The Game

Chapter 3

It got to about eleven o’clock and most people were getting drunk by now but I was still fairly sober. Jamie and I got drinks and went into the garden to get away from the crowd; there were a few people out there so we sat on the remaining deck chair. I sat on his knee jokingly and everything was fine. Jamie pulled me closer to him for a hug so I hugged him; we sat cuddling for a while because I knew he was drunk and clueless.

I felt him kiss my neck- I tried to squirm away but he wrapped me up tighter, I told him to stop but he didn’t. There were only three people left in the garden, two of which were going back inside. He carried on. “Jamie please stop it! I don’t like this!” I pleaded. He stopped kissing me finally after I put my hand over his mouth.

After a couple of minutes he rested his hand on my thigh.

“Lighten up and stop trying to fight me and I’ll hurt you less baby” Jamie whispered in my ear, I was physically shaking and tears were rolling down my cheeks. His hand was creeping further and further under my dress and I really didn’t like it. He began tugging at my dress, he was drunk but I wasn’t standing for it. I screamed but he wouldn’t stop. The guy that was still in the garden came over.

“Jamie let her go!” I didn’t recognise him or his voice.

“No, it’s just a bit of fun.” Jamie slurred. I wriggled more but Jamie grabbed my wrists tightly and pushed me up against the wall, he pressed his body against me holding my shoulders so that I couldn't move. He had such a strong grip.

“Last chance Jamie, let... her... go!” the guy shouted. Why was he helping me? I didn’t even know him! Jamie didn’t budge.

The next thing I knew Jamie was pinned up against the wall by the boy I still didn’t know.

“Do you really think you can treat girls like that Jamie?”

“Only her... I mean look at her... She isn't skinny or even pretty...” Jamie’s words were slurred but I heard them as clear as day, “She doesn’t matter, nobody cares about her especially her mum-the alcoholic...”

“You are such an arse when you are drunk!”

Bang! The guy punched Jamie in the jaw. Jamie fell to the ground, the guy looked at me and for the first time I saw his eyes as previously his hair had covered them. I didn’t realise that my mouth was wide open in shock until he took a step closer to me and placed a finger under my chin and closed it, I blushed at his gesture.

“Sorry you had to see that, come on” he said with a beautiful smile so I followed him upstairs to his room, it was obviously his house.

I sat on the floor next to his bed. I felt sick after what Jamie did to me and the things he said about my mother, it was the truth but he didn't have to tell someone who didn’t know me that my mother is an alcoholic.

“So what’s your name?” he asked me.

“Molly Clarkson what’s yours?” I asked politely.

“Zak Thompson” he replied.

I held my knees to my chest, trying to keep myself together. It was too late. The tears were trickling down my cheeks. My sobs got harder, making my whole body shake. Zak came and sat next to me, he wrapped his arms around me but I didn’t let go of my knees. Once the worst of the sobs were over Zak sat up and looked at me.

“Why are you crying Molly?” he asked, his voice sounding genuinely concerned.

“Because of what that pig said, I thought I could trust him! Obviously not...” I trailed off.

“He was talking absolute bull...” I cut him off before he could complete his sentence but I regretted it after I saw his questioning expression because now I was going to have to explain.

I tried avoiding the subject, “Have you ever played Never Have I Ever?”

“Yeah do you want to play?” he asked positively.

Did he not realise that I was avoiding having to explain why I cut him off?

Zak’s POV

I hadn’t pushed Molly for an answer as to why she cut me off because I knew that I would find away way to get the answers I wanted.

I poured two cups of cider; it was the first thing I had grabbed on the way upstairs earlier. Molly didn’t realise that the game was going to be my way of finding out why she was upset, I smirked to myself.

“Who’s starting?” Molly asked as she moved one of the cups closer to her.

“Ladies first” I nodded for her to begin.

“This is really random but never have I ever forgotten a member of my immediate family’s birthday.” She was right that was random, but I shook my head. I never forgot any birthdays. My turn, but I wasn’t going to ask her what was wrong straight away. She needed to trust me first.

“Never have I ever...” I looked at Molly, her green eyes fixed on me. She was interested and I was going to make this a little more fun and possibly more revealing for both of us.

“Never have I ever stolen or shoplifted.” I said, watching her hand which was already holding her cup. Molly raised her cup to her pink lips and took a sip I was shocked but also took a sip remembering shoplifting when I was younger. I raised my eyebrows to ask what she did.

“I saw a bracelet that I really like but my dad wouldn’t buy me it so I shoved it in my back pocket” she said looking at the floor.

“Didn't expect that but okay” I said with a small smile.

“Never have I ever skinny dipped” Molly said more confidently.

Neither of us took a sip. It was my turn.

“Never have I ever regretted kissing someone” I looked at her, our gazes fixed on each other, neither of us sipped again.

“Never have I ever been in a fight” She knew that I would drink I could see it in her eyes. So I took a few gulps and smiled.

“Never have I ever felt that I couldn’t trust a friend” I started on my mission for answers.

She took a long drink as I expected.

“Before you ask yes it is him.” Molly said. I already knew that he was the cause of her emotions but was it from him harassing her or was it what he had said.

Molly put her cup to her lips and finished off her cider, as she moved the empty cup away she had an expression on her face that looked like she had just eaten a lemon, she had drunk the cider too fast and the taste was too strong for her. I coughed to mask my laugh. She was still upset over earlier I had worked that out when she had downed the rest of her cider. She was trying to drink away the pain.

"Never have I ever...done drugs" Molly said, neither of us drank.

"Never have I ever had a family member who was addicted to something-smoking doesn't count" she took a drink her eyes immediately left mine as if she was embarrassed to admit it. I knew, I was beginning to wear her down.