Playing With Fire || d.h

37. Not in the Mood

Your POV

"God, you're such a fucking pain in the ass, you know that?"

I look down at my feet, tears stinging in my eyes.

"Hey, I asked you a fucking question, you stupid girl!" I yelp in sudden pain as his fingers wrap around my hair and pull me toward him, ripping a clump from my scalp.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I cry, repeating myself in a hoarse whisper over and over again.

"You selfish bitch. I give you a roof over your head, I give you food, I give you a place to sleep, and you can't do a single fucking thing in return. You're a piece of shit, you know that?"

Huge, salty tears run down my face, and I look back at the ground, not wanting him to see them. "Look at me, you stupid whore!" He grabs my face and whips my eyes to meet his. He knows he's superior. He knows he can kill me with nothing but his bare hands. He knows he can do whatever he wants to me, and there's nothing I can do about it.

James.

At least, that's who he started as.

As I look into his angry green eyes, they instantly merge into the kind, sparkling brown ones I'm familiar with. However, their kindness is no longer visible, but holds the same emotions as James had just a moment ago.

"Dan..." I whisper, pleadingly. "Please... please, you need to help me. I need to get out of here." I look at him hopefully, but instead, he laughs maniacally, sending my heart into the pit of my stomach.

"You've convinced yourself that he's the bad person. But the thing is, the way he treats you has nothing to do with him. It has to do with you." He chuckles, tears stinging my eyes. "You deserve it, because you're a piece of shit," he says in a tone as if speaking to a toddler. "I don't know how you've gone this long without realizing it. You fail at everything, you lose everyone. No one can handle you anymore. Just leave everyone, and never come back."

"Stop, Dan," I moan pathetically, not knowing what to say or do. He slowly walks closer to me, and we're only inches apart.

"Stop? Stop what, telling you the truth? Telling you everything no one else will tell you? You're a freak, you know that, right? No one could ever fucking care about you."

Suddenly, Dan's face morphs into something unrecognizable, something monstrous. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. His lips disappear and his hair recedes until it's completely gone, scales slowly covering his skin, his nose becoming two slits. The next thing I know, his body disappears, and he becomes a thick, monstrous snake, and swallows me whole.

I let out a sharp gasp as I swing upward out of bed, the blankets that were previously covering me falling limply off my body. I wipe the mixture of tears and sweat off my face, immediately having the urge to find Dan for comfort, only to remember he's not here.

I lean against his headboard, pulling my knees to my chest, and let the sobs come out, the tears running vigorously down my face. My whole body trembles as my vision blurs into a watercolor painting. Where do I go from here?

~~~~

"He can come home today, they're gonna call me when he's able to be picked up," Phil explains, hanging up his phone.

I sit silently, dazed out. I can feel Phil and Dodie worriedly glancing at me as I haven't spoken, or even acknowledged anyone else's presence, since I've woken up. I actually woke up at three in the morning, and hadn't been able to fall back asleep. The entire night the only thing I wanted was to rush out the apartment and run down the streets, not stopping until I get to the hospital and find Dan. That's all I wanted. Dan.