Chapter Thirteen: Pernicious

per⋅ni⋅cious: adj. 1. causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful 2. deadly; fatal: a pernicious disease. 3. Obsolete. evil; wicked.

 

Chapter Thirteen: Pernicious

 

I waltzed my way through the empty halls to the lunchroom. I felt like I was walking on air, giggling and swirling around, taking as much time as I wanted because just a few moments ago, I became free. The moment I set my lips on Johnny’s I was released from my chains, and the guard gave my heart the key to its cell. No longer was my heart going to wait for an old lover to bail me out, no longer was it going to endure any more pain...

 

“What’s with the stupid grin?”

 

I twirled around and saw Chris leaning against a row of lockers. His face was expressionless, but his voice was cold and empty. The bags under his eyes were a dark purple and they trailed down his cheeks all the way to the end of his nose. His eyes themselves were bloodshot, and his face was even more pallid than usual.

 

Dazed by my friend’s churlish appearance and question, I drew a sudden blank. I knew that I knew the answer, but his appearance was far too out of the ordinary for him, and it shocked me into a state of numbness. Never in my life was I speechless in front of Chris. The insults and comebacks came to me like a natural reflex, constantly spewing out until he could no longer take it. So why was it, that today, nothing…not a single word came to mind?

 

Christopher’s lips twisted into an ominous smile as he advanced towards me. A dark glint shown in his eyes, and for once in my life, I was afraid of him. I held my breath as he came nearer, now only a foot distance away from me. I watched him as he circled me, like a vulture circles a dying animal, the whole time his eyes locked onto mine. 

 

“What’s the matter, Azzurra? Nervous?” he taunted, lifting his hand to my cheek, but I smacked it away before he was able to make contact.

 

I glared at him but didn’t speak for I was bracing myself for any other things he was going to try. Deep down, I knew I couldn’t win. As strong as I was, in the end, he was the strongest. I knew it and he knew it, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying.

 

“Tisk tisk, Azzurra. You know…you really shouldn’t have done that…”

 

Before I could even react, Chris quickly closed the space in-between us and pushed me up against the lockers. The forces of the push knocked the breath out of me, and try as I might, I couldn’t hit him. His body was pressed against mine in order to hold my legs down and he held my hands on either side of our sandwiched bodies.

 

Chris watched me struggle to get free and laughed wickedly.

 

“Come on Azzurra, we’re just playing a little game. I promise I won’t hurt you…”

 

I stopped trying to break free and glared at him. He only laughed and slammed himself harder into me. I gasped for air as it left my lungs once more. My body screamed with pain, but I refused to let it show.

 

“W-wh-why?” I managed to breathe out, only to have him crush himself into me again. Except this time, he stayed pressed against me with his mouth at my ear, grazing it with his teeth.

 

“I’m just making you pay for your jokes, Azzurra. It was not very nice of you to do that to me…” he whispered violently.

 

“Wh-wha-what j-j-jokes-s?”

 

“Ask out Kindall Chris! She likes you Chris! Ask her out! Ask her out!” he mimicked me in a voice that was too high pitched to really be my own.

 

He looked at me with unbearable malice and the twisted smile still on his face. I could only watch in horror as he mocked me with his blue-grey eyes full of lust and sick amusement.

 

“Would you like to tell me, Azzurra, why Kindall is ignoring me and why she isn’t answering any of my phone calls?”

 

“WHAT?!” I shrieked.

 

“Oh don’t play dumb, I know you two were planning this all along, and now you are going to pay for it.”

 

He started to lean in, but in a slow manner in order to torture me. The kiss that was coming was going to be one that I never experienced before. A kiss full of lust, hatred, and so much more -but I wasn’t about to let him have it.

 

Once he was close enough, I spat in his face. Disgusted, he opened his eyes and that is when I did the only thing I thought was sensible to do –I head-butted him. There was a sickening crunch, and Christopher’s body sprung backwards, releasing me completely.

 

Frozen to the spot, I watched as Chris howled in pain clutching his face as blood flowed from his nose. Only when he looked up at me, his eyes glinting menacingly, did I start to run.

 

I ran down the hallway as fast as my legs would allow. My heart raced uncontrollably in my chest. My lungs ached and screamed with pain from being crushed, and tiny beads of sweat started to form on my head. But I continued to run….I had to find someone…before he got me again.

 

I don’t know how long I was running for, or where I was when I finally hit something. Whatever it was, it encased me, and at first I thought it was Chris so I screamed at the top of my lungs, but it wasn’t him. They were too gentle, and their words, although I couldn’t understand them, were too warm and soothing to be his.

 

As soon as I realized this, I collapsed in their arms. I had long since lost all of my energy and was running off of adrenaline which had now subsided. The person didn’t seem at all surprised by my actions and scooped me up in their arms. They said something too, but I couldn’t make the out the words because my head was still spinning from hitting Chris. I wanted to thank the person, so I looked up at them, but no words came out. I only saw a blurred outline of their face and hair, but the facial features weren’t clear enough for me to distinguish who they were.

 

Only one thing was for certain, they weren’t Chris. He had red hair, but this person, they had black.

Author's Note

Again, I would like to know your thoughts on this one. Was everything real...more importantly...did it feel real to you?? And of course, any other thoughts on this is more than welcome. :]

Thank you so much for reading!!!
-Aurelia Mirella ♥

Reviews

[Lena M. P.]

Truthfully, I didn't see this coming but the suspense and mystery is good. One line you misspelled scared but I think it might read better with the word afraid " I was scarred of him". It was believable to a point. If you are in a school you wouldn't need to run far without finding a classroom, office or bathroom in which to enter or hide. Even screaming would alert someone. Maybe this could happen outside before she gets inside the school. Then running from him, she enters the school and runs into help. Just a suggestion. I enjoyed the story line and the places you are taking the story.

[An owl on the moon]

Powerful confrontation! Such a frightening place, and your depiction is so real... Very well done, the conception, the conversation, the fear... Incredible!

[Adeline]

Oh my goodness! Write more please right away!

[Zarathustra]

Damn you CHRIS!!!
I...believed in you....WHY!!
HA Ha

Great write and yes it's believable, I really didn't see this coming at all....
so who is the person who saved Azzurra? I argee with the girl "Impossible" POST NOW!!

[Anna Writes]

oh gosh, that Chris! i cant believe he's a real jerk!!
didn't see that one coming...@.@ never again should i fall for hot guy characters (though the description now made it clear that he's not at all hot..eyebags trailing down to the end of his nose! o.0)
I want to know who rescued Azzurra..post the next chapter now!! ^^