Catch Me if You Can (18+) (FINISHED)

15 - Finding Her

Ace
Five Years Ago

"Are you certain she's here?" I questioned Tyce as we searched the park with our flashlights, Miles, Nick, and Kylo following behind us.

"I saw her come out this way," he told me. "And I don't really know what happened, but something bad did."

"No, shit," Nick responded cynically. "She beat that shit out of Sam. She's never been violent before."

"Is he going to live?" Kylo said, brows raised. "Dude was knocked out, bro."

"He'll live," Miles said. "She just beat him. Didn't do anything fatal. At least that's what the nurse said. He's just going to be bruised."

Kylo scanned the trees with his flashlight. "I wonder what got her to fuck him up."

"He must've done something really bad," Miles explained.

"What the hell was he doing in her room, anyway?" I questioned, heat rising in my body.

"Shh," Tyce hissed, and all of us paused when he did. "Do you hear that?"

Silence filled the entire park, covering me in a level of uncertainty when we scanned the area for threats.

But that's when we heard it.

Faint sobbing.

I scanned the trees for her form, knowing from the breathy cries that it was her.

Aspen.

But when I found the source of the sound, my eyes locked on a figure huddled under the tops of the playground, curled up with herself like a terrified child.

"Oh, shit," Miles said, seeing her, too.

I immediately ran over to her, the guys following behind as her cries made something cold swarm inside me.

What happened...?

She sobbed into her knees, shaking like a live wire as her breath came out in shutters.

"Hey," I whispered, kneeling down to her level.

Her head shot up at an instant, and she nearly screamed before she paused, clearly knowing it was me.

Something hot swarmed inside my chest.

Her hair was ratted and tangled, her face covered in scratches and makeup, and her wrists had bruises ringed around them as if someone grabbed her, and her shirt as well as her skirt was ripped and wrinkled.

"What happened?" I questioned, getting under beside her.

The guys just stayed outside, watching for threats.

"Did he hurt you?" I asked her, watching her expression carefully as she remained silent. "Did he hit you?"

Her face broke slightly, and she shook her head, the reaction telling me it was much worse.

"What happened?" I urged. "Tell me, Aspen."

Her breath shuttered, and she pressed her hands to her eyes, trying to stop the tears.

I could tell she didn't want me to see her cry.

"Tell me, Aspen," I pressed. "Right now. Come on."

She shook her head.

Anger burned through me.

I caught her chin and brought her face to mine, looking deeply into her eyes while she stared helplessly at me. "Explain," I demanded. "Now."

I let her go, watching her stance.

"Sam..." she whispered then, giving in. "He... uhm." She closed her eyes and opened it again. "Earlier tonight... a girl, some rando, just came up to me and handed me a glass of water, telling me to drink it. I didn't think much of it then, and I wasn't really thirsty, so I didn't even take a sip. Kylo and Miles were drunk off their asses, and you and Tyce were at the store. I don't know where Nick was, but I went upstairs into my room and decided to take a break from all the people."

I watched her eyes darken, and something cold twinged inside me.

"He was there... in my room... in the darkness... hiding next to my closet." She closed her eyes and opened them again, forcing the shakiness from her tone. "He started grooming me or something, just being creepy, but started talking about the glass of water and how it was supposed to make me sleepy or something, and he suspected I was feeling it."

Heat swarmed me when I started piecing it together.

"The date rape drug," she explained. "He slipped it into my water, and I suspected another one because he mentioned something about me forgetting what happened. I didn't drink it, though." She paused. "He got on top of me, and I fought him, but he pinned me down and started kissing me."

I looked down at her wrists because I noticed she was rubbing the bruises there.

He grabbed her, that little shit.

"I couldn't fight him," she whispered. "I was helpless, but I got a risky idea and decided to go limp under him."

I smiled.

Pretending the drug kicked in, smart move.

"When he released me," she explained, "he started touching my stomach, but I found my chance and bit him. He was surprised and let me go, and I tried to leave, but he tried to kill me with his pocketknife."

My mouth dropped.

What?

"And I fought him after with those weak points you taught me," she continued. "And after, I just couldn't.... stop beating him... I just kept punching and punching. It was like I was in a trance." She shrugged, a silent tortured gesture. "And I ran."

I clenched my teeth, anger swelling inside me.

I wanted to go back there and shoot the fuck out of him, but I swallowed it down and gazed at her to find her looking at me with worry.

"I didn't... kill him," she whispered, "did I?"

I shook my head, and she exhaled a sigh of relief, staring off into the distance.

The guys behind me were silent, but I knew they heard everything she said.

I could feel their tension.

I, too, wanted to fuck him up. I wanted to find that girl who gave her the drink and fuck her up. I wanted to fuck EVERYTHING up.

But I gazed down at Aspen, trying to take deep breaths.

She was staring off into the distance, looking numb.

No. This wouldn't do.

"Kylo," I said, "get the car. Miles, Tyce, and Nick? Let's commit chaos."

All the guys whooped, and Kylo ran off.

I caught Aspen's arm, snapping her out of her trance and she glared at me.

"What the fuck?" she said, sounding pissed at my grip.

I just smirked, making her expression falter. "I know what'll cheer you up." I smiled wider. "Let's fuck people up, huh?"

Before she could protest, I tugged her out of the hiding place and dragged her to the car where Kylo sat waiting.

Oh, yes. Screw parties.

I had something much more fun planned.