Flicker | ✔️

Chapter 6: Maya

Edited

As I enter the house filled with the smell of sweat, smoke and alcohol surrounding me, I feel out of place. Super loud music is playing and drunk teenagers dance drowsily in the living room, moving their bodies left and right to the beat of the song. What disturbs me the most is the sickening smell of cigarettes. I get a chill down my spine. Smoke. All the memories of smoke that were long hidden, and seemingly forgotten, come back to me all at once in a rushing blast.

Dad, I miss you...

I want to turn around to leave but a muscular hand holds onto my wrist, preventing me to do so. I feel sicker by the second.

"Hey beautiful, do you have a name?"

Where's Gigi now that I need her? I spot her a few meters away on the dance floor. That bitch is dancing with a guy already. Ughhh. Go away, unknown dude. I glare up at the guy, obviously not replying. He doesn't need to know my name and I don't want to know his.

"Feisty huh?"

"Let go of me." I say calmly but firmly.

"Why don't you treat me to your lips first?" He whispers, getting closer to my face. I can smell the alcohol off of him.

I move back abruptly and he quickly grabs hold of my butt. I try to push him away, but his grip is strong and merciless; he doesn't intend on letting me escape.

"Come on, who'd not want this!" He boasts, pulling up his shirt with his spare hand to reveal formed abs.

Gross.

"Get your hands off of me or I'll scream." My voice almost breaks towards the end of the sentence but I catch myself up.

"Yea sure, I'll make you scream, but it'll be my name." He says smirking. My heart starts to beat faster in disgust and fear.

I shudder, goosebumps forming on my skin. I try to break free from him but he's dragging me and the more he does, the closer he gets to the staircase leading upstairs. All of a sudden I hear something weird like two hard things hitting against each other and the guy's hand lets go of mine. I almost fall backwards but not quite. I see Cale and I understand. Cale punched him. The guy gets back up and attempts to punch Cale back but Cale catches hold of his fist and twists it before taking my hand and dragging me outside, his face bland yet slightly tinged with annoyance.

"You're stupid." He scolds me, neutral as always.

"You shouldn't have punched him." I state back at him.

"No, I should've let him rape you." He tells me, sarcasm laced in his voice, his eyes dark and his tone cold.

"No... There are other ways to resolve things."

There's a pause. He stops walking. He doesn't say anything and neither do I. We're on the house's lawn. I feel much more free out here. In there, the smell of smoke and alcohol was getting to me. I hate it, it makes me feel dizzy, makes me feel young, and I hate those memories more than anything. Even now, I don't feel too hot. I feel my eyes close on themselves.

"Hey!" I hear and my eyes reopen sharply as my memories fade to dust around me.

I look around and see Cale. We're both sitting in the grass.

"You dozed off." He says simply.

"You could be having fun inside." I tell him.

"Don't feel like it, plus I've got two reasons not to. First, you still haven't thanked me for earlier, and second, you look like you're about to pass out so it's better not to leave you alone."

I stare blankly at him.

"Thanks. For earlier. Even though I don't really want to admit it, I was very relieved. If it were another stranger helping me instead of you, I'd feel even more awkward."

"No problem."

"And didn't you say you don't like girls and you especially don't like me."

"I did. And I still hold on to that."

"Then why would you care about me being alone outside?"

"I'm not a monster."

"But you hate me."

"But I'm not a monster."

~~~

Haha! Cale here to save the day! To be honest, I think I would have preferred this scene if she saved herself.😂 Girl power! But I guess everyone likes clichés, probably why they exist! 😂