He doesn’t break eye contact as he rips the ribbon from around my throat. I gasp as the cloth falls to the ground.
“I will scream!” I yell with strain even though I know no one would hear me out here.
“We love screams,” Xander whispers in my ear. “Scream, Frozen.”
The corner of Aiden’s lips curves in a smirk as if he’s agreeing.
We love screams.
I think I’m going to be sick.
How could I not think of that option when I put myself into this situation? I should have known nothing good would come out of a confrontation with Aiden and Xander. Their brand of unhinged doesn’t care about moral lines or societal standards.
They were raised to think they were above everyone else.
If they got into trouble, their parents’ influence got them out of it unscathed. Like in Levi King’s case, the school apologised for something he had done.
Their moral lines are screwed up and blurred. Hell, they might not even exist at all.
How could I so foolishly assume that they have the same moral line as mine?
Stupid, stupid me.
If I want to get out of this with minimum damage, then I need to lower myself to their level and try to see this from their warped perspective.
They’re bullies which means they get off on their victim’s struggle.
I swallow my pride and quit trying to squirm free.
Aiden tilts his head to the side with a slight twitch in his left eye. I recognise the first gesture as contemplation, but I’m not sure what the twitching means. Is it anger? Annoyance? Something else?
Damn him and how hard it is to read him.
Aiden steps closer so his chest almost grazes mine. “You’re a proud little thing, aren’t you, Frozen?”
I’m taken aback by the change of subject. I thought this was about the phone?
“You don’t give a fuck about anyone. Always walking around here with that head of yours somewhere above and beyond like no one here deserves your time.” He pulls a stray blonde strand of my hair and twirls it in his fingers, watching it with manic interest. “So… Frozen.”
My breathing catches the more he twirls the strand. I don’t know if he’ll pull me by it or rip it out of my skull psycho style.
A dark, claustrophobic sensation grips the centre of my chest.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. Even when I stayed out of his way, I always noticed the hidden dark tendencies behind Aiden’s metallic eyes.
He tucks the strand behind my ear. To a passerby, it’d seem like a doting, caring gesture, but from Aiden, it’s the calm before the storm.
The sound of airplanes overhead, right before the bombing.
The slight movement of the ground, right before the earthquake.
“Tell me, Frozen. What pushes your buttons? What are you afraid of, hmm?”
You!
I swallow down the scream, tipping my chin up, and meeting the devil’s eyes.
He squeezes my jaw between his thumb and forefinger. “Tell. Me.”
When I keep my right to remain silent, something flashes in Aiden’s face. It’s fast and fleeting and disappears as soon as it’s there.
He releases me with a softness that startles me. No, not startle. It’s something much more potent.
I don’t like Aiden’s kind side.
It’s deceptive.
Destructive.
Deadly.
“Last chance before I find the answer myself.”
Yeah, good luck with pulling the answer out of my head, monster.
Something shines in his eyes. People’s eyes shine with excitement and happiness. Aiden’s spark with unhinged sadism.
He reaches for me, and before I can do anything, he rips my shirt open. Buttons fly everywhere like abandoned pebbles.
My heart lunges in my chest and shame sinks to the bottom of my stomach. Unshed tears fill my eyes, and I realise right then that I’m not fit for this game.
I’m a coward and cowards lose before the game even starts.
But I’m smart enough to cut my losses short.
I swallow my tears and my stupid pride. “F-fine. I’ll give you the phone.”
The smirk on Aiden’s lips seals my doomed fate.
“Oh, no. That was before. You had your chance. Now, I’ve changed my mind.”