the fall | abel tesfaye

chapter six - go to sleep

"Hayden?" I gasp, attempting to crawl away from him.

My head spins in confusion. Am I seeing things, or am I just really, really drunk?

Hayden steps closer to me and I feel my back hit the cool wall behind me. I have nowhere to go, and the room is spinning violently. He looks dangerous as he grins from above me.

"What do you want from me?" I spit, as Hayden yanks me up by the arm so that we are at eye-level.

"Feisty, aren't you?" He says, his breath fanning my face. I can't help but shiver as I remember Abel's minty scent this close to me only hours ago...

"I saw you walk into the party with your friend, Monique. I wanted you from the start, but then she got in the way." Hayden tells me calmly. "Then you left her side, much to my demise. I got stuck with her and I couldn't find you anywhere."

My breathing speeds up. What is happening right now?

"I saw that Abel guy follow you upstairs. I know what you let him do to you."

"What?" I stammer. I can barely breathe.

"What you don't know, is that we set up little cameras as a little game in each of the frat rooms here. We're sure to have fun the next morning." He pulls out a small device from his back pocket, and my stomach drops.

He's not bluffing. There I am, dressed pushed up, pinned against the wall by Abel kissing down my neck. I feel sick.

"Please - Delete that now," I murmur. My cheeks are flushed red and my head is spinning violently. I feel as though I'm going to be sick.

Hayden continues to play the video. Just as I watch Abel push me onto the bed, I reach to snatch the device from Hayden's hands. It falls to the ground and he shoves me hard against the wall as he retrieves it.

"Not so fast, sweetheart. This video isn't going anywhere. Not until I get what I want." 

I stare at him blankly, wishing that this is all just a big nightmare. One nightmare day to start college. This surely can't be happening.

"W-what is it that you want?" I murmur. He walks closer to me and brushes his lips against my ear. "You."

My eyes widen and I reflexively kick him hard in the shins. He yelps in pain and releases me from his grip. Seeing this as my chance to escape, I rush to the door, only to be met with a locked handle.

"Help!" I scream, banging my fists against the door. 

Hayden collects himself from behind me and rips me away from the only exit to the room. "You're going to pay for that," He spits, lifting me and pushing me hard against the bedframe. My eyes involuntarily screw shut at the pain, just as I hear the door bursting open. 

"Get the fuck away from her."

My breath hitches.

Hayden doesn't move, and the voice bellows even louder. "I said get the FUCK away from her!"

Without warning, Hayden is ripped away from me and hurled into the wall. My eyes flutter open and I see his dark figure threatening the blonde boy who was all over me moments ago. 

"You think this is a game, huh? I'll fucking show you what's a game." He grabs the small device from the ground that Hayden dropped before, and slams it against his head. Hayden yells in pain and tries to push Abel off him, but he's too strong. 

"What the fuck!" Hayden screams, attempting to move out of his way now. "Get the fuck out of here. Now," Abel threatens. To my surprise, Hayden scurries out the door and disappears down the hallway.

Trying to catch my breath, I see Abel sigh and run his fingers through his thick hair in front of me. He brings his eyes to mine and holds my gaze for a few seconds.

"You okay?" He says softly, not moving from where he is standing against the wall. I barely nod at him, feeling myself sway in and out of consciousness. "I think we better get you to bed."

"No," I whisper softly, attempting to stand up and toppling onto him instead. "Woah woah, nah, we definitely need to get you into bed." He insists, scooping me into his arms and carrying me across the room.

"But, my room - So far away," I whisper into the crook of his neck.

"Shh," Abel says, walking calmly with me in his arms through the crowded corridor outside. As we reach the end of the corridor, he pushes open a door with his foot and closes it softly behind him. I instantly recognise the vinyls sitting neatly in the shelf across the room and the dim lighting hung over the bedframe.

Oh-

"Abel, I'm not going to sleep in your room," I groan, wriggling in his grip.

"You're not going back to your dorm at this time of the night. Besides, it's not safe for you to be alone like this," he tells me, slowly placing me on the bed, much gentler than he did only hours before. He slides off my thin heels and drapes a woolen blanket over me.

"Are you staying with me?" I ask him. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I sure as hell don't want to be left alone in case Hayden comes back to find me. 

"Of course," Abel says, taking a seat on the dark leather chair next to his bed. 

"Y-You don't-"

"Shhh, Arabella. Just close your eyes and try to sleep," He cuts me off, shooting me a small grin from beside me.

I nod my head sleepily in defeat and bring the pillow under my head closer. After a few moments of silence, I finally speak.

"Abel?"

"Mm?"

"Why do you hate me so much?" I whisper, my eyes still closed. I hear him sigh only inches away, and I get the feeling that he's running his fingers through his hair again. After a while, he responds.

"I don't hate you, specifically," He tells me. Taking a deep breath, he continues, "I hate being rejected. No girl has ever challenged me like you do before."

I slowly open my eyes to watch his expression as he opens up to me. 

"What do you mean?"

"Usually, girls just want to fuck me instantly, no matter how I treat them. They get so turned on by my asshole behaviour," He smirks at me, and I snort. 

"Not me," I croak, closing my eyes again. He throws up his hands in defeat. 

"Not you."