Page 24 of I Despise You

I catch myself on a tree so I don’t end up face-first in the dirt, and I take off my high heels. It will be a billion times easier to run without them, even though the straps already cut my skin a bit.

With my shoes in my hands, I rush across the field and find the door through which Vanessa led me out. All it takes is one little push to open it, and I’m glad for it.

As I stumble through the darkness, trying to get my phone out, I try not to think about what my bare feet are touching. A beam of a flashlight right in front of me nearly blinds me, and a yelp escapes my throat.

“Who’s there?” A voice says.

Shit! The guards!

I forgot about the guards, and I don’t know their schedule.

The flashlight turns toward me as my stomach twists. I can’t get caught.

I can’t!

Without even thinking, I rush the guard, keeping my head down. I shove him out of the way, surprising him, and the flashlight falls out of his hand as he goes down with a shout.

I pause for a few moments, worried that I’ve seriously injured him, but my eyes lift to the shadow at the end of the hallway that’s visible because of the fallen flashlight.

Chase grins at me, a wicked smile on his lips, and I know I can’t just stand frozen on the spot.

I race away from there, through the darkness, until I find my room. Once I do, I lock the door and press my back against it, my chest heaving.

What have I done?