Page 187 of Releasing 10
Jesus, the anticipation was killing me because I knew it would happen, Iknewshe would kiss me, and when she did, it wouldn’t be enough.
The kiss would end and then I would drive myself crazy with thoughts of her until it happened again. And then again. And then again andagain.
I knew deep down that I was never going to be able to get enough of this girl, and that was a terrifying concept. Knowing she held so much power over me made it hard to breathe.
When she leaned in close and her familiar scent infiltrated my senses, I made peace with the knowledge that I was a lost cause. That I couldn’t be cured of my addiction to this girl. That I would forever seek her out.
When she said, “Kiss me,” I didn’t hesitate.
Closing the space between our mouths, I pressed my lips to hers.
It was just a kiss.
An innocent kiss.
Nothing more.
But it meant so muchmore.
Because it felt like I was signing off on a permanent decision.
MISTER RESPONSIBLE
Lizzie
APRIL 4, 2000
“…SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET ME FIX THIS.”
“No, no, no, please!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, thrashing violently as I tried to fight him off. “Please! Please, stop! It hurts!”
“Stop fighting me on this!” he snarled, ramming the coat hanger deep inside of my body. “Relax, okay? I know what I’m doing. I watched a video.”
“It hurts!” I screamed, ripping and tearing at my hair as the pain threatened to take me under. “I’m dying!”
“Yeah, and I’ll be dead if that belly of yours gets any bigger.” He shoved a pillow over my face. “Scream into that if you have to…”
“Liz!” Hugh’s frantic voice penetrated my thoughts, and I watched through bleary eyes as he cleared the back of the couch in his rush to get to me. “What happened?”
Dazed and disorientated, I glanced around in confusion. I was in the living room. How was I in the living room? I was sleeping only a moment ago. “Hugh?” I blinked around, searching for him. “What are you doing here?”
“You weren’t on the school bus. I was worried.” Dropping to his knees beside me, Hugh grabbed my face. “What happened, Liz?” His eyes were wild and frantic as they searched mine for answers I couldn’t give him. “Where are your clothes?”
“My clothes?”
“Yeah, Liz, your clothes,” Hugh strangled out before proceeding to whip off his Scoil Eoin jumper and push it over my head before feeding my arms through the sleeves. “Did something happen to you?”
I stared blankly at him. “Like what?”
“I don’t know, but you don’t show up at school today, and when I come to check in, you’re curled up on your living room floor with no clothes on!” His eyes were wild with panic, matching his voice, when he gripped my shoulders and pulled me close to him. “So I’m kind of freaking the fuck out right now!”
“I, uh, Caoimhe gave me the day off school to pack for Texas.” Shaking my head, I tried to make sense of the thoughts whizzing around in my head. “I think I fell asleep and had a nightmare.”
“A nightmare?”
“Yeah.” Trembling violently, I clutched the fabric of his jumper I was wearing. “I think he got me, Hugh.”
“Who?” he demanded, looking around the room. “Was someone here, Liz?” He jerked to his feet. “Was someone in this house?”
