Page 37
Story: Pretty Poisoned
"Hazel, I'm disappointed," he says as she returns to the now-empty main room.
"I didn't let him touch her," she says.
He glares at Luca and River, who laugh quietly. "You two are fucking children," he says. Then, he turns to me and adds, "And you smell like cum. Layla!"
Layla looks over from the same chair I left her in with hopeful eyes. "Yeah?"
"Teagan is going to sleep with you. Show her where the room is. Alana, let's go."
I watch as whatever hope was there before dissipates, and her face falls.
"Good night, Teagan," River says as she ascends the staircase with Hazel.
Luca stalks off toward the kitchen, and Declan throws his arm around Alana.
"Declan!" Layla screams—actually screams—as they walk off together. It takes us all by surprise. "Please don't. Please…stop doing this to me. I'm so sorry. I love you so much—I'll do anything. Just…please talk to me. Please…tell me what to do."
He looks her up and down, emotionless. His eyes dart to me before he turns back around. "Make sure she takes a fucking shower, too," he says over his shoulder before he disappears down the hallway.
"Come on, Layla," I say, taking her hand. She stands and walks in that unnatural dead way again up the stairs with me at her side.
"It's the last room on the right side," she says.
We step inside the room, decorated in sage green and white. There's a queen-sized canopy bed at the center with a white down comforter and a teddy bear on the pillow.
"Is this really your room? Do you all have your own rooms?" I ask. "What's with the bear?"
"Declan got it for me," she says, looking at me through watery eyes.
Oh…shit.
"The first night we met. He won it; it was at the state fair. They weren't famous then."
I try to picture Declan as the kind of person who would win someone a teddy bear at the state fair. Even if this was a version of him that existed two years ago, it's difficult to imagine.
"Oh. Are you a local then?"
"I'm from a small town nearby called Post Falls," she says. "There's a bathroom there; I'll show you how to turn on the water. It's kind of confusing."
"Thanks," I tell her. "Um, do you have anything I can wear? I'm sorry to ask, but I don't have much, and I left my bag down in the kitchen."
"Yeah," she says. She walks over to the dresser and opens the bottom drawer. "Is this fine?"
She hands me a pair of black tights and a black Washington State Cougars hoodie.
"Yeah, that's perfect. Thank you," I tell her.
She forces a smile and steps into the bathroom.
"There are dual showerheads, but if you want to use them both, you have to turn this," she says, turning the water on. "If you don't like it, just turn it back. The floors and the towel rack are heated, too; I'll turn them both on for you."
She flips a couple of switches and starts to leave the room.
"Layla?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"I didn't let him touch her," she says.
He glares at Luca and River, who laugh quietly. "You two are fucking children," he says. Then, he turns to me and adds, "And you smell like cum. Layla!"
Layla looks over from the same chair I left her in with hopeful eyes. "Yeah?"
"Teagan is going to sleep with you. Show her where the room is. Alana, let's go."
I watch as whatever hope was there before dissipates, and her face falls.
"Good night, Teagan," River says as she ascends the staircase with Hazel.
Luca stalks off toward the kitchen, and Declan throws his arm around Alana.
"Declan!" Layla screams—actually screams—as they walk off together. It takes us all by surprise. "Please don't. Please…stop doing this to me. I'm so sorry. I love you so much—I'll do anything. Just…please talk to me. Please…tell me what to do."
He looks her up and down, emotionless. His eyes dart to me before he turns back around. "Make sure she takes a fucking shower, too," he says over his shoulder before he disappears down the hallway.
"Come on, Layla," I say, taking her hand. She stands and walks in that unnatural dead way again up the stairs with me at her side.
"It's the last room on the right side," she says.
We step inside the room, decorated in sage green and white. There's a queen-sized canopy bed at the center with a white down comforter and a teddy bear on the pillow.
"Is this really your room? Do you all have your own rooms?" I ask. "What's with the bear?"
"Declan got it for me," she says, looking at me through watery eyes.
Oh…shit.
"The first night we met. He won it; it was at the state fair. They weren't famous then."
I try to picture Declan as the kind of person who would win someone a teddy bear at the state fair. Even if this was a version of him that existed two years ago, it's difficult to imagine.
"Oh. Are you a local then?"
"I'm from a small town nearby called Post Falls," she says. "There's a bathroom there; I'll show you how to turn on the water. It's kind of confusing."
"Thanks," I tell her. "Um, do you have anything I can wear? I'm sorry to ask, but I don't have much, and I left my bag down in the kitchen."
"Yeah," she says. She walks over to the dresser and opens the bottom drawer. "Is this fine?"
She hands me a pair of black tights and a black Washington State Cougars hoodie.
"Yeah, that's perfect. Thank you," I tell her.
She forces a smile and steps into the bathroom.
"There are dual showerheads, but if you want to use them both, you have to turn this," she says, turning the water on. "If you don't like it, just turn it back. The floors and the towel rack are heated, too; I'll turn them both on for you."
She flips a couple of switches and starts to leave the room.
"Layla?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183