#13. Hand

It all started with her. Miles and Stella, who were just a pawn in her game. She was the mastermind behind every single misfortune that happened to me.

The worst betrayal you could ever experience is when the person you love the most and trust with all your heart never even felt sincere towards you just for a second.

That was how she was or maybe not, maybe she grew to be that kind of person. She manipulated people, made them all her puppets and they wouldn't even be aware of it. She did the same to me and when I refused to be a pawn in her game, her ego was so bruised she couldn't let it go and ever since then she made my life hell.

I stare at her as she sits comfortably on the couch. Mom and Dad weren't aware that she was the main reason why my life crumbled into pieces. She was expelled before I left school, so why was she here? Why did she come to my house of all places? And most importantly, why today?

I didn't feel scared, terrified, traumatized, or petrified as I would be, instead, if there was anything I felt, it was intense anger, resentment, rage, and fury. I clench my fists tightly, attempting to keep my emotions in check.

"Why are you here?" I ask, my voice cold and devoid of any form of emotion.

She looks at me and bursts out laughing "Reina. Chill, okay. I'm just here to catch up with you. It's been so long."

My face hardens and I bite the insides of my cheek "Leave."

She feigns shock "Oh my. You've really changed. I thought Stella and Miles were telling tales."

"Leave Emily." The tone of my voice grows harder and stronger, my gaze is filled with anger and I'm struggling to remain calm.

The last thing I needed was for any of my parents to see me in this state.

She gets up on her feet "Woah. Chill girl. I just came to check how you were holding up." She pauses "I thought you would be dead by now, you're pretty strong." She says with a taunting smirk.

I'm on the verge of exploding when Justin, Jade, and Chris walk in.

***

"Who is she?" Justin asks finally breaking the deafening silence.

Justin, Chris, Jade, and I were all sitting in my room. I had barely managed to introduce them to my mom, and they had hardly made Emily leave. So here we were, all sitting in silence, no one wanting to say anything.

"We waited for you for hours, we tried calling but you wouldn't answer. So, Jade thought something was up and suggested coming here." Chris explains before I can answer Justin's question.

I sigh and glance at Jade "How did you know my house?"

"I don't. Justin does. I mean you guys are dating, so why wouldn't he?" She blurts out, raising her two hands up in defence.

I turn to look at Justin "We're not dating. How do you know where my house is?"

"At least not yet. Remember, I'm friends with Marcus and Olivia's brother?" He asks and I nod "All I had to do was call and ask." He explains.

"Oh."

"So care to explain who she was?" Justin asks again.

"Can we not talk about it?" I say, scanning my room as I find my room décor quite interesting.

"Maybe we should give them some time alone?" Chris says or asks Jade who is sitting beside him on my bean bag.

Jade lets out an awkward laugh "Yeah, right. Maybe we should."

Soon, they exit my room, leaving Justin and I alone. I sigh, defenceless, and sit on my bed.

"I don't want to talk about it," I say, as I avoid his eyes, as he's standing in front of me.

"We have to." His voice grows soft and he sits down beside me "I saw the hatred, anger, and pain in your eyes. You look like you were about to kill her, but you were also scared and trembling deep down."

And that's it. I let all my walls down. Somehow, Justin had found a way to know who I really was. Both on the inside and outside. I don't know how he does it. I don't know how we got here. I don't know why he would or should want a broken person like me.

All my life, I'd been a subject of constant criticism, judgmental parents, and people who were never satisfied with what I'd done. Mom and Dad were also responsible for the person I had become. It was only after I almost died they began treating me like I was a person with feelings too not just a child.

"Stop it, Reina," Justin says, snapping me out of my overthinking phase.

I bite my lips, knowing if I'd dare open my mouth I would burst into tears.

"I don't know what's going on in your head. But you should know I like you for who you are not because I pity you or I see you as some helpless girl. Believe it or not, you're strong and I'll keep on saying that until it becomes a voice inside your head you won't be able to get rid of." He breathes out.

"Why are you doing this?" I breathe shakily, my voice threatening to break.

"Because I want to. If there's one thing you shouldn't doubt, it's my intentions. Because they're pure and true. It's going to take time to believe that but I'm willing to wait as lon-"

"She was my best friend." I interrupt him. "We were so close, literally joined at the hips together as people would say. But I didn't know, she was never sincere towards me from the beginning. I trusted her, loved her, and told her things that should've been kept to myself. She only used me to reassure herself she wasn't a loner or a weakling. I got to find out later she was pretty messed up."

***

"You really think we want to do this?" One of the scary-looking men growls.

"You owe us for those drugs. And now, someone pays us double the amount of drugs you owe us, as long as we take you out." He edges closer to me and slowly I'm crawling back, clutching my abdomen in pain as I'm searching for a means to escape.

"And you really think we wouldn't do it?" He cackles evilly, taking out the cigarette his smoking and smashing it with his feet.

"No hard feelings here. I'm just doing business." He uses a golf club to smash the back of my head before I can even process what was going on.

Who would want to do such a thing to me? I had narrowly escaped from the clutches of death and now this. Never had I ever imagined that bullying would be taken this far. At least they could feel a little sorry for me since I was a girl. But instead, I'm being treated worse than a criminal.

I'm trying my best to stay conscious, but I have this overwhelming urge to fall into a deep sleep. Which was no surprise as I had been hit across my head numerous times. I'm about to give in to my urge when a sharp ringing tone of a phone, startles everyone present.

"Boss." One of his men, steps forward with a phone in his hand "She's calling."

He drops down the golf club to answer the phone and what I hear next may end up traumatizing me for my entire life.