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Stella
ThetasteofMicahlingered on my lips well into the evening.
Peppermint and a hint of smoke are now my favorite tastes and I hate myself for giving in to him like that.
When I had found Micah outside my house, there was a range of emotions that had taken over me.
Anger.
Shock.
Embarrassment.
The cocky, asshole who I had met the other night at the race wasn’t the guy who had shown up at my home. Micah was a different person today. He showed me a kindness that I hadn’t seen before. I expected him to laugh at me and berate me as the poor, white trash girl who he was throwing money at. Instead, Micah calmed my nerves and the brewing storm that never seemed to settle inside of me.
And, he had kissed me with so much passion, I thought my body will melt under his touch.
Now, sitting on my front porch, I watch as the sunset starts to fade over the horizon. Oranges, reds, and purples dance across the sky and I can’t help but wonder if the sunsets over on Micah’s side of town look the same. Do people with money even take time to admire the way the sky glows like magic when the world shifts from day to night? They probably have too many beautiful things in their lives to care about something nature provides.
“Look who decided to show her face again,” a snarky voice says.
All of the beauty and majesty that I was once admiring seems to fade away as Lucas makes his way toward me. I knew that once he heard I was back, it wouldn’t be too long before he came back to get what he wanted.
An arrogant grin is plastered over his face and his beer belly jiggles as he struts toward me. He thinks I don’t have the money. He thinks he will get to have his filthy way with me.
“I just had to get the money,” I tell him, standing up.
This time, I changed into a more modest t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Now, standing before him, I feel confident as I know I hold the power now.
Lucas laughs at me, and I can see that he thinks he’s got me where he wants me. “Stella, let’s stop playing games right now. We both know that you don’t have the money. How about we go inside and find a way to work something out,” he says, licking his lips.
I feel vomit rising in my throat, but I manage to reign in my anger. “No, that’s not necessary.” I pull out the thousand dollars Micah had given me and hand it over to Lucas. “This covers last month's rent and this month's rent. Plus, to get the front door repaired,” I tell him.
Lucas looks taken aback as he takes the money from me. He counts it twice before looking back at me.
“How did you get this? That whore mother of yours hasn’t been back yet,” Lucas sneers.
I flinch at his insult, but I don’t let him get to me. “Don’t worry about how I got the money, just take it,” I snap.
Lucas takes a step toward me, and I hate how close he is to me. I hold my ground and make sure he doesn’t know that I’m really trembling inside.
“Well, since you made me wait for so long, I had to add a little tax to the amount owed,” Lucas says.
Fuck, no. I don’t know why I thought this would be easy. Nothing is ever easy for me. Lucas can’t just accept the money and leave me alone. He has to continue to destroy my already shitty life. He also knows that there is no one to call or get to help me. The police barely make their way down this way anymore. The only sirens we hear are the ones from paramedics or the coroner. There’s no one to rescue me now.
“Lucas, you got your money. Just leave me alone now,” I plead with him.
The sunlight is gone now and the broken streetlights barely provide enough light for me to see anything around me. Still, I can see the anger glowing from Lucas and it pains me that he can’t just allow me to have one free moment.
“You are awful brave right now, Stella. If I don’t leave you alone, what are you going to do?” he asks, his face now mere inches from mine. “We both know that you don’t have anyone to call. There’s no one to save you,” he seethes.
His hot, steady breaths are making my stomach churn and I have to hold my fists at my sides, so I don’t haul off and punch him in the face.
“Get the fuck away from her,” I hear, roaring from the street.
Lucas spins around and when we both spot Micah and his Range Rover, I swear, we both let out a gasp.
Micah rushes up to us and shoves Lucas aside. Lucas stumbles, but catches himself on the railing along the steps. He releases a string of curses as he rights himself again.
