Page 95 of Spin The Bottle
She shakes her head, more tears falling down her face. “Why did he do that?”
I snuggle her closer, placing my chin on top of her head. “I walked in on him over my mom’s unconscious body.” I hear the sharp inhale from Leila and I decide to just push through. If I’m ever going to let anyone in, then it’s her. “When I yelled at him, he picked up his belt and taught me a lesson.” I run my fingers through Leila’s hair, blinking when the image of Jerry reappears itself in my mind.
“Told me if I opened my mouth, I would hear from him again. I don’t remember how old I was, probably about eight or nine.” Most of my childhood was one messed up blur, all wrapped up in shit days after shit days. “But then he came back.” I continue. “And when I heard my mom crying out again in the middle of the night, I grabbed the first thing I saw which was a frying pan and hit him over the head with it.”
I shake my head, remembering the events of that night. “My mother yelled at me. Told me not to get involved,” I tell her. “I still remember how my body froze when the first lash of his belt hit me again, but then my brothers woke up and took care of him. I don’t know what they did, but we never heard from him again.”
“Your brothers helped?”
I nod, pulling back and looking into her eyes. “They might have hurt me growing up, but they were there when I needed them.”
She frowns. “That doesn’t make it okay,” she says, placing her hand on my face. “One good thing doesn’t erase the years of abuse they put you through.”
“You’re right.” I blow out a breath, wanting to say fuck it and just tell her how in love with her I am. “It doesn’t.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again.” She runs her hand up, playing with my hair. I used to hate people touching my hair, the thought of my mother pulling it as punishment a reminder every time I touched it, but when Leila does it, there’s nothing but love there.
34
Bets and blackmail
It’s a great feeling being able to touch Leila without her flinching every two seconds and looking around for people.
I can’t keep my hands off her. She’s probably annoyed by how much I’m touching her, but she hasn’t said anything so I’m not stopping anytime soon. Not when I’ve been deprived of this exact thing for months now.
When I lean in to brush my lips against hers, Rosie chuckles. “So cute.” I grin when I pull back, looking down at Leila. She glances at me, rolling her eyes but her lips say another story when she smirks. “You guys are adorable.”
“Just make sure you don’t hog her like Grayson does,” Gabi says.
I shake my head, smiling down at Leila. “I can’t promise that.” Now that I have her, it’ll be impossible letting her go. I want to be with her all the time, it doesn’t feel enough having her right next to me. Safe to say I’m obsessed with this girl and so fucking in love it blinds me.
The server comes out with our food, placing it in front of us. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I take it out.
I pull my arm from around Leila, turning the phone away from her. What the fuck?
Unknown:
You broke the rules.
Now? I hear from him now? I haven’t heard a peep since I threw the game and did what he asked and sent… fuck. I haven’t heard from him since I sent Leila’s number. Why the hell is he texting me again?
“Are you okay?” I jump at the sound of my girlfriend’s voice. My girlfriend who I betrayed.
I scratch my jaw, turning my phone off and stuff it in my pocket. My attempt at a normal smile falls flat when I remember everything that asshole told me to do. “Yeah, gorgeous.”
“I’m going to throw up.” Gabi fake gags and I snicker, watching Madi roll her eyes at her.
“Don’t be jealous.”
She sighs, shaking her head. “I’m going to be the last single girl here,” she says. “I just know it. I’m going to be all alone.”
“That’s not true,” Madi says. “I’m not dating anyone.”
Gabi glances at her. “Yet.”
“Ever.”
Gabi shakes her head, letting out a scoff. “Right.”
