Too Good To Be True?

Chapter 15 Ⅱ

I let out a sigh and let my head fall back, smiling as a wave of relief washed over me. "That should shut him up for a while..."

I felt something damp on my neck and rolled my eyes, teasingly pushing away the boy that was on top of me. "Alright, he got the point, skit's over."

He met my gaze longingly, sweeping a strand of hair behind my ear. "I know, but... that doesn't mean we have to stop..."

He tried to lean down and kiss my neck again but I pushed him away, more forcefully this time. "Look, Zach... I know you're still hurting from your breakup, but I am not your rebound. I told you the rules."

He huffed and climbed off of me, leaning his head on his hand and staring blankly into space.

Once I had decided that I needed to get David out of my life, I came up with the idea to make him think that I had a new boyfriend. While I still didn't believe we ever had a real relationship, I could tell by the way everyone talked about him that he had feelings for me and so I figured this would be the best way to get him to back off. With my plan set, all I had to do was find a willing participant and Mindy so kindly pointed me in the right direction, unintentionally of course.

I had been talking to Mindy a lot recently and while she insists she's over Zach, she sure does talk about him a lot. I'm still not entirely clear as to what the reason behind their separation was, but once I saw his name in my contacts list, I knew he would be the perfect candidate for my scheme. The only thing I really remembered about Zach was that while he was dating Mindy for a long time, I always knew that he had a crush on me, too. So, I called him up and asked if he would be willing to be my fake boyfriend and he happily agreed, looking for any way to get Mindy out of his head.

Zach glanced at me again and I could see the pain in his eyes. However much the breakup had been affecting Mindy, Zach seemed to be taking it that much harder. I knew he just wanted to have a chance to forget with me but while I did find him attractive, I didn't have any desire for this to turn into anything other than a ploy.

"Angel..." he murmured, staring at my lips. "I've always thought you were beautiful..." He took my hand, trying to be gentle but too caught up in his emotions to be truly sincere. "Maybe, now that you're not with him... maybe we can have a chance." He started leaning in and I quickly stood up, gesturing towards the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Zach. I can't do that."

He stood and grabbed my arms, on the verge of tears. "Angel, please."

I shook him off, my heart thudding as I started to worry that he might be so emotional that he could lose control of his actions. There was more than just nerves, though. My whole body was tense and adrenaline was coursing through me, a strange and unfamiliar feeling in my gut. I could feel something tugging at the back of my brain, something fighting to come out and explain why I was suddenly so terrified of being alone with this man.

I skirted around him and hurried to the stairs, struggling to control my heavy breathing. I thrust my finger towards the door, demanding that he leave this instant. He clenched his fists and I flinched, suddenly wanting to curl into a ball and hide forever, but his energy quickly dissipated. He deflated like a sad puppy, nodding as he walked up the stairs and out the door.

I stared down at my shaking hands, my gaze immediately fogged over with tears. I could feel hands on my wrists, pressure on my chest... I could hear whispers in my ear, like snakes hissing in a chorus of dissonant noise.

My knees hit the floor and I sobbed, pressing my hand to my mouth to keep the horrible sounds in. I could feel the presence of a man, a dangerous man watching over my shoulder.

"You've already gone through enough for about ten lifetimes," Cam had said on his first visit. Was this what he was talking about? This horrible feeling... were these memories? Could my body remember things my mind refused to release?

I took a shaky breath, rubbing my wrists to rid the feeling of restraint. I felt like a rat trapped in a maze, like I was being experimented on for someone's sick amusement. I refused to take it anymore.

I had finally rid David from my life and now it was time to stop sulking. If my mind could never be the way it was then I would have to work with what I had. It was time to cut my losses and start reinventing myself. Watch out, world. Here comes the new me.