“So, why do you think Jesse loves you?” I asked, trying to distract her.

She smiled. “You wouldn’t want to hear why.”

“Of course I do. If something happened between you two, I should know about it. That would mean he lied to me.”

She studied me for a minute. I tried to look like I was genuinely worried about what she would tell me. I knew she would probably say the most horrible thing she could think of just to hurt me. I wouldn’t believe anything she might say.

“He told me he did,” she said quietly.

That wasn’t what I’d expected at all. I’d assumed that she would make up some story.

“When?”

“The first time was when we were just little. There was a boy at school who liked to pick on me. It was before I started taking up for myself. Jesse saw me crying on the playground, and he tried to make me feel better. He told me that he loved me and that he would always protect me, no matter what. Besides Andy, he was the first person to tell me that he loved me.”

My heart broke for her. It was obvious that her childhood hadn’t been that great. I knew I shouldn’t feel sorry for her, but I did.

“Ally, I think he meant that he loved you in a different way than you think. He loved you like a sister.”

She glared at me. “You have no idea what you’re talking about! Jesse loves me! He loves me, not you!”

I shrank back as she screamed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Yes, you did. You always try to hurt me, but you can’t. Jesse loves me, and he is mine!”

I crept closer to the kitchen and to my phone. “Ally, he loves you. I know he does. It just isn’t the way you want. He loves me. I know it hurts to hear that, but you need to understand. You’re obsessed with him, and it isn’t healthy.”

“He loved me until you came around. I knew as soon as I saw you on the beach with him that day that you would be trouble.”

“On the beach?” I asked.

“When he was teaching you how to surf. He was so caught up in you that he didn’t even notice me, but I was there. I’m always there.”

I felt a chill go down my spine. Ally’s obsession with Jesse wasn’t new. It wasn’t due to the fact that he’d left her in California. No, it was much older than that. If she had watched us that day, then she had been watching him before that, before I even knew him.

“I saw the way he touched you that day. I wanted to drown you in the ocean. Then, he started bringing you around. I tried to warn him about you, but he wouldn’t listen. I only wanted to protect him.”

“Ally, I would never hurt him.”

“You destroyed us.”

She closed her eyes, and I scooted closer to the kitchen. I was almost close enough to sprint to my phone.

“If you left, he would come back to me.”

“You can’t really believe that. You hurt him when you lied about being pregnant.”

“I know now that it was stupid to lie to him like that. Once I apologize to him, he’ll forgive me.”

“I don’t think so, Ally. You really hurt him.”

“I wouldn’t have had to do that if you hadn’t screwed everything up. Once you’re gone, he’ll need someone to help him get over you again, and I’ll be there. I’m always there when he needs me.”

“When I’m gone? I’m not going anywhere, Ally.”

She smiled. “Yes, you are.”

I was as close as I could get to the kitchen without tipping her off to what I was about to do. It was now or never.

“Oh, thank God! You’re home!” I said as I looked over her shoulder.

She spun around, thinking Jesse was behind her. As soon as she turned, I shot across the kitchen and grabbed my phone. I unlocked it and started to push Andy’s speed dial number when she plowed into me. I dropped to the floor, and my phone went flying across the room.

“No!” I shouted as I watched it land several feet away from where I was.

“You sneaky little bitch!” She climbed on top of me.

I thrashed around as I tried to push her off of me. I managed to grab her hair, and I yanked as hard as I could, making her scream in pain. It gave me the opportunity I needed to shove her away from me. As soon as I was free, I scrambled to my feet and ran for the door.

I almost made it. Just before I reached it, she tackled me from behind. My forehead slammed against the floor as I went down. Black dots danced in front of my eyes as I tried to crawl toward the door. I had to get away from her. If I didn’t—well, I didn’t want to think about what she might do.

“You’re not going anywhere!” She grabbed me and flipped me onto my back.

Her fist connected with my face, and the black dots became larger. I could barely see past them. I reached out blindly and tried to push her away.

She laughed as she slapped me across the face. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

“Please let me go, Ally. Please,” I begged.

“Why? So you can go running to Jesse to tell him what a mean, horrible person I am? I don’t think so.”

I felt like the world was spinning off its axis. My stomach lurched, and I fought to keep myself from throwing up. Ally’s fist connected with my face again, and I raised my hands to try to protect myself. She laughed at my feeble attempts as she delivered another blow. My eyes closed, and darkness took over.

I welcomed it. I’d do anything to escape the pain.

My head felt as if it was going to explode. I refused to open my eyes as pain shot through my forehead to the base of my skull. Everything was fuzzy. I took a deep breath as I tried not to cry out. I’d never felt such pain in my life.

I cracked one eye open to look around me. There was very little light in the room, but it still hurt to open my eye. I was in a room with no windows. Nothing was in the room, except for the floor lamp across from me.

Where am I?

I tried to remember how I’d ended up here, but I had no idea.

I was eating cereal, and then my mom called. What happened after that? Someone knocked on the door. Neighborhood kids were playing a prank. No, that wasn’t it.

Pain shot through my head, and I clenched my jaw as I waited for it to pass.

Danger…I tried to reach for my phone.

Ally’s face slammed into my mind like a hammer. I gasped as I finally remembered.

She came to the house and attacked me. I tried to escape, but she tackled me. I hit the floor, and then Ally hit me. Black dots. After that? Nothing. I must have blacked out.

I tried to stand, but something stopped me. I forced my eyes open to see that my legs were tied to a chair. My arms were tied up behind me. I am so fucking screwed. Ally was crazy, and I was alone and defenseless.

“It’s about time you woke up, princess.” Ally’s voice came from behind me.

I turned my neck to look for her, but I didn’t see her anywhere. Suddenly, she was beside me. She slapped me across the face, and I cried out in pain. The pain in my head increased until I couldn’t bear it anymore. I wanted to black out again. I’d do anything to escape that pain.

“How are you feeling?” she asked sweetly as she pulled a chair in front of me.

She must have grabbed it from somewhere behind me because there was definitely nothing in front of me.

“Like someone cracked my skull,” I spit out as I looked away from her.

She laughed as she raised her hand. “Guilty.”

“Let me go, Ally. Just walk away, and no one has to know what you did. You got your anger out. It’s over.”

“Oh, it’s far from over, dear Emma. I’m just getting started.”

There was a coldness to her voice that made me wonder if she would actually kill me. I looked up at her. As soon as I looked into her eyes, I knew she would kill me without a second thought. Her eyes were cold, and there was no kind of emotion behind them at all.

“Please let me go,” I quietly begged.

“But we’re just starting to have fun. Don’t you want to see everything else I have planned for you?”