Part 32

"Why are you not sleeping?" Tracey asked as she got comfortable under the covers.

"I'm not tired. I'll sleep in a little while. You go to sleep," I replied, glancing at the clock, waiting for it to strike ten. Curfew at Burswick Academy was at ten, and Dash had told me to meet him after curfew. I was not going to lie, but I was excited to see him. All day today I had been fantasizing about how this meeting would go. Would he beg me to take him back? Or would he threaten to ruin my life if I didn't break up with Damien? Dash was a mysterious guy so the possibilities being conjured in my mind were endless.

However, the excitement didn't stop guilt from showing its ugly face every time I looked at Damien and found him smiling at me. I didn't want to hurt him, I really didn't, but it felt like I would end up doing it simply because I loved Dash and didn't feel the same for Damien.

"What do you think about Ben?" I jumped at suddenly hearing Tracey's voice.

"You're still awake?" I wanted her to go to sleep so it would be easier for me to escape undetected.

"Yeah, I can't sleep. Now answer my question," she ordered.

"Uh, Ben is a good guy," I answered, lamely. I was eager to get out of here and meet Dash.

"I know right! I really like him, Bri, and I have a feeling he likes me, too," she said, taking me by surprise.

"He does? Has he said anything?" I asked.

"Not in so many words. But I've noticed that he always comes to me whenever he is free. And he has started to open up to me...about his life and other things," she replied.

"That's great. I'm glad you two are getting along." I told her sincerely. I wanted my best friend to be happy, and I wanted Ben to be happy as well, after what happened with Janice. Did he know that Lauren was her killer? And if he did, how did he feel about it? I really wanted to ask him this question, but he was best friends with Dash which was why I hadn't seen him.

"We are but he mostly talks about Janice and all the things they used to do together. Which makes me feel like he doesn't like me and just wants to be my friend," she stated.

I rolled my eyes. "The only reason he does that is because he misses her. And I'm sure he'll move on from her. Just be his friend because that's what he wants you to be right now."

"But I want him to ask me out for the Winter Formal. The dance is in a few days and it looks like he won't ask me." I could sense the sadness and disappointment in her tone.

"Don't worry, there are still a few days left. I'm sure Ben will surprise you," I said, getting up from the bed, as I heard the loud chime indicating the arrival of curfew. "Now go to sleep."

"I hope so, and where are you going?" She asked, suspicion lacing her words.

I sighed, hating that I would have to lie to her. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back." I didn't wait for her response, I quickly opened the door and tip-toed out of my dorm.

The corridors were dark, which was to be expected since they made sure to turn out the lights at 10:00 p.m sharp. I didn't realize how scary Burswick looked at this time of night with no light to guide. If it weren't for Dash, I wouldn't be here right now, praying not to bump into any demons which could be lurking around at this time of night.

"I hate you so much for this, Dash," I muttered to myself as I tried to walk in the dark, trying my best to stay undetected. I knew there was someone who roamed the corridors after curfew, to make sure that everyone was in their beds as they should be.

The stairs proved to be tricky as I'd never used them in darkness. I nearly fell on my head twice while venturing down. Why did Dash call me after curfew? Did he not realize I was not good at walking down the stairs in the dark? How selfish could he be?

I was busy cursing him when I arrived at the exit doors of the dormitories. There was a strong possibility that the alarm would be triggered if I dared to open the door, and if that happened then I would be in serious trouble. Which was why I headed towards the back of the building and exited through the back door which was mostly used by janitors.

Cold air hit me as soon as I emerged out into the open. Thank God I didn't get caught, otherwise there would've been hell to pay. I was already breaking so many rules. Dash was corrupting me.

"Now, where did he ask me to meet?" I asked myself as I gazed at the forest. I should've brought a flashlight with me, but I was so eager to talk to Dash that I couldn't think. It was true when they said that love made you do stupid things.

I stiffened when an arm snaked around from behind my back and covered my mouth. My first thought was that I was going to die because Lauren had come to kill me. Immediately my survival instincts kicked in and I began thrashing against the hard body that held me in place. However, my struggles went in vain as the person effortlessly carried me into the heart of the woods.

That's it. I was going to die now, and no one would know who killed me. I didn't even tell Dash I loved him, even though he betrayed me and broke my heart. I was going to die.

While I was busy thinking about this, my captor ventured further and further into the woods until the trees started becoming thicker and closer together.

Somebody help me! I screamed in my mind because I couldn't scream. Oh how I wanted to scream. I should've told Tracey where I was going, at least someone would look for my body if I didn't show up. Why was I so stupid? Why did Dash make me so stupid? If I wasn't in love, then I wouldn't have been kidnapped by this crazy, unknown freak.

Holy God I was being kidnapped!

No sooner had I thought of the words did my kidnapper finally stop when we reached a clearing with thick trees around it. He released me and the first thing I did was turn around and kick my kidnapper as hard as I could.

"Really shortcake? You hit like a girl." I gasped upon hearing Dash's voice and that familiar nickname.

"It's you! You kidnapped me!" I shrieked, not caring if anybody heard me.

"Uh, I think it's pretty obvious," he muttered.

"Why would you do that? Are you crazy?! Did you know how terrified I was?!" I wanted to kick him once again just to prove my point.

"I wanted to make sure you came to the woods. I was going to kidnap you from your dorm room if you hadn't come. Thank God you came out of the girls' dormitory, it made it easier for me to take you," he explained.

"That's your explanation?!" I threw my hands in the air.

"Uh, yeah. Pretty much," he stated before sitting down with his back against a giant tree. "Now sit down. We have lots to talk about."

"You are the first guy I've met who wants to talk a lot. And I'm still mad at you for kidnapping me; that is not what civilized people do," I accused.

Dash rolled his eyes; those blue eyes I loved so much. "I don't care what civilized people do, I never did. Now sit down before I grab you and force you to sit down."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Love or not, Dash Melwin would forever remain a jerk. "No."

Dash chuckled and I knew he was going to do something I wouldn't approve of. "Don't say no to me, shortcake, you know it won't end well for you."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and jutted my chin out in defiance. "I don't care. I will not sit with you. Tell me what you wanted to tell me so I can go. If you didn't know, I have an exam tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Sunday," he pointed out.

"Well then, I have a date with my boyfriend and I do not want to go out with bags under my eyes," I replied, feeling proud of myself.

"Alright, that's it!" Before my mind could register his move, Dash grabbed me and gave me a harsh tug, causing me to fall down on his lap. "There we go. Now that's more like it."

"Dash! No! Let me go." I tried to push him away but he pulled me tighter to him until my head rested on his chest.

"No. Never. You are mine," he murmured, ignoring my struggles against him. How strong was this guy that none of my attacks ever caused him any damage?

"No, I'm not. Damien is my boyfriend, not you," I muttered against him.

"That's not true. Damien is not your boyfriend," he said as if I didn't know what I was talking about.

"Yes he is. You broke my heart and now he has it." That was a lie but I wouldn't tell him that.

"I stole your heart once before I can do it again," he said with conviction.

"No, you can't. My heart is not a play thing." My heart clenched when I thought about Dash playing with my feelings. "You've hurt me a lot."

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just trying to protect my cousin. I never thought I'd lose you in the process." He told me, his voice soft.

"Dash, you lied to me. You sabotaged my investigation, how could you not expect to lose me?" I questioned.

"I thought I would have you sit down and explain everything to you, then you would understand and not leave me. But things didn't go quite as planned," he answered.

I scoffed. "Of course they didn't."

"But, I won't let you go. You are mine, have been since the moment I met you." The way he said those words made me question my life. Did I have a say in my life?

"You don't get to decide that. You've lost that right now." I told him.

"Yes. I. Can." He enunciated each word, making me wonder if I could ever win an argument against him.

I sighed. "Why did you call me here, Dash?"

"Because I missed you and I want you to know that you are mine, so you can forget about Damien because he is dead meat and he is not your boyfriend," he said, his voice getting louder towards the end.

"Damien is my boyfriend until I break up with him, that's how things work, Dash." I rolled my eyes at his stubborn nature.

"Well that's not how it works because I can't see you with him. I want to kill him in the worst way possible every time I see you with him. And then I want to punish you as well for cheating on me," he stated.

My jaw dropped. "I am not cheating on you. We broke up. And stop killing Damien in your head, I won't let you hurt him."

"Just because you said we aren't together any more doesn't make it so, shortcake. You are mine, and once you become mine then you stay mine. Lauren told you that," he argued.

"You are not normal. Do you have any idea about what you're saying? You don't just say my decision don't matter. That's not fair!" I countered.

"You are mine. That is all you need to know. Now shut up," he stated.

"No. You have to listen to me. I won't let you do whatever you want any more." I told him.

"I said shut up," he ordered.

"Not until you listen to me," I argued.

"Shortcake, stop talking," he repeated.

"Just because you said it, doesn't make it so." I threw his words back at him.

"Fine then." I froze when Dash crushed his lips to mine in a possessive kiss. My body relaxed into his as I kissed him back, moving my lips with his. Oh how I missed him. I wished he'd never betrayed me, then I'd never broken up with him.

Just as I was getting into the kiss, Damien's face flashed in my mind which made me realize what I was doing. Oh God, I was cheating on my boyfriend. I was doing the same thing to Damien that Dash did to me.

With as much force as I could muster I pulled away from Dash causing him to growl in protest. He glared at me but I was too busy trying to get away from him.

"Stop this! What are you doing?!" He pulled me tighter, locking me to him.

"No. I have to go. I can't do this. I'm with Damien now," I babbled.

"No, you are not. You are with me. He is nothing but an unwanted piece in our lives. He needs to leave," Dash replied, glaring at me.

I shook my head. "He is my boyfriend."

"Not any more he isn't. Not now when you've kissed me," he said.

"That was a mistake," I muttered.

His eyes hardened at my response. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I said the kiss was a mistake and we should just forget about it," I repeated to make him understand.

"You are wrong, shortcake, the kiss wasn't a mistake."

I froze at the sound of his voice. I would not like what he was going to say next. "What are you talking about?"

"What you said about the kiss is a mistake. And, chocolate chip, you will realize the true extent of your mistake when I'll tell Damien about this." He pushed me off his lap and stood up.

"Dash, no. You will not tell Damien. Dash please," I pleaded.

"No, I will tell him. I will not let you keep me as your dirty little secret. You are mine and it's about time everybody realizes it." With those words he marched away from me, leaving me shocked and terrified.

God, what was he going to do now?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note.

Hi guys,

Here is another chapter, I hope you all like it.

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Thank you for reading.

Until next time.

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Ciao.