Page 14
Story: Paint Me Dangerous
“It’s a video,” I say in a soft voice. He gets closer, and I can see that he is getting more worried.
“On the night of the party,” I say, looking away. He wraps his arms around my shaking body and holds me. He holds me close to his chest and gently runs his hand up and down my back.
“I—In the video… I’m naked, Austin,” I say, and a sob comes out. Even I can tell that my voice sounds broken. Austin gets stiff. He keeps running his hand up and down my back. But I only feel coldness spreading through me.
“I am naked in the video,” I say again and again against his chest, my silent tears soaking his shirt. He pulls me in deeper. I wish I could stay like this for the rest of my life.
When he talks, I cringe at his tone. It sounds scarier than anything else. It is a whisper, a dark promise, and a chilling whisper.
“I’m going to kill him.”
I’ve never been so excited to see someone die.
I look out the window and try to feel better by looking at the pretty flowers in the garden, which are orange, yellow, pink, and all the other colours. They have butterflies around them that admire how beautiful they are. But the flowers will die and fade away.
And the butterflies will find other flowers to enjoy, ones that are young and pretty. Then butterflies will also die.
I hear “Pst.” My eyes go straight to the front. Mr. Richard is busy talking about some dumb theory about how life evolved that makes no sense at all.
Again, I hear “Pst.” I turn to my left.
“Hey,” a man whispers. I didn’t even notice that he was sitting next to me. The class is almost over.
This guy has a grin on his face that makes him look like a boy. He looks good with green eyes and brown hair that falls on his forehead. Why does every guy at this school look good?
He says, “I am Eric.”
I say, “Lyra.” I look away from the outside again. My eyes fell on the yellow flower that has little white spots on it. It looks great. But it will die at some point.
Everything does.
Death.
I’m going crazy.
Eric whispers again, “What’s wrong?” I know he’s trying to be nice, but it’s a little annoying.
“Nothing,” I say with a tight-lipped smile. When the bell rings, I let out a sigh of relief because class is finally over. I smile at Eric one last time and then run outside.
I think back to what happened at lunch. I’m scared of what Austin will think of me, so I wish I hadn’t told him anything. I know I shouldn’t care what other people think of me, but I do. I can’t do anything about it. Or maybe I could control it; I just haven’t tried very hard.
My phone vibrates in my pocket just as I’m about to go to the next class. I take it out. A message from Austin makes my heart race.
Come to your locker to meet me.
I put the phone back in my pocket and look around the classroom one last time. I turn around and walk to my locker with a sigh. Austin is standing next to my locker with one hand on his pocket and a serious look on his face that sends chills down my spine. I might think it’s hot if I weren’t so nervous.
I’m going nuts.
“Hey,” I say softly. He looks into my eyes and tries to find something in my face. After a while, he finds my hand. He takes my hand and leads me to the classroom I know very well.
The same classroom where Zeke and I met every morning.
His hands are warm, but mine are cold and sweaty. He doesn’t seem to care because he holds them firmly but gently. The kind of hold that makes your stomach hurt and your heart race.
Austin unlocks the door. He looks at me once before opening the door wide enough for me to go in. I freeze when I see what’s in front of me.
Austin shoves me inside and shuts the door next to me. I think my mouth is open and my eyes are wide.
“Do you like it?” I hear Austin say from behind me. I shut my mouth.
Zeke is in front of me. He is tied to a chair. His face is bloody and the skin around his eyes is black. His lips are cut, and blood is running down his face. The front of his shirt is ripped. I see a man standing behind Zeke. I think I’ve seen him before. He is even bigger than Austin.
I turn back to Austin to ask him to explain something.
He smiles at me.
“Do you like it?” he asks again.
“Does the other guy know?”
“He doesn’t know anything.”
I look at Zeke again. Zeke looks back at me, and his sad eyes scream defeat.
“You want to hurt him more, bunny? Maybe a punch or two? Or ten? Or thirteen?” Austin smiles wide, showing his teeth. I turn around and look at Zeke. He looks like he’s going to die and he’s covered in blood.
“No, Austin,” I say with a shaky smile. “What now?” I finally find my voice.
“Don’t worry, baby. We’ll take care of him. No one will know. He’ll probably go to jail.”
“That video?” I whisper. Austin points to the ground. I stare in shock at the phone that is completely broken. Austin smiles at me, and even though it’s not often that I see him smile, he really does look happy.
“Are there c-copies?”
“No, Andrew, they tortured the hell out of him; he didn’t make one. Who doesn’t make a copy? I’m so f*****g glad that he’s dumb.” I sigh in relief.
Austin points to something and the other guy nods. He takes my hand and we go outside with that. When we get outside, I look at Austin. I feel like a free bird and my happy tears make it hard to see.
I say “Thank you” with lips that are shaking. Austin smiles again and wipes a tear from my cheek. I admire him. I really don’t know what I would do without him.
When I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him, he is surprised. I feel great. I’m about to leave when he wraps his arms around me and pulls me to him. When he kisses my hair, it makes my stomach feel like it has butterflies in it. We stayed like that, not caring that people were watching us.
“Lyra?” I hear a voice that surprises me and makes us jump apart. My cheeks get hot.
Eric looks at me and says, “We keep running into each other, don’t we?” I give him a little smile. I can feel Austin behind me, and I don’t like how close he is. I can almost feel him on me.
Austin says in a cold voice, “Who the f**k is this?” I see Eric swallow.
“Uh… hi. I’m Eric,” Eric says in a scared voice. Poor guy. I move away from Austin.
“Are you her boyfriend or something?” Eric pushes, still sounding scared. My cheeks get hot and my eyes get big.
“On the night of the party,” I say, looking away. He wraps his arms around my shaking body and holds me. He holds me close to his chest and gently runs his hand up and down my back.
“I—In the video… I’m naked, Austin,” I say, and a sob comes out. Even I can tell that my voice sounds broken. Austin gets stiff. He keeps running his hand up and down my back. But I only feel coldness spreading through me.
“I am naked in the video,” I say again and again against his chest, my silent tears soaking his shirt. He pulls me in deeper. I wish I could stay like this for the rest of my life.
When he talks, I cringe at his tone. It sounds scarier than anything else. It is a whisper, a dark promise, and a chilling whisper.
“I’m going to kill him.”
I’ve never been so excited to see someone die.
I look out the window and try to feel better by looking at the pretty flowers in the garden, which are orange, yellow, pink, and all the other colours. They have butterflies around them that admire how beautiful they are. But the flowers will die and fade away.
And the butterflies will find other flowers to enjoy, ones that are young and pretty. Then butterflies will also die.
I hear “Pst.” My eyes go straight to the front. Mr. Richard is busy talking about some dumb theory about how life evolved that makes no sense at all.
Again, I hear “Pst.” I turn to my left.
“Hey,” a man whispers. I didn’t even notice that he was sitting next to me. The class is almost over.
This guy has a grin on his face that makes him look like a boy. He looks good with green eyes and brown hair that falls on his forehead. Why does every guy at this school look good?
He says, “I am Eric.”
I say, “Lyra.” I look away from the outside again. My eyes fell on the yellow flower that has little white spots on it. It looks great. But it will die at some point.
Everything does.
Death.
I’m going crazy.
Eric whispers again, “What’s wrong?” I know he’s trying to be nice, but it’s a little annoying.
“Nothing,” I say with a tight-lipped smile. When the bell rings, I let out a sigh of relief because class is finally over. I smile at Eric one last time and then run outside.
I think back to what happened at lunch. I’m scared of what Austin will think of me, so I wish I hadn’t told him anything. I know I shouldn’t care what other people think of me, but I do. I can’t do anything about it. Or maybe I could control it; I just haven’t tried very hard.
My phone vibrates in my pocket just as I’m about to go to the next class. I take it out. A message from Austin makes my heart race.
Come to your locker to meet me.
I put the phone back in my pocket and look around the classroom one last time. I turn around and walk to my locker with a sigh. Austin is standing next to my locker with one hand on his pocket and a serious look on his face that sends chills down my spine. I might think it’s hot if I weren’t so nervous.
I’m going nuts.
“Hey,” I say softly. He looks into my eyes and tries to find something in my face. After a while, he finds my hand. He takes my hand and leads me to the classroom I know very well.
The same classroom where Zeke and I met every morning.
His hands are warm, but mine are cold and sweaty. He doesn’t seem to care because he holds them firmly but gently. The kind of hold that makes your stomach hurt and your heart race.
Austin unlocks the door. He looks at me once before opening the door wide enough for me to go in. I freeze when I see what’s in front of me.
Austin shoves me inside and shuts the door next to me. I think my mouth is open and my eyes are wide.
“Do you like it?” I hear Austin say from behind me. I shut my mouth.
Zeke is in front of me. He is tied to a chair. His face is bloody and the skin around his eyes is black. His lips are cut, and blood is running down his face. The front of his shirt is ripped. I see a man standing behind Zeke. I think I’ve seen him before. He is even bigger than Austin.
I turn back to Austin to ask him to explain something.
He smiles at me.
“Do you like it?” he asks again.
“Does the other guy know?”
“He doesn’t know anything.”
I look at Zeke again. Zeke looks back at me, and his sad eyes scream defeat.
“You want to hurt him more, bunny? Maybe a punch or two? Or ten? Or thirteen?” Austin smiles wide, showing his teeth. I turn around and look at Zeke. He looks like he’s going to die and he’s covered in blood.
“No, Austin,” I say with a shaky smile. “What now?” I finally find my voice.
“Don’t worry, baby. We’ll take care of him. No one will know. He’ll probably go to jail.”
“That video?” I whisper. Austin points to the ground. I stare in shock at the phone that is completely broken. Austin smiles at me, and even though it’s not often that I see him smile, he really does look happy.
“Are there c-copies?”
“No, Andrew, they tortured the hell out of him; he didn’t make one. Who doesn’t make a copy? I’m so f*****g glad that he’s dumb.” I sigh in relief.
Austin points to something and the other guy nods. He takes my hand and we go outside with that. When we get outside, I look at Austin. I feel like a free bird and my happy tears make it hard to see.
I say “Thank you” with lips that are shaking. Austin smiles again and wipes a tear from my cheek. I admire him. I really don’t know what I would do without him.
When I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him, he is surprised. I feel great. I’m about to leave when he wraps his arms around me and pulls me to him. When he kisses my hair, it makes my stomach feel like it has butterflies in it. We stayed like that, not caring that people were watching us.
“Lyra?” I hear a voice that surprises me and makes us jump apart. My cheeks get hot.
Eric looks at me and says, “We keep running into each other, don’t we?” I give him a little smile. I can feel Austin behind me, and I don’t like how close he is. I can almost feel him on me.
Austin says in a cold voice, “Who the f**k is this?” I see Eric swallow.
“Uh… hi. I’m Eric,” Eric says in a scared voice. Poor guy. I move away from Austin.
“Are you her boyfriend or something?” Eric pushes, still sounding scared. My cheeks get hot and my eyes get big.