I was freaking out, pacing skittishly up and down the bathroom floor. I gnawed at my painted nails nervously and let my thoughts roam freely. He was turned on over you. You. Not Harriet. I couldn’t help but smile childishly to myself. But what if I was wrong?

I sat on the edge of the bath with my head in my hands. I wanted him, badly. And I had for a very long time. So if I wasn’t just imagining things, maybe there was a possibility he wanted me too? This was the part that I couldn’t get my pounding head around; he had a beautiful, rich, talented bikini model as a girlfriend and yet he was dancing with me? Harriet’s parents were both very successful, Ryan had told me that her mother owned a riding company, and with her father’s large income from being a lawyer it was funded perfectly. They could make thousands in a matter of weeks. She was every man’s dream. My phone buzzed. 

“hey you’ve been up there for a while. Everything ok? Xx”

Ryan texted me. I replied straight away.

“Yep just something’s come up at home. I’ll be ok, down in a few mins xx”

I hated lying to him, but he’d believe me since he knew I came round so often for a reason. And I didn’t want him to think I was scared. Which I was. I took a few minutes to compose myself, then I took a deep breath and went down into the living room. Everyone had gone home, Harriet was asleep in the armchair and Annie was in bed. Leaving me and Ryan to clear up the bomb site that was their home, again.

“Hey, are you alright?” He smiled, he looked equally as tired as me. The both of us looked like extras for a zombie movie.

“I will be, just need a distraction,” I told him, sitting myself down next to him on the sofa. We were surrounded by a sea of empty plastic cups and crisp packets. But we were too tired to care.

“Understood, well I was going to play some Black Ops but I don’t suppose you’ll like that,” he said leaning back into the seat.

I just laughed and shook my head. “Are you kidding? It’s my favourite!” I laughed and grabbed a controller.

“Really? Wait. Xbox or Playstation?” he asked me, with one eyebrow up as if it had been caught in a fish hook.

“Playstation definitely, Xbox sucks.”

He held a hand up to give me a high five and switched on the console.

An hour later.

“You fucking beat me again!” He gasped, his facial expression was priceless.

“That’s what you get for underestimating a girl. And for being a shit player.” I smirked. I thought it was nerdy for a girl to like these kind of games but apparently he liked it. Well up until the point where I beat him.

“Hey, I’m not shit,” he snapped. I laughed. It was hilarious how boys could get so worked up over games.

“Yeah sure, that’s why I kicked your ass like a million times.” I playfully slapped him on the shoulder and smiled.

“Don’t you hit me!” He chuckled and launched forwards, pinning me down and causing my heart to morph into a gymnast. He forced all of his weight on top of me; our faces were a hair's width away from each other. I could feel warmth heating up in my darkest depths. I managed to push him up and hit him square in the face with a pillow, but his crotch still pinned mine down to the sofa, making it hard to dodge away from the double strike of two pillows colliding into my body.

“Hey!” I scoffed and flicked him in the side of his head. The both of us had become slaves to a laughing fit. I could feel his chest move up and down on mine as he laughed. After the laughing had subsided silence took its turn. He hadn’t moved, he was still pinning me down and was still smiling at me.

I could feel myself being dragged into those eyes again, and with the added pressure of his body on mine I felt like kissing him there and then. Not that I needed to, he got there first. His soft lips brushed against mine gently, and his hair tickled my forehead. But once I began to return the favour, he grew more urgent. Bit by bit his body became heavier on my desperate frame, and little by little my hand crept up his shirt. I placed it on his stomach.

His tongue danced with mine, and his hands found their way into my hair and onto my face. I moaned into the kiss, he did the same when I slipped my hand up his back. I wasn’t thinking at this moment in time, I didn’t let my paranoia get the better of me. With Ryan’s lips on mine I felt secure, I didn’t need to check to see if he actually wanted me, I didn’t need to think about how mad this was. All I thought about was his touch, his taste, him.

“What the fuck?” An angered voice broke our spell. We’d completely forgotten that Harriet was in the arm chair.

“Ryan?” she wailed. He shot up from the sofa like it was made of lava.

“Shit, Harriet I’m so-“

She cut him off. “Forget it, I don’t need a little rat like you.” She got up and stomped across the room, but stopped at the doorway and faced me. “You’ll pay for this.” 

I already am, I thought sadly. We jumped at the door slamming.

“Harriet, wait. I love you!” He sprinted for the door. Ouch, that stung.

I left Annie’s birthday present next to her bed with a note explaining that I had to go home early and that I was sorry before grabbing my bag and making a hasty retreat. I was gone within five minutes, so luckily I was able to leave without seeing Ryan. To make matters worse the heavens had decided to open, releasing a waterfall like rain onto the poor souls who had to walk home. Which included myself.

I shivered into the cool night time air. I was still wearing my little red dress so I was frozen. I was pretty sure that the tears running down my face would freeze over and attach themselves to my cheeks. There were no cars driving this early in the morning, so I was able to walk in the centre of the road without being in any danger.

It looked like a scene you’d see in a movie really, a sad teenage girl soaked to the skin, all dressed up walking through puddles. I figured things couldn’t really get much worse, so to make the scene even more meaningful I took my shoes off too and carried them along with me. The gravelly tarmac grabbed at my delicate feet, but the cold dirty road water soothed the pain. My phone buzzed.

"Where are you? Xx" 

It was Ryan, I tried to resist the temptation to reply but he was probably worried.

"Walking home." 

I deliberately put no kisses on the end of that to make my subtle point. However at that time I wasn’t even sure what point I needed to make. I’d been walking for around an hour, and my feet ached like a bitch. But my shoes remained in my hands for the time being. I was getting a strange sort of enjoyment out of the pointless dramatic scene I had created. The rain had calmed into a drizzle, so the only sounds that could be heard in the streets were the soft pitter patter of my footsteps and the occasional drunken cheer from local punters. My phone vibrated again.

"In this weather? How long have you been walking? I can drive you if you’d like. xx"

Why did he have to be such a gentleman? Why couldn’t he just be an idiot so I could stay pissed off at him for a night? Even though my feet burned and I was fed up with the cold, I didn’t want to accept it. And since the annoyance at him had drained from my body, all that was left was annoyance for myself. I shouldn’t have got my hopes up, nothing would have happened. I was stupid. This led another strong current of tears to drip down my face.

"For around an hour, nearly back no need." 

I switched off my phone and jogged the rest of the way. My clothes were clinging to me and my makeup was running, I was a sight for sore eyes to say the least. When I got through the door, the stench of stale air and alcohol nearly knocked me back.

Empty beer cans were carelessly scattered everywhere, Dad was passed out on the sofa. Like I’d left him several weeks ago and it seems my efforts to keep the place tidy had been wasted. I stumbled up the stairs and ripped my dripping dress off before I could even make it to my room, the only clean area in the house it seemed.

I should explain. After Mum left him for another man my father had resorted to alcohol to solve his problems, Landing us in a big fat load of dept and un happiness. He’d forgotten how to be a dad, so at the age of twelve I was left to basically fend for myself. If I didn't do something how he wanted me to I'd be shouted at endlessly. I'd be called names no daughter should ever be called and made to feel how no one should ever be made to feel which was why I rarely came home. But I was loyal to him, he'd sometimes mistake me for my mother and break down crying, I felt pity for him.I believed that one day he would get better. In the mean time I just had to stick with it.

I jumped into the shower, only to remember we never had any hot water so I had to rush through the painful experience and sprint across the hallway to the safety of my warm duvet. In the comfort of the warming blanket and the soft purrs of Garfield my cat resting on my feet I switched on my phone. One text and one missed call from Ryan, one text from an unknown number. I opened the text.

"I told you you’d pay for it. Say goodbye to Annie sweet heart x "

My heart sank, attached to the message was a picture of me and Ryan in our lustful stage.

__________

Author's note: This is a lot shorter than my usual stories, but the next one will be so much more eventful so bear with me - ww