Page 2 of In the Danger Zone
“You were j-j-just doing it to get me kicked off the fucking hockey team, you little cunt.” Asher stomped another foot to my stomach.
I whimpered, feeling a new wave of embarrassment crash into me. Asher loved making fun of my stutter. He and everyone else at school. A little sob left my lips, but Asher just seemed to laugh at the noise.
“You’re gonna tell Principal Walker that you made that shit up. That you’re a lying, little bitch that just likes attention.Myattention. Because fucking Coach Harris found out about what you said, and I’m not letting you fucking take hockey away from me,” Asher continued. “And if you tell him about this afternoon, then I’m gonna have my dad drag your parents to fucking court for defamation. And I’m pretty sure your folks don’t have enough money to afford a lawyer, let alone a fucking good one.”
Keeping my eyes shut tight, I took in his threat. My parents struggled to get by – just like most people. Not like Asher’s family, of course. He came from money and he liked to remind me of that fact. I knew then and there that my parents couldn’t afford some fancy lawyer to punish Asher. That would have been the right thing to do. If there was justice and fairness, Asher would have been locked up a long time ago. Despite being so young, he seemed to get off on being evil.
“You need to stop fucking up, Daisy,” Asher continued. That venom hadn’t left his voice. When did it ever? He lowered to the ground, kneeling right next to my head. “I can do whatever I want to you.WhateverI want. If I wanna make you cry, then I have every right to do that. If I wanna kick your head in, then I have every right to do that too.”
“I-I’ve n-never done a-anything to you,” I said softly.
“That fucking s-s-stutter is enough to piss anyone off,” Asher laughed. “And just to show you that I mean fucking business, I’m not gonna let you off with just a few, little kicks to the stomach this time. No. I wannapunishyou for your fuck up, Daisy. You need to learn.”
My head shook. I tried to sit up, but Asher’s firm hand pushed me right back down. “D-Don’t… P-Please…”
Before I could even prepare myself for it, Asher stood up, brought one muscular leg back, and aimed it right at my head. I felt the searing, undeniable pain. Just for a second. Maybe two or three. But then I was met with a beautiful dizziness that took all that pain away. My body felt cold all over as my eyes fluttered shut, a sigh falling from my lips.
I saw total darkness. Complete and total darkness. The pain and humiliation and worry were gone. So was Asher.
It was a nice gift after what I had just endured.
Chapter 1
Two Years Later
DAISY
Glen Fitzgerald was the only reason I was able to attend the University of Western Oregon. Prior to his death, he had been funding the Fitzgerald Arts Scholarship himself as a way to encourage underprivileged students to study the arts.
His family kept the scholarship going in his honor, and I was forever thankful for that, because there was no way I could even afford to attend classes for just one day without his beyond-the-grave help.
A lot had changed for me. My whole life had been spent keeping my head down to avoid the cruelty of others. I was a target. I always had been. Maybe it was because I was quiet, because I was nervous so often, because my voice was never loud and proud enough. Maybe my stutter made me a deserving victim of the torture and violence and mean words I had been forced to experience over the years.
Either way, that was in the past. The far, far away past. Because now I was in college, and high school felt like a horrendous fever dream I had conquered. I just wanted the monsters to stay dead. I prayed in my head that even if they were still just slightly kicking that they wouldn’t get back up.
Everyone around me seemed harmless enough, though. No one seemed concerned with my presence in the slightest as I made my way up the stairs and towards my lecture hall. Blending in with the crowd was a good skill to have and I had always tried to do that. Somehow, though, people always seemed to point me out.
I held back a sigh, gripping the book against my chest a little tighter. It was hard not to get caught up in memories of high school. Of the bruises and the cuts and the pain… Especially when thatthinghappened. The Incident.
Nope. We weren’t going down that road. Not again. I had spent a good chunk of time thinking about that when my parents forced me into home school. The last year and a half of my education was given to me by them. That was a blessing. Because getting away from Asher had been my goal for a long time. I knew a lot of kids didn’t like home school. But it was the only thing that saved me, and it wasn’t like I had any friends to miss.
I slipped into the lecture hall, zeroing in on an empty row of seats towards the front of the room. A lot of people were excited about making new friends in college. I was just excited to be studying Art History without anyone trying to hurt me.
Taking a seat, I quickly pulled all my stuff out. A wave of embarrassment hit me as I got my laptop settled on the small table. It was second-hand and an absolute hunk of junk. As a scholarship student, I had a little money left over after my tuition and fees had all been paid for. I had been promised a “quick and easy” refund so I could get some supplies, but that check still hadn’t turned up yet. Until then, I’d have to rely on the pre-owned laptop my parents bought me when they started homeschooling me.
“Hey,” I heard a soft voice to my left.
I almost jumped. A girl with raven black hair took a seat next to me, her pale skin contrasting against her long locks.
“Oh. H-Hi,” I let out.
“Did I scare you? Sorry. You just look really nice and I wanted to sit next to someone with a friendly face,” she said with a smile. “Is that alright?”
“You… You didn’t scare m-me.” I shook my head at her. “T-That’s totally fine.”
“Thanks. My name’s Leena, by the way.”
“I’m D-Daisy.” I blushed. Nerves always made my stutter worse. “S-Sorry, I have… Sometimes I…”
