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Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE GIRL NEXT DOOR ISN'T INNOCENT!: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

89 Kabanata

21

Alex’s POVMy father… he’s a shitty man. There’s no other way to put it. He doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t care about my feelings, my struggles, or even who I really am.The only thing he ever cares about is his work, his reputation, and this stupid image of a perfect family he tries to maintain. My life, my pain, isn’t his business.And yet, he still finds the audacity to come here, stand in front of me, and talk to me about grades. Grades! That’s what matters to him right now, after everything.Yeah, about the guy he was shouting about… Liam? My father’s best friend’s son. I beat him up, and I don’t regret it for a second. Do you know why? Because he tried to harass Abigail.He drugged her and wanted to take advantage of her when she was defenseless. And nobody, I swear it, nobody harasses Abigail in front of me.No one touches her!If anyone should mess with her, it’s me—but not like that. Not to hurt her… or rape her,Only in the kind of way that makes her shiver, that makes her

22

Abigail’s POVAfter applying the ointment to his wounded lips, I sat there for a moment; my hand was still trembling from the contact that I made with him that sent sensations all over me. His breath was warm against my skin as he watched me in silence. My chest rose and fell too quickly, and I hated the way I couldn’t control the rhythm. My body was betraying me. I didn’t even know what else to do. The quietness between us was heavy, like…something that made me want to run. So I stood up, brushing imaginary dust from my skirt, and took a step toward the door.The sensations running through me weren’t something I could name. I felt a strange heat all over me and a tingling sensation in my stomach, which sent an electric feeling that made my legs feel weak. I had to leave before I did something foolish.But as I reached for the door, I felt his hand wrap around mine—it was firm, warm, and steady. My whole body froze instantly.“Abigail,” his voice was low, almost hesitant, “about the

23

Abigail’s povOops!Thank God nothing happened.Thank God I didn’t fall into it.How could I even think of sleeping with him? My own mind kept shouting the question at me as I paced silently while standing at the door. I kept reminding myself over and over, like a desperate chant, that Alex was someone I could never have—someone who was off-limits in ways I didn’t even want to explain.And yet, some stubborn, reckless part of me didn’t want to let him go either.Half of me was trembling with relief; the other half was aching in a way I hated to admit. If Mom hadn’t called at that exact moment, had it not been her sharp, no-nonsense voice that cut through the moment of our romance, something stupid could have happened between Alex and me. Something we could never take back.It was her words that snapped me back to reality…. Even though she was yelling at me all the time, right now…her voice is more like a lifeline.When I rushed out of his room, my heart was already beating faster in m

24

Abigail’s POV I wished I hadn’t seen her at all.The last person I wanted to meet that morning was my mother. I wasn’t expecting to see her downstairs so early, not with the way things ended last night. My chest tightened the moment I spotted her figure near the dining table. A sharp wave of panic gripped me, and every instinct inside me screamed for me to turn back, to run upstairs, and to disappear.I wanted to escape her questions. I knew the look on her face meant a storm was waiting for me—a storm filled with accusations, sharp words, and endless interrogations about what had happened last night, or maybe even things I hadn’t done.That was why, without thinking, I tried to slip out through the front door. My hand trembled slightly as I reached for the knob, praying the hinges wouldn’t creak to get attention. If I could just get outside and flag a taxi, I’d be free. Even if it meant walking down the long road and waiting by the busy junction, it would still be worth it. I woul

25

Abigail’s POV I know you all might be wondering why my mom is so rude to me, why she treats me like a stranger instead of her own child. Sometimes I even wonder if she really is my mother. Maybe she isn’t. Maybe she picked me up somewhere. Maybe I was a mistake she decided to keep for reasons I’ll never understand. Because how else can I explain the way she talks to me? The way her eyes stay cold even when her lips form a smile?Her words echo in my head like a cruel lullaby: get close to him… Make sure his grades go up… Make sure I get what I want.The way she said it, like I was nothing but a tool to use, breaks me in a way I can’t even describe. How can a mother tell her own daughter to seduce someone and get close to him just because she wants a “baby treatment” from his father and the money that comes with it?I stood there, frozen in the hallway, staring at her with tears filling my eyes. My throat felt tight, my chest heavy, and my heart was beating so loudly I could almost h

26

Abigail’s POV I don’t know what I did to deserve this. When I thought I was finally over everything, after swimming for thirty minutes to wash away all my worries—those same worries came back, knocking at my door and staring at me like hungry shadows. I never wanted trouble today. All I wanted was a little peace, a few minutes where my mind could be quiet. But of course, with Miranda around, peace is impossible.I should have known she wouldn’t let me stay alone. Not her. Not the self-appointed queen of this school. Maybe she thinks I’m trying to take her so-called crush away from her. Maybe she thinks I’m playing some game. But I’m not. I never tried to take anything from her. Yet none of that matters to someone like Miranda.What hurt the most wasn’t just her words. It was the humiliation. The cruel way she left me naked in the pool, my skin burning with shame as the cold water lapped against me. My breasts were visible no matter how hard I tried to hide them. I crossed my arms t

27

Abigail’s POV When I thought I was gone here, he was… It seemed like he was more like a prince, a showman, bright and shining armor in the dark. He came like a bolt of lightning, without even asking. Every movement he made was sharp, precise, and filled with a controlled fury. He didn’t waste a second—he quickly pushed those boys into the water, their shouts and splashes echoing through the pool hall like a chaotic storm.Then, without a glance back, he flung my swimsuit toward me, turning his back in a way that felt both protective and commanding. My heart skipped a beat. Is he… becoming a gentleman? I asked myself, even as shock ran through every fiber of my body.But the next words he spoke pulled me even deeper into disbelief. “Put that on and come out of the water. I told you, you should always be careful.”It was the first time all day he’d spoken to me normally, like… like a person rather than a ghostly figure silently observing. Since we’d arrived at school that morning, he

28

Abigail’s POVBut it didn’t stop there. When I said that, I thought he might finally leave me alone. I didn’t even want to see his face again, but I also didn’t have a choice except to say it that way, for the both of us to keep breathing in the same school without people staring.I thought those words would push him away for good, but they didn’t. Instead of getting angry or turning his back like I hoped, he followed me right behind me up the stairs.His footsteps echoed behind me; I don't even know how to push him away anymore.“It’s not my fault, Abigail. You have to listen to me,” Alex’s voice carried up the staircase, low but sharp enough to pierce through the noise of students moving in the distance.“You can’t just leave me like this. It’s not right. You should know I’m… I’m popular. It’s not about Miranda. It’s about the school. My father is a senator… What did you expect? Of course I would be popular and influential.”He spoke with the confidence of someone who knew the world

29

Abigail’s POVI thought something else was about to happen when he was coming closer to me. For a second, my mind spun so wildly that I even lost track of everything. But then a tiny flicker of courage crept up inside me. I reminded myself of the time back in university when I was still chasing my bachelor’s degree and my best friend went through a similar nightmare.She once told me how she survived by focusing on something or anything, and she said that it gave her strength, and since then, I have held onto that memory and her words like a lifeline.whispering to myself that I would get over this too, no matter how bad it looked.But what shocked me the most came in the next instant.The moment Miranda pushed me back against the locker, slamming my face into the cold metal with a loud clang, my heart stopped. Her hand pinned the side of my head as her nails dug into my neck, causing me so much pain.Her breath brushed against my ear, and the smell of her sweet-smelling perfume made

30

Abigail’s povJust when I thought that everything was going to be fine in the school, that was when Miranda put her hand in her pocket and brought out a knife instead of the lighter. The knife glittered under the cold fluorescent light; I could see a thin flash of silver that made the tiny hairs on my arms prickle.My breathing became shallow instantly, and every inhale tasted like metal and panic. Miranda’s face was only inches away now, her dark eyes locked on mine with a gleam so sharp that it sliced through the air.Her lips curled back in a half-smile that wasn’t human, more like a wild animal craving for blood.The other girls tightened their grip on my arms until my shoulders screamed. I could feel the tremor of their fingers, the slight shake of excitement that ran through them like electricity. They weren’t just holding me. They were feeding on this.Miranda tilted her head, the way a predator studies its prey. Her long ponytail slid over her shoulder like a black whip. “Look

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