Can't get any worse
1644 Words
Celine whirled around to stare at her boyfriend. “S-sammy, when did–”
“So it was all a lie.” The pain in his voice was unmistakable. The sorrowful look on his face shattered Celine's heart to pieces.
“Sammy, it's not–”
His face changed into one of utter revulsion. “It's not what I think? You can explain?” He scoffed. “I thought you were different. Now I see the real you – you're nothing but a liar and a conniving w***e!”
Celine couldn't bear that look from the only man she'd ever truly loved. His words hit her like poisoned arrows. “Sammy, please, you know me. You know I would never do anything like this. Please, Sammy.” She fell to her knees, trying to hold on to the bits of her crumbling life.
Sammy laughed bitterly. “And I’m supposed to believe that? I've been waiting for our wedding night, and you? You've been giving it up to anyone who tried.” He shook his head. “I regret meeting you.”
Celine grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. “Sammy, don't do this to me, please!”
Sammy shook her off like a bug. “Don't you dare lay a finger on me in your life again. I'll have you thrown in a four by four cell if I ever see you again,” he growled as he stormed out of the house.
“Leave that young man alone,” Maggie snapped. “Don't you know he deserves way better than you?”
Diane chimed in, her voice sickly sweet. “Mom, please be gentle with her, it's not her fault. I know this isn't who she really is. She just got mixed up with the wrong crowd.”
Her father stormed up to her, leaning down to her level to make Celine as uncomfortable as possible. “Why can't you be more like your sister? You are a disgrace and I wish you had died instead of your mother. If that young man's family stops investing in my company, if I see a slight drop in profits because of your foolishness…” he roughly grabbed her hair, causing her already injured head to bleed. I will personally make your life hell.”
Celine was in tears. No one, not even her own biological father – the only one who was supposed to support her no matter what – believed her.
Her step mother stopped him. “Jared, that's enough. I'll send Diane over to the McNeals to sort this out. You know how charming my sweet angel can be. As for her–” Maggie pointed at Celine with an evil glint in her eyes. “– she has done enough damage to this family, we can't keep letting her run around ruining our reputation.”
Celine stared up at them, numb. How could I have been so foolish? She thought to herself.
Diane and Maggie had never liked her. They had always concocted schemes and plans against her. Last night was just another example that Celine should have noticed and not fallen for. She was naive. She played right into their hands.
Even her own father had never come to her aid. Since her mother died, her and always treated her like an outsider, like someone he was stuck with. Blood is thicker than water right? She had at least hoped her own father would stand up for her but no, he was practically leading the charge set up by his new wife and daughter.
Celine stopped crying. She had no tears left. She stared up at them defiantly, resigning to her horrible
fate.
Jared saw her indifferent look and it stoked the flame in him. “How dare you?” he thundered. “How dare you look so calm? After everything you've done.” He raised his hand as high as it would go and brought down a mighty slap that made Celine's head nearly snap off her neck.
The sudden shock of the slap made her lose consciousness. As her eyelids closed and darkness crept in, she thought about who she'd wronged in her past life to deserve such a fate.
When Celia woke up with a pounding headache. She felt dehydrated and disoriented. She wasn't sure how long she'd been unconscious. She realised her surroundings were different. She wasn't in her bedroom. She was in the basement.
The shock of realisation hit her like a truck. They really tossed her into the basement!
She tried to get up but a wave of nausea hit her. She barely had the strength to wiggle over to the edge of the bed and told her head over the side. Her only saving grace was that she had no food in her to throw up.
She felt for her phone to check the time then remembered Diane had stolen it from her when she first lured her into the trap. But her hand touched a phone. She was shocked, then remembered the man she had been with the previous night.
That bastard had his way with her! Or was it the other way around? The whole night was a blur after Diane had knocked her out, but she had more issues to worry about so she hid the phone under the pillow
She struggled to her feet and cautiously approached the steps. The door was closed. Surely they didn't lock the door, she thought.
One exhausting step at a time, she walked up, the higher up she got, the more she felt like she would pass out. One sceptical glance backwards confirmed it would be a bad idea to fall from this high up.
She climbed up the last few steps and slowly turned the knob, gently pushing to open it. Nothing. It stayed shut. She swallowed, stifling the panic that started to creep up her throat.
She tried it again, pushing a bit harder. Locked. The panic came back in full force, overwhelming her rationality. She started pounding, screaming for them to open the door. Begging them to let her out.
“You're finally awake, huh?” Diane answered from outside the door. “Sorry, we can't let you out because we're still cleaning up your mess.”
“Diane, please. You can't do this!”
Diane completely ignored her, choosing instead to rub salt in the wound. “Speaking of cleaning up your mess, who knew Sammy would be such a beast? The way he's been handling me for the past three days is crazy. I'm so sore between my legs I can barely walk.”
The words hit Celine like a ton of bricks. No way. Diane was lying, right? Sammy wouldn't be so easily swayed, would he? It stung her in her soul to think about.
“Diane, please, just let me go. I'll leave and you'll never see me again. That will make you happy right?” Since they hated her so much, Celine felt this was the best thing she could do for herself.
Diane burst into mocking laughter. “In your dreams,” she scoffed. “After everything you've done to me, you think you can get off so easy?”
Celine was utterly confused. “What the hell did I ever do to you?”
“Oh, don't act like you don't know, Celine. You always had the best friends, the best gifts, the best boyfriend and you would rub it in my face. Again and again, I'd want to play with you and your friends but you'd never invite me. I'd have to listen to you and your band of nerds have sleepovers through my bedroom wall.”
“Diane, are you insane?” Celine thundered. “You never wanted to hang out with me and my friends, you thought you were too good for us. You always had boys flocking around you. You always got a Dollhouse for your birthday while dad only ever bought me off brand Barbie's. What the hell did I have that you didn't?”
“Really, Celine?” Diane growled. “You knew my friends didn't really like me, you told me that all the time. And all those boy's, they only wanted to sleep with me; what you an Sammy had was real. Now it's mine. And as for the dolls, well, I have you to play with now.” Diane's voice got low and dangerous. “Oh, Celine, I'll make you pay for the years of mental torture you put me through.”
Celine was drained. Diane clearly wasn't alright in the head. How could she twist their history so much. How could she lie so effortlessly?
Knowing appealing to Diane's better mature wouldn't work, she decided to change tactics. “Okay, Daine. Can I at least get some water, please?”
“Hmm I guess. Don't even think about trying anything,” Diane's said as she shuffled off.
This is it! Celine listened carefully to Diane's footsteps. As soon as the footsteps got close enough to the door, Celine braced herself to push with all her might.
The second Diane turned the knob, she charged. All of a sudden, she felt a shocking blast of ice cold water – a yelp escaped her lips and she sprang back.
The ground was suddenly wet and she slipped and lost her footing.
Down the stairs she tumbled, hitting the bouncing roughly, knocking her joints and head against the solid floorboards until she slammed onto the cold concrete.
Inhaling felt like a bunch of tiny nails ripping their way down to her lungs. The pain clouded her thinking, her ears were ringing. It hurt to open her eyes, it hurt to exist.
The last thing she heard before she passed out was Diane's cackling laughter.
- Writer
