I CANT ESCAPE HIM

Proposal

***

~SOPHIE~

***

My phone slips from my grasp.

I blink, trying to convince myself that myopia is just bitching out on me again. But my glasses are on.

He’s real.

Chase-motherfucking-Reed is back.

Claudia’s spawn of the devil.

my stepbrother whom I absolutely despise.

He’s gotten bigger. Muscular. A far cry from the scrawny stoner kid four years ago.

“What the f**k are you doing here?” I hiss. “Did you escape from that asylum or did they run out of sedatives.”

He chuckles, the sound groveling.

God, even his voice has changed. “It’s been four years, babygirl. I’ve been a good boy. I took my meds, did my time, and got my gold star. You on the other hand…” His eyes drag over me, stripping me naked. “You look like you’re one day away from a straightjacket of your own.”

I slap him—hard. He catches my hand, pins me.

He grins.

“You f*****g asshole!”

“You look so beautiful when you’re broken.”

“What the f**k are you talking about?”

“Sabastian.” He says simply.

My pulse jump. Of course he knows.

Still, I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing my life is a mess.

“Sebastian and I are still together.”

“That’s not what his social media posts says.”

I grit my jaw. “Are you stalking me?”

“Hmm. You would love that wouldn’t you babygirl?”

“Don’t f*****g call me that! Let go of me!”

“But I can’t. I promised you an eternity of misery, remember? Or did you think four years was enough for me to forget what you did?"

I freeze.

He chuckles. “Just kidding. I told you. I’m well now.”

I can feel the goosebumps rising. I swallow. “How long have you been watching me?”

“Long enough to confirm that the hair between your legs are indeed fiery red.”

Oh. My. God.

“You filthy pervert!” I move to land another slap. He catches it, crosses it over the other and tugs.

I gasp, falling to my knees, his face inches from mine, his cigarette breath fanning across my skin, making it impossible to think clearly. It’s a familiar sensation. One I absolutely despise.

“I know you missed me.” he breathes, the teasing evident in his voice.

“Why are you really here, Chase?” I demand, desperate to regain control of myself. “And don’t tell me it’s because you’ve been discharged. We both know you’d rather kiss lava than live under the same roof as my father.”

He’s silent for a bit. finger tracing my brow with audacious grace.

“Finland was boring. Your father summoned me to New York. We’d just finished dinner. Discussing my enrollment into Clairmont—when I spotted you sneaking out like a little thief. At first, I was intrigued… then I decided to follow. And luck, it seems, was on my side. You ended up giving me quite the strip show.”

I freeze, No. He did not just say enrollment and Clairmont in the same sentence. “You’re lying!”

Chase grins wickedly. “How about you go inside and ask Daddy?”

I watch his features, for any telltale sign that he’s bluffing. He’s not.

Heaven take me. Can this day get any worse?

“Unhand me,” I say.

“Gladly.” He hauls me up—still pinned—and before I can catch my breath, I’m plunged like a ragdoll into the freezing pool.

“What the f**k, Chase?!”

I come up sputtering, gasping for air.

Just in time to see Chase—psycho that he is—saunter to the heap of my underwear, sift through, and pull out my red lace panties.

“Hey! Put that down or I swear to God—”

But he’s gone. Slipping my panties into his back pocket.

I’m out of the water in a flash. No need hiding my presence from Dad at this point.

I storm into the mansion, soaked, shaking with rage. I knock on Dad’s door. No answer. I storm in.

Dad and Claudia are tangled under the silk duvet.

I walk over and pry the covers off.

“What the hell?” Dad thunders.Claudia shrieks, clutching the sheets to her chest. Seeing her makes me even angrier.

“Dad,” I breathe, before I combust with anger, “Why is Chase being enrolled into Clairmont? Why didn’t I hear a word of this?”

“This isn't the time, Sophie.”

“Oh, it isn’t? So I don’t matter? That pervert was just outside watching me swim naked! He’s unstable, he’s dangerous, and you’re putting him in my school?”

That gets Claudia’s attention. “What? Chase would never do that.”

“You think I’m lying? Your son is a perverted i***t, and it’s all your fault.”

“Sophie—”

I turn to Dad. “If you have any respect for Mom’s memory, you’ll stop this!”

“Sophie!” Dad shakes his head, his face a blank mask. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

I stop. “You can’t?”

“I can’t.”

Claudia makes a move to leave, but Dad holds her back. I want to vomit. “I’ll have a word with the boy. I’m sure he meant no harm. You know he’s been through a lot over the years. Be soft on him. It’s time you two got along. He’s family Sophie.”

I can’t freaking believe my ears. I turn to his mistress. “You put him up to this, didn't you? You poisoned my father’s mind just to spite me.”

Dad’s up in a flash, his hand slamming into my face. My ear rings. Eyes water.

“I won’t have you speaking to my wife that way again. Are we clear?”

Silence.

“Are we clear?” He repeats.

“Crystal.” I manage a pained nod.

“Good. Since you’re here, you’ll be driving Chase to school tomorrow morning. His car hasn't arrived from Finland yet. Now, get. out.”

I want to choke. My vision’s a blur, my ears ringing. How dare he? I’ve always known he never loved me—but how dare he? Had he forgotten what Chase did?

Blinking back tears, I storm toward my room, planning to leave first thing in the morning—anything to avoid hauling that bastard in my car.

But luck is never on my side.

“Can you turn that off? You’re going to blow my speakers. And take your feet off my dashboard will you?!” I snap.

It’s the next day. Chase is in my Porsche, and he’s getting on my last nerve.

He chuckles, leaning back as if he hadn’t just tried to destroy my eardrums with his stupid heavy metal music. “You’re so boring, Sophie. Live a little.”

“Oh yeah? How about I take a left and swerve us off a bridge? You’d like that, wouldn’t you, asshole?”

He meets my gaze in the rearview mirror. “You know I would.”

I roll my eyes, gaze fixed on the road. A few minutes more and this nightmare will be over.

“So how did it happen?” Chase says.

“How did what happen?”

“The breakup. You and Sebastian.”

“I told you before, we’re not broken up.”

He laughs, deep and throaty. “Your delusion is strangely irresistible.”

I slam my fist against the steering wheel. “Shut up. Just… shut up okay? I know you’re loving this. Watching me fall apart is probably the highlight of your day since hating me for something that happened years ago seems to be all you ever do. But please, cut me some slack for once, will you?”

Silence falls.

Then Chase leans in. “You’re right. I do enjoy seeing you hurt. But right now? You’re still holding yourself together better than I want. And what I want, is to see you shattered until there’s nothing left of you.”

I freeze.

Clairmont is in front of us now, but for some reason, I can’t move to show the guards our pass.

Chase does it. Every bit the composed devil.

They let us in.

It’s not until I’ve driven past the dean’s office into the dorm lot that I whirl on him, eyes blazing.

“It’s you!”

“Me?”

“You’re the anonymous person threatening me these past couple of weeks!”

He smirks. “You know me better than that. I prefer live and direct threats.” He looks thoughtful. “Who else have you made enemies of?”

Oh for God’s sake.

As much as I’d love to argue, Chase is right. He’s never been one to hide behind a keyboard.

I look away. A car races past, claiming my favorite parking spot.

I groan, reversing. “Listen, forget I said that. And Just because we’re in the same school doesn’t mean we have to act like we know each other. No one can know we’re stepsiblings.”

“And what’s the deal for me?” Chase asks, ever the smug asshole.

“Does everything you do have to come with a price, Chase? We hate each other, so it’s only logical no one at Clairmont knows we’re related. Come holidays, we go home like one big happy family.” I park, turn to him with a megawatt smile.

Chase remains silent, his eyes never leaving mine. The corners of his mouth twitch. Like he’s fighting a mock grin.

“Do we have a deal, Chase?” I press, desperation seeping into my tone.

Just then, a loud whoop erupts across the parking lot. Interrupting us. Chase and I turn toward the sound.

At first, I think I’m hallucinating.

There, a plane is writing in the clouds: WILL YOU BE MY WIFE AFTER GRADUATION?

I look towards the center of the lot where a massive circle has formed.

In the middle, is a head of unmistakable blonde hair.

Sebastian.

The sun catches the ring in his hand as he goes down on one knee and proposes to Blair Myers.