I answer because there’s no other logical solution.
I could avoid Sophia and her friends now, of course, but that’ll only make her more determined to find me later. Even though her revenge will make me late getting home—Tim will definitely notice the delay—I think I’ll let her do this tonight. And after her petty vengeance is out of the way, I can focus on my façade and she’ll go back to her usual forms of torment.
Sunlight breaks through the clouds. I squint up at it as I step outside. I stand on the steps for a moment, studying the girls waiting for me in the parking lot. I’d guess that there are none that are actually upset with me—they’re only here because they’re afraid of Sophia. Most are probably glad that it’s not them in my position.
“Hey, freak!” Sophia raises her voice so I can hear her across the lot. I hide my bag behind a bush so they won’t terrorize my books. My keys jangle as I set it down.
If I had a sense of humor, the sight before me would be comical. Besides Stephanie Dill, a hulking girl Sophia keeps around for muscle, these girls are small. They’re all wearing miniskirts and too much makeup.
“Come on, we don’t have all day!”
My truck is a couple yards away from them. They wanted to make sure I didn’t leave. Squaring my shoulders, I start toward the group, listening to my shoes scrape against the pavement. They all stare. So many Emotions … and so much emptiness where there should be actual beings. Which can only mean one thing: whatever sent them running is back. And nearby, maybe.
The flag whips against the pole, bringing me back to the situation at hand. As soon as I’m in earshot Sophia says in a low, furious voice, “You owe me an apology.”
I realize my expression isn’t correct for this situation; I try to look nervous and regretful. “I’m sorry,” I respond, adding a wobble to my voice for good measure.
She clenches her jaw. “Too easy.”
I stop just three feet away from her little group. “What do you want me to say?”
“She’s so weird,” I hear one of them mutter.
“Do you really think ‘sorry’ is enough for ruining my party?” Sophia snaps. “Do you think it’s enough for humiliating me? Especially in front of … ” She trails off, but we all know whose name is on the tip of her tongue. She’s holding her cast with tight, enraged fingers.
Any answer I give will only rile her further.
Stephanie—the big girl—scowls impatiently. “Can we just get this over with?” she demands. “I want to get to the hardware store before it closes.”
Sophia sighs. “Fine.”
That one word is all it takes. All the girls tense, but it’s only Stephanie who jumps at me. She clearly expects me to struggle or run, because the first thing she does is pin my arms to my sides. I just look at the ground. “Okay, I’ve got her,” Stephanie says, triumphant, as if she’s won a big contest. Her breath blows down on my face, and I can’t hold back a gag. It reeks heavily of chewing tobacco and rot.
They’re hesitant at first. The girls glance at each other, questioning this, questioning their leader. A blond opens her mouth, about to protest, then thinks better of it and shuts it again.
Sophia gives them a look of contempt usually reserved for me. “What are you waiting for?” she snaps, approaching. She grins fiercely and reaches up to grasp the collar of my T-shirt. The material is old and thin. It rips right in half.
Encouraged by Sophia’s brazen behavior, two girls surge forward. The rest follow. One by one they take my pants, my shoes, my socks. And when I’m just standing there in my bra and underwear, Sophia sneers.
Fight back, instinct says. End this, logic insists. No, not logic. It’s Fear’s voice in my head, Fear urging me on. Will he come? Or have I finally driven him away forever?
Hoping to embarrass me, Sophia laughs, and the others laugh, too. Like a pack of hyenas. I just watch them throw back their heads and observe the way all the girls’ teeth shine in the weak sunlight.
Stephanie’s grip is firm. “Are we done?” she asks, cutting the cackling short. My bare feet curl on the ground; a small rock digs into my toe.
Sophia’s smile dies as she looks at me, and now her eyes burn in a slow smolder of lost regret and hopelessness. She swiftly hides this behind a curtain of hatred. “One more thing,” she hisses. Two quick steps, and her hand is flying. Slap.
“Don’t ever piss me off again, or it’ll be worse than this.” The threat is empty; Sophia’s disconcerted by the coldness of my gaze, unhidden now, and my disarming smile.
“Just finish this,” I say to her.
She doesn’t voice the murderous thoughts emanating from her expression. Instead, she nods to Stephanie. The huge girl hauls me over to the flagpole, setting me up on the cement foundation. I hadn’t known what to expect, but this definitely wasn’t it; I start to rethink letting this happen. Stephanie’s dull eyes watch me sharply for any sign of rebellion. Then one of the girls presents a chain—I hadn’t even noticed it until now. It clinks as she moves.
They’re hesitating again. Once more Stephanie is the one who takes action. I’ve taken too long to reconsider—before I can jump down from the foundation, she takes the chain in hand and wraps it around me quickly. Once, twice. She also loops them around my wrists. Finished, she then produces a lock. It shuts with a resounding click. The girls stare at me for a moment, waiting for any kind of reaction. Sophia is just smiling.
The loops of the chain dig into my bones and my bare stomach. Tight, tight, too tight. The telephone pole is a welcome coolness to my back.
When I give them no tears or pleading, Sophia’s smugness melts into a mixture of disdain. “God, even now you can’t act like a normal human being,” she snaps, and her friends follow suit with the expressions of disgust. Mindless sheep. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Sophia gestures to those sheep gathered behind her. They start to shuffle away.
They want a reaction? Fine. “Sophia.” I attempt to put a note of agony in my voice. “Please don’t leave me here. I’ll let you do anything else to me, I’ll say anything you want, but you can’t—”
“I can do whatever the hell I want. You had this coming. You should have thought about it before barging into my party uninvited and doing this to me.” Sophia jabs a finger at her cast. Her words carry so much more meaning, though. She hates me for having her sister’s affection without even trying, she despises the fact that Joshua sees me instead of her. I open my mouth to add something else—anything—but she’s already walking away again. Her skirt flutters in the breeze, and the girls’ high heels make sharp noises against the pavement. They take my clothes with them.
One by one, the girls get into their cars. The sound of waking engines erupts throughout the lot. Without honking or sneering or shouting, they leave me. In less than a minute they’ve all driven away. The last pair of taillights disappears around a bend.
When I can’t hear their cars down the street anymore, I struggle against my bonds, and the rattle of the chains echoes in the silence. But I didn’t think this through; I can’t break free. The parking lot is cold and utterly empty. The breeze blowing past my ears is the only sound for miles. Even though it’s futile, even though there’s no point, I shout at the top of my lungs, “Help! Someone, help me!” Is there any way Fear will hear?
The parking lot is still empty, as it will be until morning. My truck is lonely in the corner. The sky is uncaring and I’m alone. Now what?
“Well, this is interesting.”