His Princess || DISCONTINUED

O.O7

O.O7// When Dreams Identify Memories

Once I made it back to the lunch table I grabbed two pills from the bottle, setting them down with some water. Beth gave me a look saying I would need to tell her later, even though I probably wouldn't.

Cade looked confused, but I knew he was connecting the dots in his head, getting a brief understanding of who he was dealing with. This wasn't just an ex. This was the ex that could break me entirely. The ex that already had managed to do that once.

Nobody talked to me, and I got why. They were giving me some space. Beth might've warned them not to ask for my sanity to stay a little stable.

After the day ended, I was so exhausted from stress that I was sure there was going to be some acne appearing soon.

"So do I need to beat a guy up?" Cade asked randomly while I was going through my old sketchbook. I shrugged.

"I wouldn't if I were you. He plays dirty."

"Care to give me his name?" Cade sat opposite of me on the couch.

"Fletcher Hearst."

"Sounds familiar. Did he go to our school before?"

"Yeah, but he left after sophomore year because-" I stopped myself and looked back down at one of my past sketches, when I was with Fletcher. They were depressing to see.

"Because what, Sery? Why can't you tell me."

"Triggers." I briefly answered, flipping through pages of similar drawings I made.

"You have pills... for what?" I paused, my eyes roaming another similar sketch of a girl with bruises and cuts, hiding her face from the fellow students in the halls who were all oblivious.

"They were prescribed to me after sophomore year, but I only needed them for a few following months. I haven't needed them until now."

"Because of Fletcher." Cade solved the puzzle. "What could he do to you to make you so troubled at the sight of him?" I didn't answer, and I examined the last scene in the sketchbook. This one was of a girl losing her sanity alone in a dark room. My eyes teared, but I refused to let this get to me. This sketchbook was used during my relationship with Fletcher, and it was finished when he left. I threw it in front of my feet on the couch cushion, crossing my arms. I knew Cade wanted to look inside the sketchbook, but he didn't dare to ask.

"Where did he go?" Cade finally asked.

"Let's just say where he couldn't hurt anyone." I stood up and searched for my other sketchbooks in my art bag. It was a big bag, able to hold all of my old sketchbooks and supplies.

"Did he hit you?"

"No." I spoke sternly, but he seemed wary.

"Sery-"

"I'm fine, we're just ex lovers. He broke my heart and left. Period." I snatched the sketchbook from the cushions and and grabbed my bag of art supplies, going to my room.

I huffed, plopping my body on the bed. My intention wasn't for Cade to know about my past. That's why I covered it all up in the first place and pretended nothing happened. I wish that was the actual case.

My eyes eventually closed, and everything around me changed.

I was giggling as Fletcher dragged me inside our house from the pouring rain. It was times like these where I didn't care that Fletcher wasn't the perfect boyfriend. We all made mistakes. And sometimes mistakes can't be fixed.

His eyes looked over my clothes.

"You're soaked. Go get changed, I don't want you getting sick." He told me. I nodded and scurried down the hall to our room and picked out a simple black tee and athletic shorts. When I came back Fletcher was sitting on the couch, his eyebrows in a knot as he stared down at his phone screen in anger. Oh no, bad timing.

"Cupcake?" He asked me without looking up.

"Y-yes?" The perfect moment ended so soon.

"Come here." Shit, what did I do now? I scurried to his side. "Explain this." Fletcher shoved his phone in my face, and when my eyes caught sight of my lips smashed against Parker's from my trig class, my heart stopped. Who took that?!

"Th-that was from a long time ago. When we were broken up." I lied. Wrong. I wanted to find a way out of our relationship.

"Oh really? Because there are witnesses telling me this happened in school two days ago." He sneered real close to my face. I could feel all the blood drain from my body. Of course these people didn't know Fletcher would hurt me, they just wanted to let him know I cheated and kissed someone else. "I'm going to ignore your petty little lie, and give you another chance. If you lie again, the punishments won't be as bad as if you tell the truth."

"O-okay." My voice shook and my hands started to tremble.

"Now, did you actually kiss Parker two days ago?"

"Y-y-yes." I nearly broke down in sobs. Fletcher grabbed a fistful of my hair and threw me against the wall as I screamed in pain. My scalp stung from the hair pulling, and my back ached from being thrown against the wall. I broke down in tears.

"I'm sorry, Fletcher! I didn't mean it! I love you, not him!" I pleaded, but he just kicked my gut repeatedly.

"I told you that if you cheated, then you would pay, and you know what little bitch?" I sobbed, waiting for him to continue. When I didn't, he got angry at me and kicked my chest. I screeched in pain, crying out for him to stop.

"Respond!" He scolded.

"What?" I cried.

"Parker is going to pay, too." I gasped, pausing my sobs. No. No.

"Please don't, I made him! He didn't want to, I just walked up to him and did it!" I pleaded, but no matter what excuse, Fletcher wouldn't have it.

"Too late." He sneered down at me, giving me another whack. He pulled me up from the ground with my limp arm and dragged me down the hall.

"You know what I also found? Your razors. I thought you gave up cutting. What a joke, a whore you are." He laughed as he continued to drag me down the hall. Once he reached the room he threw my body on the bed.

"No! Please, stop!" I screamed, but my cries faded, replaced by a more calming voice.

"Seraphina! You're fine!" It yelled.

"What? Fine?"

"Its just a dream, Sery!" My eyes shot open, and Cade was on top of me. He looked worried, but I was just confused. My cheeks were wet, and my eyes were flooded.

"I-it was a dream?" I asked. He nodded and wiped the tears off with the pads of his thumbs.

"Princess, the whole thing was a dream. You're safe with me."

But it wasn't. It wasn't only a dream. It was a memory. A memory that makes my stomach twist in knots and makes me want to gag. It was one of my worst memories with him. And no matter how much I wanted to believe that I was safe with Cade, I wasn't. Because the next day at school, Parker didn't show up. He never did the rest of high school at Waterlake High. And I was scared what would happen to Cade.

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