Inflicting Pain (gxg)

● F O U R T E E N | Revenge ●

† Q U I N N †

Sometimes you have to give people a taste of their own medicine. Revenge—it's like the shadow side of fairness. There's something about it that's wickedly sweet, like a hidden confession of all the pain you've been holding in. Sure, people talk about forgiveness being a virtue. But me? I wasn't about to be holy or virtuous. I wanted justice, and to me, that meant vengeance.

The pulsing beat from the bar inside still seeped out into the dark, narrow alley. Out here, no one could hear her scream.

"Quinn, please. I'm begging you. Stop. I didn't mean to," Ashley whimpered, struggling to stand up. I stepped closer, grabbed her chin tightly, and forced her back until she hit the cold, unforgiving wall. The impact made her gasp.

"Didn't mean to, Ashley? Are you fucking serious?" I hissed, my voice sharp as a blade. "How dare you hurt someone who's done nothing to you!" My hand rose, itching to strike, as if it had a mind of its own. My fist clenched tight, and the sight of her sniveling face only made it clench tighter. She flinched as I swung, bracing for the blow. But at the last second, my fist slammed into the wall beside her, inches from her face, the sound echoing in the silence that followed. Her eyes were wide, full of shock and fear.

"Please, Quinn. I'll do anything. Just don't hurt me, and don't release that video," she pleaded, her eyes wide and desperate. The sight of her begging made my stomach turn.

I leaned in close, tightening my grip on her chin. "Why don't you start by crawling to the hospital and apologizing to my roommate," I said, my voice low and cold. "Tell her you're a horrible, desperate bitch who deserves to rot in hell. And make sure you're on your knees when you say it. You hear me, Ashley?"

She nodded, and I released my grip, watching as she crumpled to the ground. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a coin, tossing it at her feet. "Give that to Elise. If she doesn't get it back to me in 24 hours, I'll see you in hell, Ashley." Without another glance, I turned and walked out of the alley, leaving her there in the dark.

The next day, 5 PM—I sat slumped in front of my computer, head pounding and eyes aching. My hand was swollen and wrapped in a bandage, each keystroke sending a sharp sting through my fingers. But I had to push through—I needed to finish coding this program before next week's presentation to Professor Phillips. The semester was almost over, and the deadlines were piling up.

Frustration simmered beneath my skin as I typed slower than usual, the pain in my hand a constant reminder. I cursed under my breath. Hitting that wall was reckless. If I'd actually connected with her face, maybe it would've felt worth it. I kept my focus on the screen, working away, when I heard the door creak open behind me.

I didn't turn around, but I knew it was Elise.

"Quinn? I'm back," she said softly.

"Hey, El. Good to have you back here." I forced myself to finish a few more lines of code before finally turning to look at her. Elise smiled warmly, her face glowing despite the cut on her lip and the bruises marking her neck.

Standing just behind her was the green-eyed, blonde woman. She looked uncomfortable, her emerald eyes darting awkwardly around the room before landing on me.

† C H L O E †

True strength lies in letting go. The best revenge is choosing none at all. Heal, move forward, and don't let yourself turn into those who hurt you. There's nothing as powerful as a soul that decides to forgo revenge and dares to forgive the ones who caused it pain.

Even though I couldn't completely understand how Elise could so easily forgive Ashley, I knew it wasn't my place to question it. Elise has a pure heart, one that seems to forgive everyone who wrongs her without hesitation. It made me wonder how she'd managed to share a dorm with Quinn for nearly three years.