Trapped Together

9

I successfully avoided Liam for the week. For the most part. Thankfully he stopped sitting next to me but I could still feel his gaze in class. He was almost never at lunch. I sometimes saw him grabbing food but then he disappeared.

Soon enough it was Friday night. I was sitting on Naomi's bed while she did my makeup.

"This is gonna look amazing!" Naomi squealed. She was such a talented artist which translates to her being amazing at makeup. Especially eye makeup. I promised I would let her do mine tonight. Even though we are just hanging out in Conor's room.

I grabbed a pair of black joggers and a lacy blue tank top. We walked to Conor's room and I laughed as I smelled the weed from down the hall. I mean has he ever heard of being discrete. Emmie and Jake were sitting on the bed getting high. I really hadn't seen much of them. I got the sense that they really only hung out with other people for weed and alcohol. Otherwise they were happy with just each other.

That was when I saw Liam with Amanda practically sitting on his lap. I groaned internally. I really hadn't even thought about the fact that Conor had a roommate let alone that Liam was his roommate.

I sat down next to Naomi and we started talking. Soon enough Conor and Naomi were making out and I was sitting there slightly uncomfortably. One thing that sucks about being at a reform school is that you can't have a phone. Normally I would just scroll through my phone but instead I'm stuck sitting here awkwardly. To be fair I wouldn't even have anyone to talk to even if I did have a phone. Not many friends left after what I did.

Oddly Amanda was the one to break the silence, "You're Siobhan right?"

"The one and only." I responded with a smile. Maybe she wasn't that bad.

She looked me up and down, "You know you look familiar." She gave me a look that made me rethink my previous statement.

"I doubt we met I probably have one of those faces." She scoffed and focused her attention back on Liam. So she was definitely a bitch. She obviously thought she was better than me. Whatever. Hopefully that means she won't try and interact with me. That's definitely better for us both.

Eventually everyone filtered out of the room. Naomi and I went back to our rooms. Naomi practically passed out the minute we got through the door. I grabbed a book and started reading. I always read at night because I could never sleep. Reading was an excellent distraction that kept me from thinking.

Eventually I most have drifted to sleep because suddenly I was back in that shitty apartment.

"Siobhan, baby, please. Just relax." Patrick stared at me with those eyes. The ones that made me trust him. I sat down on the couch as he explained what he wanted me to do. "All you have to do is flirt with him and slip this in his drink. It won't kill him, just drug him enough so we can grab him."

I had always known what Patrick did but I wasn't involved. I knew I shouldn't do this but a part of me wanted to. The same part of me that got drunk almost every night and fights for cash. "I'll do it."

Later that night I was back at the apartment. Patrick and a couple of his lackeys took the man into the bathroom. I heard his screams echoing through the empty apartment. I knew what they were doing to him. I helped them. I nearly threw up. What had he done to deserve this. Did he even do anything?

Patrick came out of the bathroom and I could see the blood on his hands. "You did great, babe."

I lost it, "What did he do? Why did you make me do this? Did you have to kill him?" I broke down in tears.

"Oh darling it's okay. Most people react like that their first time getting involved with this type of thing. Don't worry it goes away after awhile." He smiled at me like he pitied me

I had to pull it together. Patrick was my everything. He might leave me. I couldn't let that happen. He was all I had. If he left I would be all alone. Again.

Naomi shakes me awake. "Siobhan you're safe. You can relax. Everything's okay."

I put my face in my hands. "Shit I'm so sorry what happened."

"It's okay, you were just talking in your sleep. It woke me up." I gave her a scared look as I realized the things I might have said. "Don't worry it wasn't anything bad. You were just talking about someone named Patrick begging him to stop...um...killing someone?"

I stared at my hands hoping that Naomi would get the signal that I wasn't in the mood to talk. Thankfully she did and went back to bed. I sat in my bed thinking and remembering things I wish I could forget.