I chuckle. “God, you are such an impatient man.” Finally, I look at him and take in his big frustrated eyes, his ruffled blonde hair, and his stern lips. I’m used to smiling Langston. As a kid, he would always rather be playing than stewing in his anger.
“Impatient or not, I’d take my offer. Save yourself.”
“You mean, tell you the truth so you will have no use for me and will kill me faster?”
He growls.
I growl back, but it’s the truth. No matter what I choose, I’ll end up dead at Langston’s hand if I don’t figure out a way to stop him. The only way I live is to be more valuable to him alive than dead. As long as I have my secrets, I’ll stay alive.
But I’ll be trapped.
“What will it be, Liesel?”
I fold my knees up and rest my arm against my knee, holding my glass. I stare at it, wishing we could both just tell the truth.
I’m not afraid of death—I just don’t want to die at Langston’s hands.
I spot the tattoo I got on the inside of my wrist.
I smile, knowing the story I’m going to tell tonight.
It’s been one month since I was raped.
My life is spiraling.
And no one has noticed.
One. Whole. Month.
I walk into high school on the first day of my senior year expecting everyone to notice that I’m different, that everything has changed.
My locker is next to Enzo’s.
I walk up to my shiny red locker where Enzo, Langston, and Zeke are gathered.
“Really? You couldn’t let his best friends have the locker right next to him? Now, we have to deal with your overpowered perfume smell, glitter, and bobby pins every time we want to come to our lockers,” Zeke complains like a bitch.
“Trust me, I’d rather not be stuck between Enzo and Zeke—the Sasquatch. Now I’ll have to deal with your sweaty odor, hair ties, and hair that escapes your stupid man bun.”
Langston snickers at my zing.
Enzo smiles.
Zeke looks ready to kill.
And I’ve never welcomed that look from Zeke more.
If no one is going to save me, the least they could do is kill me.
“What class you got first period, Liesel?” Enzo asks.
“Calculus.”
Langston starts rolling in laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I ask, thinking I have something stuck in my ponytail. I hardly bothered to get dressed for school today. The boys should notice that I’m not wearing my usual skintight dress, heels, curls, and makeup. Instead, I’m wearing ripped jeans, flats, a plain black v-neck, and my hair in a ponytail. I look like most girls around me, except, I’m not most girls.
I’m Liesel Dunn—glamorous, spirited, take no prisoners with my curvy hips and sassy words. I rule this school with my good looks even though I have exactly five dresses—one for each day of the week that I scrapped to save enough money to buy. No one cares that you don’t have money when you walk with confidence like I do.