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“Okay, so long story short, I know one of the other students that go here. Our families have known each other for years, and well, there is a lot of bad history between us.” I continue but watch Alice’s face with each word I speak. “The other night he threatened me, said some things that scared me. The next morning, I went to campus police, but they told me they couldn’t do anything.”
Her pink lips part and her mouth pops open, “Threatened how?”
“He told me I needed to leave, or he would make my life hell here.”
“Wait, why? I don’t understand. Am I missing something?”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. None of this is Alice’s fault. “He hates me… he hates my whole family, and truthfully, it’s a long-ass story.” My hair falls into my face, and I’m half tempted to leave it there, to let it shield my face from Alice’s gaze, but I don’t. If anyone is going to believe me here, it’s going to be her. “Anyway, obviously, I didn’t leave. So today, I saw him again, and he cornered me after class. I let him think I was going to give him a blow job, and then I busted his balls together, and I mean literally busted them together.”
“Oh, my god,” Alice tries not to laugh, but she can’t do much to hide the grin on her face. “What’s his name? Maybe I know him.”
“Parker Rothschild.” As soon as the name falls off my lips, Alice’s smile completely vanishes.
“Willow,” Alice grumbles and then presses her hand to her forehead as if she has a headache or something. “If your families hate each other, then why get involved with him?” Saliva turns to cement in my mouth, and Alice continues talking, “There is a reason the campus police did nothing and why no one will help you, not even if you beg and plead for it.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek until I taste blood, “What do you mean? He can just hurt me, and no one will care? I don’t understand how that’s possible.” Have we suddenly gone back in time?
Alice’s hands fall from her face, and when our eyes meet, I see the fear and nervousness there. “He can do whatever he wants. His dad funds half the school programs and helped buy a new science lab last year. There was even a scandal a year or two ago where the assistant principal stole a bunch of money. He bailed them out, and so essentially the school, and all of the people who work here are indebted to him.” Christ. My lungs start to deflate like balloons. There is no escaping him, and I’ve just gone and poked the bear. I’ve literally started a war with the one person I wanted to avoid most.
“They own this school and all the people who work here. If Parker tells someone to do something, they do it.” Alice frowns, and doubt like I’ve never felt before starts to take root.
What have I done?
“What do I do?” I question nervously.
Alice shrugs, and her eyes move to the floor, “Lay low, and stay out of his way? I don’t really know. But what I do know is that I don’t want to get involved in this. I’m your friend, Willow, but Parker is bad news, and being noticed by him is even worse.”
I’m not just shocked. I’m flabbergasted. It’s like someone has pulled the rug right out from underneath me. Like they’re standing on the sidelines watching as I slip, waiting for the moment when I fall, so they can attack.
This is wrong, so wrong, and all over again, I feel trapped, just like I did with the incident with my sister. Boiling with anger, I get up from the bed and move away from Alice. She’s supposed to be my friend, but it feels like she’s anything but that right now. As if she can feel my anger, she pipes up.
“Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t want anything to do with Parker; he’s dangerous, and I’ve heard horror stories about girls that get involved with him and his friends.”
She visibly shivers, and I want to tell her she has no idea, but I bite my tongue.
“I just don’t understand how they can get away with hurting people. How teachers can turn a blind eye to that behavior?” And I don’t. I truly don’t understand it.
“I don’t know either, but I don’t want you to get hurt because of Parker and his friends. Maybe he’ll forget about what happened today?”
“Doubtful…” I mutter.
“What if you apologize to him?”
“Me, apologize to him?” What is this? Opposite day? She has to be insane if she thinks I’m going to apologize when I’m the victim in this.
“I get it, Willow. I know it’s not right. In a perfect world, he would be the one apologizing to you, but we both know that this is not the way it works. Not anywhere, and especially not here at Blackthorn. Here, money and power are everything, and that’s exactly what Parker and his family have, so while I’m sorry and you might hate it, I think tucking in your tail and apologizing is your best option right now.”
