• Chapter 16 •
"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies, but from the ones you love."
-Anonymous
I basically jump into his arms and he spins me around.
"You're here!"
He lifts his hands and wipes the tears off my cheek. "Don't cry..." He laughs.
I wrap my arms around him and burry my head into his chest. "I didn't think I was ever going to see you again."
Then a thought hits me. "Mom- you said..."
"Brennan, I couldn't spoil the surprise."
I hug Tom more as I smile. "Thank you."
•••••••••••••••••••••
The red leaves crunch beneath my feet as Tom and I walk down the trail of the nearby park.
"I've missed you." Tom says as he squeezes my hand.
"And you have no idea how much I have missed you."
The wind blows a little more and I feel the goosebumps beginning to appear under my coat.
"So how's your mom?" I ask.
He nods. "She's doing pretty good, got a job as a police officer."
A look of surprise ripples my face. "Oh, that's uh.... Nice?"
He laughs to the sky. "No more law breaking for me."
Smiling I nod.
"So, do you like living here? Make any good friends? Any enemies?"
I sigh. "I would much rather live in Maine. I miss everyone, but I have managed. Met a girl named Claire. Picked a couple of choice villains."
"Ah- gotcha."
It's peaceful a few seconds before he speaks. "You know I miss this."
I tilt my head to look at him. "What?"
"Talking to you. Looking at you." He brings a hand to my cheek. "Kissing you."
And he leans in bringing our lips together. I want to cry. His kisses feel the same from the last time I saw him. The day I said goodbye.
But a snap of a fallen branch breaks the moment and I switch my gaze down the trail.
"Peter?" I question shocked. His eyes are dark and his gaze seems to be set on one thing.
Tom's hands sitting on my hips.
Then before I have time to react he turns around and leaves.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••
Even though Tom is here, my parents are making me go to school. He is however, coming up to have lunch with me.
"So when do I get to meet this old lover of yours?" Claire asks as she bites into her sandwich. Laughing I stand from the lunch table.
"In about two minutes because I got to go meet him at the office."
I begin to walk down the hall way when I think I hear muffled voices. I turn around and look through the corridor but when no one meets my vision I shrug it off.
Then before I can even move a centimeter a powerful force slams my body into the side of the lockers. I let out a painful squeal of surprise.
"Peter!" I yell looking into my attackers eyes. "What the hell?!"
In a fast painful way he flips his hands to get a better grip on my shoulders. "What are you thinking?" He seethes. He slams me into the lockers again.
"Peter stop! You're hurting me..." I say with force. But the set look in his eyes show me that he isn't listening to a thing I said because he only grips harder.
"He is going to take advantage of this! You'll ruin-"
"Hey!" A shout interrupts. My eyes move to the hall that Tom is sprinting down. "Get your hands off of her!"
The minute Peter sees him, he lets go of me, but I don't consider it a good thing.
"You!" Peter snarls as he marches over to Tom. "You have ruined everything. You're going to get her killed!"
At his word I instantly become frightened. What is he talking about?
The sound of impact breaks my thoughts and I see Tom barreling over in pain from the punch to his face. I gasp but before I can comfort Tom he rises and punches Peter.
"Stop!" I scream as blood flies from their faces. A small crowd from the students going to lunch fill around us.
"I love watching bad boys fight." A girl says behind me. That's when I lose it. I stomp over in between the guys just as Peter is about to throw another punch.
"Stop!" I yell. Everyone is silent and Peter's fist is frozen in the air. He puts it down and grabs my arm.
"Come on, let's go."
I twist from his grasp and he gives me an irritated look.
"No, I'm not going anywhere with you. Leave us the hell alone."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
"Ouch!" Tom winced as I tap a rag to his bloody eyebrow.
I sigh."I'm so sorry."
"Oh shut up." He laughs. "I hit back." Then his face turns from a joking look to suspicious. "Who was that anyway? Why did he have you pinned against a locker?"
"Umm... Just a frenemie."
He looks puzzled. "Did you guys have-"
"No! There is nothing between us."
"Okay." Is all he says. It's quiet for a while as I work on cleaning his cuts.
"Your parents told me you haven't been sleeping."
I freeze. My eyes look up. "I have been sleeping fine." My voice is sharp.
"They told me it's back."
That strikes something. I stand up so fast I get whiplash. "No. It's not. And there never was an 'it'. "
The doubtful look in his eyes hit the urge for me to cry. "Do- do you believe them?"
"Honestly Brennan-" he pauses. "I do."
All the breath in my lungs escape. "What! Why are you siding with them! I'm not crazy."
"I've witnessed it before, your face in constant fear, every time you went somewhere you were on the lookout, you slept with all the lights on.... And you are fighting with people again."
"He pushed me! He's just some guy who..." But I stop myself before I go on about the mystery man that started this problem.
"You know what? Forget it. Clean up yourself." I say as I toss the rag into his lap and grab my bag.
"Oh come on Brennan, don't be like this. Where are you going?" He shouts behind me.
"To see the guy that gladly punched your face."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The taxi pulls to the front of Nic's flat. I fling money to the driver and jump out; running to the door. I knock frantically; almost on the verge of tears.
Nic opens the door. "You shouldn't be here."
"I need to see him."
"That's not a good idea. He-" but I shove past him through the door. I gasp.
Broken pieces of glass and furniture cover the floor and there are scattered holes in the walls.
"Brennan..." Stephan says surprised as he walks in the room. "You shouldn't-"
"What is going on?" I ask confused and shocked.
"He's drinking." Nic says monotone.
Then a loud yell is heard from the back room. It's followed by a crash. I run and see Peter standing in the middle of the room breathing heavily. This room is destroyed like the last.
"Peter...."I say in almost a whisper. He slowly turns to meet my eyes. The stench of alcohol burns my nose.
He stares at me for a bit then turns around and grabs the last stable wooden chair in the room; placing it above his head. Then he hurls it at me. I let out a shriek as I duck to the ground.
"You stupid girl!" He shouts. "He was already after you, and now Hook won't stop!"
My heart is so full of fear I think I am going to pass out.
Stephan grabs my arm. "You need to leave! Go! Get out!" He screams. I sprint for the door as a liquor bottle is thrown to the wall next to me.
When I'm finally outside- the door behind me slams close. The streets are quiet and the wind chills my skin. I begin to walk down the steps and down the side walk.
Suddenly my knees go weak and I fall to the sidewalk. The cold concrete burns my hands but it doesn't stop my from staying in that position.
I begin to sob until my lungs can no longer take it, but a thought interrupts my pain.
Did Peter say Hook?