I closed my eyes and let him lead me along knowing there was nothing else I could do. When we were inside I stopped and he let me go, I looked around shocked, it looked so normal inside. I don't know what I was expecting but the inside of his house was actually pretty cute looking, homely even.
"Blake can I use the bathroom?" I asked weakly as I put on a small fake smile which made him smile in return.
"Sure Jailbait, my house is your house. It's down the end there." He nodded down the hallway and then turned back to the front door flicking the lock. I jumped as it clicked into place, it felt like the sound echoed through my whole body and gave me goosebumps at the finality of it.
Chapter 25
I swallowed loudly and turned looking up the hallway for the bathroom, I spotted a door at the end so I quickly walked towards it praying he wouldn't stop me. Maybe there was a window or something in there and I'd be able to get out and run to that house a couple of doors away.
"Don't be too long jailbait." Blake called.
I gulped and forced a smile as I nodded. As soon as I was in the bathroom I spotted the window, I ran to it quickly hope bubbling up inside, but the damn thing was locked, "$hit." I mumbled pressing my forehead to the glass. I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket praying that Blake wouldn't hear me talking in here, if he did then it would be game over.
I dialed Clay's number quickly and held my breath as I moved as far away from the door as possible in case Blake was listening or waiting for me outside or anything.
Clay answered almost immediately. "Riley?" he cried desperately.
"Yeah shh baby listen to me. Blake came to the school and he forced me into his car, I'm at his place do you know where that is?" I whispered squeezing my eyes shut.
"He f**king what?" Clay screamed making me wince as my ears started to ring a little.
"Baby shh, I don't know how long I've got on the phone! I'm in the bathroom, do you know where he lives or not because I don't know where I am." I whispered fiercely.
"Err yeah, yeah I know where he lives. I'll be there as soon as I can, but I think he lives like half an hour away. Can you stay in the bathroom?" he asked sounding harassed and stressed.
I knew I wouldn't be able to stay in the bathroom for long, Blake would get suspicious soon and I'd have to come out, but I didn't want Clay to be worrying more than he needed to so I decided to play along and try to keep him calm. "I should be ok to stay in here, I've locked the door but please hurry. Call the police they'll get here quicker."
"I'm going to kill him this time." Clay growled. I could just imagine the murderous look on his face right now, I knew he meant it and the thought made me feel sick. I couldn't have Clay get into trouble and go to jail for me.
"Clay call the police baby. Go call them right now, ok? Then they'll be able to hold him until the trial, don't come here on your own, promise me." I begged swiping at the tear that fell down my face.
"The police are useless Riley, they've done nothing to stop this at all!" he cried angrily.
Oh shit he's going to come here on his own, he has no intentions of calling the police because he wants to beat Blake senseless. "Clay Preston don't you dare do this! You call the police right now or I swear to you I'm going to be so pissed off. Don't risk this please, I can't have you in trouble, so call them and let them handle it." I begged fiercely.
"Riley...."
"No Clay, you do this for me, I'm going to hang up the phone now and you can call them. Don't you dare come here on your own!" I whispered trying to sound stern.
"Don't hang up!" Clay shouted desperately. "Riley just keep the line open so I can hear you're ok. I'm still at the school so I'll call the police from here, just don't hang up on me ok?" he asked.
I gulped, "Ok baby."
I slumped down to the floor closing my eyes listening as he was talking to someone off of the phone, he sounded so desperate. I could hear the Principles voice too so I knew he was doing as I asked, he wasn't coming here on his own and I silently thanked God for that.
After a couple of minutes Clay came back on the phone talking soothingly about what we were going to do at the weekend, I knew he was trying to keep my mind of off everything and keep me calm and I appreciated the small gesture. Suddenly I realized that I could hear the sound of a car engine in the background and the Principles voice was gone. Was Clay coming here?
My heart literally stopped, I didn't want him anywhere near Blake. Not that I didn't think he could handle himself because I knew that he could, but I just hated the thought of him being even a little hurt or then getting into trouble for fighting or something. Clay continued to talk to me calmly about how his football practice went, how they were going to kick the other teams ass in the final game, how coach had asked him to talk to Andy. I knew he was just doing it to distract me from the situation.
"Clay are you coming here on your own?" I whispered, praying he would say no. He didn't say anything and I took his silence as a yes. He didn't like to lie to me so usually he just avoided the question he didn't want to answer or changed the subject. I felt my heart sink, "Please don't. Please let the police handle it Clay, please baby." I begged grabbing a wad of tissue to wipe my constant stream of tears.
There was a loud banging on the door making it shake, I yelped in surprise which of course started Clay panicking down the phone shouting desperately for me to tell him what happened, but I couldn't speak. My eyes were fixed on the door as it rattled on its hinges again.
"Jailbait open the f**king door!" Blake shouted angrily from the other side.
I pushed myself up onto my feet, standing in the corner pressing my cell phone too hard against my ear making it feel a little numb and my eardrums to ring from Clay's constant steam of panic that was blasting through the earpiece.
What do I do? Do I go out there and try to keep him talking or do I just stay locked in here and hope that he can't get in? What if I didn't open the door and he got in here anyway - he'd be even more pissed and I really didn't want to get hurt again.
"Jailbait I swear to God you need to open this f**king door right now!" Blake shouted banging the door hard again.
I turned to look at the window trying it again before I made my decision, but the damn thing was definitely locked. I gulped and knew I needed to open the door, how long would the police be? If I could just keep him talking until they got here.....
"Clay I need to hang up and go out before he breaks the door down!" I hissed down the phone getting ready to disconnect the call.
"NO! Riley don't hang up, just put your phone in your pocket and keep the line open! Please? I'll be quiet, please just don't!" he cried desperately.
"JAILBAIT!" Blake screamed angrily.
"I'm now coming!" I called squeezing my eyes shut willing myself to be strong. The banging stopped almost immediately but I could still hear it in my ears, it honestly was a terrifying sound and I knew I'd be hearing it in my dreams. Hell I bet I'd never be able to lock a bathroom door ever again after this!
"Don't hang up." Clay begged.
"Ok baby, I won't. I need to go out now." I whispered swiping at my face trying to stop crying, but it was useless. "I love you Clay."
"I love you too Riley bear, I'll see you soon and don't worry everything will be just fine." he said softly. I gulped and pushed my cell down into the pocket of my jeans praying that it wouldn't disconnect by accident or something because then Clay would freak the heck out.
Blake banged on the door again just once making me jump. I gulped and clasped my hands together holding my wedding ring tightly as I took the three steps towards the door, feeling my heart sink with every inch I got closer to it. I held my breath as I flicked the lock. As soon as the lock clicked, the door was wrenched open and Blake stood there looking at me accusingly. He looked so pissed off that the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand on end.
"Sorry." I muttered looking at the floor. How did he get so messed up? What on earth was wrong with him that he would do this to me? He barely even knew me, and he was acting like we'd been dating for years or something. He really was deranged.
He stepped closer to me and put his finger under my chin forcing my face up, but I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye, so I looked at his lip ring instead trying not to break down in hysterical sobs for my husband to come and take me away.
"Have you been crying Jailbait?" he asked, it surprised me how soft and tender his voice was after how hard his face had looked when he opened the door. I nodded and bit my lip not really trusting my voice to speak. "Why?" he asked brushing my hair behind my ear softly.
"Blake I want to go home. Will you just take me home to my parents house? I shouldn't be here because of the police and everything, I'm not allowed to see you." I mumbled looking at him pleadingly.
He frowned and shook his head, "Well that's just stupid. This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion. I told you I was sorry for hurting you, maybe you should just cancel the restraining order or something. Then there would be nothing in our way and we can move on." he suggested shrugging. Did he really think that it was just the restraining order in our way? Wow, just wow.
I gulped and grasped for anything to say to make this situation better, but what do you say when you don't want to upset a sociopath? "You broke my arm Blake." I whispered.
He almost growled as he gripped his hands in his hair looking really frustrated. "That was an accident! I'd been drinking, I didn't actually mean to hurt you it just happened!" he cried clearly annoyed with my comment.
Shit I needed to just change the subject because this was just making him madder at me! "I know it was. It's fine, let's just forget it." I said putting on a fake smile and sniffing through my semi-blocked nose. "Why don't you show me around or something?"
His face softened and he broke out the heartbreaking smile that he first caught my attention with when I met him. "Yeah, I'd like that. Let's start in the kitchen and I can make drinks and stuff. You hungry?" he asked as he took my hand and immediately tugged me up the hallway.
How long had I been here now? Were the police almost here? Oh God please let them get here before Clay does! I desperately tried not to think of Clay bursting in here on his own and beating Blake to a pulp and then being towed away in handcuffs or something.
"Jailbait? I said are you hungry." He squeezed my hand a little and I quickly snapped back into myself, I needed to stop spacing out and stay in the moment so I could keep him calm! Relax Riley everything's fine, and tonight Clay will kiss everything better and hold you when you wake up screaming because of this whole waking nightmare.
"Umm not right now, but after we've looked around then maybe we could make dinner together or something?" I suggested. That would kill some time!
He smiled happily as he grabbed two cans of coke from the fridge passing me one and gesturing around the room. "Kitchen." he stated before pulling me back out of the room, I didn't even get a chance to look around before we were back out of the door. "Lounge." he stated waving his hand at the room. He pulled me back out again and I groaned internally, this was going to be the quickest house tour in history. So much for my great killing time plan!
Probably less than a minute later he stopped outside another door, "And this.... this one's my room." he smirked at me as he pushed a key into the door unlocking it.
I felt my body jerk at the thought of going in his room, why didn't I think this through? Why did I ask for a tour? Shit maybe he completely read something into it thinking I wanted to see his room or something! Damn it Riley you're so freaking stupid sometimes.
He smiled at me and I felt so sick I wondered if I was going to actually throw up all over him. He pushed the door open and gestured for me to go in first. I swallowed my sob and forced myself to walk over the threshold. I just prayed that he would wave his hand around again like he did for every other room and then we could go and make dinner or something. My eyes flicked to his bed and I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood willing myself not to panic and pass out or something leaving myself completely exposed and vulnerable to him.
His room was a typical boys room, just plain and painted a royal blue, a little messy but not unlike what Clay's room used to look like at his parents house.
"Like it?" he asked, I tried not to flinch as his hand rubbed the small of my back softly.
I nodded and put on a fake smile, "Yeah it's nice."
He grinned happily and I noticed that his eyes flicked to the bed too as he stepped closer to me, oh God here it comes. "You didn't see my favourite part yet." he murmured looking at me so intently that it made my heart stop at the passion on his face. His favourite part? I looked around the room again wondering what it would be, maybe a games console or something probably in typical boy fashion.
He laughed and took hold of my shoulders turning me around facing the wall behind me, the one that the door was on. I felt my heart stop as my blood ran cold, this was so much worse than I thought! I was in some serious trouble and I needed to make sure that Clay didn't come anywhere near Blake, because this guy was crazier than both of us gave him credit for.
Chapter 26
I couldn't take my eyes off of the wall. There were pictures everywhere of me, not just me though that was the scary thing, Clay was there as well. There were pictures of us together laughing or hugging, but in every picture Clay's face had either been scratched out leaving it white, or burned out leaving a ragged hole. I knew it was him because of his clothes and where we were. These weren't pictures of us as kids, these were pictures of things we'd done recently. Us at the football game, us at the store, at the movies, damn there was even one of us loading paint cans into Clay's trunk so I knew that one was less than a week old.