Putting on a brave front, I asked, “Hey, Josh, what do you want?”
“You.”
Well, that didn’t sound good.
“Listen,” –psycho- “Josh, I really can’t hang out with you right now. I’m supposed to be meeting the girls in the parking lot.” Thinking quickly, I added, “Do you want to walk me there?”
“No.”
Crap.
When he was just inches away with the flashlight now pointed down, I could make out his face in the soft glow. How did I ever find him attractive? All I saw now was his ugly personality.
I tried a different approach. “Whatever you think is going to happen, Josh, you’re delusional.”
“Am I?”
Well, duh.
Okay, enough of this. I very calmly turned to walk away and get the hell out of there. Grabbing my arm roughly, he effectively stopped me. Not wanting to show my rising fear, I tried to yank my arm away. “Let me go.”
He shook his head. “No, that was my mistake before, letting you go.”
Now I was starting to get annoyed. “You didn’t have a choice.”
“It’s all his fault,” Josh said in a distracted tone.
I didn’t have to ask who he meant.
Caleb.
He’d be wondering where I was right about now. The original plan had been to meet out in the parking lot after the game. Unfortunately, I’d been stupid enough to fall for that fake note and ended up in the empty cafeteria with my psycho ex-boyfriend.
Tired of playing this game, I used my free arm to try pushing away from him. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps, losing his grip on me, and I spun around to sprint towards the exit.
Not fast enough, though, because within three seconds he’d tackled me to the ground. We landed gracelessly on the cold linoleum, his arms wrapped around me from behind and me facedown against the floor.
“Get off me!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping someone would hear.
“Shut, up!”
Wasn’t there supposed to be a janitor here late at night? A dedicated teacher who practically lived here? Not about to give up on that idea, I screamed, “Help!” before Josh had the chance to clap a hand over my mouth.
Which I promptly bit.
He yelped in pain, yanking the meat of his hand out from between my teeth and using the same hand to grab me by the hair. Now I was really getting freaked. I started fumbling for the phone in the bag I still had over one shoulder. Pulling it out, I unlocked the screen, frantically trying to redial my last call.
“Give me that,” Josh snarled, ripping the phone out of my hand and throwing it against the nearest wall. The sound of plastic cracking was discouraging. I doubted it even rang long enough for someone to pick up the other line.
Using his grip on my hair and around my waist, he slowly turned me over. The dropped flashlight was still rolling back and forth a couple feet away from the scuffle. As it slowed down, I could see the demented smile on Josh’s face. A school psychologist would’ve been real handy right about now. And a taser gun. Unfortunately, my mace was on my dresser at home.
“Just say what you have to say, Josh. I need to get going. My mom is expecting me home soon,” I bluffed.
His grip on my hair tightened, causing pain to shoot to my scalp. “Liar. You’re meeting up with your stepbrother. The one you dumped me for.”
“I didn’t-” I began, only to be cut off when he started shaking me.
“Shut up!” he yelled. “I’ll win you back. I’ll show you how much I love you.”
When he started fumbling around at the waist of his football pants, I realized his intentions.
Hell, freaking, no.
With his grip on my hair and his weight on me, I couldn’t manage to get away, but my arms were free. I started hitting and punching him wherever I could, with no real skill, but with the determination of a girl who refused to be violated by some bastard who couldn’t take no for an answer.
“Stop! Stop!” he demanded, jerking me around.
When I didn’t stop, he grabbed onto one of my hands and bent it backwards. Trying to ignore the building pain in my wrist, I kept hitting him with my free hand. He was now straddling my waist, but using what strength I had in my legs, I tried to lift my hips and buck him off me.
The creep was heavy.
I swung my fist at his face. He dodged my wild punch and bent my hand back farther. The shock of hearing one or more bones in my wrist breaking temporarily ended my struggles. Tears streamed out of my eyes as I cradled my broken wrist with my unharmed hand. The searing pain was intense.
I gasped out, “Please let me up!”
Josh only got angrier. “Look what you made me do! I didn’t want to hurt you!”