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Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I sprint after her, a little unsteady on my feet. Blood trickles down my forehead, obscuring my vision, but I keep moving. My head is spinning, and I can barely see straight, but I can't let her escape. She'll tell people about Jake, and he'll be thrown in prison. He will die and I will be all alone. I can’t handle that.
Picking up my pace, I dodge through bushes and trees as I hunt her down. I have no care for my own safety as I chase after her, through the thick woods until we reach a clearance. Behind her is a steep cliff. Even from back here, I can tell the drop is too far for her to safely jump. I have her cornered and we both know it.
Marissa stops, breathing hard, and whirls around to face me. I stop as well, considering my options, calming my scrambling thoughts. My hands shake, my body fuelled with adrenaline. Fight or flight kicks in and the need to survive begins to take over.
It would be so easy to get rid of her.
Jake would be proud of me and she’d be out of our lives forever.
Out of Sam’s life too.
Inching closer, I ball my hands into fists, focused only on her.
Shedeservesthis.
She lied to me, she made me think Sam was a monster, andwhen I did what she wanted, she doubled down. She threatened Jake and she threatened to take him away from me.
“Chloe!” Marissa’s voice is sharp and authoritative, but the fear underlying it is unmistakable. “You need to stop this, right now. Let me go.”
“No!” I yell, panic rising up inside me. “Not after everything you've made medo.”
Marissa regards me, arching a brow and tilting her chin up. She looks so fucking proud of herself. Even teetering on the edge of a cliff, she’s a haughty and arrogant bitch.
“What did I make you do that deep down, you didn’t want to do?” she demands.
I can only stare at her.
“You made me hurt Sam,” I say weakly. “You made me fall in love with him.”
She scoffs. “Samis a teacher fucking hisstudent, Chloe. He's a monster.”
“Youmade that happen!” I shriek at her. “You're the one who made all of this happen! This is all your fault, not his. He—”
“He, what?” Marissa demands. “Fucked you over and over? Made you fall in love with him? Open you’re goddammed eyes, Chloe! He's a predator and he seduced you because you're too weak-minded to see him for what he is.”
“No, you’re lying,” I scream at her. “Youdid this.”
“I didn't make him fuck you again and again. He’s a grown man seducing achild.” Her words cut through me like a knife. “That’s all on him.”
I stare at her, refusing to believe her because I know it’s not like that. I’m eighteen, not a kid. AndIstarted this whole relationship, not him. She’s wrong. She has to be wrong.
Nausea crawls up my stomach and into my throat like a slithering serpent. I open my mouth to abuse her but all that comes out is a laugh. Even to my own ears, it sounds strained and fucking insane. At the centre of everything, I see Marissa pulling on my strings like a puppet orchestra, just like she has done from the beginning. She’s at the centre of all my problems and I can make it go away with one swift action. I can save Jake, and Sam, and myself. All it would take is a little push.
An accident—tragic, but blameless.
I look behind Marissa, gauging how close she is to the edge of the cliff. Marissa tenses, like she can read my thoughts. She holds up her hands, almost in defeat. But how can I trust anything she says to me?
“Listen to me, Chloe.” Her voice is calm now, and firm. She’s speaking to me like I’m a child. “I need to tell you something. Jake isn't real. You don't need to worry about him being angry at you for letting me go, but he isn’t really here. Jake died a long time ago, don't you remember?”
What? Why would she say that to me? I shake my head, shoving my hands against my bloodied forehead, refusing to let her words sink in. How dare she say such lies to me. My brother isnotdead. He’s the only thing keeping me sane right now. Anger surges inside me as I glare daggers at Marissa. This is proof that she will sayanythingto try and mess with me right now.
Except…where is he? Where is Jake when I need him the most? Why isn’t he here, so I can prove to her that she’s full of shit?
I gasp for air, my breathing shaky and shallow. Hunching over, I try and breathe. In and out. But my vision keeps fading. I feel dizzy, like I might pass out, just like I did in Lucas’s bathroom. Only this time, I’m not in control.
Please don’t black out.
