Prepsworth Academy

Chapter 55 - "You're mine."

Rose

"So, this is it?" Lukas asked incredulously. I stared my feet, my fingertips making swirling patterns on my blankets.

"You needlessly hurt so many people. You didn't need to threaten Amy. You don't need to control her. I was free. We were free. And you trapped us again." I said serenely. Lukas laughed coldly.

"You have hurt so many people needlessly. You've threatened too many people to count. You did all you could to control everything. Don't spin that all around on me." Lukas snarled. I met his angry eyes.

"I did that to escape. To be free. I didn't escape one cell to be trapped in another." I cried out.

"You're going to be stuck in a very real prison cell if we don't control Amy." Lukas said harshly.

"What is she does it anyway? What if she's not the girl you think she is?" I asked. I knew Amy was strong, but it was a false hope. I also knew Amy would protect Jake. Still, it was worth a shot.

"Are you seriously doing this again? You're fooling no one but yourself." Lukas said coldly. I shook my head dismissively.

"This is why we have to break up. You think I can't be weak, or vulnerable or care! You think that whenever I do that it's an act. Well here's the thing, the only act I've ever put on was the act of the queen bee, the popular girl; that personality you want so desperately to return. The one who wore little black dresses and laughed and manipulated and flirted her way to the top and didn't give a damn about any of that. " I began, my anger rising to the top as I stared at his stupid, smug face. Sadness rose with it too, and tears filled my eyes as my anger floated away.

"I told you everything, well, almost everything. I was honest with you and I thought you didn't care if I was mean, or cruel or manipulative and I loved that about you. I loved the fact you could laugh at my jokes, even when they weren't funny. I loved the fact I could talk about anything with you and you'd always listen to me and make me feel better. I loved the fact that when you looked at me you saw me , instead of just another pretty face. Do you even see me anymore?" I finished helplessly.

"I can't believe this is happening." Lukas said roughly. I bit my lip and looked at the floor.

"It's over Lukas." I whispered. I heard Lukas yell and walk over to me. I looked up in shock. Lukas gripped my chin and side of my face and pulled me towards him, crushing my face.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, pushing against him with all my might. Ideas from boxing ran through my head , but they were the same moves that I'd once practiced with Lukas. Moves that he knew, and knew how to block. Thinking quickly, I brought my knee up into Lukas's stomach and hooked my foot around his ankle, before twisting his body to one side and pushing his foot to the other side. As he body was stretched out I kicked him in the stomach, bringing him to the ground. To deter him further, I kicked him in the face. He slumped down, his angry eyes staring at me, bright red blood dripping from his nose down his face.

"I was silly to think you ever understood me. You only understand yourself. You only serve yourself!" I spat, my voice mounting to a yell. Despite his pain, Lukas chuckled darkly.

"You're wrong. I serve you. I always have and I always will. I'll never let you go." Lukas said.

"No. No you don't." I said coldly. Lukas laughed again.

"You're mine Rose. You always will be. It's our fate to be together. You can't run from it." Lukas said darkly. I turned on my heel and walked out, leaving a bleeding Lukas lying on the floor. Hoping I finished with him, with all of the hurt and the hate. Knowing it had only just began. Still, whatever I did, Lukas' words still haunted me. That was the thing about words, the stayed with you. Even after the person was out of your life. Words could build empires and destroy them. Words could kill and hurt. But often, they were the truth. And the truth stays with you longer than anything. Especially my truth.

Jake

I walked towards the dance rooms, going to where I thought Amy would be practicing for her upcoming performance in a school assembly. She'd already told me she was going to dance Storm and I was admittedly excited to see her dance on stage, and actually pay attention. Whenever the dance recitals had happened before, I'd been to busy looking at Lukas and Rose caught up in the stories to pay attention to the dancing, and to who was dancing.

I knocked on the door, briefly hovering outside, before walking in and seeing Amy in the dance-room, as I had guessed. My first thought was that she was wearing a stunning dark red tutu. My second was the realisation that Lukas was there, and wondering why, my third thought, was the realisation that I'd walked into this room at the wrong time before, and seen Lukas there with a girl I really cared about. Fortunately, Amy was only dancing as Lukas looked on. Unfortunately, Amy's expression turned from calm to annoyed and slightly worried when I walked in.

"What's going on?" I asked calmly, trying to ease the panic that was brewing under my skin. Lukas smiled and walked over to Amy's side, his steps slow and echoing in the room.

"Amy's practicing for her performance." Lukas said, almost proudly.

"Yes, have you heard what it's inspired by?" I asked coldly. Lukas ran a hand through Amy's hair and I stiffened, one second away from beating Lukas up again.

"My dear Amy, tell Jake what your dance is about." Commanded Lukas. His voice was soft, but their was an undeniable harshness behind the words.

"She'll do whatever she wants. Besides, I already know." I said sharply. If this was some weak attempt of Lukas' to try to get me off balance, it wouldn't work. I knew Amy too well and was too confident to let it happen, or so I hoped. Lukas laughed darkly.

"Do you?" He asked.

"Amy?" I whispered, unease giving away to panic. Amy gave me a pained look.

"It's about someone controlled by someone else, about them being a puppet." Amy murmured softly.

"What about Storm?" I said in a low voice, trying to get Amy to meet my eyes, but she looked anywhere but me.

"Amy decided n-" Lukas began before I cut him off, fighting between letting my anger take over and remaining calm. The former seemed more and more appealing as seconds ticked by.

"Quit acting Lukas, we're probably the only people, aside from Rose, who already know you're evil and probably a psychopath. Just embrace the role." I said harshly and cruelly. Lukas stopped smiling abruptly.

"Here's an idea Jake - how about you quit being a hypocrite, and go do something else with your sad little life." Lukas shot back. I opened my mouth but Amy gave me a warning look and shook her head. I smiled slightly at her and winked at her, trying to distract myself. I had to stay calm, for Amy's sake. Amy grinned back at me. Lukas noticed us and turned to Amy.

"Amy, don't you have something to do?" He asked coldly. Amy stiffened, keeping her expression still as Lukas whispered something in her ear. I stood still, dreading what was coming. What could he have against her?

"Jake, I know we're not together but, I need to get you out of my life. I need to return to reality ... and I can't do that with you. Besides, you were right. You're not good enough for me. You've made too many mistakes, hurt too many people, been too cruel. I thought it would work but it didn't. I need you out of my life. Now. The truth is, I feel nothing for you." Amy finished, her voice only wavering on the last part. I froze, tears running down my cheeks. I felt like falling to my knees. After all this, now she was, not exactly breaking up with me, but she was breaking contact with me. And...she felt nothing for me? Nothing.

"Why?" I asked quietly, angrily blinking away tears.

"To protect you." Amy replied softly.

"I don't need protection!" I yelled but Amy didn't even flinch, just keep her melancholy gaze on me. I could sense Lukas smiling in glee but he seemed irrelevant, nothing but a speck of dirt..

"Yes you do." She replied evenly, looking at me with unapologetic eyes. I couldn't take it any longer – I left, gathering all the strength I had left, all of the will I had left to not collapse right there. I felt like a idiot. Once again, I had made a fool out of myself. I felt empty, and cold. And bitter. It didn't matter. I was used to it.