Three

Cassandra the maid called me to dinner that evening, but all I want to do is cry and avoid the man who owns and control my heart and the last thing I want is for him to discover how he makes me feel.

I am barely asleep when a faint knock comes to my door and I’m barely able to pull myself up from the bed when it opens. I gasp and quickly cover my body as I am in my underwears which hardly covers anything on my body and I glance up to see William standing in my room, his hands behind his back, striding around my room like a captain I only see in epic movies.

The next minute we spend in silent and I can sense the giant elephant in the room while I clench on the bed sheets hardly. He walks around, not looking at me. I mentally sing cold water by Justin Bieber in my mind while I wait for him to break the silence.

“I noticed you weren’t at dinner.” he begins in a cool and concern tone and although he doesn’t glance my way, I'm certain his face will be filled with questions I’m not willing to answer.

“I was unwell,” I reply saying the first thing that crosses my mind and it isn’t a complete lie because after crying for so long, my usual migraine returned and so now my eyes hurt. “I wanted to stay in bed.”

In the swift movement, he moves from the centre of the room and he comes to stand close beside my bed and I glance up at him as he carefully examines my face before bringing his hand up to touch my forehead and only withdrawing it when he feels the hotness.

“I’ll tell Cassandra to get you some medicine.” He says, sitting down on the bed close to me and I can't decide if it’s from fear, but I move further away from him. “I thought you didn’t come down because of earlier.” He tells me and a shade of rosy red appears on his cheeks.

“It wasn’t about that, William,” I lie and avoid his eyes that are currently trying to search into mine, “and I’m sorry, for asking you such a bizarre question.” I sigh in defeat, “I just wanted to know if a chance of being liked by anyone existed.”

“Kid, there would come a day when a nice, caring and loving guy will walk into your life and to make you glad you waited this long.”

“What if he doesn’t even notice me?” I ask.

“Then it’s his loss,” he answers, and he gets off the bed before walking to the door. “Your birthday is this Thursday. You’ve got any plan?” he asks, changing the subject.

I shrug “Not really.” I reply, a little clueless. Hell I didn’t even realise it is this Thursday.

“Well, whatever plan you make up, let me know.”

“Okay, I will.” I nod with a genuine smile.

If a smile almost appears on his face, he doesn’t let it stay before walking out of my room. I pull the cover over my head and slowly closing my eyes and I fall asleep.

The next morning I dress up for school, stuffing my books which I scattered earlier on the floor back into my bag and hang it before walking out of my room.

“Good morning, Ms Butler, breakfast is ready,” Cassandra tells me immediately. I walk out of my room, giving me her usual morning smile, and I return it.

“Thanks, Cassandra,” I answer, hurrying up to the table to my breakfast bread, sauced egg, and tea. I take my seat and ate it, but unlike most of the breakfast I’ve had, today I was alone on the table because William wasn’t here. It was unlike him not to be at the breakfast table. It has always been like a ritual, and he never misses it.

When I see Simon waiting for me beside the car, I asked him instead since no one else in the house knows William's movement around the state as he did.

“Morning, Simon, have you seen William?”

“Good morning, Ms Butler, and yes, I had to take Mr McQueen to the office a while ago. The board members they are having a meeting at 8 a.m. and so he had to leave early.” He answers and opens the door of the car for me and I enter before he closes the door. He entered the car before handing me a folded white paper. “Mr McQueen asked me to give it to you.”

I drop my phone I was holding, and I collected the paper from him and open it.

Morning, kid, I hope you had a pleasant sleep. Sorry I missed breakfast.

I’m pretty sure Simon already told you why I had to leave. If this meeting goes well, we might launch our brand in Russia, Jamaica, Morocco and Spain. I’ll tell you everything when I get back home.

Wish me luck, kid.

William.

I smile widely at the letter and, clinging to it, I bring it close to my heart and close my eyes, muttering a silent “Good luck,” before bringing it to my lips for a quick kiss. It is a harmless and less creepy gesture, well so I thought until I look up at the window to see the winded down privacy panel and Simon’s eyes fixate on me, a little worried and a little disapproving, but there is no trace of judgment on his face.

We are silent all the way to school and when we arrive; I don’t wait for him to come open the door before opening it and getting down; I cling on to my bag and hurry away. “Ms Butler, your phone,” he calls out to me and this makes me halt and turn to him. He walks to where I am and he takes my hand and places the phone in it.

“I will not judge you, Ms Butler, but I’m gonna advise you to be careful. Mr McQueen is-“

I don’t let him finish his sentence because I already know what his answer will be, “Much older, mature and way off my league. That I know.” I sigh in frustration because I know this is the same lectures I’ve been giving myself since forever, but my heart won’t listen because it clearly doesn’t have ears.

His eyes go soft and he shakes his head. “No, child, that wasn’t what I was going to say. Mr McQueen might not really be this person you think he is and I know I can’t make you change your mind because clearly, you are already in love with him, but please be careful, child.”

I nod, trying to smile at him, but finding out that I can’t. “Thank you, Simon, I promise I’ll be careful.”

He nods along and let go of my hand before walking away to the limo.

I turn away too and walk towards the school building. I enter my block and begin walking to my first class, which is history, when I spot Bruce and his group at the door of the class.

Too early to fall out with a dickhead. I tell myself as I approach the group of five boys standing just before history class.

I notice Bruce is busy talking to one boy in his group and realise this is a quick way to escape them. I am almost past them when I hear the voice of Bruce.

“Hey, babe, how’s you?” he asks, sounding like a chicken that is having his wings plucked out.

I roll my eyes. The moron doesn’t realise that it is wrong to say ‘how is you’ and that it should be ‘how are you?’ I can’t blame him though, he hardly attends English classes and the few times he comes, his attention is mostly on the pretty girls trying to pay attention.

“Hey Bruce, I’m not your babe, and it’s how are you and not how is you?” I answer, giving him a pitiful smile and he just rolls his eyes.

Here we go.

“You didn’t return any of my messages yesterday.”

I’m seriously not having the best day today and I will definitely explode on him if he doesn’t back off.

“What on earth makes you think I will give a reply to all your dumb messages, Bruce?” I demand, glaring at him.

He shrugs carelessly, “Because I’m hot and you’re not?” he counters, and the rest of his idiotic friend laugh at his “sense” of humour.

I’ve endured him and his friends’ teasing since the first day I started attending city high school four years ago. They would make fun of how small the breast of the new girl was, and how narrow her hips were, and how small her butt was, and how ugly she looked without makeup and no one had ever stood up for me. I remember crying for months because I wanted the insult and humiliation to stop, but it never did. Instead, it grew worse. I was not only bullied in school but also on the bus and on my way home.

There came a time that I stopped going to school and that was when William found out what was happening to me at school and at home the next day he brought me to school himself and threaten the administrators to sue this school if for any reason the students remained uncautioned well.

The body-shaming and name-calling ended, but everyone began calling me baby, daddy’s girl, a weakling and a weak baby, and William was so displeased when he heard I was now getting teased at school. And one night, he beat up Andrew, who was then the leader of the group because he teased, insulted, and bullied me. Let’s just say William doesn’t know how to manage his rage when I’m hurt by anyone and he sent him into a coma and that caused a great fear in to the minds of my bullies and they backed off my case. But when Bruce became their leader, it began again. But then I wasn’t fifteen anymore. I was seventeen and I could handle it. I’ve been handling it since then, making sure William doesn’t know this for any reason.

Although I began getting better at handling their teasing, I’ve never really got the balls to reply to any of their harsh inappropriate words before and mean comments until now.

I laugh along at the obvious truth, although it hurts. “Haha, hilarious indeed. Hey, why don’t you look for someone as hot as you and go burn together then?”

His mouth twitches in amusement. “Nice mouth babe, I could use a blow job with it you know.” His tongue comes out to lick his lips seductively.

“Oh, Bruce, if there would be anything that would bring me down on my knees, it will be to drop a flower on your grave.” I shoot back coldly and a blonde boy in their group chuckles and Bruce glares at him in a murderous manner and the blonde shut his mouth.

He walks to where I’m standing and brushes the hair around my face behind my ear. “Listen, Karen, I’m the best shot you’ve got at having a wonderful memory at your high school prom and I’d advise you to take the offer while it’s still open.”

I try to ignore his touch on my skin and wait for its withdrawal before answering. “Thanks for reminding me that, but that’s my business, so let me worry about that and while I do that, stay the fuck away from me.”

“Tough girl, uh?” his hand goes around my waist and roughly pulls me to himself and I struggle to get free from his hold, but he would not budge.

“Let go of me.” I shout, smacking his hand hard, but that only makes him chuckle. “Are you a moron? Let me go!”

“Not so tough anymore, I see.” His hand touches my cheeks and I look away in pure disgust.

I hiss in annoyance. My cheeks displayed a deep shade of red. “Let me go, Bruce, I won’t ask again,” I warn, pushing against his hands, but they are so strong and won’t break its hold.

Both his hands lower down from my waist down to my butt and he squeezes me roughly there, making me whimper out at how inappropriate his actions are. A few students gather, looking at the event happening. “stop this Bruce!”

He raises his brow challengingly, as if silently asking me to do my worse. I see more students gathering together to see what was happening, and yet none makes a move to interrupt what is happening before them.

Why me? Why, why, why!

Tears wail up in my eyes and I bite down on my lip to keep them concealed. “Stop this please,” I plead weakly; whimpers escaping my lips. “Please let me go.”

“Now that’s the attitude I was looking for.” His voice turns all-dominating and predatory. “If you think this is humiliating, then wait until prom.” He brings his lips to my ears and whisper “I’ll have my way with you in front of everyone if you dare show your face there with anyone else but me.”

Fear cages my heat and even though I want to kick and scream at him, I can’t because I know from experience that Bruce never makes false promises.

“Okay.”

“Good, now give daddy a big kiss.”

My eyes narrow and I shake my head, “I don’t want to.”

“And you don’t have a choice!” he said and grab hold of my hair and his head dips and I struggle with him.

“She said she does not want to.” I hear someone say before yanking Bruce off my side and throwing him to the ground.