𝐈 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈 | 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

Ownership (n.)
the act of possessing something entirely
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   Threading her fingers through Gabby's soft fur, (Y/N) stared blankly at the opposite wall from where she sat in her room, a type of despondency creeping over her when thinking about the crushing weight of Cage's overzealous affection. Even at home, she felt as if she were trapped, her mother's happiness like a thread that could snap any minute if she so much as went against what Cage wanted.

    Maybe she was too selfless.

    Or maybe just not selfish enough.

    Letting out a sigh, she was just about to pull up her computer to mindlessly surf the web until the ringing of a doorbell halted her actions.

    Ugh.

    Just when I got comfortable...

    Carefully sliding Gabby off of her lap to stand up, (Y/N) stood up and slowly descended the stairs in a rather melancholic manner, wondering if her pity party would show to whoever it was on the other side of the door. Letting out another sigh—she seemed to be doing that quite often—she reluctantly opened the door and dragged her tired eyes up to meet two pair of eyes. One pair belonged to Jasmine, and the other to Angelina, both looking her up and down and scoffing.

    She deadpanned.

    Without a second thought, she moved to shut the door in their faces, clicking her tongue when Jasmine stuck her shoe out to stop the action.

    "What do you want?" (Y/N) demanded monotonously. "Why are you at my house?"

    "We need to talk," Jasmine narrowed her eyes.

    "Not interested," she moved to close the door again, but this time, Jasmine placed her hand on the frame so that she was now at eye level with the other, a type of fear and desperation that she had never seen before in her dark eyes. "Fine... then." She opened the door wider, crossing her arms before continuing, "Make it quick, though."

Jasmine and Angelina brushed past (Y/N) into her home before shutting the door behind them, silence trickling between all three of them as (Y/N) waited for one of them to speak.

"Well?" (Y/N) raised a brow. "What is it?"

"It's about Cage Winters," they both answered in unison, their expressions impassive.

(Y/N) visibly flinched.

Him?

Again?

"You should stay away from him," Angelina voiced softly, her eyes flicking around warily whilst her head turned every few seconds to look at the door—it was almost as if she were making sure that no one would come barging in to interrupt them. "He's dangerous."

"Yeah..." (Y/N) mumbled. "I know that..."

In that instance, both Jasmine and Angelina could see the utter despair in her (E/C) eyes, something that shocked them to the point they both had to take a step back. It was as if all of her willpower and her desire to fight had drained from her very being, now only but a husk of who she normally was. It was strange for them—it was strange to see the girl who had made Jasmine bleed to stand up for herself be reduced to this state.

It was jarring to say the least.

"What did he do to you?" Jasmine murmured.

(Y/N) recoiled from her words like she had been burned, her jaw tightening as if insulted.

"You need to go..." she then uttered lowly, her eyes darting like lightning as she grabbed both of their arms and began moving to shove them out the door, their protests falling on deaf ears since she was consumed with the horror of her situation.

"Listen to us!" Angelina yelled. "And you might be able to be free of him!"

At those words, (Y/N) stilled.

To be... free?

"I guess that's one way to get your attention," Jasmine exhaled slowly. "Anyways... while we initially were hostile towards each other, after what happened with Cage... I guess it didn't sit right to leave you in that situation without knowing anything. Especially after Cage threatened us a few days ago... it's obvious what he can do."

    (Y/N) glanced down to Jasmine's neck, a faint outline of a handprint still visible.

"He even had us expelled," Jasmine further explained, her lips twisting into a bitter frown. "He's very diligent when it comes to what he wants—and what he wants is your complete obedience to his every word and action. He's probably dug into your life so well that you can't deny him, can you?"

(Y/N)'s silence answered her question.

"He's probably threatened you or those close to you," Angelina hummed. "Is it your parents? Other close friends?"

    "His father owns my mother's business... he hates Mr. Henderson... and he can also have me expelled as well," (Y/N) answered as she turned and walked into the living room to sit down, Jasmine and Angelina following her and doing the same. "If I want to completely ruin their lives—the only two people who have ever helped me—I would do something. But you can see why I can't."

"So... it's true," Angelina muttered, her accent seeming to thicken since a certain amount of sorrow laced her usually mocking voice.

"You already knew this," Jasmine stated as she slid her gaze to the corner of her eyes towards Angelina, her brows pinching before she then looked back at (Y/N). "Cage will do whatever he wants to get anything he wants. My advice? Don't piss him off and don't try to resist him. It'll only make your situation worse. Eventually, his interest might wane... but it's just a theory."

    "And my mother?" (Y/N) muttered.

    "She might as well find a new job," Jasmine sighed as she stood up, Angelina doing the same. "Better yet, just move away entirely."

    With that, they left.

    They fulfilled their guilt-ridden obligation.

    But nothing of what they said helped (Y/N), her expression practically frozen as her fingers curled into fists at her sides.

Even if I act disinterested...

He'll know.

    It feels like he always knows.

    As such words riddled her mind, Cage's influence over her only tightened its grip.

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To be continued...