Being the Bad Boy's Victim (36 page)

hero |ˈhi(ə)rō|

n
oun (pl. -es)

a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities

~ Oxford University Press, (oxforddictionaries.com)

A hero needs to have courage, strength, and intelligence. Well, three strikes and I was out. But at that moment, I didn’t really care that I lacked all of those qualities. I needed to help a friend, and it seemed like it was the only thing I could do.

I felt myself stand and involuntarily reach for the door handle
. Am I really going to do this?
I asked myself.

Another loud crash came from the kitchen, and I found myself flinging open the door and running out into the hallway without a second thought.

“N-no!” Anna murmured, her eyes meeting mine.

It was as if I had forgotten all about Liam, as if I didn’t realize what danger I was putting myself in. And you know what? I really didn’t.

Without warning, I found myself pressed up against the countertop, my back painfully bent as the edge
of the table
dug into my skin. It was only then that I fully grasped the situation I had put myself in.

Liam’s cold eyes bore into mine, a sneer appeared on his lips as if he was born with it. “Look who finally decided to make an appearance,” he murmured, grinding his hips painfully into mine, making me gasp and cry out in pain. His eyes glinted with pleasure as he looked into mine.

“Aw,” he cooed, “has someone been crying?” One of his large, rough hands caressed my face, touching the tears that cascaded down my cheeks.

“Leave her alone,” Anna whispered.

I looked at her once more, taking in the damage he had done to her. Blood poured from her nose and there were multiple cuts and bruises on her face.

“Shut up, you worthless whore,” Liam growled out, his body tensing against mine.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Anna beat me to it.

“Get away from her!” Anna yelled. She had managed to pull herself up using a chair and attempted
to hit Liam. Except for my whimpers and cries of pain, I had kept silent… that is, until Liam’s fist flew forward, hitting Anna straight in the face.

I watched in utter horror as her limp body was flung backwards and landed on the floor with a loud thud, her face emotionless as she slipped away into unconsciousness. A scream punctured the silence, and it wasn’t until Liam whipped back around and smacked his hand over my mouth that I realized it was me who had been screaming.

“Stop fucking shrieking your head off,” he snarled, shoving me back into the counter, my body about to collapse from the pain, while he smirked in amusement.

It was sickening to see him so content with himself.

“Y-you’re a monster!” I choked out as soon as he took his hand from my mouth.

“Let me guess, you remember now? Or did that slut, Anna, have to spell it out for you?”
H
is tone grew venomous as his amusement faded.

“G-get away from me!” I shrieked, thrashing against his strong form, but my attempts were futile.

“Stop it, Bella,” he snapped, his hands reaching for my wrists.

I paid no attention to what he said as I continued to fight to get away from him, and in the process, my hand flew up and slapped him straight across the face. His head snapped to the side, with a large red handprint already beginning to appear on his cheek. When he slowly turned back, I could see the fury in his eyes.

“I fucking warned you.”

My body tumbled to the floor due to the force of the punch that Liam threw at my face. A blind pain shot through my head, and I began to sob from all the pent up fear and pain that I had been trying to hold back the whole time. I could sense the coppery taste of blood that began to fill my mouth, causing my stomach to go queasy.

“Now, why don’t you and I have a little chat?” he grasped my arm, hauled me to my feet, and gestured to the couch in the living room.

“Liam… I… you…” I spluttered, unable to complete a simple sentence. My head was pounding painfully and I found myself spitting up some of the blood on myself.

“That’s disgusting
.
”

I heard him mutter under his breath as he glanced at me. I whimpered uncomfortably as he dragged me to the couch, and roughly pushed me into a sitting position. Then, my eyes focused on Anna’s still unconscious form, and I felt more tears stream down my face as I stared at her. She might have done some bad things to me, but no one deserved to be beaten senseless
ly
.

No one, that is, except Liam.

Sensing that I had no choice, I sat in front of him, hopelessly vulnerable.

“Why are you doing this?” I found myself asking. That one was certainly the clich
éd
“
why me?
”
question, but it was one that I badly needed an answer to.

Liam chuckled, his eyes raking over my body. “I guess you could call it an obsession.”

My heart faltered, and black spots invaded my vision as I quickly gasped for breath. “An obsession?” I asked, my voice barely audible, as if I no longer had the strength to conceal my weakness.

“Yes,” he replied. “When I first met you, I knew I liked you. Hell, I loved you, and everything about you,” he paused, his eyes trailing over me once more, “So fucking perfect.”

I opened my mouth to object, to say anything. What could have I said though? I had nothing. His raised hand silenced me, and his eyes glinted.

“I followed you here, Bella. So yes, it is an obsession.” He grinned, his crazed eyes meeting my fearful ones. “I know everything about you, and I love that. I love the power I have.”

“You’re sick,” I muttered as I forced myself to stand up.

His smug smile disappeared and a sneer graced his sickening features. And my body tensed as he stood up and took a couple of steps forward so that he stood directly in front of me.

“Yes, I am sick,” he murmured, his arms wrapping around my waist, drawing my body close to his. “Lovesick,” he added.

Normally, I would have scoffed, shoved him away, and left. But this was a different situation.

“Please, don’t hurt me,” I pleaded, placing my hands on his chest in a weak attempt to push him away.

“But, Bella,” he cooed sickeningly, “I like hearing your screams of pain.”

With that, a hand landed on my cheek with a loud cracking noise, causing me to collapse to the ground, hitting my head on the edge of the couch. A bloodcurdling scream escaped my dry, chapped lips as my body
hit
the floor. Then I felt a warm liquid trailing from the top of my head, down my forehead
,
and t
owards the
back of my neck. 

“I can see why Sam liked hurting you so much,” Liam said, towering above me. His eyes were dangerously dark, and his hands were tight fists.

My eyes widened when he mentioned Sam, and my lips parted slightly, feeling stunned.

Then his sinister chuckle caught my attention. “Like I said, my sweet Bella, I know everything about you.” His hands then grabbed my limp arms, and he hauled me to my feet, ignoring my shrieks of pain.

I felt myself collapse against his body, my vision fading in and out.

“Now, now, Bella, don’t you pass out just yet,” he whispered into my ear. “I want you to be awake for this.”

I felt my body get thrown onto the couch, leaving me in a highly uncomfortable position. I struggled to remain conscious as he climbed on top of me, roughly straddling my waist.

“Now, for the part that Sam never got to.”

That was when it all clicked.

rape |rāp|

n
oun

the crime, typically committed by a man, of forcing another person to have sexual intercourse with the offender against their will

~ Oxford University Press, (oxforddictionaries.com)

You could scream, you could struggle, but you couldn’t get away.

My body thrashed against the couch, inhuman-like noises coming from my mouth. Tears flooded my face, but I wasn’t going to give up. I couldn’t. I couldn’t let myself be a victim.

Liam’s animal-like growls and snarls pounded into my head as he ripped off my pants, which allowed me to kick violently, but uselessly.

Do you know how it feels to be completely and utterly useless? That was exactly how I felt. I felt useless as he tore off my shirt, leaving my struggling body in only my underwear.

“Don’t pretend you don’t want this, you slut!” he spat out.

Slut. Some say words hurt the most, but because of the situation I was in, everything seemed to hurt a whole lot more.

“Don’t!” I wailed, my chest heaving with sobs. “Don’t do this to me.”

Sometimes, something miraculous will happen. A person will change in front of your eyes, realize their wrongdoing, and try to make it right.

Well, guess what? That didn’t happen to me.

His large, rough hands groped me mercilessly, and his eyes darkened with lust. I tried to use my hands to push him
away from
me, but within seconds he had both of my hands pinned above my head using only one of his.

“Weak,” he spat out.

He was right
.
I was weak.

Screams echoed throughout the house. My screams. But it felt as if I was just lying there, not doing anything. I cried, I sobbed, I begged, I pleaded, but it was useless. I was useless.

Arriving at the realization that I wasn’t going to get out of it, I felt my body shut down. My struggles became weaker, my breathing calmed down, and my eyes glazed over.

I gave up.

I had given up so easily. It was like I didn’t even put up a fight to begin with. But I did, I fought damn hard! But sometimes your damnedest just wasn’t enough.

Sometimes nothing is enough.

The series of events that followed was a blur. The front door seemed to just fly off its hinges as men in uniform entered, holding guns—guns that seemed to be pointed at me.

A sharp, cold blade was placed on my neck, but I didn’t react. An icy feeling filled me as a loud bang went off, and the body on top of me collapsed. The knife grazed my throat, but someone pulled it away just before any real damage could be inflicted.

Ha! Who was I kidding?

Damage had been done. And now, I was left all alone to drown in the misery of it. So yes, everything that followed was a blur. The screams, the crowded street, the police officers, the EMTs, and the firemen. I was utterly numb. And there were the bystanders
—
who all watched in horror.

And Matt, James, and Connor.

And then there was me. Or what was left of me, for that matter.

darkness |ˈdärknis|

n
oun

the partial or total absence of light;