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Tears prick my eyes by the time I park in front of my apartment complex, but I blink them away. I walk inside and up the staircase that always has the faint smell of piss hanging in the air.
I’m so engrossed in what happened with Briggs today that I completely forget about another danger lurking in the shadows. I unlock the door to my apartment and push inside.
“There she is,” Brandon sneers. “I was thinking you were never going to come home.”
I have half the mind to turn around and run, but where the fuck am I going to go? “Where is Buck?”
“Beer run,” he answers right away, his beady eyes roaming my fully clothed body, making me feel exposed.
If Buck is on a beer run, that means he is not drunk yet, and he’ll be back any minute now. Brandon is not stupid enough to do anything now. I close the door behind me and speed walk toward my room.
“Where do you think you are going?” He jumps up from the couch and cuts off my way. Alarm bells go off in my mind.
“My room. I have to get ready for work.” It’s not a lie. Even though my shift doesn’t start for a few hours, I do have to get ready soon.
“Maybe I can help you get ready?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” I say sternly, but he still doesn’t get the message.
He takes a step toward me. The smell of sweat and alcohol invades my senses. The little I ate today is threatening to come back up as I take a few steps back. The back of my thighs presses against the side table, and I know I have nowhere else to go.
Brandon eats up the space between us and the same fear I felt earlier with Briggs comes rushing back. My hand shakes as I reach back until my fingers brush against the lamp.
“Let’s have a little fun before Buck comes back, shall we?” He reaches for me, his dirty fingers grabbing the side of my face, making me recoil. “Don’t be shy. I know girls like you want it.”
I grab hold of the lamp, and with all the strength I have, I swing it upward at his head. The base crashes into the side of his skull with a shilling sound. His head flies to the left while he stumbles back.
Not wasting any time, I try to get past him and into my room, but he recovers quickly, grabbing my arm with his left. He surprises me when his right fist slams into my face. My head snaps to the side, and for a moment, I see black. My knees go weak, and it takes everything in me not to let the darkness pull me under. His cruel hands are on me and all I can do is hope for a miracle.
“What the fuck?” Buck’s voice booms into the room. “Get off her!”
I blink my eyes open and slump against the wall closest to me. My heart races in my chest, and my head feels murky. I look up at Buck still standing in the door, holding a twenty-four pack of beer under his arm while glaring at his friend. “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
“Nothing.” Brandon waves him off. “We were just having a little fun. Isn’t that right, Wren?”
“Fuck off, you psycho!” I yell at him.
“Get the fuck out before I kick your ass,” Buck growls. I’ve never seen my usual carefree roommate so upset. “Now!”
“That bitch hit me with your lamp,” Brandon tries to argue, pointing at the lamp on the ground.
Buck puts down his beer and heads to his room. “I’m getting my shotgun.”
“Jesus, fine!” Brandon throws up his hands. “I’m fucking leaving already.”
“Good and don’t come back, asshole,” Buck sneers as Brandon walks past him and out the door.
I bring my hand up to my cheek, where the asshole punched me. I hiss when my fingers brush over the already swollen skin.
“Are you all right?” Buck asks with serious concern in his voice. “I’m sorry I brought that asshole in here, darlin’. I never would have if I had known what a prick he was.”
“It’s okay, Buck. You didn’t know.”
He gets me a bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer. “I knew these would be good for something one day.” He hands me the bag, and I place it on my cheek. The cold feels amazing on my throbbing face.
“I’m going to go to my room and get ready for work,” I state.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? You got hit in the face pretty good.”
