GHOST OF YOU | BWS

ten.

The next day at school, I can't seem to be able to focus on anything but Isaac, Brad and Joaquin. Yesterday didn't go anywhere like I imagined. Joaquin turned out to be a real gentleman despite supposedly being one of the worst gang members in the city. I can hardly picture him as this monster of a man to be honest. But I only spent a couple of hours with him, so what do I know? As I listen to my professor talking about ethics and the notion of good and bad, I feel my phone vibrate in my jean's pocket. I discreetly pull it out and see a text notification from Isaac telling me to meet them now in room 306. I don't think twice and gather all my stuff before standing up, dragging the entire class's attention on me. My professor stops whatever he was saying to stare at me as I make my way down the amphitheatre.
"Family emergency", I tell him with an apologetic smile as I walk past him before I leave the room. I mean, that's not really a lie. It is an emergency that I get revenge for the death of my brother.
I hurry down the corridor and walk across campus to get to room 306. When I reach the door, I take a deep breath in before entering. As soon as I walk in, my eyes are met with four of the tattooed boys I have become acquainted to, Brad and Isaac apparently in the middle of yet another heated conversation. As soon as they notice me the room goes completely silent as the four of them look at me.
"Who told you you could make us wait, Snow White", Isaac says as he takes a step towards me, his tone giving me chills and I have to fight my instincts to back away. He looks pissed, and something tells me it has something to do with what him and Brad were talking about when I arrived.
"I was in class", I answer just as he reaches me, still standing by the door.
"I don't give a shit", he says, goosebumps spiking on my skin. "When I tell you to come, you don't make me wait. Understood?", he says as he grips my chin with his fingers so tight I am sure it will leave a mark. I stand there, frozen, scared to even breathe as he stares intently at me. "I said, understood?", he repeats, tightening his grip on my chin even more.
"Yes", I answer before he breaks my jaw. He finally lets go of my chin, and I feel like I can breathe again. I swallow the lump in my throat, my heart still racing in my chest as the rest of the boys just look at me. Elly and Red Hair guy have an amused smile on their lips, clearly enjoying the scene, while Brad just looks mad and pissed as usual. I quickly notice the knife in Red Hair guy's hands that he spins in between his fingers, and again force myself not to pay too much attention to it. They need me to do their stupid assignment, there's no reason they'd use the knife on me. Right?
"Look at her all shaky now", Elly says with a laugh before walking towards me and Isaac. "What's wrong princess? Rethinking your life choices?", he continues as he makes his way behind me. It doesn't take long before I feel his body against my back, his hands snaking around my waist and his hot breath on my neck.
"Stop that shit, Elly", Brad suddenly says, my eyes instantly moving towards him. He doesn't move from where he's standing, leaned against a desk, his hands in his jeans' pockets. That only makes Elly laugh, his hands slowly moving down from my waist.
"She likes it", Elly smirks. My breathing becomes quicker and shorter as fear starts to take over me, making me shake even more. Why did I expect anything else than this behaviour from a gang of fucking drug dealers? The moment I feel his lips on my neck, I decide now is not a good time to be scared. I need to show them they can't screw with me or they will never take me seriously, and I'll never get to Reggie.
"Get the fuck off me", I say as I yank his hands off my body and move to the side to get away from his grip. That makes him laugh again, probably liking the challenge, and he grabs me by the arm before pulling me back towards him. This time, I crash into his chest, his hands quickly clasping my arse. I hear some movement behind me, and before I can comprehend what's happening, Elly is pulled away from me and falls backwards on the ground. My brain quickly puts two and two together as I see Brad standing next to us, looking even more pissed than before.
"I said stop that shit", he says to the blond boy on the floor in such a chilling tone I wouldn't want to test his limits.
"What's your deal, man?" Elly answers while he gets back up, passing his hands over his jeans to get rid of the dust collected during his fall. He apparently doesn't expect an answer as he starts walking towards where Red Hair guy is, and sits on a desk. I stare at Brad while he goes and sit on another desk, putting his feet on the chair, and I can't help but wonder why he keeps helping me. I just don't understand him. I turn my attention back to Isaac whose eyes switch back and forth between me and Brad, an interested smile hanging at his lips.
"What did you want?", I ask him, eager to get on with it and leave as quickly as possible. Isaac's eyes finally focus on me and I mentally pray my question is not going to blow him off.
"I like you, Snow White", he says, staring into my soul. I keep eye contact, trying my hardest to act confident and badass when in reality I feel the total opposite of that. "We like you", he continues, emphasizing the word 'we', before turning to Brad. "Don't we, Simpson?", he asks as he stares at Brad for a second, an amused smile on his lips and turns back to me. I am not sure what that meant, but something tells me I shouldn't take it literally. "I would really hate having to hurt you, so please tell me you've got some kind of useful information yesterday", he says, and I swallow hard. I mean how could he expect Joaquin to tell a total stranger where his stash of drugs is hidden? That's insane.
"We had a couple of drinks", I say, feeling four pairs of eyes on me.
"What I understand from this is that you got him drunk and fucked him to get access to his phone, right?", he asks, knowing the answer to his question already, and my heart skips a beat. Is he being serious? "Right?", he repeats as I stare at him in silence, not sure what I am supposed to answer. I was obviously not going to have sex with a total stranger!
"I...", I start, not sure of what to say if I'm honest. "No", I finally say before swallowing the lump in my throat in anticipation of his reaction.
"I told you that bitch ain't gonna get us anything", Red Hair guy says, but Isaac doesn't move his gaze from me. He suddenly stands up from the desk and starts walking towards me, all 6'2" of him looking as threatening as ever. The look on his face makes me take a few steps back, despite my biggest efforts not to move to avoid showing him how fucking scared I am. It doesn't take him long to reach me, and extends his arm towards me before clasping his hand around my neck, pushing me against the wall. My head hits it hard, my eyes squeezing shut at the impact. My hands reach for his forearm just underneath my chin as he tightens his grip on my throat, and I find myself gasping for air.
"What exactly did you think you were doing here?", he asks, his face only inches away from mine now. "When I ask you to do something, you fucking do it", he continues, squeezing my throat even more. "Do you fucking understand?". Just as I start to feel like I'm about to pass out from the lack of oxygen in my lungs, I hear Brad shout Isaac's name.
"You're gonna fucking kill her", he says as he reaches us and yanks Isaac's hand from my throat. I drop to the ground, my legs not able to hold my weight anymore, and I start coughing my lungs out after over two minutes without being able to breathe. And just as I start thinking Brad might actually truly care about me for some unknown reason, he starts talking again. "I told you she's not worth it", he says while I try to catch my breath. "She's fucking clueless, she won't get us anywhere. Let's go, she's wasting our time", he adds, and I realize at that moment that the only opportunity I have to get to Reggie is getting away from me.
"Then we don't need her alive, do we?", Isaac tells Brad in a challenging tone. The two of them stand there, staring at each other, and I notice how white Brad's knuckles have turned by how tight his hands are clenched.
"I'll get it", I say as I lean against the wall to stand up. "I'll get the location of your drugs. I just need more time than two fucking hours", I say, literally shaking and on the verge of throwing up. Standing up to Isaac is probably not a good idea, but what other choice do I have? I need to get him what he needs so that I can get what I need, revenge for Charlie's death.
"Are you fucking deaf? Just get the fuck out of here before I paint you a new face", Brad adds as he glares at me with pure hate and despise, sending shivers down my spine. His entire body tenses up, as if he's about to lose it and beat someone to death. Would that person be me? Why did he even bother stopping Isaac from strangling me to death if it's to threaten to beat me up now? "GET OUT!", he yells at me, making me jump. I have never felt more afraid of him than now. Even in the kitchen at that party, a part of me still thought he wouldn't hurt me. Well that part of me has changed its mind. But despite knowing I'm risking a good beat up here, I can't lose the only chance I have to get to Reggie. Just as I'm about to answer, the door suddenly opens and Thing Two appears, out of breath. It takes him a second to catch his breath as he clearly ran all the way here, everyone now looking at him.
"Joaquin and his guys are here", he says and the look on the boys' faces changes.
"What the fuck are they doing here?", Red Hair guy says as he stands up from the desk and makes his way towards us near the door, gripping his knife. "They know they can't be on our territory". As he says that, I realize why Joaquin's here. It can't be a coincidence that the day after we meet he suddenly shows up on Isaac's gang's territory.
"Let's show them they can't fuck with us", Elly says, ready for a fight.
"He's probably here for me", I say, so quietly I wonder if anyone heard me.
Isaac extends his arm just as Elly walks past him, stopping him from leaving the room.
"Hold on", he says as he turns his head towards me. "What did you say", he says more than asks as I'm sure he heard me the first time.
"He's probably here for me", I repeat, louder this time. "I told him I'm studying here"
A satisfied smile appears on Isaac's lips, his eyes narrowed on me.
"See? I knew she wouldn't disappoint. Isn't that right, Snow White?", he says, biting his lower lip in the creepiest way ever. "Now you're gonna be a good girl and go meet your prince. I give you two weeks to get me the info I asked for", he adds and I know I don't have a choice in the matter.
"Wait, you're not gonna let them come here without a fight, are you?", Elly asks Isaac. That guy is clearly dying for a fight.
"Didn't you fucking hear what Reg said? Do you need a reminder of what happens when he doesn't get what he asks for?", Isaac answers and my entire body freezes. Is he referring to what Reggie did to Charlie? I notice Brad staring at me, his eyes darker than usual, his hands clenched tight again. I can only assume he's mad I'm still on the assignment despite his best tries to get me off of it. Elly stays quiet and Isaac turns back to me. "Go", he says, nodding towards the door. "And don't forget, you have two weeks. Trust me you don't want to find out what's gonna happen to you if you don't get the location in time", he adds and I realize that I am holding my breath again. I really need to get my shit together and stop being so fucking afraid of those guys. I need to focus on the assignment, and the end goal here. Charlie. The thought of him gives me a rush of adrenaline, and I leave the room without saying a word. The quicker I get to Joaquin, the sooner I meet Reggie. I go to my locker where I grab a couple of books to make it look like I was actually in class all day, and start walking towards the campus's gate where I see a group of six or seven guys leaning against a couple of cars and motorcycles. They look very similar to Isaac's gang, all covered in tattoos and wearing leather jackets and ripped jeans. My eyes quickly fall on Joaquin, standing in the middle of the group dressed in navy blue pants and white shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I can't deny how attractive he is, despite knowing how bad of a person he also is. When he notices me looking at him, a smile appears on his lips and he gets off the driver's door he was leaning against. It's only when I reach the group that I notice they all share the same teardrop tattoo underneath their left eye. I wonder if they all really killed someone before, or are stupid enough to get a gang tattoo to look cool.
"Hey, pretty face", Joaquin says as he takes a step towards me. "I hope you don't mind me showing up here. I realized too late I didn't get your number yesterday", he adds while the rest of his gang looks at us. I give a quick look to his friends who somehow look more threatening than Isaac's gang. They look like they've seen it all, and aren't afraid of anything. I bring my attention back to Joaquin, and smile.
"Not at all. I was actually thinking about you today", I add, not hiding my attempt at flirting.
"Were you?", he answers, a smirk on his lips. "I hope the thought of me didn't distract you too much from your classes", he adds and I force a laugh.
"Only a little", I answer before biting my lower lip, probably trying too hard to get him to want me. Judging by the look on his face as he scans my face, it seems like whatever I'm doing is working. His smile grows larger, his eyes going back and forth between my lips and my eyes.
"How about we get out of here and go grab a bite?", he asks and I can't help but smile. The plan is working.
"I'd love that", I answer, making Joaquin smile too and he grabs my hand before walking me to the passenger door of his impala. He opens the door for me and I take a seat while he goes back to his friends. He tells them something and they all start walking to their cars and motorbikes. Joaquin joins me in the car and we're on our way to wherever he's taking me, his gang closely following us.