Chapter 4 Or Run Away?
1084 Words
Cheryl's POV:
My body and mind seemed frozen, and for a moment, I couldn't react at all.
Eric stepped back from the woman and pulled away, seemingly walking towards me.
Panic surged in my chest. My legs were shaking, but I couldn't seem to move.
The woman, who had been pinned against the desk, pushed herself up with her elbow. She squinted at me, her eyes heavy with desire.
She gave me a once-over before she swung her legs to the side, impatiently hooking her arms around Eric's waist to pull him closer.
Eric leaned in at her pull, lowering his head to kiss her and caress her, as though I wasn't there at all.
My heart was pounding wildly.
It wasn't like I hadn't seen this kind of scene in movies, but seeing it play out live was something else entirely.
When Eric noticed me standing there frozen, he lifted his head from the woman's chest, his eyes flashing with clear provocation and mockery.
His gaze burned like fire, as if he was stripping me bare, reading my thoughts with ease. "What are you doing, sweetie? You wanna join us? Or run away?"
The woman, growing impatient, wrapped one arm around Eric's neck and kissed him deeply while the other hand slid down to his pants.
I quickly turned my gaze away, trying to escape the suffocating pressure of the moment.
The rhythmic sounds of their bodies colliding grew louder in my ears. Unable to take it anymore, I turned and fled in a panic.
*****
Present day...
Like two years ago, when I'd rushed back to my room in a panic, I found myself running out of the equipment room after the smoke alarms went off, just as Eric's guard had slipped.
So much time had passed, and I thought I'd be able to stay calmer when dealing with Eric. But I failed.
His gaze, his breath—it was enough to break down all the walls I'd worked so hard to build.
All I could do was run.
I ran so fast my heart was hammering in my chest, ready to burst out.
Just then, someone stepped into my path, blocking my way. Two sleek, toned legs were all I saw before I looked up and saw Edith standing there.
She circled around me with interest before using the handle of her tennis racket to move my hair aside, peering at my neck. I followed her gaze and instinctively touched the area. Immediately, my skin tingled with a sharp pain.
'Damn it, did he actually bite me?'
Edith put the racket down, adjusted her messy ponytail, and patted my shoulder. "Looks like you're not enough to satisfy Eric, after all."
She moved past me with a sway in her hips and went straight for the equipment room.
What did that even mean? Edith's smile made me feel an odd sense of hostility, and I was uncomfortable, wanting to leave quickly.
*****
When I finally walked out of the school gates, I was surprised to see my classmate Chuck Warton waiting for me. His presence helped soothe my frayed nerves after the chaos with Eric.
I crept up behind him, intending to surprise him, but as I got closer, I saw his face was bruised.
Chuck was the only friend I really connected with at school. In my eyes, he was always gentle, never picking fights, much less ending up with a bruised face... unless it had something to do with me.
I moved closer, inspecting the marks, and couldn't help but frown. "What happened to your face?"
Chuck stiffened at the sound of my voice, turning to face me, but his eyes avoided mine.
He awkwardly fiddled with his fingers. "Oh, it's nothing. Really, I just slipped and fell."
I didn't believe him, not for a second. And when he added, "Seriously! I slipped when I was cleaning brushes! The bathroom is so slippery, didn't you know?" it felt even more like an excuse.
My gut told me Chuck hadn't just fallen. He was hiding something. Remembering the argument he had with Dylan before class, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
Before I could ask more, my eye caught a familiar car. The window rolled down, and a face appeared—one that looked almost identical to Eric's.
I'd hoped to pretend I hadn't seen him, but our eyes met, and I could only quietly greet him, "Mr. Patro."
"Cheryl, get in the car." His voice was cold.
Chuck immediately stepped in front of me, protective. I patted his shoulder to reassure him, then opened the car door, and slid in.
Ian scanned me with the cold, calculating gaze of a predator circling its prey. He took his time before speaking, his voice low and heavy with authority. "Cheryl, didn't I warn you about staying away from Eric?"
"Yes."
"And what happens to people who don't keep their promises?"
He wasn't even looking at me anymore, just staring at his phone, but I knew he was fully aware of what he was doing.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Ian was the head of a top-tier corporation, and I knew exactly what he was capable of. But what truly terrified me wasn't his power, it was something else.
"How is your mother... Rachel?"
He'd hit the nail on the head. My heart dropped to my stomach.
"Don't... hurt her!" I couldn't hold it in anymore. My voice cracked as I begged, nearly on the verge of tears.
"No, no." He waved his hand dismissively, signaling me to stay put. "I didn't mean it like that."
"I was just wondering if the bills at the hospital have been paid lately. Maybe you've forgotten your promise?" he continued.
'Forgotten? Never... Stepdad.'
"No, I haven't." I slumped back against the car door.
"Good," he said, stretching out a hand to pat my head.
"I don't want either of you to suffer. But don't push me, Cheryl."
Pushing him? I'd stayed as far away as possible—what more did he want?
Why did it feel like the entire collapse of this family was somehow my fault?
I kept my head down, silent.
Ian seemed pleased with my submissiveness. After a while, he took a towel from his assistant and reached to dry my hair.
I took the towel from his hands, nonchalantly dropping it to the floor, and stepping on it to wipe my shoes with it instead.
- Writer
