Manipulate
Chapter Fifteen

I look down at the ground. I don’t know where to start. There’s so much I could say, but there’s so much I can lie about. I broke and I hate to admit it. There was just too much going on inside my head.

“Abhaya, if you don’t know what to start with, tell me what happened earlier,” Theo whispers.

I glance up at Theo. I press myself against the wall. But Theo still holds my hand.

“Nick and Peter abducted me when I went to go use the bathroom. Nick was giving Peter orders to grab me and tie me.” I show him the marks on my wrist as I explain. “Peter grabbed me and him and Nick took me to a storage closet down the hall. Nick told me that I mean nothing to this unit and that I should go back home,” I say, almost choking on the last words.

Theo looks at me with his ocean blue eyes. “What’s so terrible about home?” he asks, his voice is low in a whisper.

I shake my head, embarrassed. “My dad remarried a woman named Donatella. She treated me like shit. She hurt me physically and emotionally,” I choke out. “Sorry if I’m being dramatic,” I apologize. I wipe the remaining tears from my face with the tips of my fingers.

“Abhaya, you’re not being dramatic. Sometimes you just have to cry to let it all out,” Theo reassures me. “I get it. You’re new here and there’s a lot to adjust to.”

I squeeze Theo’s hand tighter. He rubs his thumb across my hand gently. The tears want to fall. But I won’t let them. I shake my head.

“It’s not that.” My voice cracks. “It has nothing with being new to TID, I swear.”

“You can cry if you want to, Abhaya. It’s just me and you in here,” Theo whispers.

I pull my knees up to my chest and stay quiet. The pain is killing me. I want to let it out but I can’t.

Theo drops my hand. He shifts over to where I’m sitting. Theo puts an arm around my shoulders and holds me. I resist the urge to lean against his chest, but I feel my insides crumbling down. My head lays on his chest as my breath hiccups.

The tears stream down my face. Theo shushes me and strokes my hair.

When the tears are all done. My eyes feel puffy and red. My cheeks sting from the salty tears.

“Do you feel better now?” Theo asks.

“I feel better. Thank you,” I say.

“You’re welcome. If you ever need to talk, I’m always open. You can also talk to Rae, Max or Alia.”

Theo walks out of the shower room, leaving me in the bathroom to clean myself up. Once I look presentable and my eyes aren’t so puffy, I head back out into the dorm.

If Nick and Peter are out there, I am ready for what they have to throw at me.