Show Me What Home Is

Chapter Five: Playing His Game

Chapter Five: Playing His Game

Jennifer's POV:

I jump off of him, running to the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it.

"Jen? Jennifer?! What's wrong, what are you doing?" I hear him pounding on the door.

"I just.." I start to hyperventilate, "I need a minute, okay?" I slide down the door.

I hear him walk away and sit on the bed. There's no windows, no way out of here, so I guess he's convinced he doesn't have to worry about me getting away.

Tears roll down my face and I cover my mouth to keep from letting out any noise. I feel something drain out of me and I gag, holding back a sob. I run to the tub and turn the water on full blast, not caring about the temperature, and I use the shower head to clean myself up. I use the soap and basically damn near scrub off a layer of my skin, then use the shower head on full blast and basically let it shoot up inside me, trying to rid myself of the mistake I made...

I put the shower head back on the wall mount and I just sit in the tub, letting the water hit me.

Oh my God, what did I do? All I did was fuel whatever delusion is in his head, and I just hurt myself even further.

I think he's convinced we're in love or some crazy shit. And like I said, all I did was make it ten times worse. It's just that... I've never had pleasure like that, and with the way my life has been going I've just been saying "fuck it" too much lately. I'm digging too many holes and now I have to find a way to climb out of this one; which I just dug ten feet deeper.

"Jennifer?" He knocks at the door.

I compose my voice and rub my eyes, "Yes?"

"You've been in there a while, you need to come out." He says, and I know he's not asking. Have I really been in here that long? It only seems like it's been maybe fifteen minutes at the most.

"Okay... I need clothes and a towel." I ask hesitantly, forgetting that I had just ran in here and took nothing with me. Damn, I don't want him seeing me again but I don't have a choice.

"Okay hold on." I hear him walk off.

I take a deep breath and it comes out shakily, I need to be strong. He's manipulating me, getting in my head. So I have to get a step ahead of him; do the same to him. The best thing to do right now in this moment is to just.. let him think he's got me where he wants me. He's trying to train me, train me to love him, train me to be the way he wants. Maybe this will help me gain his trust, and at the right time, I can slip away.

I turn the shower off and step out, trying to calm my nerves. My brain is completely scattered.

I gasp when suddenly I hear that familiar ringtone. Heaven by Kane Brown. I unlock the door and swing it open, only to see Michael holding a set of clothes, a towel, and my phone.

"Who is it?" I demand.

"Carly." He actually gives me an answer.

"Let me talk to her, please." I beg.

"No."

"I can tell her I ran off, you can listen to the whole thing I'll tell her I ran away, please just let me tell her I'm okay, Michael please!" I beg, totally forgetting I'm naked.

He silences the phone and my heart drops.

"I'm going to let you call her back. You're going to tell her you ran away but you're not going to tell her exactly where to. You're going to tell her you're fine and you're staying in an apartment somewhere in Louisiana, hours away from her. You need time alone to get your life together. I've been thinking about this for a while now because she hasn't stopped calling." He says as he dials the number back and hands me the phone.