Make Believe (Book #2, PRETEND SERIES)

Chapter 3: Monday, October 7th at 5:57pm

APRIL’S POINT OF VIEW

I cannot even explain how it came to this or how it got so bad because the truth is, I really do not know.

I looked at Leah — my head still aching from the baseball bat —sitting on the filthy floor of the basement. It was strange, that after everything, a huge part of me still felt sorry for her. She sat in the middle of the room with her head tucked deep in her lap. She had been humming the same tune for the past thirty minutes, and it was making me nervous. She was unstable, that was obvious. Crystal had spotted it from day one. She had her figured out and saw it all before I did. Leah didn’t care that I tried to be nice to her, for some reason she hated me. She told me at least five times today.

“Shhh!” That sound caught me off guard. I had become accustomed to the silence of the room. It was almost comforting, like a lullaby, rocking me gently to sleep. “Stop crying,” she growled as she stood up and pierced her dark blue eyes into me. It was as if she was studying me. She was looking so deep into my soul, that I felt naked.

“Why are you doing this?” I whimpered as the raw rope scratched my wrists. At least she took the blindfold off and I was finally able to adjust to the light in the room. Apparently, she “wanted to see the pain in my eyes.” I had no idea what that meant or what I had done to create such rage in one person, but I had. “You’re in love with Aiden, aren’t you?” I asked weakly. My lips were dry from the lack of water, and my stomach was growling fiercely.

The horrible sound that left her mouth shocked me. I froze. It was not a normal laugh, like when you share a joke with a group of friends. It was dark and twisted.

“In love with Aiden,” she repeated. “Is that what you’re afraid of? That I can take him if I want him?” Her words were slow and direct. “All this time, and you still haven’t figured it out, have you? Look at me, April. Take a real good look because I want to see the exact moment when it all falls into place,” she smirked.