AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prologue
Skipping down the stairs two at a time, I swung around the bannister and into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of buttered toast off my mum’s plate.
“Oi you little menace! Get your own!” She chuckled, hitting my hand away, but it was too late. Shoving the toast in my mouth, I gave her a toothy grin.
I was going to be late to meet Nate and I didn’t have time for chitchat. I also didn’t want to hang around forhimto wake up. Giving my mum a hasty kiss on her cheek, I turned abruptly to grab my school bag from the table.
His imposing glare stopped me in my tracks as he slowly looked up and down my body with disgust. “You are not actually going to let her go to school like that?” He snarled, his cold blue eyes lingering on my bare legs in my school skirt.
My mum turned and looked between us both anxiously. “There is nothing wrong with what I am wearing. It’s a school uniform,” I quipped back, rolling my eyes. The atmosphere thickened with tension as he continued to stand in the door frame, blocking my way to the front door.
“It’s too short. You look like a slut,” he spat. I blinked twice and turned to my mum but, of course, she had lowered her eyes and pretended she hadn’t heard. This was how it was. He could say and do what he liked with hardly any repercussions. Taking a deep breath, I pushed past him down the hallway. I could feel him following me. His eyes scanned my body as if he owned it. Well, he didn’t own it. No one fucking owned it and if I wanted to wear a short ass skirt, I bloody well would.
Opening the front door, I raged down the overgrown garden path. I could feel him hot on my heels, so I sped up. Not quick enough, apparently. His tight grip on my arm spun me around and he pulled me into him. His eyes blazing with anger and his face so close to mine, I could feel his hot breath on my skin. I tried to pull away from him, but it was no use. He was older, stronger and way more muscular than me.
“You like being a little slut, don’t you, Livvy? You want all the boys to stare. It makes you feel like you exist when actually you are nothing. No one loves you; no one cares about you. You are a worthless piece of shit,” he growled at me and I gritted my teeth together.
“Get off me!” I hissed back but he grabbed my jaw in his hand, pushing my lips into a pout. His vindictive eyes flickered down to my mouth, and he licked his own as the longing and desire in them made me feel sick.
“You let anyone touch you today, especially that little boyfriend of yours, and you are dead. Do you hear me?”
I narrowed my eyes and shrugged out of his grip just as he looked over my shoulder and released me quickly.
“Everything alright Liv?” I heard Nate’s soothing voice behind me, and I walked towards him quickly. He was staring at Henry with malice, and I pulled his arm frantically to get him away. I knew deep down that Henry wouldn’t physically harm me; it was all mind games, but with Nate I wasn’t so sure. Henry’s temper gets the better of him and, to be honest, I have seen him beat guys to a pulp for a lot less.
“Come on, we are going to be late,” I tried to distract him. Reluctantly, Nate turned away and started to walk down the road with me. I could feel Henry’s eyes burning into the back of our heads and when Nate tried to reach for my hand, I quickly moved it away. “Not yet. Just wait until we get around the corner,” I whispered, which caused his handsome face to twist in irritation.
Once we were out of sight, I exhaled deeply and reached for his hand.
“What is going on with your brother Liv? Why does he act like that towards you?” He asked softly, but I could hear the concern and rage masked in his tone.
“Stepbrother,” I corrected him. “And I don’t know.”
He pulled at my hand and forced me to look up into his light brown eyes. He lifted his hand and smoothed my cheek with a brush of his fingers. “You know you can talk to me. If he is… hurting you, you can tell me.”
I shook my head. “It’s just words and… he just likes to think he can control my life. Don’t worry about it, Nate. Come on, we really are going to be late, and I don’t want another detention from Mr Dace.”
“But will you tell me if things get worse, Liv? Or speak to someone? Does your Mum know?”
I swallowed my emotions and continued to walk as he ran to catch up with me. “She knows some of it. She’s scared of him. And of his dad. She doesn’t like to get involved. But I promise Nate, I will tell you if it gets worse, okay?”
His kind eyes studied my side profile and I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. He dropped the subject, and I linked my arm with his before smiling up at him. “So tonight?”
He smiled down at me, kissing my nose. “Tonight.”
∞∞∞
Sitting in maths as Mr Dace droned on and on about algebra, I couldn’t help but stare out of the window and let my mind wander to thoughts of how things might go this evening. It was the end-of-year party at Chelsea’s house, and she had pretty much invited the entire school. It was going to be the party of the year and the night that I finally lost my virginity to Nate.
We had talked about it for weeks and I knew I was ready. I didn’t want to go to university as a virgin and I liked Nate. Maybe I even loved him. What was there not to love? He was sweet, clever, caring and hot. I couldn’t believe it when he started showing an interest in me a few months ago. Most boys in school knew Henry’s reputation and ‘overprotectiveness’ around me and decided I wasn’t worth the hassle. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Overprotective my ass. He was a psychopath.
He hadn’t always been like this. When my mum first met my stepdad, Neil, and they moved into our house, he was nice. He was friendly. Sometimes a little flirty, but I just put that down to his nature. He was the most popular kid at school. Head of year and Captain of the football team. He had girls falling at his feet and a group of friends that were forever going to parties and on road trips. And then something changed. On his sixth form graduation, he got so drunk and stumbled into my bedroom when he got home. He tried to kiss me. He tried to force himself on me and I punched him in the nose. I will never forget the anger and rejection in his eyes. It still sends a shiver down my spine. That was two years ago and ever since, he has made my life a living hell. I hoped he would move away. Go to college or Uni but he decided to stay put and get a job at the local building site down the road. I swear he did it just so he could torment me.
Now it was my sixth form graduation. I was eighteen and ready to get the hell away from this place and him. I was going to go to Plymouth University and study education. I want to be a primary teacher and it was the furthest university I could get into from my little hometown on the outskirts of London.
“Olivia Bennett! Earth to Olivia!”
I whipped my head around in a daze as the whole class sniggered. Mr Dace was standing right in front of my desk, holding my latest test in his hands. Shit.
