Embracing Trouble (Trouble Series) (11 page)

Chapter Six: No One Is Going To Hear You

Ava

Sophie begged me to go to Tyler’s birthday party on Saturday night, which was being held at his house with a large marquee in the backyard. I couldn’t tell her why I didn’t want to go, but she was so looking forward to reconnecting with Antony that I had to give in to her.

I tried to warn her against him, but she wouldn’t listen to me, completely smitten by his attention throughout the week.

It wasn’t long before drinks were being mixed, the music was turned up loud, and everyone started to let loose. Sophie and I drank cocktails and then started on the shots, happily joining in with the celebrations. I had kept an eye on Antony throughout the night, and he seemed to be keeping his distance from me.

“Happy Birthday,” I said to Tyler as he came up beside me.

“Thanks,” he grinned as he tapped his cheek. “Where’s my present?”

I smiled and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

“That’s better,” he said, leaning closer to me. “I’m liking the hair by the way.”

“Thanks,” I said, feeling his closeness but wanting to move away.

I could smell his aftershave as he leaned in further, but it wasn’t the aftershave I wanted to smell.

He chuckled.

“It makes you look even more gorgeous.”

I shook my head and laughed him off, not even wanting to go any further with that comment.

“You still hanging around the fighter boys?” he asked next.

“Fighter boys?” I asked, knowing he meant Noah and Zac.

“Surely they told you about the underground fighting ring they used to be part of?” he scorned. “Noah and his friend were undefeated for years. I don’t think they do it anymore though.”

“Shots time again!” interrupted Sophie as she approached with a tequila bottle.

She looked between Tyler and me knowingly and was then lining up shots. Tyler put a piece of lemon between my lips, sprinkled some salt on my arm with a grin and then licked it off slowly before he drank his tequila. He finished it off by sucking on the lemon from my mouth and I laughed and pulled away. The lemon dropped to the floor, but I felt nothing for him but friendship.

It was after another four shots that I checked my phone and Facebook. I paused when I saw a photo of me from ten minutes ago, laughing, as Tyler did shots with me.

Antony had posted two photos, showing me laughing and looking very intimate with Tyler. I stared in disbelief.

I had been tagged on both of them and one of them said:

What a nice couple…

I felt sick. I was sure he was trying to hurt me, hoping Zac would see them and get angry. I looked to the group outside to see him laughing with Nathan, and I felt like storming over and hitting him.

“Just ignore him,” chuckled Tyler beside me. “It’s his way of getting a laugh.”

School friends started to click on “Like” as they saw the photo, and I rolled my eyes. I knew he wasn’t doing it for a laugh. As I looked back at my so-called friends, I realized that I had started to play a game where I didn’t know the rules.

I slipped my phone in my pocket and headed upstairs to use the bathroom. I needed to go home. I was annoyed with myself that I had let Sophie talk me into coming here tonight.

I finished and opened the bathroom door only to see Antony standing there blocking the doorway. I panicked and tried to close the door, but he shoved his foot in the way.

“Now is not the time to play hard to get,” he said, pushing his way in and closing the door behind him.

“Get out,” I said to him, as fear travelled up my spine.

He was drunk and wanted revenge. I frantically tried to figure out how I could escape. I touched my phone in my pocket, but I didn’t know who I could call to help me in time. Sophie wouldn’t hear her phone, and who knew where Zac was tonight. My father was on another weekend away, and I knew I was alone.

“You fucking led me on,” he said, angrily coming towards me.

“I didn’t mean to,” I said calmly.

“Do you still have the photo?” he asked furiously.

“No, I deleted it,” I lied, stepping back from him.

“Your boyfriend better watch himself.”

I bumped against the basin, having nowhere else to go as he loomed towards me.

“You shouldn’t mess with him,” I said quietly.

“Oh, I will,” he said with angry eyes. “And you shouldn’t be a cock tease. It doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m not a cock tease!”

He grabbed me and shoved me against the basin, and the back of my head hit the mirror.

“I didn’t even want you, anyway. I just felt sorry for you, and thought I’d give you a pity fuck,” he whispered furiously into my face.

I tried to push him off, but he was unmoving like a rock and panic made me rigid. I was in serious trouble here, and no one would hear me scream with the loud party downstairs.

“Let me go!” I wailed as loud as I could.

I tried shoving him away from me, but he didn’t budge.

He chuckled in my face, and said, “Not until you give me what you promised.”

“Antony, please, stop,” I cried.

He pushed my head back against the mirror and covered my mouth with his hand.

“Shhh,” he said, as his other hand ran down the front of my top and then down to my jeans.

I tried to hit him and kick at him, but it was like he didn’t feel anything.

“I’m going to tell everyone you begged me for it,” he said, undoing my jeans.

I tried to push him off, and I screamed into his hot, sweaty hand against my mouth. His hand went up my T-shirt and he groped me hard. I cried out and tried to move his hand, but the more I pulled at him, the harder he grabbed.

“Stop fighting me,” he yelled, while putting his hand around my neck and squeezing. “You know you want it.”

“Stop it,” I choked out as I tried to lift my knee at him.

I missed and he got angrier as he realized what I had tried to do. He shoved me around so that my back was turned to him and he held my wrists painfully above my head on the mirror. His elbow kept my face pressed against it. He loosened my jeans and went to pull them down. I screamed as loud as I could. I pushed back against him and tried to kick out.

“No one is going to hear you,” he whispered into my ear with a sick laugh. “I’m going to see if you’re as good as you look.”

I burst into tears, seeing part of his face in the mirror. He was determined and almost had my jeans down.

I suddenly realized it was going to happen. There was nothing I could do. He was just too strong. My wrists throbbed from the pressure of his hand and his elbow was squeezing my face hard into the mirror.

“Please, don’t,” I cried.

There was a knock on the door.

“Ava? Are you in there?” asked Tyler.

Antony paused for a moment, and I used that opportunity to push away and turn around. My knee came up and hit him between the legs. He gasped and bent over in pain.

“Ava?” Tyler called out louder.

I ran to the door and unlocked it, opening it to Tyler who took one look at me and then at Antony. I tried to form words, but I couldn’t even find air for my lungs.

“Sorry, bud, she wanted me, and I had to have her,” said Antony, straightening up.

Tyler looked at me in disbelief before disappointment clouded his eyes.

I tried to breathe as I pulled my jeans up.

“He just tried to—“

“Careful, Ava, you wouldn’t want to hurt Tyler any more than you already have,” Antony said, coming over to the door.

I shoved past Tyler and came face to face with Sophie. She looked at my ripped T-shirt and jeans that were undone, my disheveled hair, and then she glared at Antony who had a satisfied smile on his face.

“You bitch!” she gasped.

I clenched my teeth, seeing more people on the stairs coming up. Others in the rooms were coming to see what was going on, while others just stood around watching and listening.

Breathing heavy with hurt and confusion, I looked at their shocked faces, and knew I looked like the bad one. No one would believe me.

I turned back to Sophie and saw her looking at me with hatred. Knowing there was nothing I could say or do, I turned away from them all and headed back downstairs. I passed friends who were giggling and whispering, and I tried to ignore it as I quickly headed to the front door.

I got outside and quickly did up my jeans as I hurried onto the pavement. I started to run—away from the party and away from that asshole, Antony. My silent sobs turned to tears. I felt so alone. I wasn’t equipped to play all these different games and now I had ended up getting hurt. I had nearly been raped.

I stopped running and caught my breath as I looked at the throbbing red marks on my wrists. He was a horrible asshole, and I couldn’t believe Tyler and Sophie would believe him so easily.

A car drove past and someone called out from the window. I walked faster, wiping my cheeks. I had to get home, but if I was going to walk, it would take a long while. I thought about calling a taxi. I knew the house at home was empty, so I couldn’t call my father, and it was too late for public transport.

I looked around the darkened suburban street thinking about Antony. I hadn’t realized just how strong a guy could be when he wanted to be. I started to panic again as I crossed the street to the other side.

Part of me wanted to call Zac, but I wondered if he was with someone else right now. The thought hurt. I shivered from the cool night air and decided not to call anyone.

Zac

The three of us got out of the car and headed up Noah’s stairs. I looked at the photos of Ava and Tyler doing shots on Facebook.

“She looks to be having fun,” said Noah, as he looked at his own phone.

Will opened the door and they went inside, while I stayed out for a moment.

I knew I had no right to feel angry over the photos, but I was. I didn’t like anyone touching Ava, and the thought of pretty boy touching her made me mad. I sat down on the step, and before I could change my mind, I dialed her number. Some sick part of me hoped I would be disturbing her with Tyler.

She didn’t answer, and it eventually went to voicemail. I ended the call without leaving a message. I went to my tracking app to find her. She was currently on the move, slowly, like she was walking. The locator showed that she was only a few streets from here. My eyes narrowed as I pressed the button to call her again.

She didn’t answer.

I called a third time.

She answered with, “Leave me alone, Zac.”

I heard the emotion in her voice and felt myself go on instant alert.

“What’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer.

“Ava, what’s happened? Why are you walking home?” I asked.

She didn’t answer, but this time I heard a sob.

“Tell me what the fuck is going on, Ava, or I’ll come and find you myself,” I said, standing up.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she whispered. “I don’t want to talk to anyone.”

“Are you by yourself?”

“All alone,” she said letting out a soft sob.

“Are you drunk? You shouldn’t be out this late by yourself. Why are you crying?” I asked as I headed back over to my car and unlocked it. “Stay there. I’m coming to get you.”

“No,” she said. “I can’t see you right now.”

I stopped at the car and demanded, “Why the hell not?”

“Because I’ll fall apart,” she sobbed, ending the call.

I swore, got into my car, and skidded as I quickly reversed out of the driveway.

Ava

I kept walking, knowing Zac would have no idea where I was right now. I knew if I saw him, I would fall apart. I just wanted to get home and cry my eyes out.

My phone beeped into the silent night. My stomach dropped as I saw Antony’s name on the screen. I swallowed and opened the text message.

Antony:
Say any lies about me and this will get sent around. I called it: “Ava - the pity fuck.”

“No,” I groaned softly, opening the message and playing the video.

He was on a bed with a girl, her face hidden as she moaned. They were clearly having sex.

I sobbed in despair as tears continued to run down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away, feeling sick. I heard the girl’s moans again and wanted to scream.

I didn’t think it was possible, but the night had just turned a million times worse. I stopped the video, closed the message, and started walking faster. I had to get home before I collapsed. He would ruin me if he sent that out. Her face was hidden and anyone would believe it was me. My knees nearly gave out as I walked and sobbed.

A car pulled up beside me with its loud engine. Before I knew it, Zac was in front of me. He took one look at me.

“What the fuck happened?” he asked in bewilderment.

He saw my ripped T-shirt and anger fuelled his next question.

“Did someone fucking hurt you?”

I felt more tears running down my cheeks and shook my head. I didn’t know where to begin, but I knew I couldn’t tell him.

“I will kill them, Ava. Tell me what happened,” he snarled, coming closer and touching my cheek.

“Don’t touch me,” I whispered, stepping back from him.

I folded my arms across my chest and tried to hide my sore wrists. I swallowed the lump of emotion stuck in my throat.

“I just need to go home,” I said with a shiver.

His eyes narrowed as if he was deciding what to do next. I made the decision for him and headed over to his car that was still running. I numbly climbed in, shivering from the night air and the upset. I closed my door and then shut my eyes tight, trying to hold myself together.

I heard him come back into the car, but I kept my eyes shut and stayed silent as he drove me home. I could feel his anger beside me, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I just needed to try and go to sleep and think about it in the morning. I felt utterly betrayed as the hurt and pain seeped through me.