CHAPTER 5: THE PLACE NO ONE TALKS ABOUT
1267 Words
I couldn't sleep at all.
Every little noise made me jump. I kept looking at the shadows on my wall because I thought they were people. It was terrifying. When it was finally morning, my head felt gross and tired, but I couldn't stop thinking about those texts.
I knew they weren't a joke. And I knew Derek was part of it.
I was just sitting there when my phone buzzed. It was really him.
Meet me behind the big building. Now.
He didn't say hi or anything. He just told me to come.
I looked at my phone for a long time. I wanted to just hide under my bed, but I had to know what was happening. So I went.
It was way too quiet behind the building.
I saw Derek leaning against a car I didn't know. He looked different. Usually, he’s mean and smiles at me in a rude way, but now he just looks really worried.
“You came,” he said.
“I want to know why you're doing this,” I said. My voice was shaking.
He just nodded his head.
“Get in the car.”
I didn't move. My stomach felt sick.
“Why?” I asked. “Where are we going?”
“We can’t talk here,” he said.
I didn't even talk back. He sounded so serious it actually freaked me out. I just did what he said and went into the car.
The whole ride was way too quiet. The ride was way too quiet. It wasn't a good quiet, either. It was the kind of quiet that makes you feel like you're about to get in huge trouble. We left the school and turned off the main road onto a street that wasn't even paved yet. Everything out there looked empty and busted. There were all these half-built houses with no one around. It was like a ghost town.
Derek stopped the car in front of a giant, gray uncompleted building with some bushes around. My stomach started to feel really sick, like I’d eaten something bad.
“What is this place?” I asked.
He didn’t say anything for a second. “Just get out,” he said.
I didn't move. “Derek”
“Amara.” His voice was super low. “If you want to know the truth, get out of the car.”
He wasn’t kidding. I could tell. So, I got out.
The building was a mess. Just concrete walls and big holes where the windows and doors should be. It was cold and so quiet it hurt my ears. But then I saw we weren't the only ones there.
Three guys walked out from the dark corners. My heart started beating really fast. These weren't coursemates from my school. They were grown-ups, and they looked scary and mean.
One of them laughed. It was the spookiest sound I had ever heard.
“So this is the girl?” one of them asked.
I whipped around to look at Derek. My head was spinning.
“What is going on?” I demanded.
Derek wouldn’t even look at me. He just kept his eyes on those men.
“She doesn't know anything,” Derek said.
“Then why’d you bring her?” another guy asked.
Before Derek could say a word, the first guy stepped right up into my face. He was way too close.
“You’re either really brave,” he said, looking me up and down, “or you’re just plain dumb.”
I balled my hands into fists. My heart was pounding, but I wasn't going to let him see me shake.
“I’m not either one,” I snapped.
He just grinned at me. It was a nasty look.
“That’s not what people are saying,” he told me.
I turned back to Derek. I was practically begging him with my eyes. “Say something! Tell them to stop!”
But Derek just stood there like a statue. He didn't say a word. That hurt way worse than anything else.
The second guy stepped forward. “You talked back to him,” he said. “Right in the middle of class. In front of everybody.”
My chest felt tight, like I couldn't get enough air. “So? What does that matter?”
His face went totally stone-cold.
“It matters because you have no idea who you're messing with.”
Right then, I felt a knot in my stomach. This wasn't an accident. They had been waiting for me. This was a setup.
One of the guys moved like he was about to grab my arm.
Derek jumped right in front of me.
“Don’t touch her,” he snapped.
Everything felt different all of a sudden. It got really tense. The first guy stared at Derek for a long time.
“You’re getting soft,” he said.
Derek didn’t even blink. “I said don’t touch her.”
Nobody said anything. Then the guy held up his hands like he was giving up.
“Relax,” he said. “We’re just talking.”
But he kept staring at me. It was a cold, scary look, like he was trying to figure me out.
Derek finally looked at me. He actually looked me in the eyes this time. And for the first time since I met him, I saw something I didn't expect. He looked upset, like he was fighting with himself.
“Amara,” he said quietly. “You shouldn’t have gotten into this.”
“I didn’t even know I was in anything!” I yelled.
“That’s the problem,” he muttered.
My heart was beating so fast I could feel it in my throat. “What is this place?” I asked again.
Nobody said a word. That was enough of an answer for me.
The first guy stepped back slowly. “Take her away,” he told Derek. “Before things get messy.”
Before things get messy? What was that supposed to mean?
Derek grabbed my wrist. He wasn't being a jerk, but he held on tight enough so I couldn't move.
“Let’s go,” he said.
I tried to pull my arm away. “Not until you tell me what's going on!”
“Now, Amara.”
His voice was so quiet and serious that it made me stop. It wasn't like he was just trying to be the boss. He sounded like he was actually worried about what might happen next. I could feel it.
I finally shut my mouth. Right then, it hit me. Derek didn't bring me out here just to be a jerk or to scare me for fun. He brought me out here because things were already messed up.
I stuck right by his side as we headed back to the car. I leaned in close so only he could hear me. "Derek, for real, who are those guys?"
He didn't even look at me. He just stared straight ahead and kept moving.
He muttered, “Trust me,” he said. “You don’t want to know.”
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