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Fuck. I know he was in my house, but I don’t think I had sex with him. No, I wouldn’t do that. I shake my head. Shit. What if I did? How would I know?
The last time I attempted to have sex was when I was twenty-three. The guy stuck it in me and I freaked out, punching him until he ran out of the house naked.
Then there was Mac, Andi’s brother, about a year ago. All he did was kiss me and it sent me into a panic attack so big that I couldn’t breathe. If Callum fucked me while I was blackout drunk, would I even know? And why did I want him to?
“Shut the fuck up, Haley.” Mumbling, I drink my water. My phone vibrates in the pocket of my running leggings, and I grab it to read a text from an unidentified number.
I saved your number in my phone. It’s Callum, by the way. Wanted to check in on you after last night, lassie. You were a wreck. Here, if you want to talk about Sarah.
Fuck. My phone falls to the floor. Now, I remember. Sarah flooded my brain last night. Images of what she’d look like and who she would have become had consumed me. I went on a tangent about her, and Callum held me. He was gentle with me, and I was an asshole to him.
Sarah, my twin sister. We were in a car crash with Mom when we were eleven. She had unbuckled her belt because she dropped her book and it had fallen under the seat. Her face had been a complete wreck as the car tumbled and flipped. She never stood a chance.
I miss her so much, and I hate that I was the one who survived.
We’d been best friends, inseparable, and when her heart stopped beating, mine did too. It was a pain I couldn’t even describe. Most of all, I felt alone. Sarah was the only one who understood me.
Mom and Dad were grieving for her, and to cope, Mom took to pills. It ruined my parent’s marriage. Mom remarried quickly to the chief of police,Jason.Everyone loved him. And me? Well, I longed to fill the hole of emptiness that losing Sarah created. So, the first time he came to my bed in the middle of the night, I didn’t stop him.
He promised to make it feel good, and I wouldn’t feel so sad about Sarah. He was right. Instead of missing my twin, I felt sick and twisted because of him. I acted out because I hated myself. And when I finally told the truth, no one believed me. Because I was just Haley, the evil twin who shouldn’t have survived.
Sarah was the lucky one. She didn’t have a monster living with her. I was grateful she died instead of me. It meant she didn’t have to endure Jason. I’d never wish that on her. Every time that I wished it had been me who died, I remembered it would mean she was the one who suffered at the hands of our stepfather.
When I pick up my phone, I respond to Callum’s message.
Haley: Thanks for checking on me. I’m fine.
Callum: You’re welcome.
My run should be peaceful. I head across the street to the Public Garden. There is a trail along the outside of the square that I enjoy using in the mornings. It’s less than a mile, but I enjoy the view.
Then, I’ll usually run to buy a sports drink from the bodega a couple of blocks over. By the time I make it home, I’ve put in about two miles.
I don’t get far from the bodega when I notice a man running behind me wearing a business suit and dress shoes, and it’s obvious he is following me. There wouldn’t be any other reason for someone to be running this early in the morning during the week dressed the way he is.
Heart racing, I’m going to confront him. I won’t be a victim again.
I turn the corner, hiding behind a bush, and I wait for him to catch up. As he approaches, I stick my foot out, and he topples forward.
″Ow! Fuck,” he shouts, grabbing his foot.
Stepping out of the bush, I press my heel to his throat. “Why the fuck are you following me?”
He makes a gurgling sound, his hands gripping my shoe, as he attempts to push me off. When he relaxes, I remove my foot.
″Callum didn’t tell you?” The man asks. “Of course, he didn’t. The bastard is trying to get me killed!”
″Tell me what?”
″I work with Sean’s security business.”
I shake my head. Is Callum paying for someone to tail me? Why would he without asking? Or maybe we discussed this last night and I’ve forgotten. “Call Callum and tell him to knock it off.”
His head shakes as he rubs his throat. “No can do.”
I jab his chest, and he lets out a huff, and say, “Call him, or I’ll call the police and tell them you attacked me.”
″Yeah, likely story.”
