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Leo nodded several times, almost as if he was solidifying it in his mind. “Okay.”
I turned around, leaving Leo standing there as I made my way to my first class. Knox was lingering near the classroom, but I didn’t stop to talk to him. I didn’t ever want to talk to him again. My walls were firmly up, and I wasn’t willing to let him get past them.
It was what I kept telling myself throughout the day—a mantra of sorts. My classes flew by, and so did lunch. Leo and I laughed and talked about nothing in particular, and the whole time, I was relaxed, just like I had been when we’d hung out the other week. I was drawn to Leo in that older-sister kind of way. He told me about the diner he worked at and about the new dog no one had named, so they were calling it “dog” for now. And for the first time ever, I had a genuine smile on my face as the last bell of the day rang. I had a long walk ahead of me to get my car from outside Aleste’s studio, but I wasn’t bothered one bit because I’d had the best school day in years.
The sun beat down on me as I headed toward the studio, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of my face, but I didn’t care. I didn’t give a crap about anything around me because I felt free. Freer than I had in…well, ever.
I turned the corner to the street Aleste’s studio was on, and sighed as I saw my car up ahead. I was close, so close.
And then the shadow of a large car covered me.
I didn’t need to look to know it was Knox. I had no intention of stopping and talking to him, so I kept on walking, determined to get to where I needed to be.
“El, come on, babe.” His deep voice did nothing for me apart from sound whiney. He wasn’t used to having to beg for attention, and although it was a welcome change, it wasn’t his attention I wanted. I wanted him to leave me alone. I wanted to live a day where he wasn’t hanging over my head.
A door closed, then footsteps pounded behind me, and my stomach dropped. It took every ounce of strength not to speed up to make it to my car faster. “Please, babe. Can we just talk?”
“Nothing to talk to you about,” I responded, keeping my walls high and my shoulders back. He couldn’t get through to me, no matter what he did. I was on a mission to not give in. The decision had been made in my mind, and there was no going back. I wouldn’t let him control me any longer.
The sign for Asher’s tattoo shop got closer, and I knew I’d have to walk past it to get to my car. Asher was within touching distance, and if I really wanted to, I could have walked inside the shop and got rid of Knox, but I didn’t. I kept on walking with Knox behind me, begging me to hear him out.
As soon as I got to my car in the corner spot, I spun around and whipped out, “I don’t want to talk to you, Knox. Leave me alone.”
He halted a few feet in front of me, blinking several times, looking dazed and confused. His hair was sticking up in different directions as if he’d been running his fingers through it. “What?”
“I said I don’t want to talk to you, Knox.” I pulled my keys out and unlocked my door, then flung it open. I was so close to being away from him—inches. “I saw you kissing that girl. We’re over. Done.”
I turned to get into my car, and his laughed echoed around us—a laugh I knew well. My breath stalled in my chest, and my hands started to shake. My body knew what that laugh meant. It knew what was about to happen. But I couldn’t move fast enough. I couldn’t get my muscles to race against the seconds I had. Knox’s front slammed into my back, and he pushed me into the car with so much force it felt like I was flying for a second. My cheek smacked off the plug-in for my seat belt, and I winced as pain exploded in my face. I didn’t have time to move or get up because his entire body was on top of mine, pushing me down and not letting me move a single inch.
“You think you get to decide that?” His breath fanned over my neck and ear as his hand wormed its way to the back of my neck. He held me there, his fingers gripping me so hard I had no doubt I would bruise. “You think because you saw me touching another bitch that you aren’t mine anymore?”
“Knox—”
“Did I say you could fuckin’ talk?” he roared, and a sob bubbled its way up my throat. I’d been so confident. I’d strutted around the hallways today, knowing it was the end for Knox and me, but I’d been a goddamn fool. A stupid, naive fool. Did I really think I would be able to get away from him? Did I really think it
would have been that easy?
“You’re hurting me, Knox,” I managed to get out, but he ignored me and my pleas.
“You’re mine. You’ll always be mine. You got that, bitch?” he growled in my ear, but I refused to take his words. I refused to let him dictate what we were going to be. And he took my silence as surrender, but it wasn’t that. I knew Knox better than anybody, and I knew giving in to him—or at least making it seem that way—was what worked. He may have thought he knew me, but I knew him way better.
He gripped me one more time around my neck and then slowly lifted off of me. My head spun as the pressure evaporated, and when I knew he was fully off me, I slowly pushed out of my car and stood. My heart raced in my chest, the world spun, but as soon as I looked at him, everything was crystal clear.
I couldn’t keep doing this. I couldn’t keep letting him do what he wanted to me whenever he felt like it. I refused to be his punching bag any longer.
“No,” I ground out, widening my stance. This was it. This was me sticking up for myself. This was me putting my foot down. This was me being me and fighting my way out.
“What?” He was two feet away from me, a threat I couldn’t get away from, but I knew if I didn’t do it now, I’d never have the guts to say what I felt. I’d let him control what happened for too long. I’d let him dictate how my life was going to be.
But no longer.
I was in control now.
“I said no, Knox.” I pulled in a stuttering breath and gripped my shaking hands together. Inside I was terrified of what he would do, but part of me knew he wouldn’t be his true self here, not out in the open. Not like this. “I’m not yours. I’ve never been yours. I never will be yours.”
“Yes, you fuckin’ are!” he shouted so loudly it made my ears ring. “You think I’m gonna let a piece of trailer trash like you tell me what the fuck will and won’t happen?” He took one step forward, but I stood my ground, not backing down for even a second.
“You can call me all the names you want. It won’t make a difference, Knox.”
