Augustine

Chapter 29

I don't know how much time passes when I finally push myself off the floor. My knees scream from the trauma of having them bent while I forced myself to piece together a girl who isn't completely falling apart.

I can still taste the juice from the punch bowl Connor was drinking from earlier. It lingers in my mouth and I don't have anything to help me flush it out.

The straps of my dress don't stay on my shoulders anymore. The force of them getting pulled down seems to have distressed the fabric to the point of no return. It would look like it's part of the design if it wasn't for the loose thread that is currently holding nothing together.

I need to go home.

I wish I had been smart enough to bring my own car, or at the very least a jacket. But clairvoyancy has never been my specialty.

If it was, I would have found a way to avoid the last thirteen months of my life.

The hallway is still deserted when I finally make it out. No trace of anyone and, thankfully, no trace of Connor.

I'm able to make it to the bathroom without alerting anyone of my current state and wash what's left of my makeup. I don't dare look in the mirror. I would rather keep this version of myself hidden, even from my own eyes.

I only look up when my eyes stop producing the black gunk from the mascara.

I hate this version. Her eye makeup is smudged from the top of her lashes all the way to the middle of her cheeks. And the smile that wouldn't leave her face about thirty minutes ago, now lies buried deep within her subconscious.

I force myself to look away from my reflection.

Not a single part of me wants to see her right now.

Even though I managed to push Connor away before he took things too far, I still feel his fingers under my skin. If I could I would peel the skin right off my body to make the feeling go away.

Can someone please make this feeling stop?

I don't know where to go.

I could try to find Aliyah, but she's doing better now. I don't want to drag her into one of my messes again.

But, besides Aliyah, I don't have anyone.

When did my life take that unexpected detour that left me on an isolated road in the middle of nowhere?

I take off my shoes, looping the straps through my fingers. They should be cutting the circulation to my fingers but it's hard to notice when my entire body is numb.

I round the corner only to disrupt a group of young gossip queens in the making. They eye me up and down before one whispers into the other's ear and they burst out laughing. I want to hold my head up high as I walk past them, but there's too much weight attached to it to make that happen.

The night is darker and the air is colder by the time I find the exit.

I walk down the school's main steps, the very steps that spell regret and stupidity.

My feet land on the last step only to be interrupted by a group of voices. All male and all laughing.

They all turn in unison at the sound of my heels making contact with the gray asphalt. Some try to suppress their grins, while others blatantly stare. Connor being one of them.

His hair is still disheveled from earlier and he wears a see through smile.

"Babe, why don't you come over here and tell them what I just did to you." He grins, but his smile doesn't match his eyes. His eyes show an undeterred anger, a ticking bomb ready to explode.

The beating in my chest matches the beating in my ears. He takes a step towards me but I take the same one back, maintaining the distance. The boys laugh at his expense, which only seems to anger him more.

The air feels thicker the longer I stay, making it harder to breathe. But my feet don't seem to respond.

It isn't until I see his hand reaching towards me that I manage to pivot my feet in a 180 turn. All I can think about is finding a way to escape the nightmare that keeps following me.

My heart is caught in my throat when my nose is met with the pressure of the button of someone's dress shirt. I feel cornered when the familiar scent of wood and pine invades my nose.

"What's going on here?" His chest vibrates as he speaks.

In one swift movement he maneuvers me behind him, placing himself between the group of boys and me.

Aiden.