My Stepfather's Prisoner

Daniel's Back

"What is she wearing?"

"Desperate much?"

“Slut!’

I try to ignore everyone like I always do and try not to show emotions in the comments I hear. I just keep my head up high and walk to my locker before I head to class.

As I open it, I see a pair of horribly self-tanned legs walk up behind my locker door. When I close my locker, I feel their arms wrap around me in a quick hug. "We are Seniors b***h!"

I look her up and down, seeing how much she is turning into every other snobby rich girl in this town. "Hi Steph," I mumble as I lean on my locker looking at the body con dress she is wearing with too high of heels. She looks like she just came here straight from the clubs.

"How was your summer? I tried to find time to hang out but you know.. Busy." Steph says as she pulls out her compact mirror and checks her makeup and stiff bleach blonde hair before closing it and taking her phone out to take a selfie.

"Oh, that's okay. I know you tried." Yeah, tried my ass. Steph is my only so-called friend. We were best friends in elementary and middle school but once we hit high school, she started to hang out with the popular kids and less of me. Her family owns a yacht dealership and started to expand, causing her family's wealth to increase and Steph's reputation in the school.

Over the summer I would message Steph to hang out and help me get away from Joe. She would reply that she was with her family or traveled out of the state. Steph is one of the biggest liars. Not by her verbally saying it but by her social media profiles. She posts everything and forgets that I follow her. I would see that she is on someone's yacht, at house parties, and even hooking up with random guys; and they call me the slut?

"So how was your summer? Did you do anything for your birthday?" Steph asks as she quickly looks up from her phone. I am surprised she remembered my birthday but could not even send me a text on the day to wish me a happy birthday. What a great friend she is.

"Just stayed home. You know. Joe would not really let me out of the house."

"How is that hot piece of a step-dad of yours?"

I stare at Steph as she continues to scroll through her phone not once looking up at me. I hate when people bring up Joe. Joe has been my step-dad since I was a little girl as I never met my father. My mother died the night of my 8th-grade graduation. We were hit by a car and rolled down a hill, only I survived. Joe gained custody of me because my mother's family disowned us when she gave birth to me. Her family was one of the wealthiest families in his town. They disowned her when she found out she was pregnant at the age of sixteen. She had a trust fund to buy a beautiful house and start a fashion business. She met Joe as he was a repairman, always coming to her office to repair the A/C units or something. When she died, Joe sold her fashion business and used that money to expand his HVAC company but nothing to support me, like giving me money to buy new clothes. My mother bought a house, well a mansion I should say on Belle Drive. This street is the street for all of the wealthiest families to live on it. Steph's family lives on the next street. My mom and I were well respected in society and I was once the popular girl in school for having a mom designing clothes that everyone wanted. Once she died, I was blamed for her death and lost my status as well-liked to well-hated. Everyone hates me, not just for killing my mom but for driving the Clasens away.

The Clasens have a son named Daniel who was my middle school crush. Daniel and their oldest son Alex were in the car that crashed into us. Daniel was injured pretty badly while I heard that Alex suffered from a brain injury and is not the same anymore. They wanted to get out of this town and away from me. I have not seen them since graduation.

"So..?" Steph looks up at me.

"Uh, fine I guess"

"He is so hot." Steph chuckles as she licks her lips.

Every girl and mom in town finds Joe the sexiest guy in town. He is in his mid thirties, standing at a towering 6'4, with chiseled abs and the facial looks of a GQ model. His charms make the moms in this town weak at the knees, calling him to come to their house to repair whatever at their house and try to get him to f**k them.

*first warning bell goes off*

"Well see you later!" Steph shouts as she walks away, not taking her eyes off of her phone.

I watch her walk away and see people looking over at me before walking to class. I sigh, knowing that it is going to be like every other day.

My first period was AP Biology. I have enrolled in all AP classes for my Senior year so that I can get into college and move far away from here. I walk into class and see all of the students looking at me as I walk down the aisle to the last lab table in the back of the classroom. Most of the guys are turning around, checking out my ass, while the girls gossip on how I am dressed.

* the second warning bell rings*

"Alright class, let's take a seat." My professor, Mr.Thorne shouts as he closes the door and stands in front of the class. "I am glad to see so many of you have signed up for this class, as passing the exam gives you college credits to put onto your transcript and apply for college. In this class, we will review what was discussed in the previous Biology classes you have taken and new experiments that may be mentioned on the exam. The seat you are sitting at will be your seat for the remainder of the year. The person sitting next to you will be your lab partner."

Of course, no one wanted to sit next to me.

"Ah, Ashley I see you are by yourself, let me see what I can do--" Professor Thorne looks around to see who is available until the door opens and he walks in, Daniel Clasen.

"You must be Mr. Clasen that I have heard coming into my class. Welcome!" Professor Thorne says happily as he pats Daniel on the shoulder and moves him down the aisle.

All of the girls are looking at Daniel, wanting him to sit next to them. When they see where Mr. Thorne is moving him towards, they all start to quietly complain.

"Mr. Clasen, please sit here as this will be your seat for the school year and Ashley Mulligan is your lab partner." He points to the chair unoccupied next to me.

Daniel takes a quick look at me and sits down, looking straight forward, never saying a word to me. I can feel the eyes of the girls on the class on me as they look like they want to murder me for being partners with Daniel.

Daniel has not stayed in Cape Cod since he was discharged from the hospital. His parents live right across from Joe and me and gave us hell the day that they left. Telling me that I should burn in Hell.

Seeing that it has been over three years, he has changed but for the goddamn better. In 8th grade, he was hitting puberty with a cracked voice and only stood at 5'3. He was skinny as a twig but I still fell for him. He had on braces that matched his crystal blue eyes and had his Auburn hair cut like he was Justin Bieber. Those were the good days when we liked each other. Well, I hoped he liked me before that night.

Now, seeing him walk in, I could not believe the change. He now stands at, at least 6'2, and that tight white shirt he has on is sculpting his muscly arms and perfect abs. He is wearing black jogger pants that I know is hiding something that every girl in this room wants to see. No braces and his hair is cut to not hide his face anymore. He looks 1000x hotter.

Daniel eyes me from the corner of his eyes and I look back to the front, seeing that he has caught me checking him out.

"So, before we end class here, please get to know your partner as we will be starting a project tomorrow that involves a lot of involvement and teamwork!" Mr.Thorne is sounding too happy about this project. He tries to make us get engaged in his assignments as he is 24 and says that he can relate to us, students.

*bell rings*

Everyone starts to get up and make their way out of the classroom. I start to get up and pull my backpack over when I see Daniel standing up and looking at me, not my eyes but down. I look at him with confusion until I follow his eyes down my body and to my inner thigh where the slight tear has now become a full rip up towards my crotch. I put my hand over the rip and feel the heat burn on my cheeks with embarrassment. Daniel moves his eyes from my inner thigh to my face and has a hard expression written on him. He picks up his stuff and walks out of the classroom. I try to cover the rip but walk with my thighs squeezed together as I make my way down the aisle.

"Goodbye Ashley," Mr.Thorne says from his desk. Looking at me with a big smile on his face and pulling on his tie.

"Mr. Thorne," I say as I nod my head and make my way out.