Obey.

23

"I'm not stupid," Cayden was saying. "You've been acting like a zombie ever since the day after Matt's disappearance. Don't make me ask again, what did your boyfriend do to him?" His words were like daggers to my heart.

A heart that was now pumping loudly as my eyes scanned the faces around us, afraid of who might pop up.

And the words your boyfriend. Hunter wasn't my boyfriend, he was my kidnapper, my jailer and my rapist. Boyfriend? No.

But Cayden had every right to be mad. Still the anger and threats coming from him. It sickened me.

"Or you'll what?" I challenged another being for the first time in ages, gaining a backbone for once. Only the one I was directing my anger towards wasn't who I should be using it on. Truly his words scared me, anyone could suddenly become a monster before my eyes, everyone capable of evil.

After all, I had thought Hunter was a saint before I really got to know his true nature

"Just tell me," his voice cracked as his false bravo slipped and his true fears shown in his eyes. "He was a good kid. Please, just tell me if it was quick." Cayden reached out to squeeze my hand but I snatched it back. "You can't tell me something didn't happen. I can see it when I look at you."

My face scrunched up. He didn't even know me like that. For all he knew this was me. My normal behavior. Or maybe the mask I had been wearing was finally slipping.

I started to shake as I sniffled loudly. "He's gone." I slammed my locker. "And if you don't start leaving me alone," a hardness came into my voice, "you'll be gone too."

I had to push him away. Or he'd end up dead as Matt surely was.

Before I could shoulder past him, he reached out and grabbed my upper arm as he stared down at my neck.

What? More hickies, suddenly I felt self conscious as he fingered at the heart tag on my collar, his eyebrows pulling together as he studied it.

"Property of Hunter," he read aloud, causing my eyes to instantly close. When I opened them again, my vision was blurred from tears. I couldn't even summon a lie about it being some kink thing.

"Let me help you," he thumbed at my cheek and I realized the tears had spilled over. "Come stay with me, or at least meet me after school again, please."

Looking around wildly, I realized just how close we were and didn't want to be caught. "Fine, just please leave me alone otherwise?" And then I walked quickly away, flipping my collar tag over, so the offending words were once again invisible, pressing into my chest bone. I cursed it for revealing itself.

Cayden wasn't going to give up on talking to me, but as long as I met him after school, he would stop approaching me randomly throughout the day, which took away some of my stress.

My words were true. He'd end up like Matt, if Hunter caught us so close together.