I CANT ESCAPE HIM

*** ~SOPHIE~ *** ‘COME TO THE BOY’S LOCKER ROOM.’ I stare at the screen, the light stinging my eyes. It’s another text from the number that has been haunting my inbox for weeks. No name, no face, just a ghost that knows exactly where I am in Campus every second of the day. The worst part? The messages are undeletable. Every time I try to swipe them away, they stay, mocking me. “Del, go to class without me,” I say, stopping abruptly in the empty hallway. Delancy turns. “What? Statistics is the only class you actually show up for. What’s wrong?” “I just…” I fumble for a lie. “Period. Came early. I need to handle it.” Her expression softens. “Ugh, cramps are a total b***h. You want me to come with you?” “No. I’m fine. Just save me a seat?” “Alright. Take your time.” I watch her retreat, making sure she’s gone before I pivot and head the other way. For two weeks, this number has been feeding me breadcrumbs of paranoia. Cryptic warnings. Pictures of my dorm room door taken from the hallway. All this stared the day I went to the library for a session with my diary. And forgot it there. Stupid move because now i can’t sleep a wink. And today, the first text came with a second far more venomous bait: I KNOW WHAT YOU DID SOPHIE WILLIAMS. The boys’ locker room is empty and dim as I step in. The stale smell of gym socks and sweaty armpits threatens to rearrange my lunch. My nose wrinkles. Yep. This was an April Fool’s prank. Or worse, a thought grips me. What if this person lured me here knowing it would be empty to do something bad to me? Clairmont is safe. But there’s no camera in the locker rooms. Nope. Not risking that. I turn on my heel, ready to get the hell out. But then— “Hmm, you’re willing to miss class because of me, huh?” a feminine voice rings out. I stop in my tracks, head snapping back. “Can you blame me?” a male voice replies. “You’ve been teasing me with those shorts all day. I couldn’t even concentrate in class. .” My heart slams in my chest. I don’t want to believe it, but I move deeper anyway, the metal of the locker cold against my shoulders. “I just can’t help it. You’re the sexiest girl I’ve ever met,” I nearly choke. Peering through the narrow gap between the lockers, I see him. Sebastian Laurent Devereaux III. The Golden Boy of Clairmont. Shirtless, caging a girl against the metal. His face buried in the crook of her neck, hands roaming her body with a familiar hunger. “You’re only saying that just to get in my pants. You’ll go back to Sophie after this.” “Sophie who?” My stomach drops. “We both know you give the best head. I’ll always come back to you. Besides, you know how boring Sophie is. She never wants to take a little risk… she’s vanilla.” “So I’m the risky one?” the girl giggles. “Fun’s a better word,” Sebastian purrs. “Fun, beautiful, and extremely talented with that tongue.” “God, you’re so hot,” the girl moans, fisting his blonde hair. Of course Sebastian is hot. Literally every girl’s dream in all of Clairmont. But he’s supposed to be my hot man, not hers. Sure we’ve been having issues lately but didn’t all couples? Wasn’t that normal? I went to his meaningless parties for Godsake. Sat through his stupid lacrosse games. forced conversations with his zero IQ friends. I even stole dad’s credit card to take him on a cruise for his 19th birthday because he asked me to. But apparently, i’m not fun enough?Because I’m not sneaking around in a smelly locker room? “You’re flattering me, Blair.” “Of course. Flattery is the way to a man’s dick.” God, that is so cringe. I almost gag. Until it clicks. Blair. Blair Myers. Clairmont’s head cheerleader. The b***h who stuffed my locker with dog food back in tenth grade. That’s it. I’ve had enough. No need to wait for more evidence. I tighten my fist, ready to move to the other side. Then I hear it. The shift in movement. Belt unbuckling. Lips smacking together. Moaning. I clamp my hands over my mouth to suppress a cry. No! I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block it all out, but I can’t. My boyfriend is on the other side of a reeking locker room, getting his d**k sucked by the university’s cheerleader. I shake violently, sliding to the floor. My chest feels too tight. I force myself to breathe through my mouth so I don’t die. “Can Sophie do this? Can she take your d**k to the back of her throat?” Blair asks, her voice ragged and breathless. “She’s not important right now, baby. f**k. Your mouth is so hot. Do it again. Scrape your teeth against my balls,” Sebastian mutters between grunts. I bite my knuckles so hard I taste blood. God knows if I don’t, I’ll scream. And if I scream, I’ll stand up and shove Blair’s face inside one of those lockers, slam it continuously until she bleeds to death. But for some reason, I don’t move. I can’t. It takes two to tango, and Sebastian is one of them. If I kill Blair, his corpse will have to follow. I can’t stomach that. So I force myself to do something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I stay still, listening to every strangled grunt, every confession and erotic sound. The nightmare ends several minutes later, and surprisingly, I’m still alive. I turn to run, desperate to leave before they see me, but I’m not fast enough. Apparently. “Sophie?” Nope. I can’t do this. “Sophie wait!” I turn. Sebastian’s hands are around Blair. He quickly pushes her away as if that will change anything. “What the—how did you know I was here?” Beside him, Blair doesn’t even look fazed. She’s smiling, arms crossed, one leg resting against the locker as she blows a bubble. I drag my sleeve across my face, my gaze flickering between them. Waiting. For what? I don’t know. Sebastian’s mouth opens and closes, a shattered look on his aristocratic face. It’s the look he carries when he can’t form words in public. And for once, i’m not helping him either. “Sophie, look, I’m so sorry. I—” “No. I’ve heard enough!” I let out a harsh breath. “I’m boring. Vanilla. And she—” I point at Blair, who rolls her eyes, “—she’s all the fun in the world.” “I was going to tell you!” Sebastian blurts. “Really?” I let out a dry laugh. “You were going to tell me you were getting your d**k sucked by Blair?” “No—yes! I mean…” He drags a hand through his hair. “He means we also f**k!” Blair singsongs. “Stay out of this!” Sebastian hisses, turning back to me. “We talked about this months ago.” “We did?” “Yes, Sophie. We agreed to see other people. An open relationship remember?” “I can’t believe this.” I say, stunned at his audacity. “You’re using a ‘suggestion’ to cheat on me and then trying to gaslight me into thinking it’s okay?!” I expect an apology. Anything. He doesn’t offer one. Instead, a frown appears between his brows. “How long have you been hiding back here, anyway?” he asks. “That’s kind of f****d up, don’t you think?” And there it is. My boyfriend’s response to being caught cheating. I can feel the embarrassment coursing through me, hot and cold. “You know, I thought we could fix this. Be normal again.” My voice wavers.. But I won’t cry. Not here at least. “But right now, I don’t think I can stand the sight of you.” “Sophie!” He moves forward. Blair drags him back. “Let her be, for God’s sake. She’s made her point,” And so, he does. With a bruised heart, I turn and run without a backward glance. In the hallway, I slow down. And then comes the tears. Fast. hot. burning. Uncontrollably. l shake, snot leaking out my nose. Just then, my phone buzzes in my hand. ‘LIKE WHAT YOU SAW?’ My spine locks. “Who is this?” I type back with shaky fingers. “What the hell do you want from me?” I’m aware of the feeling of eyes. I glance behind me. The hall is empty. I wait for the reply. watching the text bubble for a minute. It stops. Starts again. That’s it. I’m walking fast, then full-on running out of the school and into the parking lot. I don’t head back to class. I don’t even go back to my dorm. I get in my car and drive out of Clairmont Avenue. Someone in this school is trying to break me. Mess with me. It’s crazy, because they’ve succeeded. I’m a mess. My phone beeps on my dashboard with a new text that nearly has me crashing into a truck. ‘I’M YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE SOPHIE WILLIAMS AND SOON, THE WORLD WILL KNOW YOU FOR WHAT YOU REALLY ARE. THIS IS ONLY JUST THE BEGINNING.’