I knock on the door. Jade opens it and nearly squeezes me to death, then drags me into the motel room before I can say a word. She spits out questions faster than I can answer them,"What happened? Where have you been? Who bailed me out? What's going on? Who's car was that? Speaking of I got the car fixed. The garage owner was a little.. friendly, with Missy. So we worked out a deal."
"I have a long story to tell you," I say quietly. Her smile fades as she takes in my grim expression. "You've done so many things for me. You've always been there. Always there to rescue the damsel in distress. You even saved me from getting raped. When you were arrested, I didn't know what to do. I didn't have any money left to bail you out." A confused look sweeps her face, but she stays silent. "I go to the bathroom and come back and lie down in the bed," I pause and swallow hard, "and Todd was sitting on the chair in the corner. He approached me and I asked him how he got here. He lives in town and saw us check in." I lie, I can't have her beating Missy again. "He asked me where you were, and for some reason I told him what happened. He offered to get you out if.." I stop and choke back tears. The fear in Jade's face is killing me. "If..if I stay with him a-and..let him do with me as he pleases," I sigh. "And I thought maybe after he bails you out and I hold up my end of the deal, I could run and we could leave. But, Jade, he's rich. He's powerful and has connections. He would hunt us down and kill you. I'm not even supposed to be telling you. You can't tell anyone. I'm sorry. I just owe you so much. And it was the only opportunity I saw to pay you back."
She stands with her mouth open. She hugs me and starts crying. I start crying. I feel terrible. I have never seen Jade cry. I made her cry. She sniffles,"Y-you shouldn't have done that. You basically gave up your life for me. I told Mikael you are missing. What do I say?" We sit down on my bed and she cries on my shoulder for a while.
"You can't tell him. If he asks I'm still missing. You can't tell anyone." She nods. I look at the clock on the wall. 1:25. "Jade," I say softly as she looks up,"I have to go. I have to be back where he's picking me up at 1:30. I can't stay any longer. He won't let me come back if I'm late." She nods and stands up. My heart is breaking. Looking at her, seeing the defeated look in her eyes I had never seen before. She hands me my messenger bag. "Maybe..you should go on to Serena's," I say as I take it and step out the door, closing it behind me. I wipe tears from my face as I hurry across the motel parking lot. I cross the road. As I step off the curb onto the parking lot down the street, Todd pulls into it. I was kinda hoping I'd be early, but it looks like we tied. He stops in front of me and I get in. He pulls off as soon as I close the door. He drives back into the city. He turns off the main highway this time. What? "Where are we going?" I ask.
"To get you some clothes,"he glances at my bag," it doesn't seem like you have much." He pulls up to a nice looking clothing store. There's a shabbier one beside it. It looks like it would have things more my style. He turns off the car.
"Come on, my sweet niece Marissa," he says, beckoning me out of the car with a dark look. Note taken. I get out of the car and follow him into the store. "You can get whatever you want," he explains, watching me gawk at the size of the store. I have never been in a department store before. I walk over to the petite clothes. They're really nice but not my style. I find one shirt I like. A black leather crop top. I get a couple of blue jean shorts. I don't even look at the prices. Fuck him he can afford it, I mean I'm definitely paying up. I don't understand why he's doing this anyway, buying me things. I didn't think kidnappers did that. Maybe only rich ones? I throw them over my arm and go to the underwear. I grab a some black bikinis and go find Todd.
I find him talking to a sales associate. "Hey, Uncle Todd," I say kinda quietly. Am I supposed to be doing this? My stomach knots. The associate looks from me to Todd. They are both looking at me.
"This is your niece, Marissa?" He asks. Todd nods. "I'm sorry about your luggage, that's unfortunate. It happens to the best of us though." I smile. "I have to get back to organizing the stock but it was nice meeting you Miss Marissa. Have a nice day Mr. Dougal." The sales associate walks to the back.
He turns to me,"What is it sweetheart?" Will he get mad if I say I don't like this? If I ask him to take me somewhere else?
"I found some clothes I like, but the rest of it isn't really my type. I was wondering if you could take me somewhere else, maybe?" I avoid eye contact. I remember the time I asked mom to take me to a department store instead of a thrift store and she smacked me.
Instead of hitting me he smiles,"Yeah. It's okay. I didn't really think you'd like this stuff. But I thought I'd offer." We go to the register to pay for the clothes. I follow him out to car and get in.
"You know," he looks at me, "you need to get some lingerie too." I shrug and try to hide that I'm disgusted. I can't deny anything he wants. He backs out of the parking spot and starts down the road.
"It's just I don't even know what to get. I also don't understand to point if it's only going to come off anyway," I say. He glances at me with a slightly annoyed look. "I also don't know what you want," I manage to choke out. It shouldn't even matter what he wants. No. Jade. You have to cater to him, not yourself.
He grins,"What's your sizes? I'll pick you out something." I swallow hard, remembering last night. I think for a minute.
"I'm basically a medium in everything. My bra is 38B, 12 waist," I look out the window to avoid his gaze. Even talking about it makes me sick. He pulls up to a store, Dark Delights. My throat tightens.
He turns off the ignition. He sees me staring at the store. "Don't worry," like I haven't heard that before,"it has other stuff too. It's kinda like Spencer's, but with a larger variety." Yeah, a larger variety of lingerie to embarrass myself in for you. He walks into the store and I follow. I go straight to the clothes, he goes for the lingerie. I pick up a few various band tees, then put them down, then pick them back up because I'm not the one paying for them. Then again, maybe I am. I keep them anyway. I pick up a black lace crop top. It isn't for Todd. I've always wanted one but mom wouldn't let me have it. This is for me. Now I can wear whatever I want. I pick up a long sleeve fish net. It's too hot out for long sleeve, I almost put it down but stop myself. It's fishnet dumbass it's got holes all in it, it won't be that hot. I pick up a few other skimpy things, including a tight leather miniskirt, my mother would never let me have. You know Todd is going to think these are for him. I don't care. He can think what he wants, they're for me. I end up with two arms full of clothes. Todd laughs at me as I meet him at the counter.
"Is that all or do you want anything else," he asks mockingly and grins. Shut up. I shake my head and sit my pile of clothes on the check out counter. The lady starts ringing up the things. Yeah she looks like she'd work here, I think. Then I think about what I bought and realize I don't have much room to talk.
She holds up a black, latex bra where the straps are in the form of a pentagram. "That's really cute," she says looking at me. I can't help but blush. Doesn't she see the, like, crazy huge age difference? He's like thirty-five and I'm 17. Todd laughs.
"Oh no. That's not hers. That's for my girlfriend, all the lingerie is. This is my niece Marissa. She lost her luggage and needed some clothes so I brought the little baby bat here and figured I'd pick up some stuff for Stacy too." Stacy? Stacy? That's the whitest rich girl name you could come up with, wasn't it? He pays for it and we leave. We get it to the car and he turns the ignition. He pulls off and gets back on the highway. I don't want to go back. I know what happens when we get back. He pulls over into the same spot on the side of the road. I huff and turn my head so he can tie it. This is getting old. He pulls off again.
YOU ARE READING
Emerald Summer
Horror((Completed)) I stay on the floor. I sit staring at the bedroom door for hours, seething with anger at myself. The more I think the angrier I get. I know anger won't get me anywhere, especially here, except maybe dead. Still, I sit enraged. The whol...
