Chapter 4
1516 Words
~ Aaliyah's pov ~
Tyler is right there, on his bed, with a girl I have never seen before. Her hair is bright red, bouncing around her shoulders as she braces herself against the headboard. She is naked, on her knees, and Tyler is behind her, pressed against her back as he pounds into her mercilessly.
The girl moans his name again. “Tyler… God, yes.”
They don’t even notice me. They are so lost in each other. Tyler has one hand gripping her hip and the other clutching the sheets as he thrusts into her hard, saying things I can’t fully hear over the music.
“Who’s sweeter?” the girl moans between breaths. “Tell me, Tyler. Who’s sweeter?”
He laughs in this low, nasty way I have never heard from him before. “You, baby. Obviously you. You actually know how to work a man’s cock.”
The girl giggles and looks back at him. “What about that girlfriend of yours? The law school one?”
Tyler laughs again. “You mean the cold ass b***h with no real s*x appeal? Please. She’s basically a virgin nun. I’m only with her because she’s useful.”
They both laugh.
Something inside me cracks. And it’s not just because what he said hurt me. It’s the fact that I’m actually trying to make sense of it.
He’s only with me because I’m “useful”?
In what world am I useful to him?
I’ve always felt like I was a burden. I’m the one who comes from nothing. I’m the one who can’t give him gifts without saving for months. I’m the one who feels small around his friends.
So useful how?
Because I wash his clothes sometimes?
Because I clean his room when it gets disgusting?
Because I do his assignments and rewrite his projects when he’s too lazy?
Is that all I am to him?
A maid?
A convenient little helper he can f**k around on?
The more I try to understand it, the more my eyes burn. Tears blur everything, and before I can stop them, they spill over my cheeks. I slap my hand over my mouth to stop myself from making a sound, but a tiny, broken noise still slips out.
It’s quiet, but not quiet enough.
The redhead pauses and looks over her shoulder. “Did you hear that?”
Tyler looks up.
And our eyes meet.
His face goes pale, then he curses and jerks back, grabbing the sheet around his waist like that does anything.
“Aaliyah?” he snaps. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I just stare at him, shaking so hard it feels like my bones are rattling. My throat is tight, my chest feels crushed, and for a second, I can’t get words out.
All I can see is him, her, the stupid Christmas lights, and all the stupid plans I made in my head on the way here.
“I… you texted me,” I finally manage to say, my voice cracking. “You said you wanted me tonight and I—”
He rolls his eyes like I spilled juice on his carpet and is annoying him. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can just barge into my place. You are supposed to let me know you're coming first. I didn’t give you that key so you can—”
“I texted you. I told you I was coming over,” I whisper, cutting him off. I don’t even know why I’m explaining. He’s the one who should be explaining himself right now.
He frowns, confused. “Wait, you texted me?”
“Of course I did. You sent me a porn video in the middle of my exam and told me you wanted me tonight so I texted you I was on my way and even called!” I yelled, frustrated and hurt and tired.
“Oh s**t,” Tyler curses, and the girl on the bed bursts out in laughter, loud enough to make my skin crawl. She shifts, dragging the blanket over herself, then looks at me like I’m something gross she found under her shoe.
“You sent the video you sent to me to her too?” she says to Tyler. “Oh, no wonder. But that doesn’t mean she can just walk into your home like that. You should have told me she's a creep too.”
My face burns.
So he didn’t even mean to send that video to me.
He sent it to her first.
I feel sick.
“Why?” I manage to ask, my voice shaking. I feel weak to my bones. “Why would you do this?”
Tyler sighs and rubs his temple like I’m stressing him out. “Are we really doing this right now?”
“Yes, we are,” I say, louder than I mean to. My voice breaks a little. “I trusted you. I was coming here to—”
I cut myself off before the words slip out.
Before I tell him I was finally going to sleep with him.
That I bought him a bracelet.
That I thought tonight was going to fix us.
He snorts. “Look, I’m a guy, Aaliyah. I have needs. You keep saying you’re not ready, you want to wait, you want it to be special, whatever. I’m tired of begging for something every other girl gives easily.”
The redhead smirks at me over her shoulder. “He told me you were basically his roommate at this point,” she says. “Guess he wasn’t lying.”
My tears out of my control now. They just fall and fall, and I don’t even have the energy to wipe them away. My chest burns like someone is dragging sandpaper across my ribs.
“So this is my fault?” I ask quietly. “You cheat on me and somehow that’s my fault?”
He shrugs and leans back against the wall like we’re talking about the weather. “Relax. It’s not that serious. You’ll forgive me anyway. It’s not like you have a choice.”
I stop breathing for a second.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I whisper. “What do you mean I don’t have a choice?”
And then the words he said earlier hit me again.
Useful.
He said he was only with me because I was useful.
Did he mean… in another way?
Something ugly flashes across his face, and the girl laughs like this is the best drama she has watched all week.
“You were right about her,” she tells him. “She really is a dumb, pathetic bitch.”
Tyler smirks. He doesn’t even try to defend me. “Told you.”
My heart twists so hard it feels like it’s tearing. And that pain starts mixing with something else now. Fear. Real fear.
“I’m not playing,” I say, even though my voice is shaking like crazy. “What do you mean I don’t have a choice, Tyler?”
He tilts his head at me like I am some slow student in class. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?” I whisper.
He chuckles and rubs his hand over his jaw like this whole thing is funny. “You actually thought I would be with someone like you? God, Aaliyah. You are childish and unsexy and not even close to my standards. But you were dumb and desperate for affection, and I love girls like that because they are easy to control.”
My stomach drops.
“How have you been using me, Tyler?” I ask again, louder this time. My voice cracks. “Answer me, you cheating bastard!”
He sighs. “That’s for me to know and for you to never find out. Just know that if you ever try to leave me, I’ll make sure you don’t only lose your scholarship. I’ll make sure you lose your freedom too.”
I stare at him, stunned.
Is he serious?
Is this real?
How did catching my boyfriend cheating turn into him threatening me with jail? What did he do? How is my freedom suddenly in danger?
“What do you mean you would send me to jail?” I choke out. Did you use my name for something? Are you trying to frame me?”
The redhead laughs again. “You should have just slept with him when he asked. Maybe he would have gone easier on you.”
My eyes snap to her.
What?
Why does she sound like she knows more than I do?
Why is she acting like this whole thing is normal?
Are they working together?
Against me?
But why?
She doesn’t even know me.
My mouth opens to say something, anything, but before I can speak a loud, heavy knock slams against the front door.
“Open up!” a deep voice shouts from the hallway. “It’s the police!”
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