kiss Avery on the head. He doesn't move a muscle.

"What did you give him to drink?"

Coden sniffs, "jungle juice."

"He had two drinks and he passed the fuck out," I make it obvious by pointing to the way he is laying on the ground.

He shrugs, "maybe he had some more before you got here."

"I'll take good care of him, Noah."

Without responding, I take Maddie's and Andrew's hands. We walk down the hill to the bay and start foraging to the path back to town. Maybe twenty minutes later, I remember that my backpack is still back at the waterfall.

I can go back tomorrow, there isn't any school and I am sure my dad won't need me until the afternoon anyway. He knows I am staying at Maddie's house, so it is no problem.

We make it to Andrew's car parked by one of the driving paths. His new car is under a tree in the shaded area, he didn't want it to get too hot during the day.

Piling in his car, he drives off to the main road. It still bothers me that Avery is alone at the waterfall. Coden didn't seem very convening to take care of Avery tonight, the way his eyes darkened when he told me he would make me nervous.

I try not to think about it anymore, Coden can handle Avery. He is his friend after all, with the intent to humiliate me and watch me get violated, he and Avery can enjoy each other.

CODEN JAMES

I was planning on letting Avery sleep it off until tomorrow and have him walk home himself, but something I found in Noah's bag changed my mind.

When the two of them were chatting next to the fire, I saw a bag next to one of the tables. Maddie had said it was Noah's bag and she wanted to keep it hidden.

Opening the bag, I found clothes, a hair brush, and lotion. The lotion was in a mason jar with something written on the lid.

"Bruises," I read aloud.

I was right, the bastard was abusing her. Hitting her and making her use that shit to hide his handy work. He must have been pissed about something to make beat her and then make her wear this shit.

The red hand marks on her skin tonight were fresh, they were not there during the day when she got here. It must have been after I left or just before I got to the field.

He was gripping her so hard on the beach, I should have seen it coming a lot sooner. Yeah, I had my suspicions. This confirms it one hundred percent more.

Here I am, in the middle of the field with a tied-up Avery. I picked him up and carried him to the field he and Noah were in earlier.

His hands are bound behind his back and his legs are tied at the ankles. He sits up against a tree with a pull system wrapped around his torso and arms holding him in place. When the time is right, I will string him up.

I have water, alcohol, rope, and my fucking anger.

Time is up, I walk over to Avery and throw water on him. He jolts awake and looks around frantically.

"Coden?" The fun begins.

I throw the bucket to the ground and pull my arms back making a fist, my clenched hand makes an impact to the left cheek and I go again. He spits blood back out of his mouth and hisses.

"What the fuck?" He tries to wiggle out of the ropes tied around him, "what is this?"

Standing up, I walk over to the alcohol and bring it to Avery. Without answering him right away, I slam his head into the tree and pour vodka down his throat. He sputters it everywhere, but I hold him there with it down his throat.

Next, I take the empty bottle he made a mess of and smash it against his head. He cries out for me to stop, I let him take a breather while I get the rope.

"You are going to stay away from her," I pull the frayed pieces of rope off of the tail end and I light it on fire with the lighter in my pocket.

The pieces burn off and the rope is slim making the tail end sharper than the rest of it. Avery coughs to clear his throat, more vodka comes out of his mouth.

"I advised you to not go for her, I asked you about the marks on her body, and you still denied everything." He looks at me lost, "are you talking about Noah?"

Playing dumb I see...

"I know you throat fucked her after you hit her a few times," his head shoots up.

Got ya bitch!

"Is that what she told you?" He chuckles to himself.

"She didn't tell me a single thing," I point to the lotion sitting by his feet.

He rolls his eyes, "what I do with my girlfriend is none of your business."

I beg to differ. Taking the rope, I swing it at him and it hits his chest. Cracking against his skin, Avery lets out a grunt.

"She is a woman, a girl, a daughter, and you decide to hurt her," I whip the rope again.

He hisses when the rope makes contact with his skin, "you don't know what you are talking about."

"You were the one who wanted nothing to do with her, to embarrass her in front of everyone here!" He yells at me.

Red is all I see in my line of sight, "we are their protectors. Women are meant to be our saviors and to be our partners in life."

"Noah is a special girl, Avery. You fucked her up and now I am going to let you rot out here."

"Tomorrow when you wake up, get out of the fucking ropes, and go home," I punch him again. "You will break up with her, say that you don't deserve her and then leave."

Taking the pulley in my hand, I string him up like the pig he is. 

Justice?

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