53. Disaster pageant pt. 5

Lydia's throat bobbed. Hands nervously balling into fists at her sides as she stood there, staring at him from across the room. She'd been avoiding him. Avoiding that dark truth that had been burdening her for a while now. She was so scared to tell him. But she knew that she had to. It was the only way she could warn him to protect himself, now that the cat was out of the bag. Now that her parents knew. She had to be brave for once. For herself and him.

*I have to do this*, she told herself. She had to. No matter how much it hurt or scared her. No matter how much it was going to destroy her. And him.

*I love you, Lydia...* She could hear the ghost of those words whispering themselves into her ear even now, the memory of them making her throat close off and her heart hurt. Why? Why did it have to be him? Why did they have to fall in love with each other like that? Why couldn't she keep it casual like her friend Lucy, or other girls from her school? She already knew the answer to that question though. It had been hammered into her brain by Mike so many times before. She was just too stupid. Too stupid to go to a normal college, too stupid to get by on her own, too stupid for life in general. And too much of a coward to even dare get out from under her mother's thumb.

But it didn't matter now. She'd already been caught in a lie. And she was bound to get punished anyway. So what did it matter if they saw her with him now? She was fucked either way. She could at least go down doing this one brave thing for him. One first and last act of courage.

She slowly exhaled, closing her eyes for a mere moment. Her heart was practically jumping inside her chest. But she paid no heed.

And once her eyelids had fluttered open again she was already making her way straight towards him, her strides fast and determined. She could see that look into his eyes, that smouldering and yearning look glinting in them as soon as he noticed her approaching.

But he stood there. Steady. Waiting. Hands shoved deep into his dress pants' pockets. Visibly restraining himself. Looking like he was about to grab her and kiss her the very moment she reached him.

But sadly, that didn't happen. She didn't even get to utter a single word to him.

Because in the very second that she stopped right in front of him a feminine silhouette suddenly appeared from behind his back, her painted lips displaying that cold and merciless smile that she had witnessed so many times before. Right before uttering those few damning words.

"Hello, conejito (little rabbit). Long time no see,"

Her stomach plummeted. Blood freezing in her veins. She wasn't even sure that her heart was beating anymore as she continued to stare at that familiar face. She stood right between them now, her malevolent gaze fixated on her.

She felt strangled. Her stomach clenching as if she were about to throw up from the onslaught of crippling fear and despair. And the very moment she dared look at Julian's face that horrifying sense of despair only intensified, witnessing that torrent of emotions glinting in his blue eyes as they shifted between her and his mother. Rage. Disbelief. Hurt. Betrayal. Sorrow. Grief. It was all crammed up in there. Brimming in his gaze. And she wanted to cry. She just wanted to curl up in a dark corner and cry until she died. Until her body gave out.

She'd thought that she'd suffered before. But it was nothing compared to this. To what she was feeling right now. It felt like a pack of wolves had just torn her body open and left her to bleed out. Like her world had just ended. Her very life.

She wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Erase her from existence.

"*And now, ladies and gentlemen..*."

The grating and very loud screech of a microphone had them all suddenly wincing uncomfortably, all gazes unintentionally shifting to the wooden podium serving as a stage that laid just a few feet away from them.

Horror gripped at Lydia's body as soon as her eyes landed on the two males flanking Connie's sides, one of them holding the microphone that they had previously stolen from the poor and visibly confused woman.

"We are so sorry for this sudden interruption, but we have an announcement to make," it was Mason the one who spoke. Lydia's throat immediately closed off.

"There is a criminal amongst us," he continued with anger and conviction, earning a few gasps from the people surrounding them. Poor Connie looking equally startled as she looked between them.

"A dangerous person who should not have the right to attend this pageant, and yet here he is, despite of what he did to us, his violent nature," he roared into the microphone and Lydia's ears started to ring, her gaze momentarily shifting to Julian. Noticing the way his fist clenched at his side as he looked towards the stage.

The two males still had bandages covering their noses, their eyes surrounded by purple circles as a result of their still healing operations.

"Because of him we have failed to attend many of our rehearsals, resulting in our inability to take part in this competition," the male roared again. The girl visibly flinched, few tears starting to make their journey down her face.

"And that person, that criminal is called Julian Hale!"

That had the people around them erupting into a buzzing murmur. Some of them glancing his way with curious and judging stares. He didn't move. Didn't even flinch.

"He should-"

"You sick fuckers!" Lydia's body jolted at the sound of Lucy's unmistakable shrill voice suddenly covering the entire room.

Her widened eyes darted right back to the stage, noticing that furious look on Lucy's face as she glowered between the two males.

"Why don't you go ahead and tell us all why he did that to you, huh? The real reason why he beat the crap outta you!" She cried out loud. No. Oh god, please no. More tears started to stream down Lydia's face as she could only stare in utter horror at the unfolding disaster.

"That he did that to your faces because you were trying to rape his girlfriend!" Lucy roared with desperation at both males, visible tears trailing down her cheeks as well. Connie fainted right then and there, falling on that stage with a dull thud.

Lydia felt like throwing up. Her ears were already ringing, her poor heart pumping so wildly inside her chest. She was sweating and shaking at the same time, barely aware of the world around her.

"You fucking sick bastards! You deserved that, and many times over for what you've tried to do to my friend!" Lucy continued to desperately shout at them, even giving Mason a hard shove.

"Admit it! Admit what you fucking did!" She wailed between sobs and tears, giving him a harsh slap over the cheek.

The crowd gasped again.

"She made us do it," it was Jeff the one who finally blurted that out, his whole face red and visibly guilty.

"It was that lady, the one dressed in red!"

Julian's body froze the very moment he noticed the person that asshole number two was pointing at from his spot on the stage.

The person standing right next to him. The horrible monster of a woman. The cruel and heartless bitch. His own mother.

Rage like he'd never felt before in his entire life filled his veins as he slowly turned to stare at her with a deadly look on his face.

The bitch even had the audacity to smirk in reply.

"What? You thought that I wouldn't play with your newest little toy? That I wouldn't notice?"

He immediately felt as if he'd been jabbed in the gut at the sound of that, his insides twisting unpleasantly. He felt like hurling his guts out as gears turned inside his mind, working through what she had just said.

She was the one who had orchestrated this. Everything. She'd coerced those two assholes to rape Lydia. And then to make a scene here, in front of everybody. Where they could humiliate him whilst she laughed her ass off.

"I saw that look in your eyes, Jose Julian," His eye twitched at the sound of that name rolling off her filthy tongue.

"The way that you looked at her that day in the mall like a fucking sick puppy in love," she jeered with that annoying spanish accent of hers, looking back at him with nothing but contempt.

His brows furrowed for a moment before realization dawned upon him as he suddenly remembered the day that she was talking about.

It was the second time he'd ever laid eyes upon Lydia. She happened to stumble into the clothing store his bitch of a mom had dragged him to, forcing him to spend time with her and watch her try on those stupid dresses when he saw Lydia entering that place with her mom. He'd remained concealed back then, not really wanting to draw any attention on himself as he was very much aware that the bitch was constantly watching his every move, like always. Waiting for him to show any ounce of emotion.

"You were drooling all over her, staring from beneath your little hood like some fucking maniac," she taunted with a snarl. He was shaking with fury now, the sounds of Lydia's small and sickening sobs coming from somewhere close to him only adding fuel to that despairing sensation bubbling up within him.

He'd almost failed to notice that no other sounds could be heard from around them. Or that his father had approached his side.

"You're fucking sicker than I thought, Reenie," he heard his father comment with disapproval and even a hint of disgust, unfortunately only making the bitch roar right back at him in spanish,

"El es mi hijo! Y yo puedo hacer con mi hijos lo que me da la gana! (He's my son! And I can do whatever I want with my children!)"

"You're fucking sick," was his only reply, along with a mild shake of his head.

But Julian's body still vibrated with all those twisting emotions, even bordering on the brink of insanity as he stared at his mother with all that he harboured for her. Loathing. Hurt. Betrayal. Disbelief. Sorrow. There had been a part of him, tiny as it was that had refused to believe that his mother, his own mother would stoop so low. Be this cruel to him. To the innocent girl who was now crying just a few steps away from them.

"Why?" Was his only question. A single tear slipping from the corner of his eye as he searchingly peered between hers. Futilely looking for the answer. Why would she fucking do it? Why commit such vile act? For what?

"Because she is making you weak!" She growled out with the wrath of a thousand lionesses.

He fought not to flinch. Eyes widening as he stared back at her with utter disbelief. Incredulity.

"Even now. Look at you! You're fucking shaking like a scared perro (dog)! And for what? For a piece of culo (ass)? A piece of virgin little cunt?"

"What did she do to you, huh? Is that hole so good you're losing your fucking shit?"

A round of outraged gasps resounded at the sound of her jeering and filthy words, along with Lydia's whimpers. He'd even noticed her parents standing somewhere close behind her, their expressions equally shocked and outraged.

"Or is she actually letting you fuck her in the ass too?" She let out a sickening laugh. Julian's teeth gnashed with hot, brimming anger.

"I mean, I could understand why-"

The sound of a gun clicking abruptly ended her sentence, that smile faltering from her lips.

Loud and terrified screams suddenly burst from all around them, people trampling each other in their hurry to vacate the spacious salon.

Several minutes passed, the filthy scum of a woman standing frozen beneath Julian's gun. The gun that he had stealthily snatched from the back of his father's dress pants and was now holding pressed against his mother's forehead.

"Julian-" he swiftly interrupted the sound of that voice with a bullet shot towards the ceiling, earning himself an audible squeal.

The salon was bare now. Save for himself and his enchantress, along with their dearest parents.

The whore hissed as he placed that barrel back against her forehead, pure hatred glinting in her brown eyes as she stared back at him. And then she started to laugh.

Everybody suddenly stared at her as if she'd lost a marble, the bitch laughing her ass off as she continued to look up at her son.

"Pathetic. Even now you can't even-"

Bang! The gun fired again.

A loud and horrified scream followed, and then nothing. Complete and utter silence.