SWNOVELS Chapter Prelude: A Rude Awakening
Why did I have to be so curious? Is it really important to know everything and make sense of it all? "Now look at me! Stuck in a broom closet at school because I had to follow Jaxon. Just great!" I say to myself. Scared to death and definitely moments away from pissing my pants from all the growling going on outside.
I honestly knew something was weird with Jaxon but animals at school? Did he have a secret pet or some weird science experiment gone wrong?
Oh no...
He was the type to torture animals by doing twisted experiments on them. If that is the case then I can't just hide in here and let the boy I am secretly in love with do this to those poor animals, probably dogs or whatever.
Maybe I need to stop watching crime documentaries, especially with ones of serial killers and people with weird fetishes.
I need to find that courage I had when I stood up to my father and his vile wife. He is just a boy, what could possibly go wrong?
The broom closet door swings open before I could talk myself in to pointless bravery to reveal Azuri, looking at me with deadly eyes. I could've sworn her eyes changed colours.
"Pointless hiding in here. You were made the minute you arrived little human girl.” Azuri says to me as she drags me out. She throws me on the floor as I land on a pair of white sneakers that look a little too muddy, even for me.
Little human girl? Guess I'm not dog enough to be tortured but I thought she was human too "Why did you follow me Hailey?" Jaxon's voice echoes through the school. He sounded different, a little deeper and it scared me.
I look up to come face to face with Brett. He smiles at me but it looks more evil as his incisors look strangely longer and pointy, and his face contorted in disgust. I look away, feeling a chill run up my spine just by his look alone.
Azuri yanks me up with so much force that I lose my balance and fall back down. On my way down back to the floor, I lock eyes with Jaxon.
He looked at me differently, not like the other times when we were together. He looked at me with so much anger, my heart sank. Why is he angry? He's the one torturing animals. Speaking of animals, I realize I don't hear growling anymore. My cowardice cost me the truth and judging by the looks they were all giving me, I was not about to get my way.
Jaxon sighs out loudly before storming his way towards me and that fear I felt in the broom closet creeps back in, finding myself cowering away from him. My action has him stop in his tracks for a second and then slowly walking to me. That does not ease the panic that rises within, as I start to calculate my way out of here.
"Stand up." Jaxon says to me but I am rooted to the floor, my legs reacting to the fear that has a made a home in the pit of my stomach, my whole body feeling like jelly. Why can't I just be tough for once? Stand up for myself instead of being saved by everyone I considered a friend once in my life.
The rest of the group around me start to laugh and I am not annoyed one bit.
See, I want to be brave but I can also find comfort in shying away from confrontation. Especially from an angry secret love who is pretending right now that I mean absolutely nothing to him. What did I think was going to happen though? He is a bully with all his friends and they prey on the weak, the likes of me but I convinced myself I will never get to experience his cruelty.
Ha! Jokes on me now for being stupid enough to have been so naive.
"I won't repeat myself Hailey." Jaxon says my name with such disgust, such malice and hate. The same way he says the names of all the other victims that suffered in this school. If my mom was alive, she would have been here saving me and making sure that they get detention all year but she is not here and I am on my own.
So with my mother in mind, I will stand up and look Jaxon square in the eyes.
I stand up slowly, trying to gather all the strength that I do not have at all and I eventually get on my feet. Surprise takes over me as I don't feel my legs try to give out on me, throwing a victorious grin at Jaxon before giving him my deadliest glare.
Half of my conscious begging me to look down but the other half was cheering me on. Our secret relationship, something he asked for holding zero weight to his cold demeanour, Being my first kiss and first boyfriend. He knew this, knew that I am struggling to let people in because of my dad letting me down as a parent and my mother dying so suddenly. His constant reassurances that he will take care of me were obvious blatant lies and now I get why he asked for our relationship to be on the low, he used me.
"Last I checked, this school was for everyone and I happen to be a scholar here, you being here is just a mere coincidence.” I say without a stutter. My focus on Jaxon so I don't falter.
"Then why were you hiding in the broom closet?" Azuri asks me and I look at here curiously. She stares back at me and I look back at Jaxon, who was still looking at me.
"Did you guys not hear the growling? And don't tell me I was hearing things. I've been lied to enough.” I say still looking at Jaxon. He looks away, having a staring contest with Brett before walking away from me, they all follow him leaving me alone with Caiphus, who was actually the nicest in that group.
"I am sorry about all of this Hailey.. but you have now made yourself a target and game for them" Caiphus says to me before walking away from me. I was all alone now and my legs finally gave out before the tears.
Jaxon was supposed to be my boyfriend...
He is supposed to be the one to take care of me but I'm learning once again that I am on my own and I need to stop believing people when they tell me otherwise.