Chapter 9: Drowning.
"Stop." I say, laughing as Zachary tickles me.
He's at my house right now. He insisted on visiting me 'cause he doesn't trust me being alone.
Me too.
"That's what you get." He tells me, attacking my stomach with little tickles.
I start laughing again before I summon the strength to finally push him off of me.
"I'll get you next time." I tell him.
"Sure." He says, smirking at me.
"Shouldn't you be at football practice?" I ask him.
"You're just trying to get rid of me." He says, running his fingers through his hair as he sits beside me on my bed.
"Something like that." I retort.
"Well, I do have practice, but I want you to come with me." He says, smiling at me.
Oh, that million dollar smile.
"Why?" I ask him.
"Because I want you to watch me play, like old times." He tells me.
"Okay, get out so I can change." I tell him.
He tries to tickle me again but the glare I send his way stops him.
"I'll be outside." He says, standing up from my bed. He walks out of my room and I let out a sigh.
Minutes later, I am sitting on the bleachers watching Zachary do fire drills.
I have to say, the guys here are smoking hot.
Like I would lick chocolate off of all their bodies.
Is that weird?
I think that's weird.
"Hi." A guy says beside me and I snap my head up staring at him.
"Hey." I reply.
"I just wanted to tell you that you're really pretty." He says and I freeze.
What?
No you're the pretty one, have you seen your face.
"Um...thanks." I tell him.
"I'm Derrell by the way." He says, stretching his hand out for me.
"Valarie." I reply, shaking his hand.
"Would you like to go out sometime?" He asks me, still holding my hand.
What?
"Sure." I say, smiling at him.
From the corner of my eye, I see Zachary staring at me. Then, I see Sabrina. She jumps into his arms, giving him a bear hug. He turns his attention to her and wraps his hand around her waist.
As he should.
"Is Friday good." Derrell asks me.
"Huh? Yeah." I tell him.
"Can I have your number?" He says, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"Yeah, sure." I say, collecting the phone. I type my name and number and I hand it to him.
"I'll see you Friday." He says before he walks away.
Turning my attention back to the football field in front of me, I see Sabrina passionately making out with Zachary and I feel like puking. I take my phone out of my pocket and I click on YouTube. I rather watch that than her sticking her tongue down his throat.
***
"Thank you." I tell Zachary as I walk out of his car.
"Bye." He says, waving at me.
"Bye." Sabrina says, from the passenger seat.
She just had to ride with Zachary, huh?
"Well, she is his girlfriend." My subconscious quips.
I walk into my apartment building, going straight to the elevator. The ride to my apartment is slow, but I get there eventually. I hear noises coming from my apartment and I freeze in my place.
What is going on in there?
Opening the door quietly, I walk inside.
"Where is she?" Andrè asks Dinah as he points a gun to her head.
Oh My God.
"I don't know." Dinah says, crying.
Andrè's back is to me, but Dinah has a clear view of me. She stares at me and I motion for her to be quiet.
Grabbing the vase on the table beside the doorway, I trudge slowly towards Andrè and I hit him with it.
He falls to the floor and the gun leaves his hand, Dinah grabs it immediately, breathing heavily.
He's knocked out cold.
"What the fuck happened? Why was he here?" I ask her, yelling.
"I don't know. I was in the kitchen and then I heard noises coming from the living room. When I got here I saw him pacing around the room. I think he picked the lock or something." She tells me.
"I'm calling the police." I tell her and she nods.
The police arrive shortly and they take Andrè away. Dinah is still shaken up from the whole ordeal, so I tell her to go home.
My phone rings and I answer it.
It's Riley.
"Hey." She chirps.
She seems happy.
"Hi." I reply.
"How are you feeling?" She asks me and I gulp.
"Better. How are you, how's the baby?" I ask her.
"The baby's sleeping." She tells me.
Riley gave birth last week, around the same time I had a miscarriage. As she was welcoming her baby into the world, I was losing mine.
Sucks to be me.
"How's Tobe?" I ask, standing up from my bed, heading to the kitchen to get some water. My throat is so dry.
"He's over here. Tobias, say hi to Valarie." She tells him.
"Hi, Valarie.' I hear him say.
"Hey Tobe." I respond.
"So, how does it feel...being a mother of two?" I ask her, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Overwhelming, but fun." She reveals.
"That's great. You finally have your cute little family." I tell her.
"Yeah." She says, pausing. "I want this for you too, Val." She says, sounding sad.
"Yeah, I don't know about that. Since my uterus can't literally keep a baby inside me, I'll pass on that. I can get a cat though." I tell her.
"That'll be nice." She replies.
I hear a distant cry in the background.
"Well, that was a good thirty minutes of peace and quiet. Daisy is up, I'll talk to you later." She tells me. I say goodbye and hang up.
I grab the full glass of water and I drink half of it. Walking to my room, I place my phone on the nightstand and I open the drawer under it. I grab the pill bottle I never wanted to use again. But, I have no choice. Taking out two pills, I swallow them and drink some water after.
I started taking antidepressants two years ago, after the incident with Zachary.
I know I said I haven't talked to him in five years, well you should know by now that I am a liar. In my defense, we didn't really talk, I just yelled at him the whole time.
*FLASHBACK*
Junior Year Of College.
"That was so sick." Tobias says, laughing beside me. He holds my hand for support so he doesn't fall over.
"I know right." I tell him, giggling.
We just egged Ashton's frat house. That's what he gets for being a dick.
"I'm hungry." Riley tells us, yawning.
"That's because you're pregnant." Tobias says.
"This is your child too. The least you can do is buy me some waffle fries." Riley says, staring at him with an annoyed look on her face.
"Riley, it's three am." Tobias tells her.
"I don't care. You're getting me waffle fries and a milkshake." She says, punching his arm.
"Fine, but only if you come with me." He tells her.
"No." She says, declining.
"Oh come on, you're making me drive to get you food at three am, the least you can do is come with me." He retorts.
"Ugh, fine. Just shut up already." She tells him.
"We'll see you in thirty minutes." Tobias tells me and I nod.
They leave me and start walking towards the parking lot and I enter my dorm. I moved back into my dorm because as you know, Riley and Tobias are expecting, so I told them to make a nursery out of my room. So, I am back at Hamilton Hall. I walk to my room humming the opening lines of Halsey's "Without Me".
"Hey." Zachary says, getting up from the floor. He was sitting at the foot of my room door, waiting for me.
What is he doing here?
"What do you want?" I ask him, my blood already starting to boil.
"Listen to me, I never meant for that to happen." Zachary says and I laugh.
"Oh, yeah. You're sorry...as usual. You told Heather to do whatever she wanted and then she came for me. Just leave." I tell him.
"I didn't, I swear." He says, trying to touch me.
"Don't fucking touch me. I was almost raped because of you. You did this. Heather may be behind bars, but you're the real criminal. I warned you about her, but you didn't listen. You've put my life in danger twice already, there will not be a third time." I tell him, pushing him out of my way as I enter my room.
"I didn't do it, Val." He maintains.
"Then who did?" "Huh? Who did? She said it was you." I ask him, trying so hard not to cry.
"I would never tell her to do that. She hired those guys on her own, I found out after. When I heard you were in the hospital I-" He stops and he starts crying.
He kneels in front of me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he sobs.
"Please, believe me. I would never do that." He cries.
"You need to leave." I tell him, prying his hands off me.
"Valarie I-" He tries to speak.
"Just fucking go, Zach. And don't ever contact me again." I tell him and he looks broken.
"You...you don't believe me." He says, realization hitting him.
"Not at all. Just go." I tell him, wiping my eyes. He doesn't argue, he just slumps his shoulders and leaves my room with his head hung.
Heather has been trying to get rid of me for so long now and she finally did. A month ago, she hired two guys to stalk me and one of them tried to rape me. Thank God a man that was passing by saw what was happening and saved me. I can't even imagine what I would have done to myself if I was raped that day.
At Heather's trial she said that Zachary had something to do with it and that he told her that she could do whatever she wants with me. I believe her because for the past year and a half, Zachary has been so nonchalant every time I told him about Heather's constant threats and harassment. He'd just brush it off and say she couldn't do anything and now look.
I'm currently seeing a therapist and she has me on antidepressants, so that's helping me cope. I've experienced enough trauma to last me a lifetime.
And it's all because of this stupid boy.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
After that incident, it took me a while to heal and move on, but now I'm back at square one. I am so depressed. I didn't think losing this baby would have this effect on me, but it does.
I am slowly drowning.