❤ Stockholm Syndrome 🔫 | ✔

🖤 Chapter 33 🖤

We're still in Erica's memory, here.

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"Come on, guys," I say to my best friends, pleading. "I really need to get Derek something for our anniversary tomorrow, and I have no idea what to buy!"

"Lindsay," Maggie says, immediately looking at her. "You've been with many guys, so you should know a suitable gift for Derek. Got any suggestions?"

Lindsay scrunches her nose at Maggie's comment. "For the record, I've only dated like..." She pauses to count her fingers. We all stare at her, pursing our lips and raising one eyebrow. She stops and looks up at us. "Okay, so I've lost count, but stop reminding me that I've dated more guys than you. At least I can get them."

"We're not as desperate," Maggie retorts, and Lindsay growls.

When she is about to respond, I interject. "Anyway...do you have any suggestions, Lin?"

She rolls her eyes before speaking, "Well...what about a motorbike? He's always been eyeing that Harley that's at Willy's RideZ in the Mega Mall."

"Oh, yeah," Stacy says, finally entering the conversation again. She is Derek's sister, and after we'd met through him, she joined our little circle of friends. "He kept bugging Dad about it since he was sixteen, but he kept turning him down. Maybe Dad might have a change of heart, now that Derek's a bit older."

"Maybe," I say, hoping that that's the case. "Well, let's see if we can give him the best anniversary gift ever."

"But...isn't that thing expensive?" Maggie asks, rubbing her chin. "You can barely afford to pay the rent here, but you wanna buy a motorbike for your fiancé? With that crap job you have as a waitress at the Shake Shack, it won't work. I'm telling you, they aren't paying you well."

"I'll just ask my Mom and Dad to pitch in, that's all," I smugly answer.

"Yeah, just like they pitched in to pay for that car which, by the way, you still don't have."

"Ha, ha, Mags." She does have a point, though. "So, what do you think we should do, then?" I ask smugly.

"Stripping?" Lindsay suggests. We all look at her in bewilderment, then burst into laughter. "Just thought I'd put that out there." Lindsay is the wild one that loves to party any chance she gets, and the studs in her ears, nose and lower lip, and the tattoos she has on her hands prove it.

"Don't worry, Erica. I'll loan you some money," Stacy says. "We all will." She gives Maggie and Lindsay a glare, and they nod. Stacy is the quietest of the group, but whenever she talks, it's for a good cause. She's also the one that brings all of us back together whenever we get into an argument or scuffle; we call her the peacemaker.

"Then it's settled," I say, nodding at my girls. "Tomorrow, we head to the Mega Mall and buy Ricky his dream bike!"

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The Mall is this huge complex that's just in the busiest part of Dain Valley, aside from the market. We travel on foot, just so that we could talk to each other longer and more obnoxiously because walking and talking is so much fun! And also none of us have a car.

Today, I've been in and out of my happy, talkative mood, because I notice that there's this guy that keeps following us. He's wearing a yellow and white striped T-shirt and blue jeans. He's also wearing a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. At first, it didn't seem like anything, but now I'm beginning to get suspicious of him. As we approach the complex, I don't see the guy trailing us anymore, and begin to breathe a bit better. He'd probably turned off somewhere when I wasn't looking.

We walk into the Mall, the girls still talking and laughing with each other, but stop as we become instantly amazed by what we see. There are five escalators in front of us and two elevators to the left and three to the right; stores decorated for the summer season with huge, colourful balloons and banners to give that summer feel; and lots of shoppers. The motorbike store is on the third floor, so we get into one of the elevators on the right to go there, but before the door can close completely, a hand reaches in and stops it. My heart skips a beat when I see the same man from earlier step into the elevator, and stands behind me. The guy really is following us!

"Why are you so silent, Erica?" Maggie turns to ask me.

"Yeah, are you feeling okay?" Lindsay asks, concerned. "You look constipated."

"Oh, no, I'm fine," I reply. "No need to worry. I'm just not in a talkative mood anymore."

They just shrug and don't question my quietude any longer, proceeding with their conversation once again. I immediately go back deep in thought. Why is this guy following us? Does he know any of us? It couldn't be me because I don't know him.

When we reach the floor with Willy's RideZ, we all step out of the elevator, except for the man. He just remains at the back of the elevator. I breathe out a sigh of relief as we walk over to the display section, but my friends leave me to go and look at other bikes. I, instead, go to where the Harley is parked. A salesperson approaches me. He has a very formal look. "Hi, I'm James! Can I help you find anything?" he asks.

"Hi, yeah, I'd love to purchase this Harley."

"Wow, I didn't exactly take you for the type to ride a beast like this," he says, pointing at the bike.

"What can I say? I like beasts." I flip my hair and give him a proud look.

He laughs. "Follow me, miss. All payments are made over here." He started walking and I followed. "The cashiers are just this way, around the side," he says, going around a corner. I sneak a glance at my friends who are still admiring the different bikes, before I go around the corner, too. Just as I turn my head to look at where I'm going, I am grabbed by the same man that followed us and he covers the lower half of my face with a rag. I see an evil smirk on James' face, and he says, "Now I finally have you. I've been waiting for a day like this for a long time, my dear Erica." He runs a finger along my right cheek. What? How does he know my name? "Come, Paul," he says to the man. "Let's take her home." And then the world goes dark.

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Extra Note:

It pains my heart to say that we are nearing the end of this Stockholm Syndrome (only two more chapters left). Are you all looking forward to it? Because I sure as hell am not! But...we all knew this was bound to happen at some point.

Well, bon voyage, my dear S.S. fans.

☆ MARDAIS ☆

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