glitched | ✔️

t w e n t y t h r e e

Amara POV
a month later...

Everything was sh!t.
I had tried to go after Peter but he was already gone, and refused to talk to me at school, saying only a few words.

Training stopped, but I kept up my exercises, continuing to improve.
Peter no longer sat by me in class.
I tried acting up a few times to get his attention but all I got was a warning that there would be 'serious consequences' if I continued my 'behavior'.

But the thing was... I wanted Peter to be mad at me.
I wanted him to yell at me, scold me.
Anything other than this quiet, cold indifference.

It hurt.
It hurt so bad.
At times I wanted to shove him against a wall and just kiss him, let him know jus how much I needed him, craved him.
But I couldn't.

And on top of all of this something was wrong with Chelsie.
I had been stalking her Instalife account and something was out of place.

Her smile seemed more like a mask, and her eyes were like marbles; no feeling in them left.
Someone had hurt her.
Maybe still was hurting her.

She could fool others, but not me.
She was in pain.
She was afraid of something.
Someone.

And I needed to know who it was so I could slam their head into a wall for hurting my best friend.

I dove into the lake, pulling myself with powerful strokes of my arms until I reached the little island in the middle.

With a sigh I quickly ensured that there was no one else on the island and took out my throwing stars.
I pinpointed my targets and took off running.

You'll never amount to anything, Amara.
I hit a tree trunk, hearing the satisfying thunk of metal being buried in wood.

You can't even tell the guy you like how you feel.
I threw another.

You're afraid of love.
The throwing star sliced through my next target.

You're a fake.
It whooshed through the air.

You are nobody.
I fell to my knees, chest heaving, as I threw the last one.

My feet were bleeding slightly from the forest floor and tears leaked from my eyes.
I wiped them furiously, feeling the scar on my cheek as I did so.

I tiredly collected all my throwing stars, placing them back in their waterproof pouch.

It was a nice enough day outside, the sun in the sky.
I stretched in the sun, closing my eyes for a moment.
I heard a deep, rich voice.

Peter?

It was coming from nearby. Possibly the other side of this island.
I took off stealthily running through the woods, ducking tree branches and jumping over fallen logs.
Than I saw a figure.

"...strike team is carrying out a retrieval. We've lost the- wait I think I hear something. It might be her...."

It wasn't Peter.

A tall, broad-shouldered man with coiffed brown hair was standing on the sandy shore, wearing a dark suit, shades covering his eyes.

I gasped, quickly climbing up into a tree and perching in the branches, praying he wouldn't look up.

His head swiveled to the side, than back around.
I held my breath, heart pounding.
He brought a hand to his ear.
"All clear. I'll head in now."

I watched, captivated, as the beach opened up to reveal a staircase.
The man quickly descended, the shore closing behind him, sealing tightly.
What?!

I climbed down the tree, heading to the beach and feeling the sand.
It all seemed normal.

I cursed under my breath.
Who was that?
And who had they been talking about?

•••

Chelsie POV

My life had gone from nearly perfect to living hell.

Theo had been using me all along and I had been to f*cking blind to see it.
He had ways to make me obey, ways to keep me trapped, pressed up against a wall, in a cage.

So I stopped fighting.
I just let him do whatever he wanted.
He had played me.
And played me good.

Got me to think he loved me. Made me trust him. Made me believe he was a safe place.
Than he turned around and stabbed me in the back.

So I just kept pretending everything was normal.
Pretending like most nights I didn't even want to wake up.
Pretending I wasn't broken.
Smile.
Breathe.
Laugh.
Exhale.

I only had a month left of school and than Theo would be heading off the college and I would be free.
He would just throw me away.
Discard me.

Just a month longer, Chelsie.
So I smiled.
While my heart bled.

•••

Yeah. :(
That was a rollercoaster.
Any suspicions about the beach dude?

Also I did this when I was at school and waiting for my next class lol.