AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He twiddles his fingers in farewell as I open the door and step outside, feeling jubilant and filled with renewed energy. I turn as the door closes behind me, ready to take on my next class no matter how painful my body feels. I stop, my heart hammering in my chest as my eyes land on Josh leaning against the wall next to our drawing class with his arms crossed. He smiles at me, pushing away from the wall and stepping towards me.
“Hey,” he says casually, as if somehow everything that happened last semester didn’t.
Shit.
I turn on my heel and briskly walk down the hall. “Hey, Rachel!” I hear him call, but I ignore him. There is no way he thinks after everything he has done that I would want to talk to him now. I can’t. And I won’t. I don’t owe him anything. He’s lucky I didn’t tell the school board.
Hell, he’s lucky I didn’t go to the cops.
“Wait!”
I throw open the door and I don’t stop.
“Rachel!”
I try to run, but there are too many students around and I don’t want to make a scene. I should run though. I should run all the way to the sports store until I’m safely enclosed in Seth’s arms. I look around, wondering if Lucas is around here somewhere. I know he has his writing class near here, but I can’t remember if he has it today or not.
I feel hands on my shoulder, tugging me backwards followed by a, “Rachel, come on. Please talk to me.”
I whirl around, fist raised and ready to break Josh’s nose. His eyes widen in alarm and he immediately lets me go while raising his hands in defense.
Unclenching my fist I release the breath I have been holding and scowl back at him. “Leave me alone, Josh. I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Rachel,” he says while stepping towards me.
I take a step back and I watch his shoulders slump, watch him sigh and look all pitiful. It’s all just a mask, I tell myself. He’s nothing but a snake waiting in the shadows.
“Rachel, I just want to say I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “No, you don’t get to say that now,” I nearly shout. I look around and find several pairs of eyes staring curiously at us.
“Rachel, please-”
I scoff. “You must be kidding me. After all this time you want to apologize to me. After everything you did to me. Pretending to be nice to me, just to get close.” I laugh bitterly.
“That’s not what I meant to happen.”
“Oh, really,” I say while circling around him. “So you didn’t mean to grab me when I said no.”
I watch him flinch as if I struck him.
“So you didn’t mean to pin me down and attempt to force yourself on me when I was crying for you to stop.”
Josh sighs. “Rachel, I’m apologizing. That’s what I’m doing. Now, why can’t you just let it go?”
“Because I fucking can’t you asshole!” I stomp my foot, wishing his face was underneath it. “How can you possibly say that after everything you put me through?”
I turn on my heel, not able to look at him any longer. Just seeing his stupid face and his stupid glasses makes me remember how he grabbed my leg, making me trip and fall. I shudder as I remember him pulling my legs apart.
I don’t want to hear his apology. I want him to stay as far away from me as possible.
***
A week has passed since Josh attempted to apologize to me after class. Unfortunately, I still haven’t been able to get my mind off him and it doesn’t help at all that we still share drawing class together. I don’t even think he enjoys drawing. I seriously wish he would just drop it and leave me alone.
Thankfully, Lucas and I made plans to go out tonight to The Coffee Shop for Poetry Slam. Sitting in an old withered chair and desperately trying to find a comfortable spot on the torn cushion, I pause when I hear, “Lucas Brent.”
I lift my head and turn towards Lucas, who has been staring nervously into his coffee cup since we first arrived. He hasn’t seemed to notice that someone is calling his name up front and continues starting unblinkingly at his coffee, as if it somehow entranced him.
