It had been exactly a month since I last saw Vic. Today would have been our two month anniversary. Saying that I missed him would be an understatement, because I didn't only miss him, I missed every little thing that made him him. His hugs, his laugh, his smile, his sense of humor, his voice, his eyes...the list is a painfully never-ending reminder in the back of my brain that just wouldn't let him go. He occupied my thoughts all 86,400 seconds of the day, no less.
Justin tried to be there for me, but that was difficult to do when all I did was push him away. Although I knew I'd never get my mind to stop focusing on Vic, I tried daily to convince myself that I was over him. But who am I kidding? You can only lie to yourself for so long before you physically can't remotely believe yourself anymore. That's why I didn't try. There was no part of my brain that a detail about Vic hadn't yet occupied. I was holding on too tight to something that didn't need held anymore, because it was over. It was only exceptional though, considering that Vic was the reason behind my urge to change myself. He was my diamond among rocks, and I'd never find someone that shined brighter.
"Kell, your phone is buzzing." Justin said from the other end of the couch. I could feel his eyes on me, and I could hear the consistent vibrating of my phone against the table. I didn't look away from my hands though. Justin sighed, reaching for my phone.
"It's Vic." He stated, his tone was filled with confusion and uncertainty, but I didn't hesitate before yanking the phone from his hands and staring at the caller ID for myself. He hadn't been seeing things; there it was, plain as day.
Incoming Call: Vic
I was so surprised that all I did was stare at it until the buzzing completely stopped and I was faced with Vic's contact photo. It was a photo that I had taken the day he officially asked me to be his boyfriend. He was smiling his dazzlingly flawless smile. I took my phone out at least once a day for the purpose of looking at this photo. It brings me the same happiness I had when I took it two months ago.
I blinked, trying to figure out why Vic would call me after specifically telling me he never wanted to hear from me again. I had been reluctantly respecting his wishes ever since, despite a few drunken times when Justin literally had to hide my phone from me because I kept trying to call him.
I wracked my brain for anything he could possibly need from me, failing to find the slightest possibility. I continued to stare at my phone in a zombie like manner. Maybe it was a mis-dial? Yeah, that had to be it. There wasn't another reason that agreed with logic for him to be calling me. I set my phone back on the table and leaned back into the couch.
"Aren't you going to call him back? What if was important--"
"If it were important, he would have called back. Drop it, Justin." I said, a little harsher than I had intended. He put his hands up in a defensive manner before turning his attention back to the TV. I focused my attention on the TV, too, before the familiar buzzing interrupted my concentration. I stared down at my lit up phone, and I instantly felt my heart beat pick up at the anticipation of who was on the other line. I slowly picked my phone up, the lump in my throat growing as I saw Vic's name on the screen yet again. Surely twice in a row wasn't an accident? I glanced at Justin, who was still focused on the TV, and I stood up.
"I have to take this." I said before hurrying out of the room. I decided to just go into the bathroom, because it was closer than my room was, and the only thing I was concerned about was privacy. I took a deep breath before hitting the green button and holding the phone to my ear, not daring to breathe until he spoke. But he never did.
Instead, I was met with the familiar voice that I hadn't heard in months, and that I hadn't planned on ever hearing again.
"Hello, Kellin. Long time no talk, huh?" She asked with a chuckle at the end. I furrowed my eyebrows. Nothing was making any sense.
"Nessa? Why do you have Vic's phone?" I asked harshly. She didn't take me seriously at all, considering all she did was laugh.
"Oh, Kellin. Poor, naive Kellin. Did you really think Vic would call you?" She asked with mock sympathy. I gripped my phone so tightly that my knuckles began to ache.
"Where's Vic?" I seethed, anger overcoming confusion. She only chuckled more. I was growing annoyed that she thought this was funny.
"Enough with whatever game you're playing, you menacing little bitch. Tell me where Vic is." I demanded harshly. She stopped laughing.
"He's here with me, calm yourself."
"Prove to me." I heard her sigh and I pictured her rolling her eyes in a bored manner. All I heard was silence...until...until I heard it.
"Kellin? Kellin, I'm scared." I barely heard him, but I knew it was him. The panic in his voice made me stand up straight, completely alert. I heard rustling before Nessa started talking again.
"See, he's here." She said in a bored tone.
"If you lay a hand on him, so help me, I'll--"
"You can stop with your nonthreatening threats, Kellin. I haven't hurt him yet, and I don't intend to." I paused, trying to process what she was getting at. I couldn't figure it out, much to my frustration.
"What the fuck do you want?" I snarled.
"Watch yourself, Bostwick. I have people watching all around. And if you give me any more mouth, I might just need to snap your boyfriend's pretty little neck." She said in a calm tone. I felt panic raising more and more as I thought of Vic, scared and helpless in the hands of a psychotic bitch. I sighed before speaking again.
"What do you want?" I asked again, calmer this time even though I wasn't remotely calm. She laughed yet again.
"That's more like it. I need you to come to my house, and I need you to come alone." She said.
"Do I need to bring anything? Is this like, a trade?" I asked, causing her to chuckle.
"Just get here before I start getting bored. If that happens, I may just need to use Vic here as my entertainment source." She said, making me punch a hole in the wall.
"Don't fucking touch him! I'm on my way." I mumbled harshly.
"Better hurry. Clocks ticking." After that, the only sound that filled the room was the dull dial tone. I shoved my phone in my pocket and ran out of the bathroom. Justin was standing up, and he looked at me with big, curious eyes.
"No time to explain, I need you to take me to Rosewood." I blurted. I would have just asked for his car, but then he'd throw tons of questions at me that I didn't nearly have the time to answer. Plus, I didn't know what Nessa had in store. The only thing I knew was that she had Vic, and she was utterly insane. I would need back-up. Justin didn't ask me any questions; he grabbed his keys and we hurried out of the apartment.
He sped down the highway, passing the speed limit by a ton. He always drove like this, and normally I would scold him, but right now all I wanted was for him to get us to Nessa's. I explained what was going on while we were in the car, and he agreed to stay in the car and wait.
We finally arrived, and I told him one final time what he was to do.
"Wait here. If I don't come back within twenty minutes, get the police on the phone. Don't, and I repeat do not come in. I have no idea what Nessa is capable of, and I won't have you getting hurt because this is my mess, not yours. Got it?" He nodded his head quickly and I slammed the door, jogging to the door of Nessa's house. I pulled it open, completely unaware of what I was walking in to.
