Chasing the Browns

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

This could not be happening. Not again.

The scream died down as soon as the figure pulled off his mask. My heart was racing and my breathing, within the matter of seconds I’d woken up in, was rapid.

He took his hand away. For a second I nearly wanted to laugh, then I stopped.

‘It’s you?’ I scrambled back from the mattress, beginning to make for the door.

‘No, stop! I can explain!’ he hissed, and he stood up and began to walk towards me.

I pushed the door open from behind me and put a threatening hand out. ‘Don’t touch me.’

‘Lea, I can explain! Please, just—’

‘What is there to explain? You stalked me in an alleyway in the dark a few hours ago and—’

‘Would you shut up?’ he hissed. He reached out behind me, shut the door, and ordered me to sit down.

‘I don’t want to sit down,’ I said, crossing my arms stubbornly.

‘I have to explain,’ he said. ‘Sit.’

‘No.’

He dragged me over to the sofa and pushed me down, anyway. I glared up at him. ‘Go on, then, you’ve got two minutes before I call the police.’

His eyes popped open. ‘The police?! What the hell, I can explain!’

I clicked my tongue impatiently. I pulled my knees up to my chest as he began to pace up and down the room. He ran his hands through his hair, breathing nervously. He abruptly stopped and turned to face me. ‘Jack told me about your little “problem”, so I went out and sorted it.’

I was confused. My heartbeat was slowing, at least. ‘I thought it was you. What—’

‘It wasn’t me. It was someone else…’ Nick closed his eyes. ‘But that doesn’t matter.’

‘Why did you go? Why not Jack?’

‘It’s hard to explain.’

‘I’m giving you time to explain, so do it.’

‘I…’ he trailed off. ‘Now’s not the time.’

I stood up. ‘Nick—’

‘Not now,’ he muttered, and he walked briskly out of the room.

I was too scared to go to sleep. I checked the time. 3:49. I pulled the blanket from the mattress around me and curled up on the sofa. After a while, I put on the telly but there wasn’t much to watch. I was trying to distract myself, but it wasn’t working.

So a guy had stalked me. Jack had saved me. Nick had dealt with the guy. What was going on? What if Nick was lying and it had actually been him?

But something about the way he’d looked at me earlier made me doubt that.

I briefly remembered the conversation I’d had with Jack earlier.

He won’t come back again.

*

As soon as Jack had finished breakfast – I’d felt far too queasy to eat, so I’d passed – I ordered him to take me home. He’d been a little bit hesitant, but when Nick had come down the stairs I almost had a panic attack, too shocked after last night’s events to face him. Jack had driven me home, and I was surprised to see Dad at the door when I knocked. He gave me a wink as I walked in, as if he knew that me and Jack were friends.