Chapter 4

• I clocked out of work after making a decent amount from tips alone. It would definitely help replenish what I had spent on clothes and necessities. While I was happy to be free from work, going home was another situation entirely.
• When Kat dropped me off, Lauren was still at work for another hour. That left me alone with Darren. The moment I walked through the front door, I knew he was completely drunk. He sat in the recliner, watching a fuzzy football match on TV, his face contorted in anger.
• "Where the f*ck have you been?" he spat, struggling to lift himself off the recliner.
• "Working, Darren," I repeated for the hundredth time, trying not to roll my eyes, knowing it would only anger him more. I turned to head upstairs, hoping to escape his drunken tirade, but something he said made me stop.
• "Working?" he scoffed, wobbling as he stood. "You were out whoring around like your f*ck*ng mother."
• This time, I did roll my eyes. If he wasn't drunk all the time, he'd remember that Lauren made me pay for everything myself. I didn't have time to "wh*r* around" when I was busy supporting myself and going to high school.
• "Lauren isn't my mother," I snapped, turning to walk up the stairs. His hand wrapped around my wrist and yanked me back. I didn't fall, but I stumbled a few steps.
• "Get off me, Darren," I mumbled, my body tensing in fear. The few times he had gotten this close weren't pretty. Darren was always handsy when he was drunk, whether it be abusive or sexual.
• "F*ck*ng wh*r*," he spat, his alcohol-tinged breath invading my nose. He yanked me closer, and I nearly gagged at the sight of his sweat-stained shirt. My entire body felt cold with fear. He was much too close for comfort.
• I grimaced at the disgusting smell of stale beer and body odor. His grip tightened around my wrist, and I gritted my teeth against the pain.
• "I said get off!" I screeched, bringing my knee up between his legs. Darren let out a hiss of pain, releasing my wrist. I could hear his drunken yelling as I ran to my bedroom and slammed the door behind me. I fumbled with the lock through the tears that had sprung up in my eyes.
• Once the door was locked, I flopped down on my bed and let a few tears trail down my face. Some days were harder than others, but it would all be worth it when I left this place. Over the years, I had lost hope that Lauren would treat me like her own daughter and instead looked forward to escaping the moment I turned 18.
• I stayed on the bed for hours, not daring to move until I heard the front door open and Lauren come inside. Only then did I pull myself off the bed and trudge into the shower. The steaming water hid my tears as they fell freely.
• Living with Darren required constant vigilance, always being on guard around him. It was exhausting and left me in a perpetual state of paranoia. I hopped out of the shower feeling completely drained and fell into bed.
• Morning came much too quickly. After a few hours of restless sleep, I woke up and changed for school. I put on one of the outfits I had recently bought—a pair of skinny jeans and an off-shoulder long-sleeve shirt. I grimaced at the handprint bruise on my skin and yanked my sleeve down over it.
• As usual, my first and second classes of the day were with Kat. We chatted while working on our assignments. My next class, however, was the one I worried about. Kieran's comment about cologne at the restaurant had me confused, but I let it slip from my mind shortly after. Apparently, the twins had not.
• Kieran and Ethan both looked irresistible, their hair tousled in that perfect, messy way. Kieran wore a dark blue button-down shirt, while Ethan sported a simple black t-shirt. They sat at our usual table, only this time Ethan was across from Kieran. I grimaced, realizing I'd have to sit next to one of them. Kieran seemed more serious and sometimes scarier, so I plopped down beside Ethan.
• Ethan smirked at Kieran, as if he had won a bet. I averted my eyes from the sinfully attractive twins and pretended to be interested in the teacher.
• "Did the little doll finish our group project?" Ethan teased, his hot breath curling around my ear. A shudder wracked through my body, and Ethan snickered. I clamped my lips shut and ignored him. Of course, I finished the project. I couldn't let the troublesome twins ruin my grade.
• When I didn't answer, Ethan's fingers danced over my shoulder and tickled my collarbone. I s*ck*d in a sharp breath at the tingles that bubbled against my skin under his touch.
• "Stop," I hissed, keeping my gaze on the teacher.
• I could hear a weird rumbling sound coming from Ethan, and the urge to look became overwhelming. My eyes flickered over to him, noticing a strange glint in his dark orbs.
• I couldn't understand these insanely gorgeous twins. First, they chose me to pick on. Second, they wanted a reaction from me. Third, when they finally got a reaction, they seemed p*ss*d.
• "Why don't you make me stop, doll?" Ethan grinned, his thick fingers running along my exposed collarbone.
• Just then, the teacher walked around, collecting the group projects. Ethan's wandering hand retreated, and I rifled through my binder to find our project. After handing it to the teacher, I nearly jumped from my seat as a large hand grasped my thigh.
• Ethan smirked down at me, and I felt my body stiffen. "Where's that feisty little attitude, doll?" he whispered, his voice gruff and too close to my ear.
• I bit my cheek, determined not to feed into their nonsense. Whether they got off on acting this way or not, I wasn't planning on encouraging it.
• And that's how I spent the rest of the class—sucking in sharp breaths as Ethan's hand traveled where it shouldn't. At one point, he tugged playfully on a strand of my hair. I turned my head to hide the aggressive blush on my cheeks.
• I quickly noticed that Kieran was the quiet one. His eyes were glued to me the entire class. When he wasn't staring at me, he was glaring at his brother. I swore I could see jealousy burning in his eyes. It was a shame they wanted to take turns tormenting me.