A Light in the Dark

Chapter 14

Camila looked wide-eyed at the two tall guys who were slowly approaching her. She had already seen one of them before, but the other one took her by complete surprise. In the year apart, his shoulders and chest had become broader, and his overall physical appearance was even more muscular than before. He had been a football player in high school, one of the best, and had already been an intimidating figure before. But now? It was on a different level.

"And so we meet again," he drawled, smirking. "How have you been, Karla?"

She swallowed dryly and played with the hem of her shirt, reminding herself that her phone was in her right pocket. How long could it take to grab it and dial a number? A few seconds? Definitely less than a minute.

"What, you're still not talking to me?" He ran a hand through his blonde hair and stopped only a few feet away from her. "That's kinda rude, y'know?"

Her eyes darted around the empty park. She knew the chances were slim that someone was there at this time of day. She had come to this park in the past because of that very reason; to be alone and think.

"Well, I've been doing great," he said smugly, throwing an amused glance to his friend. "Missed you though, Karla."

His friend chuckled and shook his head, smiling widely.

She was pretty much in the middle of the park. While it was quite small in comparison to others, it was still too large for her to reach the street before one of those two could catch up. She wasn't a great runner in the first place and, even with enough adrenaline, she doubted that it was possible for her to succeed.

"I don't think that she missed you," his friend cut in, grinning.

"Of course she did," he waved off. "She's only too proud to admit it, am I right?"

There were many trees and bushes around them. Ahead of her was a small forest. If she could run into the woods, maybe she'd be able to lose them?

"So... what have I heard about you giving my buddy shit?" he asked sternly, his voice losing any hint of amusement. His gray eyes were sparkling with an emotion that she knew too well. "What did I tell you before? Haven't you learned anything?"

She had always thought that she would be braver the next time they met. That she would hold her head up high, facing him without any fear. She wasn't in high school anymore. She had started a new life.

But now with him towering over her, every plan she might have had went out of the window. She couldn't remember the words she wanted to throw at him for the years of abuse. There was nothing but the all too familiar fear as she looked up to the gray eyes that had followed her into her dreams.

"I... I d-didn't," she stuttered and felt disgusted with herself. She wasn't able to stand up for herself and she probably never would be. She would always be that scared little girl. "I didn't m-mean to..."

"Look at that, the retard speaks!" he yelled out, throwing his hands up. He slowly let them sink again and looked at her with mock disappointment. "Y'know, I thought I trained you better than that, Karla. I think that year away from me didn't do you any good. But I didn't know where you were. No one did. I even asked your parents, y'know?"

Camila bit her lip harshly until she tasted blood. Was that true? Was he that delusional that he had looked for her?

"But I never thought that you would be using your middle name. That was my mistake." He had an evil grin on his face and looked to his friend. "Camila. Camila Cabello. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Eh," his friend shrugged. "Still sounds like a dyke."

"Something else that we couldn't correct." He sighed, shaking his head. "But we tried, didn't we?"