abuse | zd

two

|alissa|

"come on, lissa, don't be so lame!" montgomery shouted, motioning for me to join him in the pool. justin came from under the water, jessica now situated on top of his shoulders, her legs wrapped around his neck.

"alissa, come on," jess begged. i smiled as justin's hands found hers, interlocking their fingers.

"fine, whatever," i sighed, trying to hide my smile as i slipped bryce's tshirt over my head, stepping into the water. "oh my god, it's cold," i groaned, standing only on the top step.

"shut up," monty laughed, grabbing my hand and pulling me in.

i gasped as the water hit my stomach and chest, immediately pushing water towards monty, splashing him in the face. he repeated justin's actions from a few minutes before, allowing me to clamber onto his shoulders.

the two boys ran at each other as jess and i shoved each other, trying to knock the other off. finally, jessica landed in the pool as water splashed around her, and i almost lost my balance as i laughed. monty's arms wrapped around my thighs, holding me steady as my hands rested atop his head.

"i won," i bragged, sticking my tongue out playfully.

"we won, hinsley," monty corrected, laughing. he walked into the shallow end, exposing my entire body to the warm air.

i turned my head as i heard the door of the pool house open. i locked eyes with bryce who was holding a glass of liquor. he looked up and down at me sitting on montgomery's shoulders, leaving his gaze on my ass for a moment too long. his eyes met mine again, and he was clearly not happy.

"hey, lissa, can you come here for a second?" he asked, nodding his head towards the pool house.

i sighed as i pushed myself off of monty, submerging myself in the cool water before standing up and walking to the steps of the pool. bryce stuck his head in the door of the pool house, likely telling zach, alex, and jeff to give us a moment alone.

i grabbed a towel off of one of the tables surrounding the pool and wrapped it around me, shivering as the air conditioning inside hit my wet body.

"so, would you like to explain what that was?"

bryce was not a jealous person. his ego was far too big to allow any insecurities to creep in, especially when it came to our relationship. he knew that he was the best, and though he'd never admit to it, his opinion was that if i was stupid enough to cheat, then i wasn't worth his time anyhow.

"we were playing chicken fight?" i said, though it came out in an interrogative tone of voice.

"with montgomery's hands all over you?" he took a step towards me and i took one back.

"he was just keeping me from falling," i shrugged. bryce repeated his actions, inching me towards the wall until my back was pressed against it.

"he was all over you, alissa, and you were just letting him touch you."

i scoffed, "you're being fucking ridiculous, bryce."

"don't swear at me," he warned.

"i'll talk to you however the fuck i want," i raised my voice slightly, standing my ground.

in an instant, my line of sight shifted from bryce standing in front of me to the countertop to my right. a burning sensation followed, and i reached up to hold my cheek in my hand.

tears welled in my eyes as i looked back to him, who's hand was still raised.

"what the fuck, bryce?"

"i don't want you near monty," his voice was low as he pressed into me, forcing my back to the wall.

"you can't do that," i rolled my eyes, which had tears welling in them at this point, though i held them back. "monty's one of my best friends."

"you're mine, alissa. you do what i say." his hand reached up and wrapped around my throat, squeezing tightly and cutting off my ability to breathe. "understand?"

i reached up and pulled on his hand, unable to overpower him. the tears in my eyes finally fell as i nodded, defeated.

he let me go, and left the pool house.

i bolted for the small bathroom, my hands gripping the counter as a sob escaped my lips and more tears fell. i looked up in the mirror, noticing the stinging handprint across my face. i prayed it wouldn't bruise.

"liss?" i heard someone call my name.

i quickly wiped my face and gained my composure the best i could as i saw zach appear in the mirror behind me.

"what happened?" he asked. his hand touched my shoulder lightly as we looked at each other through the reflection.

"nothing," i let out a fake chuckle, turning to face him, "we just got into an argument."

i knew he could see the handprint on my face, and i looked to the floor.

"here, let me," he grabbed one of the washcloths from the shelf behind him, running it under cold water before bringing it up to my cheek. it soothed the burning, and within a few minutes the redness was almost unnoticeable.

"thank you," i sniffled, looking at my reflection in awe.

"of course," he shrugged, throwing the washcloth into the hamper. "hey, listen-"

"it's okay, zach. i don't wanna talk about it," i sighed, facing him once more.

"just know that if you need anything, i mean anything, you can call me," he said. i could see the empathy in his eyes.

"thank you, zach," i gave him a small smile, watching as he turned and left the pool house.

|edited 02/27/2020|