Her Brother's Best Friend - Aching Hearts Series #2

Chapter 23 - Feeling Alive

CHAPTER 23 - FEELING ALIVE

Vanessa sighed, exhausted, as she rolled her eyes. He was getting so asphyxiating ... what part of 'it's nothing serious' didn't he get? Yet no, he seemed to believe she was his exclusive property.

She'd been upfront since the beginning: it was nothing serious, they were just together for the time being, no commitment, and he agreed, but now, after six weeks, he was getting possessive. Well, more than usual.

At first, seeing him scowl at the guys that ogled her, make it clear that she was is, felt nice, she'd always liked a bit of possessiveness in a guy, but this? This was getting ridiculous. One thing was glaring at guys that checked her out, another was impeding her to go out, only because he thought she was two-timing him.

"Chad, I will say this once only, get the hell out of my way. Now." Vanessa hissed, angry. If he thought she'd fear him because of his reputation and be pretty much a dog on a leash, he was dead wrong. He had no idea who was he dealing with. The fact that he'd cornered her beneath the bleachers of the football field, where nobody could see them nor hear them, meant nothing. She wasn't scared. Not in the slightest bit.

"You're not going anywhere until you answer me." Chad barked, his voice menacing, as menacing as it always was when he lost it.

Vanessa knew her boyfriend wasn't exactly a good fellow, she knew he wasn't exactly a safe person to be around, and within six weeks of relationship she'd found out more about him: from his rage outbursts being pretty messy, to say the least, to the bloodshed he witnessed at the tender age of nine and that obviously marked him not little, from the times he'd been in a reformatory, for theft mostly, but once also for assault ...

Vanessa knew Chad was dangerous, she just didn't think he was as dangerous as everybody thought. He'd been a decent boyfriend after all, if one didn't count the suffocating possessiveness.

The reason for him being mad now was that Vanessa had seemed, according to him, a bit too friendly when she exchanged some words with the new English teacher, she kept repeating she wasn't interested in him – and that was true – but Chad wouldn't believe her, said she'd been ogling Mr. Ferris since he arrived, the man had been even too interested in talking to her, they seemed even too smiley while talking.

In truth, if Vanessa had talked more with Mr. Ferris, it was only because he'd asked about Emily, about her issues, all they'd conversed about was Emily, nothing more than that. Vanessa didn't say it outright to Chad, thinking it wasn't his business if her best friend had such issues, but she did state their talks were merely about concrete matters.

Obviously, Chad didn't believe her. He was jealous, possessive, as if she were his property – and indeed he did think of her in such terms: his property. She was his. Anybody that tried to breach his territory was bound to get punished.

"I have answered you. Now get the hell out of my way." Vanessa hissed in response, glaring at him. She was getting tired of him, he was becoming even too unnerving with his paranoia and possessiveness. Being on a rebound didn't mean she just dated whoever, she could get better than that, couldn't she? But she sort of liked him ... Chad did have those rare nice moments when he wasn't the bad boy everybody knew, those moments when he seemed even normal.

When he only glared in response, Vanessa pushed him off and moved away, but Chad grabbed her shoulders, pushing her against the wall, a very dark look lingering in his brown eyes. "Don't you talk to me like that, Vanessa!" He barked.

She glared. "I'll talk to you how the hell I want. Now let me go."

"Answer me."

"I have. Now –"