Everything I Could Never Tell You

“Alex.” his cheek tingled as a figure lightly slapped his face, “Wakey, wakey.”

Alex flipped open his eyes, attempting to move his arms, but they were restrained with rope. He was tied to a small chair in the middle of a dark room. His eyes started to adjust, noticing a figure backing up into the light.

“Patrick, you son of a bitch,” Alex called out, recognizing him, “Where’s Emma? What did you do to her?”

He started to laugh, “You really don’t know?”

“Know what?”

Patrick sat down in the chair next to Alex, “My Dad and Emma’s Mom are getting a divorce. I’m going to have to move out soon, which means I won’t be able to see her.”

“And?”

“I made a deal with her.” he smiled.

“What deal?”

“Emma,” he called out, “Get out here, baby.”

She appeared out of the shadows and quickly stood next to Patrick. She looked like she was in pain, struggling to breathe.

“Tell him about the deal, Em.” he said, looking up at her.

“Alex.. I, he called me last night.” she said, “He found out that I left, and told me he was going to hurt me. He said that all I had to do was bring you to him, and he would leave me alone for good. He says that he has plans for you.”

“Emma,” he choked, “How could you do this?”

“I know I said I could handle it,” she said, “But I can’t. I didn’t want to seem like I was broken. I need to be free from him.”

“This isn’t the way to do it,” he said, “You’re better than this, than him.”

“I’m not,” she said, “You look at me like I’m perfect, but I’m not. I can’t do this anymore.”

“We can do this together,” he said, “We’ll go home, or run away. I just want to be with you.”
“I can’t,” she said, “If I stay with you, he’ll just keep harassing me.”

“I won’t let him, you know that.” he said, “I’ll protect you.”

“Alex, just stop.” she said, clenching her fists, “I’m not a princess, and I don’t need saving.”

“Emma, please--”

“I’m sorry, I really am.” she said, “Take him.”

Her expression went cold as she exited the room. Patrick grabbed a hold of the chair and started to drag him into another room. Alex was flailing, extending his arms as far as they could go. The ropes burned his skin, and the room felt like it was getting smaller.

“Where are you taking me?” Alex called out.

Patrick stopped dragging the chair, getting down to his eye level.

“You’re gonna disappear for a while, Alex.” he smiled, “Since I’m moving out, I can’t really keep an eye out on Emma, can I? So I won’t know if she’s seeing you. It’s kind of like, if I can’t have her, no one can. The only way I can guarantee she’s not seeing you, is if I send you away.”

“Send me away to where?” he asked.

“To a place called.. George Bolken Thompson Preparatory School for Troubled Teens. Damn, that’s a mouthful.” he said, “Anyway, I have hookups on campus, so I got you a full ride. The school itself is kind of like a rehabilitation center, but it’s going under. The teachers suck, and everyone basically does what they want. It’s going to be fun, I promise. Girls are dimes, guys are chill. They even have a music program.”

“You’re crazy.” Alex snarled.

“I might be crazy, but I need you as far away as possible, and this is the only way.” he said.

“And what if I refuse?” he asked.

Patrick moved his face closer to Alex, whispering, “Then I’m going to take my dick, and shove it into her pretty little ass. Dry.”

“You.. you don’t lay a finger on her!” he yelled, almost jumping out of his seat.

“Oh, I won’t,” he said, “As long as you stay away. I’m going to be a complete gentleman and hold my word.”

“But.. first semester is almost over,” he said, “I’m graduating in the spring. I can’t just go to a new school.”

“You and I both know that you aren’t graduating,” he said, “I looked into it, and found out that you’re failing all of your classes, which conveniently is enough to send you to the school without suspicion. If you leave this week, you’ll get there just in time for second semester to start.”

The only thing Alex wanted was for her to be safe. It was that easy, all he had to do was stay away. But why was he so fixated on saving her? She didn’t care about him. If she really cared, she would have told him about this. They could have figured out something together. But she was so quick to sell him out. She wasn’t the same girl he started emailing, she was someone completely different. She was selfish, she was broken beyond repair.

He cursed, “I.. I, just. Fuck. Where’s the school?”

“It’s in sunny Miami, Florida. Told you, dimes. Now, are you in?” Patrick asked, smiling.

Alex looked to his feet, choking out an, “I’m in.”

To be continued.