Page 85 of Sadistic Retribution

He stoops down, and the car door opens in the back. There's a sliver of moonlight that hits the side of his face. All I can see is a chunk of dark hair falling in his eyes—and the grey, stormy color of the one eye I can see.

He pushes me into the backseat. “Who are you?” I try to ask, but he’s gone before I can finish the question.

I startle awake hard, heart pounding out of control. Was that another memory? It had to be—it was so real. Hoodie Boy looked familiar somehow, but I never saw enough of him to place him.

I just shrug, not feeling anything about it one way or another. I stretch languidly, leaning to the table by my bed to check the time on my phone. I've been asleep all day. It's seven pm now.

I'm starving, so I pound on the door. “Hey! I'm hungry!”

Trikk's voice filters through the door. “Check your desk, Bambi. There's food there.”

I stomp over, seeing a plate piled high with pasta, chicken, and more. A bottle of water sits next to it. I sit, eating voraciously. I clean my plate in no time, taking a long drink of my water.

Now I have to pee. Fuck. Before I can yell again, I hear voices and a scuffle outside my door. I listen, not able to make out the words. Then all is quiet.

“Malishka, I need you to open the door. Please. There's something I have to show you,” Ghost begs.

“Who all is out there?”

“Just me and Ghost, everyone else is busy,” Trikk answers. “It’s important. You need to see this.”

“Oh, fuck you... ugh! You better take me to the bathroom before I piss myself!” I throw open the door. “What’s so damn important?”

Tears swim in Ghost’s eyes. Trikk steps up next to him. “Bambi...”

I'm about to snap at them again, when they both step aside. I blink. Once. Twice. And just stare. What am I seeing? This can’t be... it isn’t real...

A sniff and a wail, then—“Nyx? Oh my God, Oh my God, I’m so sorry... I didn’t know!”

I freeze in place. Pictures fly through my mind. Hugs, tears, laughs... my—“Valley?”

She nods frantically. “It’s me—I'm okay, Nyx!”

A strangled sound leaves my throat, and I hurl myself forward at the same time that she does. We collide, sliding to the floor. A broken sob bursts from me, and just like that—I feel again. Everything.

I can’t fucking breathe, the overwhelming number of emotions suffocating me. My girl... how?

We cling to each other, both crying hard. Ugly crying. “Val... my bestie ...how? HOW?”

“They will explain, just know I had no idea. I didn’t know. Please don’t hate me!”

“I could never hate you—I love you so much!”

I look up at Ghost and Trikk. They’re both openly crying. I slowly stand, disentangling myself from my best friend’s arms. I walk to stand in front of them, and shove them both in the chest, shoving them backwards. “What the fuck? How could you do that to me? I thought you both loved me!”

Valley comes up to my side, in silent support.

“We do, Malishka,” Ghost swears.

“My Bambi—we had to,” Trikk says.

A screech of footsteps on tile announces pounding footsteps. Synn, Frost, Razor, and Purge careen around the corner.

Synn beelines my way, picking me up. “Pazessca, my baby...”

“Put me the fuck down. All of you—explain!”

Frost steps up, tipping up my chin to look deep into my eyes. “You’re back. You feel.”