The Way I Loved You.

The Way I Loved You, C18

Chapter 18

Scarlet slammed the door of the auditorium shut breathlessly and slumped down onto the floor. She felt weak as she leaned herself against the wall, stretching her feet out while she tried to relax. She tugged on her strands that now fell loosely around her shoulders --- she could smell his scent on them.

Her mind started whirling around in confusion as she thought about that kiss. Her heart was still beating so quickly as if they were going to popped right out of her chest. She put a finger onto her ruby lips that were trembling insanely from the kiss. It was so… unreal.

What really confused her was his motive --- why was he doing this? She tried so friggin’ hard to get over him, and it just drove her crazy that he never seemed to be able to confess any of his feelings to her. The letter, she thought, could it be….?

She wanted to believe in the possibility that Nick might just turned back to her, the way he did so many times in her dreams. So many restless nights had passed and nothing happened. She felt pain blanketed her heart again and tried to shake them away by shutting her eyes. She wouldn’t --- couldn’t let herself fall into another mindless dreaming again.

Just when she was lost in her thoughts, the door behind her creaked open slowly.

“Scarlet?”

She whirled around and gazed up at the tall figure; the light flickered on and shone on them in a dimmed light. James stood at the door and stared at her, his eyes narrowed in confusion. “What are you doing in here?” He asked, smiling faintly.

Scarlet stood up and ran her fingers through her hair nervously. “Nothing, just… thinking about something.” She mumbled and regretted it the next second --- she sounded like a freak. Who sits in dark, and worse, in the school’s auditorium in the middle of a prom, just to think?

Exactly. Nobody does.

James shut the door behind him and walked nearer until they stood face to face. Scarlet bit her lips anxiously when he took out a bouquet of roses that he had been hiding behind his back. There were about thirty of them, all blooming in delicious red that was the same shade of her dress. They glowed beautifully in his arms, enchanting the grin on his face.

She smiled faintly as she took the roses from him. She touched them gently on the petals and ran the fingers through one of the stem and accidentally pricked her finger. Ignoring the sting on her finger, she picked up the note that was attached to it.

A drop of blood dripped onto the card and spread quickly over the text. She caught her breath and dropped the roses, her eyes widened. In fear. But not because of the blood.

It was the handwriting. It was so awfully familiar, because it was exactly the one she had recognized days ago, on the flyers. The flyers. Her head snapped back up in a second, her heart sank as he saw the devilish grin on James’s face.

“It was you…?” She asked --- accused, with a glare which James had cheerfully ignored. He snorted and shrugged before fixing his gaze on Scarlet, who started shaking in fear after realizing who had been by her side all these time. James. He made the flyers.

“Why?” Scarlet asked, backing away and slammed into the wall. James leaned in and lifted her chin up, his eyes intense. “Why?” He said with a laugh, “Because I hate that Anderson guy. He took everything that was mine. Who does he think he is? And what’s so great about him, huh? Everyone is crazy about him.”

Scarlet widened her eyes. What had Nick done to this psycho?

“Don’t look at me with those innocent eyes, babe.” He raised an eyebrow, “You love him, too, don’t you? And he loves you. It would be such a great pleasure, to make him watch me toying with someone he couldn’t have.”

“He doesn’t love me.” She murmured, her eyesight falling in disappointment. James snorted, “What are you, blind or something? Everyone sees it. Even Noelle did. That’s why she…” He smirked and paused at Scarlet’s anxiety, “Nothing.” He licked his lips and leaned in for a kiss, but Scarlet turned away.

“You’re still thinking about him!” James barked furiously as she struggled, and pushed her against the wall hard with his strong arms. He turned off the light switch and the room fell into complete darkness. Scarlet yelped, but he shut her up.

With his lips. He pressed his lips hard on hers, his tongue making his way into her mouth violently. Scarlet felt her breath grew heavier and heavier as she struggled, but nothing worked. She felt James’s hands slipping up from her thigh under her dress and started making his way to her hips. The touch of his hands against her dreams made her whole body trembled.

She pushed him off with all her strength and ran into one of the corners, but the loud clicking sound from her heels gave her away. Whipping out her cell phone, she pressed on the first number on her speed dial : Nick. She put it to her ear nervously, her heart racing as Nick picked up. “Nick, help, I---------”

James snatched the phone away from her and threw it onto the wall. She watched it exploded into million of pieces in sparks when James pressed her down hard on the floor while her hair spread out like a fan around her face.

Tears coursed down her cheeks like rivers, “Let me go… Please, please don’t.” She begged and hugged her chest protectively. She shook her head frantically and whimpered, “Please, James. Don’t do this to me.”

He leaned in and licked her lips in mockery. “Shhhh…” He whispered in her ear and ran his fingers on her neck, making her shivered. “It’ll be fine.”

“Nick…” Scarlet croaked, shutting her eyes and prayed for Nick to appear. James laughed, his evil laughter sent chills down her spine and echoed in the room. Scarlet felt herself slumped onto the ground in his arms as he kissed her again, and slowly fell into deep unconsciousness.

And the last thought in her head was:

Nick, help.