The Girl Who Sold Herself on Ebay

[34] Cigarettes and Christmas lights

I know it's been ages... so savour it. Sorry the structure of it is all chunky.

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When the saliva started collecting in my mouth, I knew I was about to vomit. I tried to hold it in by clamping my lips hard together, but it was no point. A chunky, acidic waterfall spewed from my mouth, splashing into my lap and dripping slowly down my legs. It was a result of emotional turmoil; fear, anxiety, regret, and the more thriller movie thoughts popped into my mind the worse I'd begun to feel. Bodies cut into pieces, oozing blood, a decapitated head.

Eli was infuriated when he realised I'd spoiled his car, and jerked the steering wheel to the left before slamming on the brakes with frustration. All the passengers were thrown forward, including Katie, whose head slammed into the front windscreen with a thud. Blaine didn't seem to care, just yanked her back and tried to brush her hair over her forehead to hide whatever swelling was about to arise.

Eli tossed a bottle of water at me and ordered me to get out of the car. I picked it up with a slippery, shaking hand before exiting the car. I stepped out into the darkness of the night, my feet landing on tar-seal. Although we'd parked next to what looked like a corn field, there were buildings and lights around which assured me we weren't in the middle of nowhere. By the looks of things, we were heading back towards Glacier Hills. I unscrewed the lid of the water bottle and tipped the contents over my shirt which was caked in last night's dinner. It smelt foul, but I hoped maybe at least it would act as a repellent for Eli. I wasn't cold, but my teeth were chattering and my arms had been layered in a sheet of goosebumps.

"Need any help?" Emmie's innocent voice squeaked from the car. I felt the air become tense around me as she stepped out onto the road. Eli and Blaine wouldn't be happy about this -the freebie they'd picked up on the journey was on the brink of escape, like a fluffy hello kitty dangling by two spindly threads on a claw machine. I didn't say anything, just continued scrubbing at my shirt. She walked over to me, putting her hand on my shoulder. She was so kind, and sweet and caring and innocent and no matter how hard I tried to fight it I couldn't help but let it slip. A string of desperate pleads that I probably could have worded better.

"Run, please," I hissed, "these guys are dangerous. They're going to drug you, I'm not fudging about. Please, run, now. Anywhere, just go." I don't know what went through her mind at the time. She didn't know if she was meant to trust me, and honestly I didn't blame her. She didn't know me, and probably thought I was drunk and delusional. I stared right into her eyes, trying my best to make her believe me. I deserved this; I was the one who'd sold myself over the internet like a stupid idiot. She'd done nothing wrong besides follow her girly instincts to get in the car with her friend and a couple of cute, mature, respectable looking guys.

Emmie skittered about for a moment, obviously trying to make a hasty decision about what to do. Blaine, noticed the suspicious activity and emerged from the car. Emmie's neck snapped up the moment she saw him, moving towards us at a swift pace. She seized her opportunity and kicked off her heels before running as fast as she could down the road. Her little black dress disguised her as the night sky and she Usaine-bolted into the darkness within what seemed like seconds. Blaine made a failed attempt to catch her, scrambling across the gravel screaming at her to stop, but only got a few meters down the road before he gave up. He put his hands on his head out of frustration and defeat, surrendering to the thought that he'd lost his precious freebie. The hello kitty had slipped from the claw machine, and I chuckled with satisfaction. Anything that could bring down the moral of these boys made my escape seem increasingly plausible.

With a shaky hand, I unscrewed the lid to the bottle, before tipping water over me to wash away the chunky puke that had settled there. I could have made a run for it like Emmie had, but the boys had their whits about them now. Blaine was standing at the boot of the car with his eyes affixed on me like a tiger staring down a zebra, and Eli had popped his head over the side of the car like a meercat, suspiciously on the look out. As I stood on the side of the road looking at the reflection of the stars glistening amongst my puddle of watered down puke, a spark of hope sizzled inside of me. Just the fact that Blaine and Eli were so on-edge about me escaping let me know that they did in fact think I could escape, as if they thought I truly had potential. Ironic right, how the two guys I was supposed to be most afraid of were the ones giving me a sense of hope.