Marked by my vacation fling

CHAPTER 5

As I stood there, staring at his deceitful face, all I wanted to do was punch him. He had gotten off easy the other night; I hadn’t touched him at all. I balled my fists at my sides as I turned to confront him directly.

“Take the hint, Abel. I’ve been ignoring your calls for a reason,” I said.

“Where are you staying? Mom told me you just grabbed your stuff and left. You don’t know anyone here, and you don’t have any money,” he replied.

“Yeah, you made damn sure of that, didn’t you?” I snapped back at him.

“Please? Can we just go somewhere and talk?” He asked.

“I can’t. I have somewhere to be right now.” I said, trying to walk away. But he grabbed my arm again to stop me from leaving. But I ripped my arm out of his grip. “Don’t f*****g touch me again.” I demanded through gritted teeth.

Abel noticed my anger and stepped back, but he stayed. “Please, I’m truly sorry for what happened,” he said.

Suddenly, I felt the bite on my neck throbbing. I reached up and placed my hand over it; it felt really hot, making me a little sick. I didn’t know what was happening.

“Are you alright?” Abel asked.

I managed to regain my composure and stood up straight to look at him.

“Leave me alone, Abel. I don’t want anything to do with you,” I replied.

“Nova, please just talk to me. I don’t want to lose you over a stupid accident,” he said.

“Didn’t you hear her? She wants you to leave her alone,” Adam interjected, stepping between us.

“f**k off, Adam. This has nothing to do with you,” Abel snapped.

“I don’t think so. She made herself very clear, and yet you still won’t leave her alone,” Adam retorted.

I was starting to feel dizzy again, my vision blurring, but I stood there, trying to pretend everything was fine. My neck was throbbing, and it felt like it was burning a hole through my shirt.

“I’ll find you later, Nova. We’re going to talk about this,” Abel said, finally walking away.

Adam turned to look at me, his expression indifferent.

“You were gone when I got home,” he said.

“I didn’t need you to come home and tell me to get out. So I left on my own,” I responded.

“Who said I was going to do that?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about me; I can take care of myself. I have a job interview,” I said, trying to walk around him, though my steps were unsteady.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, just not feeling well,” I replied.

“Maybe you should get some rest,” he suggested.

“I'll be fine. Perhaps you should check on your friends; that girl looks upset,” I said, glancing at them.

He looked back, then turned to me again. “Yeah, I guess so.” I walked away until I was out of sight, then paused against a building to collect myself, feeling a slight sweat and hoping I wasn’t getting sick.

I made my way to the diner, where the owner was ready for the interview. “I’ve seen your resume. It’s impressive, but many of your jobs overlap.”

“Yes, ma’am. I have usually held more than one job at a time,” I said.

“And you were going to high school at the same time?” she asked.

“That’s right. The same goes for now. I’m going to college, but I need to support myself,” I replied.

“Of course. That’s no problem. However, I don’t see an address listed here,” she noted.

“Oh, right. Sorry about that,” I said. I had to think quickly. I couldn’t tell her I was living in an abandoned cabin in the woods.

I provided her with Abel’s mother’s address, and she wrote it down. Otherwise, the interview went really well—so well that she hired me on the spot, and I could start work the following day.

I was incredibly grateful. I didn’t know what I would have done if I couldn’t find a job, but this was a great opportunity.

Finally, something was going right for me.

As soon as I left the diner, I called Rhea. While leaving out some details, I asked if it was alright for me to use her address as my own.

She was happy to help, and I was sure that no mail from the diner would be sent there. I just needed a temporary address to put down on paper—that was all.

After I finished my tasks, I went back to campus, where I had a couple of classes. Then, I headed straight to the library, sat down at a desk, and pulled out all the schoolwork assigned to me. I knew I had to finish it before leaving.

I couldn't work in the cabin at night because there was no light, so I got right to it. But I should have realized that my luck wouldn't last long. Soon, I heard a group of giggling girls enter the library. I looked up and saw that one of them was Macy.

Her laughter stopped when she saw me, and I noticed the cuts all over her face and arms and the bandage wrapped around her wrist. She glared at me as she approached with her friends.

“Unless you want to take another trip through a window, I suggest you walk away,” I said, returning my gaze to my books.

“The only reason you’re not in jail right now is that he said he would ruin my family if I had you arrested. But if you touch me again, I will definitely press charges,” she said through gritted teeth. I looked up at her.

“Who told you not to report me?” I asked, curious.

“The richest guy in town. His family owns most of the island,” her friend replied.

“Okay. I didn’t realize I needed to speak more slowly for you,” I said, my tone condescending. “I didn’t ask about his status. I asked who he was. A name would be helpful.”

“Adam,” Macy spat his name at me.

“Why would he care?” I asked, mostly to myself as I looked away from her.

“I don’t know. Maybe you’re sleeping with him and just making Abel feel bad for the fun of it,” Macy suggested.

“Oh, are you jealous?” I asked in a childish voice.

“How the hell can you attract any man?” she shot back, starting to walk away.

“Because of my charming wit,” I replied, glancing back at the book in front of me.

She paused to look at me for a moment before turning and leaving with her friends.

After finishing my work, I packed my bag and left the library, surprised to find it was already dark outside. I walked through town and slipped into the forest, ensuring I wasn't followed. Upon reaching the cabin, I sat against the back wall with my bag. I checked my phone, scrolling through my contacts, hesitating on one number before putting it down. I realized I hadn’t eaten in a while, but that would soon change with my new job.

I laid down, using one of my jackets as a pillow, and soon I started to hear the wolves howling again. This time, I sat up quickly because their howls sounded much closer than the night before. It seemed like they were right outside the cabin, and I could only hope they would move on and not decide to investigate.

My heart started pounding in my chest as I heard heavy footsteps on the cabin's porch. One of the wolves was just outside the front door, so I stayed quiet and tried to control my breathing, fighting back the panic. But then, it stepped off the patio and I heard it run back into the forest, away from the cabin.

I let out the breath I didn't realize I had been holding and laid back down. However, I knew it would be even harder to fall asleep now.