Free Falling

Savannah

Percy was pissy all morning.

The only thing that made him kind of relax was me not changing.

He knew I would hate it, so to find a middle ground I just pulled on my jacket so I met dress code.

I also fixed my hair because there’s no way I was going through the day with bangs in my face.

I looked like me, but like my old self.

Plus a leather jacket.

This got me a lot of looks.

Classes went as boring as ever except for my world history class. Mr. Mathews seemed stuck on me.

When he started his lecture, his eyes found me and he didn’t take them off.

He tried a few times, but it was like he was drawn to me.

I saw his gaze travel down a few times to check out my cleavage and I couldn’t help but smirk at him.

It was funny to see men go all dumb for “pretty girls.” It’s like even the idea of getting laid was enough to make them completely stupid.

And to see a fully grown, early 30s, roguishly handsome professor be drawn right in like a bee to honey was something that made me feel powerful.

It was nice to feel this sense of control.

This power that I could wield.

I used to always feel like this.

Until I got an earth-shattering wake-up call to prove just how little control I really had.

Having this small ~thing~ that flickered inside me felt nice.

I didn’t see myself as the goddess I once was.

But today, I felt like my past self.

When class was over and our free period finally graced us, Percy and I got some snacks from the vending machine and camped out in the hallway.

Percy still wasn’t talking, but I was baiting him with lame ass little jokes that I knew he wouldn’t be able to fight off.

“Wanna hear a lesbian pick-up line?”

He of course didn’t say anything.

“So the lesbian goes up to another woman and asks if she wanted to hook up. The woman says ‘sorry but I’m actually straight.’

“The lesbian smiles and puts her arm around the woman, leans into her ear and says, ‘so are spaghetti noodles until they get wet.’”

Percy cracked up, snorting and spitting some of his Mellow Yellow out and clapping.

“Would you shut up? Gosh, I want to be mad at you.” I shoved at his shoulder and he threw a pretzel at me which I caught in my mouth and then fist pumped the air.

“Good catch, beautiful.”

I looked around to see Sunshine and Moonpie coming around to my side to sit on the bench with us.

“What is it you two want now, huh?”

I raised my water to my lips and watched them out of the corner of my eye.

“Damon says to meet him at his locker during gym, says not to bother changing.”

I can literally feel Percy clam up.

Now, I do think Damon is hot, like the sexiest man I have ever seen in my life.

Also, he was the best kiss I’ve ever had—let’s not forget the part with me fingering myself to a fantasy of him.

With all of that in mind, I had to still pass.

I can’t get involved with Damon Henley. I can’t mess up my uncle’s life. I can’t let Percy down anymore.

I need a smooth ride and Damon will give me anything but.

I bet sex with him would be extraordinary.

Even though his kiss was soft and savoring, I would still bet he probably fucks like a caveman.

“Thanks for letting me know, do you know what he wants?”

Please don’t let them say anything close to banging or sexy time.

I have to say no, and I don’t want to think about what I would miss out on.

I have never had full-on sex. A few times I came close, but it was never the right time, I guess.

That night after group with Damon and I and that kiss, I have never felt like that.

I’m not sure I would say no if we started making out. I highly doubt I would.

My vagina would steer me right to Damon’s dick and keep me there.

“That’s between the two of you, beautiful.”

Sunshine gave this sly grin, and it felt like he was telling me all I needed to know.

“I am not interested in ~alone time~ with Damon. I shall let him know I shan’t be making this meeting or any other henceforth. Thank you and good day.”

I used an uppity British accent and stood up to get away from the two messengers at my side.

“Savvy, if I were you, I would be there, on time and waiting. Damon isn’t known for patience or failing at anything he sets his mind to.”

Moonpie offered his words of advice, and I could tell that he meant each one.

“Do not call me that. And I’ll keep that in mind. Bye Sunshine, Moonpie.”

I shook my head at the nickname. Savvy was what my baby brother called me. My friends always called me Van.

I wouldn’t let anyone call me that again.

Percy knew what it meant, and he had his hand on my shoulders and pushed me away before anything happened.

He didn’t bother giving me another lecture on why I shouldn’t have ever talked to Damon Henley because we both knew this was bad.

He had no idea how bad since he didn’t know about the kiss or the whole Damon saying he wasn’t looking for a new toy, and I had this gut feeling he was reconsidering this.

I knew I couldn’t go to his locker, and we had to get the hell out of here before he could make any kind of move to pull me in.

I am a strong woman, but my vagina was weak—I needed to keep space between Damon and me.

***

The next two classes were easy, and when gym came, Percy wanted to skip and go home.

I told him it was fine, that we both could go to gym, Damon would be waiting in the locker room and I wouldn’t be there, so there was no problem.

Also, it’s not like he could do anything if he gave up and came out with the whole senior class running track.

I changed my clothes, and Percy watched for me.

When I made it out, took my spot in my lane, and started up, he went back to his own class, doing push-ups and hanging out with his own friends.

Half of gym went by before I felt a dark and sinister pair of eyes following me around.

I didn’t look for them, I knew who they belonged to.

When Coach Klein called my name and waved me from the field, I started to feel nervous.

Only when I got up to him and his 70s porn ’stash did I catch Moonpie give me a hard look.

“You are excused from gym from here on out, for the rest of the year. Get off the track and hit the showers.”

My shocked expression faltered and twisted into one of anger when I quickly realized who was behind this.

Yay, I didn’t like gym, but boo, Damon was not taking over my life.

“Why is that, Coach?” I crossed my arms and leaned into my hip.

My natural sass was rolling off me in powerful waves, crashing on the shore around me.

“I don’t want you to have an accident. It recently came to my attention you are still recovering from a bad car wreck. Get out of here.”

He snapped his fingers and clicked his tongue like he was sending his dog away.

“No thanks. I’m fine. If you have any questions about my body, then you can take it up with me or my doctor.”

I went back to running my laps. I had some anger to work off.

Coach Kline called after me, but I didn’t answer. If I did, it would be to flip him off, and if I let that out, I wasn’t going to stop till Damon heard me from the locker room he was waiting in.

~How dare he bring that up!~

~How dare any of them try to tell me what to do!~

~Fuck you, Damon Henley!~

~I am not some toy!~

~I am a goddess!~

~Fuck you, you peasant-looking bitch!~

Percy gave me a worried look when he saw me legitimately running and putting speed and power behind my every step.

I was trying to work on the reckless things I tend to do. I had cashed it in for today already and couldn’t afford to cause a scene.

I needed to work this out.

But with every step I took, I felt worse.

I pushed harder and harder, and faster and faster, until I was in a full-blown race against my own thoughts and emotions.

I ran the lanes and tried everything to push my mind to something else.

Something not Damon Henley related.

But if I wasn’t thinking of what he wanted, what he was going to try and take, then I was thinking of the crash.

The sound of the tire blowing.

The shake of the car.

The skid of the water.

The airless scream that lodged in my throat.

The way the seatbelt locked around me.

The way it felt like the worst roller coaster in the entire world when we were falling from the bridge and heading straight for the river below us.

The sound of the glass breaking and the feeling of it hitting my skin like 100 different paper cuts BBing and burning.

The way my mom looked back at us.

The way her blue eyes looked at Dad.

How fast her hands worked on our buckles.

How her dirty-blonde hair was soaked in bright red blood.

The way Morgan cried when we got to the shallow end of the river.

The sound of his voice calling out for momma is so loud.

~Too loud.~

When I rounded the last lap, I felt it.

The water.

The pain.

The fear.

The ringing in my ears and the throbbing in my head.

The taste of hospital food mixing with the bitterness of life, the harsh truth and the lonely reality that I was left with to form the perfect cocktail of a migraine that would have me on my knees in seconds.

The sting of every stitch, every obstacle I had to pass before I could even get out of bed, let alone get out of the hospital.

I could see it.

The ambulance reds followed by the police blues.

That distinct hospital smell.

I ran from the track and slammed into the locker room before I even knew where I was.

Hunched over the toilet and puking my guts up was not my idea of strength, of power.

This wasn’t my idea of how I would fight Damon off.

But I couldn’t think of anything else.

My everything hurt.

I couldn’t hear anything but the sounds of Morgan crying for Mom.

I couldn’t open my eyes from the throbbing pain behind my eyes.

I didn’t feel the hands on my back.

Or the hold on my shoulders that kept my face from dunking right into the nasty toilet I was exposing my soul to.

I didn’t hear his dark voice soothing me like I was a fragile little baby.

I didn’t see anything until I felt something wipe my mouth.

“Just breathe, it’s alright.”

~Damon.~

~My Angel came for me.~