Forsaken (3 page)

“Come on, you stupid locker,” Nora muttered, struggling to get it open.
What on earth is wrong with this thing?
The second bell had already rung, and everybody was already at the gym for an impromptu pep rally. The hallway around her was completely empty. Nora tried the combination another time, with the same result.

“Argh!” She banged her fist against the cold metal of her locker. The impact produced a clang that echoed all around her. Frustration started to build inside.

Nora took a deep breath to calm herself and started over, carful to hit each number precisely. Maybe if she paid attention to what she was doing instead of daydreaming about Brady…

“Do you need a hand?” The strong voice was familiar. Nora swung toward it, and her heart froze in her chest when she saw Brady Lowe smiling at her.

All the blood drained from her head. Nora couldn’t believe her luck. Brady was here! Brady
Lowe!
He looked as handsome as ever, in his football jacket and softly, curling hair. She hadn’t seen him pass her locker even
once
, and now, with everybody already in class, he was
here
, offering his
help
. What were the odds?

“Uh, yeah,” she stuttered, stumbling over the words.
You idiot! That’s the best you could do?
“I think the lock is busted,” she finished lamely.

“Oh, well that’s okay.” He turned his attention to her locker, and she stepped back to give him room to examine it.

A strong hand grabbed her ass.

“Hey!” She whipped around and came face to face with some guy she’d never seen before. A big guy, built like a wrestler. He grinned widely, and a bead of sweat trickled down Nora’s back. “You can’t do that!”

“Really?” His smirk stayed in place. “Do what?
This
?” He reached around with one hand to grab her again. She shoved his hand away and stepped back, trying to get some space, but bumped into another body.

She looked behind her. Brady blocked her retreat, his cocky grin matching the other guy’s smug expression. “Hey, didn’t we know each other before?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow at Nora.

Nora caught movement from the corner of her eye. Two more guys were approaching them. For a slim second a sliver of hope glimmered in Nora’s mind. It lasted all the time it took her brain to register the newcomers. Jimmy and Mark. Both of them football players and friends with Brady.

They wouldn’t help.

Brady spoke again, drawing her attention back to him. “I think we did. You’re…
Nora
, right?” He squinted his eyes at her. “From back in ninth grade? Damn, girl, look how much you’ve grown since then…”

“And developed very nicely,” the big guy noted.

“She has, hasn’t she?” Brady grabbed Nora’s waist and started moving his hand up her back.

“Get
off
me!” She shoved against his chest, but Brady didn’t budge. Her heart was thundering, threatening to burst from her chest. Jimmy and Mark stepped in to complete the circle around her, blocking her chance of escape.

Her gaze darted from one guy to the next. All of them were big…mean looking…and, Nora thought, smelled a little like they’d been drinking. Then there was Brady, who didn’t look like he fit in with them at all.

Yet he was grinning at her as wickedly as the rest.

“She’s a feisty little vixen, isn’t she?” Jimmy crooned. Somebody pushed her – hard – and she slammed into Jimmy. He caught her, spun her around, and then wrapped his arms around her body, hugging her close to him.

“Why, I didn’t know you liked me so much,” he said crudely. All four of the guys laughed. She struggled to escape, but his grip was too strong. She looked to Brady for help, but he was laughing just as hard as the others.

“What should we do with her, Brad?” Jimmy squeezed her tighter against him. She tried to swing her head into his, to do
something
that would cause him to let up on his iron grip, but she was too short. Wait.
Brad
? Was that what these guys called him now? Jimmy finally let go, and she stumbled into the middle of the circle. All around her, hungry eyes stared at her body.

“I think she’s a good girl,” Brady said ominously, stepping closer to her. “So I think she’ll do whatever we say. Won’t you, Nora?” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the intimate gesture belied by his lecherous expression.

Nora shrank back. Her tormentors stepped even closer. She was trapped, with no way out. Another hand slapped her ass, and a roar of laughter erupted from the group. She tried to push down the bile creeping up her throat, but couldn’t swallow past the lump of fear. It threatened to choke her.

“Let’s get her shirt off,” Brady suggested. His friends laughed.

Cheers erupted in the distance, signaling the start of the pep rally.

Brady took another step toward her. Someone grabbed her arms from behind and held them tight. Nora struggled, trying to get out of the grip, but it was no use. There were four of
them
, and only one of
her
. Oh God, how could this be happening to her,
right here in the school
? And Brady, of all people, seemed to be their ring-leader. Her whole world was collapsing in on itself. She squeezed her eyes shut as terror threatened to strangle her.

“
Stop
.” A loud voice cut through the laughter.

Nora opened her eyes and found Hunter standing a few feet away, feet spread in an aggressive stance, staring right at them. All four of the guys glared at him.

“What did you say?” Brady’s tone was ominous as he rounded on Hunter.

“I told you to stop.” Hunter spoke simply, his voice deathly calm.

“Or
what
?” Brady glared at Hunter.

“Or I’ll make you.”

“Really?” Brady’s tone was incredulous. “Boys, this guy here thinks he’s going to
stop
us.”

That caused another roar of laughter from the three guys still surrounding Nora.

“We’re probably scaring his
girlfriend
,” Brady continued derisively. The words stung, despite everything that was happening, because they came from Brady.

“Hey, isn’t it that new kid?” The guy holding Nora squinted in Hunter’s direction. “Yeah, Brad, I think it is.”

“
And
you’re new?” Brady asked, walking right up to Hunter. “Well, new kid, I think you better get on your way. We wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.” He shoved Hunter in the chest. Hunter staggered back, but made no move to counter. Mark still held Nora’s arms twisted behind her. Pain radiated down her arms, and her shoulders screamed in protest.

Brady turned around, back to face Nora and his crew, satisfied that he’d dealt successfully with the nuisance.

But then Hunter spoke again, his calm monotone a stark contrast to the fire burning in his eyes. “Last chance,
Brad
. Tell your friends to back off.”

Brady spun around furiously and started toward Hunter. “Nobody ever calls me
Brad,
” he spat, “except for my teammates!” Without slowing his forward motion, he threw a punch at Hunter’s head.

Hunter stepped aside, easily avoiding Brady’s fist. Brady lost his balance and staggered forward. Hunter swept a foot out, tripping him. Brady’s momentum carried him to the floor.

Jimmy charged at Hunter. Just as he was about to slam his shoulder into Hunter’s side, Hunter raised a knee hard. Jimmy’s chest rebounded against it. He gasped, having the wind knocked out of him, and fell back to the floor.

Brady jumped up and aimed a sucker punch for the back of Hunter’s head. Nora screamed. Hunter twisted around just in time to block the blow with his forearm. Brady looked stunned for a moment, but that expression quickly turned to pain as Hunter clubbed him in the midsection with a fist. Brady fell down, clutching his stomach.

Growling, Mark released Nora’s arms and ran at Hunter. So did his friend. Nora collapsed to the floor, massaging her shoulders to relieve some of the pain. When she looked up half a second later, the guy she didn’t know had his hands at his face, trying desperately to stop the blood flowing from a vicious gash on his nose. Mark writhed on the floor, his features twisted with pain.

Hunter stood there over the four bodies. He didn’t have a scratch on him. He wasn’t even breathing hard!

Just then, Jimmy decided he hadn’t had enough yet. He got up and ran at Hunter from behind.

“Watch out!” Nora screamed, but Hunter just gracefully – majestically – swung his left leg back in a roundhouse kick. Hunter’s foot struck Jimmy in the jaw, and he collapsed heavily to the floor.

Hunter glanced at Nora before walking over to Brady, who lay face-down against the floor. Gruffly, Hunter kicked him over onto his back, dropped to one knee, and pinned both of Brady’s shoulders to the ground. Brady’s grimace suggested he was in enormous pain.

“Listen to me,
Brad
,” Hunter began, “I don’t want you doing that to her, or any other girl,
ever
again. Do you understand?”

Brady whimpered and nodded his head in agreement.

“In fact,
Brad
.” Hunter released one of Brady’s shoulders and pointed a finger at his face. “I don’t even want to so much as
hear
of you being in this part of the school again. Do I make myself clear?”

Brady kept nodding, over and over.
Are those tears running down his face?
Nora wondered. Hunter was hurting him.
Really
hurting him.

She had to end it.

“Stop it!” She tried to get up, to pull Hunter off, but her knees were weak and didn’t want to support her.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Hunter looked to her, sat back, and removed his other hand from Brady’s shoulder. Brady exhaled in relief, and weakly rolled to one side to cradle himself with his hands.

Hunter rose and stepped quickly over the bodies to approach Nora. Before she knew it, he had his hands gently under her arms, helping her up.

“Are you okay?” he asked, frowning with worry.

“Yes,” Nora answered. She looked at Brady lying on the floor. “Is he hurt?”

Hunter glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. “Not badly.”

“‘Not badly?’” Nora exclaimed. “He can barely move!”

Brady gave a weak cough.

“He had no right to treat you that way,” Hunter frowned. “You’re not worried about him, are you?”

“Of course I’m worried!” Nora cried out. “All of them are going to blame me for what you did, Hunter! They’re going to make my life a living hell!” Anxiety and stress and worry surged through Nora like a tidal wave. “I’m not going to be able to show my face at school again!”

“You can’t be complicit in things like this, Nora.”

“And you won’t be around to save me all the time, either!” It felt wrong, exploding at her rescuer like this, but her billowing emotions demanded a release. “What happens next time I’m alone, Hunter? I didn’t ask you to help me. You just made it worse!”

Hunter balked. “
I
made it worse?”

“Yes, you made it worse! You think they’ll go after you? They saw you fight. No way in hell. They’re going to wait until I’m alone and do the same thing, but even worse! You had no right to interfere. You had no right to do what you did!”

“And without me, Nora,” Hunter said quietly, “what would you have done?”

“I don’t know.” The tears she was struggling to control threatened to choke her, and she had to bite off the end of every word. “But I know I wouldn’t be terrified of being alone!” Her eyes began to water. She didn’t want Hunter to look at her with so much scrutiny. She felt like he was judging her.

She couldn’t take it.

So, she did the only thing she could think of. She balled her hand into a fist and swung it at Hunter’s stomach.

He made no move to get out of the way.

Her blow connected. It felt like she’d hit a concrete wall. The reverberation ran all the way up her arm, hurting her elbow, her shoulder,
and
her knuckles.

Hunter grunted. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

Nora slumped against her locker. Tear began to flow freely down her face.

Chapter Five

~Shock and Murder~

Nora ran home as soon as her legs were strong enough to carry her. She ran from the memory of Brady’s betrayal. She ran from the shame of exploding at Hunter.

Most of all, she tried to run from herself.

She slammed the door to her bedroom and turned the lock, then flung herself face down on the bed. She had to get away: away from her parents, away from her sister, away from her dog, away from everybody.