Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 176345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 882(@200wpm)___ 705(@250wpm)___ 588(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 882(@200wpm)___ 705(@250wpm)___ 588(@300wpm)
“Yes, I do.” She shudders. “When I heard about the fight from Brooke, I got too scared to tell you the truth. I was afraid you never wanted to talk to me again.”
She swallows while I narrow my eyes to see in the dark because I really want to look into her eyes.
“That picture that got shared around … it’s my fault.”
My heart practically stops beating.
“Nathan gave me his passcode once, so when I saw he left his laptop at the library, I figured he wouldn’t mind if I used it to look something up for my course. But then I saw that picture of you and them. I thought he’d taken that picture without your permission, and I wanted to send it to you so you’d know about it. But I didn’t understand how his email worked and then I accidentally sent it to the entire school.” She cries again. “It was too late to un-send it. The damage was already done.”
I don’t even know how to respond, but my fingers still instinctively unlace from hers, disgusted by the mere idea that someone I consider a friend would do this to me.
Out of all the people I suspected of sharing the picture … Crystal was last on the list.
“I’m sorry, Lana. I’m so sorry,” she says, whimpering from fear. “I didn’t mean to. It was an accident. Please, don’t be mad at me.”
If it’s true what she says, if it really was an accident, if she really intended on sending it to me alone …
Then I accused the boys without merit.
“Shut it!” someone yells from the front of the van.
Fuck.
I look at Crystal, but I can barely see her in the dark.
I wish more than anything I knew what to say, but my heart is so full of hurt that I opt for nothing at all.
I don’t want to give these bastards more reasons to hurt us.
When the van comes to a stop, I’m jerked harshly against the chains that hold us down. I groan in frustration and wait until they finally come and get us so I can kick their asses.
The van doors open, and some guy steps inside to unlock the chains around our wrists.
The moment I’m released, I punch him in the jaw and knock out some teeth, then ram my other fist into his belly. He bucks and heaves while I kick him aside, fighting my way through the men as they try to subdue me.
I look back at Crystal, who’s frozen to the van’s floor, desperate for help.
And I realize then that I can’t stay mad forever.
It was an accident. She didn’t mean to do it and tried to help me get through it.
Despite it all, she’s still my friend, and I don’t want her to get hurt.
The nefarious plans these men have aren’t something I’d wish upon my worst enemy.
I have to get her out of here.
“Jump! Now!” I yell at Crystal.
Crystal’s eyes burst open, and she bolts out of the van, but she’s captured within seconds.
“No! Let her go!” I scream.
One of them smashes his hand in front of my mouth to silence me. “Give it to her.”
I shake my head and bite him in the fingers while another stabs a needle into my neck.
All the energy flows out of my body like a faucet that has been turned on, and I lose both the will and the strength to fight them off.
“Bring them inside,” one of them snarls.
They put my arms over their shoulders as they drag me inside, my feet scraping across the pavement. I try to scream, but no sound escapes my mouth. It’s already dark outside, and no one can even see me, let alone hear me.
Crystal tries to shriek, but her mouth is stuffed with something to keep her quiet.
I don’t know what happens next.
One second, we’re going through a door, and the next, I’m shoved into a tiny cell. The time between is a blur, and it all happens so fast. I don’t know what they put in that syringe, but it’s overpowering and taking away all my sense of time.
“Make sure she doesn’t try to escape,” one of them says.
Cold metal wraps around my wrists.
CLICK.
I’m strapped into place against the wall.
Instinct kicks in, and I fight the two men trying to chain me as best I can, throwing kicks into the air with all my strength. One of them grabs my leg and pushes it to the wall. “No!”
“Stay down, you bitch!”
I manage to kick one in the cheek, and he makes an oompf sound before grasping my other leg as well and pinning it to the wall.
CLICK.
My ankles are bound by the same metal clasps as my wrists, stopping me from kicking and punching anyone in my vicinity and forcing me to stay upright. The men in front of me laugh. One of them smothers my face between his thumb and index finger.