Eighteen year-old Zach Curtis has lost everything: his girlfriend, his job and his scholarship. Nothing in the world matters anymore, until he receives a rude awakening from a stranger.
Petite and awkward, Terra Quinn is living the life with her bes...
Trigger Warning: Chapter contains content that may be triggering to abuse victims/survivors.
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– Terra –
It is pitch black until James flicks a switch, triggering the amber lights that instantly brighten the spacious room. I remove my sneakers routinely, lacking courage to confront the battling thoughts in my mind.
I'm back here again.
James walks towards the three-seater couch, flinging himself onto it horizontally as he folds his arms, giving me a less than pleasing look.
"So, what did he want?" he asks, his low voice resonating louder in the night.
"Who?" I ask.
"Zach." He says rather grudgingly. "What did he want?"
"Nothing, he just wanted to know where I am." I answer obediently.
"And you told him?" he furrows, his fierce brown eyes piercing through me like a spear.
"No I didn't." I shake my head. "I lied."
"Has he called you asking the same questions before?" he persists, turning the conversation into an uncomfortable interrogation.
"N-Not really." I say.
"Then why'd he call?" he shoots.
"I don't know." I squeak, cowering under the weight of his arduous questions. "Does it even matter?"
"Hmph, well, it depends." He shakes his dangling foot. "It'd be a problem if he finds out about us, wouldn't it?" he rises from his seat and strides towards me breezily, but there is something about the look on his face that is making me anxious. I've seen that look before and I didn't like it, but I still mindlessly return to him every time. "Have you told him anything?"
"No." I lie, refusing to look away to avoid suspicion.
"Really?" he raises a brow. "Strangely enough, I did."
"You?" my eyes widen with surprise.
"Yes, you heard that right." He says. "I told him about us, nothing in detail, just the fact that we dated. I wanted to see how he'd react. If he'd known something, he might've given the ball away, but it appears that he doesn't, always as cool as a cucumber. Either that, or he's just really good at lying."
I sigh quietly. Thank you, Zach.
"You wouldn't want me to catch you yapping to others about me, sweetheart." He strokes my cheek gently, and for a split second I almost wish his touch was genuine like how things were like before, but I know that it isn't, not anymore. Yet, despite knowing this, I'm still staying.
