Caitlyn came out of nowhere and linked her arm through Leila's. "Hey darling." She said.
"Hey Cait." She replied, "What are you doing? I thought you had class right now."
"Eh, I do but I got to the door and decided to skip it today!" She answered as they walked. "How is the baby doing?" Caitlyn asked loudly. Leila hushed her, air blowing through her lips.
"What if one of the sisters walked by and had heard you!" Leila hissed. "Please be more careful. I haven't told anyone else yet. I'm not ready to tell people." She sighed and Caitlyn held up her hands in defense apologizing. "It's okay. Jackson is hoping it's a girl, did I tell you?"
"Why so someone like him can treat her like shit? Or you would think that he would want a boy so he can teach him how to treat girls as if they are disposable." The words shot out like venom from her lips. Leila rolls her eyes. "What? I'm not apologizing for that one."
"You promised that as long as he behaved that you would be nice." She reminded her. "He has been behaving well but you're still not being very nice, you know." Caitlyn frowned at her their feet as they carried on.
"Okay, now I'll apologize because you're right I did make that promise to you." There was a long pause as neither girl tried to make a peep. The silence was thick in the air until finally Caitlyn caved. "How are things between you and him?" Leila looked at her friend out of the side of her eye. When all was said and done, Caitlyn was really her best friend. She couldn't name anyone else that she spoke to about Jackson so freely or about the baby even in the slightest bit.
"He told me that he loves me." She observed Caitlyn's reaction. She watched as her muscles in her cheeks forced them to keep her face straight. "I said it back." Leila pressed on. "I was in class the other day and all of a sudden my nose was gushing blood. I thought it was never going to stop so I called him and he rushed over as soon as he could." Caitlyn nodded. "He's been reading baby books and doing all this research online about pregnancy and what we should be expecting. That's when he said that he loved me."
"Wow I think I'm more shocked that he can actually read." Those were the words that followed. Leila dropped her arm out from under Caitlyn's in outrage.
"He's trying, you know. It's the least you could do to do the same." Caitlyn rolled her eyes exasperatedly as Leila stopped walking. "Are you going back to the house?"
"I was planning on it." She said in return.
"Then I'm going somewhere else, I just need some space right now." Leila turned around and left the way they had just came. She walked around until she found one of the fountains with a bridge that ran across the top. Leila sat on the edge of the bridge with her feet dangling above the reflective water. Once more she felt like someone was staring at her, she pulled out her phone and texted Jackson.
Leila: I think someone has been following me but I can't see them.
Jackson: How do you know someone is following you then?
Leila: It's just a feeling.
She stared down at her phone waiting for his reply. It was getting darker now; less people were walking through the fountain. Leila sighed as she stood up from her seat and began walking back to the Phi Nu house. She kept looking down at her phone, waiting for his reply. It was darker all of sudden than it should have been; Leila stopped and looked up at the lamp that had gone out. She heard a rustling behind her and she turned to see what it came from. She hadn't seen a soul since she left the fountain Leila was completely alone. Her phone chimed as she turned back around and pressed on. She looked down to see that Jackson finally responded. Opening her phone she heard the noise again.
There was a clash and then a thud. She heard sounds before she could realize that something hard hit the back of her head. That's around the time that the world went black all around her. She felted the ground rushing up to greet her like an old friend. Cell phone had dropped from her hands a few feet away.
Jackson: Don't worry about but please come to my house now. You'll be safe here.
CHAPTER FIVE
The smell of mothballs and molded newspapers filled her senses. Somewhere to the left of her, Leila heard a drip, drip, drip of water splashing on to the floor. Her head ached from the blow that knocked her out. She tried to open her eyes but still all she saw was black. It took a moment for her to realize that she had not in fact gone blind but was blindfolded. With her legs bound to the chair, she tested her arms that were tied behind her back. The tie was too tight; she couldn't even move her wrists.
Leila heard a door open and close from her behind her. The smell of tobacco smoke filled the room as who ever had came in, stamped out a cigarette. She heard the sizzling of embers on moist ground. She thought that maybe they were in a basement or some kind of warehouse. Footfalls approached her as the feet padded towards her. They didn't say a word to her but she could feel their hot sticky breath on the back of her neck. Hands grabbed a hold of her shoulders.