Used

𝐸𝑧𝑟𝑎

Her words hit me like a truck. I didn't know what I was expecting when I asked her what happened but this was definitely not it. I could feel heat rising into my chest. Anger.

I wanted to kill whoever did this.

Nokiah kept fiddling with her fingers as her dark eyes moved everywhere but my own. I could see her chest rise and fall as she inhaled deeply.

"I'm so sorry." I wanted to take her hands into my own but knowing what I now know, I kept them to myself. She gave me a half smile. "Did you file a police report?"

"No."

"Do you want to?"

"I'm not sure. I kind of just want to forget this happened. I mean...it's happened before."

My heart dropped into my stomach. It's happened before? It shouldn't be happening at all.

"By the same person?" I probe. Nokiah shook her head.

"An ex boyfriend." She sighed and finally made eye contact. "I just want it to stop, you know. I'm so tired of bad things happening to me when I had nothing but good intentions towards them." Her voice cracked.

It broke me to hear those words. I was never a relationship kind of guy, but no girl should be treated the way she has been. Those kinds of men who take advantage of someone's kindness deserve whatever karma comes their way.

"I'm so sorry." Was all I could squeeze out.

Nokiah shook her head. "It's okay. I mean, it's not but I will be. In the future, someone will finally see my worth, you know." She smiled at me. God, she had a beautiful smile.

"Yes, one day you will." I sighed and looked at the time shining on the microwave. "But for now, how about some sleep?" Nokiah nodded and if as on cue, she yawned.

I led her to my bedroom and switched on the light. I liked to think I'm a clean person, just cluttered. Newspaper clippings and Polaroid pictures hung on the wall next to my guitar. Textbooks and literature littered my bedsheets. I placed them on the desk and turned down the covers.

"I'll be on the couch if you need anything." I said before making my way back to the door.

"Ezra." I turned and saw Nokiah sitting awkwardly on the edge of my bed. Her face was bright and her eyes soft. "Thankyou again, I'll find a way to repay you for your generosity and kindness."

I smiled. She was sweet. "You don't have to do anything."

She smiled again before pulling the blankets up to her chin and closing her eyes. She let out a soft hum as I closed the door.

Making my way back to the kitchen I heard a buzzing sound. There on the table sat her phone. She must've been so tired she forgot it. It kept going off.

I picked it up, not to answer, of course. Just to see who it was.

Three Missed Calls from Latoya
New text message from Dorian Clayton

"Where are you? I went back to your place, I'm sober now. Wanna fuck? Maybe don't move around so much like you did earlier "

New text message from Dorian Clayton

"Nokiah, I swear to god. I know you hear me knocking. Open the goddamn door. Your neighbors are going to notice."

New text message from Dorian Clayton

"Nah fuck you bitch. You tripping if you think imma link again."

New text message from Latoya

"Kiah, please answer me. Why the fuck is Dorian calling me."

New text message from Latoya

"Please just be safe around him. You know he raped Lyndsie Myers last year, I just don't want him to do anything to you."

I set her phone down angrily. The anger that was rising in my chest from earlier resurfaced. Dorian Clayton. I knew him. He had a reputation of being abusive, both physically and mentally. He was a year younger than me but had already slept through my entire senior class by the time he was a junior.

He couldn't keep getting away with this.

Grabbing my laptop from the corner of the couch I set it on the bar and grabbed a stool. Finding his social media was easy enough. Picture after picture of him posing with a different gun with a blunt in hand.

"Little bitch." I muttered to myself, glaring at his most recent post. It was a picture of a half asleep drunk girl, her mouth open, tongue sticking out. A small white tablet sat on the center of her tongue. No doubt a perk or some other form of illegal drug.

Now I do my fair share of weed, acid, and mushrooms, but I vowed to stay away from pills. I had lost too many friends to overdoses. The main reason was my own overdose which happened late last year. The mental hospital isn't as terrible as people say.

I didn't only go to the psych ward for a failed suicide attempt, there was more than just drugs involved in the last few years of my teenage life. Things I never wanted to bring up to anyone. Not even my best friend. He'd never look at me the same.

I was the type of person people refer to as "soulless". Acting without emotion or empathy. Had they taken the chance to know me, they'd realize just how wrong they were.

I took out my phone and sent Dorian a message asking him for drugs. He replied, telling me to meet him at the college football stadium. And to come alone.

I planned on coming alone.
I didn't plan on buying drugs.