Pain Bond
2091 Words
“Oh, Jace. Fancy seeing you here.”
My voice was completely devoid of emotion. It was obvious he’d already had a few drinks. His eyes were slightly red, and there was a faint smell of alcohol clinging to him.
“What did you do to Quinn? She was crying and frantic.” His expression darkened. “She’s your friend. Since when did you become so heartless to her?”
“What makes you think I did anything to her?” I raised a brow.
“You know what?” He stepped forward. “Come with me. I don’t have time for this.” He hissed, clamping his hands around my wrist, and pulled me to my feet.
“Hey, I have nothing to say to you. If you have anything to say, say it here.” I spat, struggling against his grip.
I knew exactly how this would play out. If they knew I was aware of the bet, they’d try to accelerate the plans. If people saw me disappearing into a room with him, rumors would spread before I even came back out. Then the deepfakes would appear. I wasn’t falling for that again.
I brought my heel down hard on his foot.
“s**t!”
His grip loosened. I immediately jerked my hand free and backed away.
“Don’t you ever take no for an answer. Not everyone has to be interested in you, Jace. Leave me alone.” I snapped.
His face turned red. “You b***h! You told everyone that I was depressed. You made me look like a charity case. To think I was willing to finally give you a chance after you pathetically pined over me.” Then, unbelievably, he took a breath and said: “I am still willing to give you a chance if you take back those things that you said and publicly apologize. You can do it right here. I already have Henry preparing the mic.”
For a moment, I was genuinely speechless. Then I laughed. Not because it was funny but because of his audacity. Obviously, Quinn hadn’t told him that I knew about the bet. Or maybe she had and he simply didn’t care.
“I don’t want a chance. Actually, I never liked you as much as you thought I did. Everything I did was to satisfy your ego. I’m done feeding it.”
At this point, we had drawn quite a few stares. Good. The more people that know I wasn’t interested in him anymore, the better.”
Jace gritted his teeth, looking annoyed. Why wouldn’t he? He was losing out on a luxury sports car after all.
I could practically see the gears turning in his head. The luxury sports car he’d been promised was slipping further and further away. He took another step toward me. Then reached for my arm again.
A figure suddenly stepped between us. It was Denis.
“Dude, she said she isn’t interested. You keep chasing someone who doesn’t want you. Have you considered developing some self-respect?”
Jace glared at her.
“This has nothing to do with you. And who says I’m chasing her?”
“It looks that way to me. It’s a pity you can’t feel relevant without her attention.”
A few ‘oohs’ and ‘aaah’s came from people around. Jace swallowed, glancing around with a red face. I doubted anyone had ever spoken to him like that before.
Denis wasn’t finished.
“She’s not interested, so get over it. I’m sure you can do it. I’m rooting for you.”
The crowd burst into laughter.
Jace looked ready to explode.
Before he could respond, Denis grabbed my wrist and dragged me up the staircase and away from him.
Soon, we slipped into an empty bathroom. Denis locked the door behind us. Then she turned toward me with an expectant look.
“Are you alright?”
I smiled back and grabbed her hands. “That was wonderful. You totally put him in his place.”
A sheepish smile appeared on her face. “Well, I just couldn’t let him harass you after everything you’ve told me. What a jerk.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I walked over to the sink and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Then I turned on the faucet and splashed cool water onto my face. It was finally over. I was finally done with them.
My eyes drifted to the time displayed on my phone. Right on schedule.
“Oh my God.” I heard Denis gasp behind me. “Aurora, have you seen this? Cassian just posted another story. I think it’s about Quinn."
I smirked. Perfect timing.
A few days ago, I’d anonymously submitted everything I knew about Quinn and Jace to one of the most popular student-run media accounts on campus. The account belonged to Cassian Wright, a journalism student who had built his entire reputation exposing scandals and verifying evidence.
Every scandal and piece of gossip he has exposed so far has been proven true, which is why people have always believed him.
Nobody could touch him either since his father was the Commisioner of Police. Nobody wanted to piss him off either.
When I submitted it to him, he verified my sources and didn’t waste time making a compilation video.
“Goodness, this came out right on time. Now those two won’t bother you anymore.” Denis shoved her phone towards me to show me the news. The clip was already exploding and the views were climbing. No doubt, the party downstairs would come to a halt soon. Too many students had been targeted by Quinn’s anonymous accounts and had reasons to be angry. Chaos would follow soon.
“Who knew instant karma existed,” Denis muttered as she kept watching the clip. I joined her.
Cassian had a way of making videos that pulled people in. The moment the clip started, Quinn and Jace’s faces filled the screen while Cassian’s calm voice narrated every lie, manipulation, and secret they had tried to hide.
Screenshots flashed one after another. They were messages, photos, and receipts. At least half of the evidence had come from me. I had managed to take photos of some of Quinn’s accounts previously. That was the reason I didn’t outright cut ties with her.
The rest? Apparently, Cassian had dug up himself.
In one of the clips, Jace sat in a locker room surrounded by a few teammates, openly mocking several students from his dorm and classes. The comments section was already exploding.
Another clip came. This one looked secretly recorded from the side of a door. Jace was drunk, ranting about his abusive father to somebody. My eyebrows rose. That one was new.
Then came the final blow.
The last clip was an audio clip about the bet that one of them had recorded. Jace and his friends and the disgusting words they said about never were audible. Quinn’s too. It stung even if I knew it had been coming.
At the same time, I wondered how Cassian got hold of the audio. He had really dug deep.
It didn’t really matter. Quinn and Jace were finished. A rush of satisfaction bubbled inside my chest. I had been vindicated. I was no longer a victim. My untimely death had been canceled.
Just as my heart began to swell in excitement, a wave of dread slammed into me. My smile vanished as I grabbed my racing heart. Something felt wrong, very wrong.
The sensation was so sudden and intense that my knees almost buckled.
Beside me, Denis frowned and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Aurora, are you alright? Did the news upset you?”
Before I could respond, a sharp pain shot through my knuckles, as I had just rammed them through a wall. I yelped.
“f**k! My hand hurts.” I cradled my hand.
Denis immediately grabbed my wrist and inspected it. Her expression grew confused.
“What? It doesn’t seem injured. Are they cramping?”
Another stab of pain hit me, stronger this time. I sucked in a breath. I had never experienced anything like this before. The sensation felt disturbingly real. Like I’d smashed my fist into concrete repeatedly. What the hell?
My fingers trembled.
“I think I need a doctor. My knuckles feel like they're about to fall off.” I swallowed.
“What!” Denis's eyes widened. “Okay. Let’s go. Let’s go.”
We hurried out of the bathroom. The moment we reached the staircase, however, we were forced to stop. The party had changed completely. The music was gone and the dancing had stopped. Everyone was gathered in a circle, watching something.
A loud crack echoed through the room, followed by another. It was the sound of fists connecting with flesh and bones.
Denis pushed through the crowd.
“Excuse me. Move. We have an emergency.”
By now tears had already begun gathering in my eyes from the pain. We finally reached the front and the source of the commotion. Jace lay sprawled on the floor, blood covering his face, and Elijah was standing over him.
His fist crashed into Jace’s jaw again and the crowd winced collectively. Denis gasped and stepped back.
“Elijah, that’s enough! You’re going to kill him.” Sebastian stepped forward to finally pull Elijah off.
Elijah shrugged him off and moved to hit Jace again but several guys, whom I remembered vaguely as Jace's friends, stepped forward to pull Jace’s body away.
Elijah’s jaw ticked. He stood up, flexing his bloody knuckles with a frown.
“Where are you taking him? Bring him here.” He demanded, voice cold.
“Elijah.” Sebastian stepped between them.
“Stay out of this, Seb.” His hands curled into fists. The fury in his voice made my skin crawl. “Didn't you hear what I heard? I’m going to kill him.”
Denis leaned toward another girl nearby.
“What’s happening?”
“Didn’t you see Cassian's latest post? Apparently, Jace and Quinn were behind one of those anonymous accounts that had released lies about Sebastian faking his grades. The rumors had almost gotten him expelled.”
My eyes widened. Sebastian had been one of Quinn’s targets. No wonder Elijah looked ready to commit murder.
Another student stepped forward. A buff guy.
“You can’t just go around hitting people, Elijah. We don’t even know if the rumors are true. Jace is our bro. If you continue, we won’t let it slide.”
Elijah laughed, a humorless sound.
“And what are you going to do about it?”
“You don’t want to make us enemies. There is one of you and seven of us.”
His expression hardened. “Let’s see you try.”
Denis tugged on my sleeve. “Aurora. Let’s go. It looks like this is about to get heated. The police might be here soon. We still need to get your hand checked.”
My hand. Right. I blinked. The pain had faded almost completely. I frowned.
“Oh, I’m not in pain anym—“
Elijah’s fist slammed into the large guy’s face. A burst of agony exploded through my hand. I nearly screamed. The crowd gasped.
The guy staggered backward and Elijah punched him again. Another wave of pain consumed me. Another punch. Another wave of pain.
My eyes widened. ‘No. No way.’
I stared at Elijah as my mind raced. The coffee shop. The pain in my stomach after elbowing him. The burning sensation when hot coffee spilled onto his hand. And now this.
The blood drained from my face.
“Oh shit.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Was I feeling… Elijah’s pain?
At that exact moment, sirens echoed in the silence. The room erupted into chaos as someone shouted that the police were coming. Sebastian immediately grabbed Elijah’s arm and started pulling him away. As soon as the fight broke off, the pain started fading, leaving behind only a dull soreness.
I stared after Elijah’s retreating figure. Then, as though sensing my gaze, he looked back and for a brief moment, our eyes met across the crowded room.
Everyone seemed to disappear and it felt like there was only him and me.
Then he looked away.
Denis grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the exit while I stumbled after her. One thought echoed inside my head as we fled.
‘I am so screwed.’
- Writer
