Chapter 6
Jasmine's POV
"He didn't come down today either?" Russo, Hardin's father asked as we sat down to have dinner in the dining hall.
I saw my mother shrug but knew that she would be upset the most because she was trying her hardest to reach out to Hardin and I hated Hardin even more.
Today at school, he had publicly embarrassed me after one of his friends had lied and said I could sit with them at their table since I was Hardin's family.
Well, I couldn't blame them. I blamed myself for being naive and thinking that the order had come from him directly when he didn't even want to go to school or come back with me.
I shivered as I remembered the confused look in his eyes when he saw me there before it turned to rage. Pure unadulterated rage.
"What is this thing doing here?" He had asked and no one, not even Alex, his friend who had invited me to the table could stand up for me and explain to them that I was not there of my own accord.
But then again, Hardin was the king of the school. Everyone was scared of him.
"Perhaps he will join us another time then." Russo said, giving my mother a sympathetic smile that held so much love, I was jealous.
I wanted to experience a love like the one they had. And I wished Hardin could see how sincere they were and just stop with all of the theatrics.
"Thank you my love. Let's eat." My mum replied, kissing his cheek and squeezing his hand which caused his smile to widen.
What was there to not like about them?
I wanted to be loved like that. I wanted to be serenaded and have my happily ever after just like my mother had.
"So, tell me. How is school? Hope Hardin is not giving you so much trouble?" Russo asked and I choked on the water that I was drinking.
How was I going to answer this without lying? Because I was a terrible liar.
And there was no way I could tell him about what Hardin had really been up to.
About how he had vowed to make my life a living hell despite his father's warning.
About how he brought girls home to have sex with them.
About how I had seen his son's penis.
My face turned red as I remembered how he had held Dahlia down with so much control, it was obvious that he had done it a million times before.
Rubbing my back, my mum looked at me with concern and I cleared my throat and feigned a smile.
"Are you okay?" She asked and I quickly nodded.
"I'm sorry. Did the question upset you that much?" Russo asked and I shook my head so fast, I hoped he didn't see through my lie.
"He isn't bothering me." I answered, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from adding the 'yet'
Because the truth was that I knew Hardin had plans for me. And none of it was good.
"He isn't particularly welcoming yet, but with time, I'm hoping he is." I added and Russo smiled.
"I'm sure he will. He has always been a hard headed kid but he'll come around. I'm positive he will."
I wasn't positive one bit but I smiled and nodded.
The proof that Hardin wasn't anywhere close to welcoming me into the family was waiting for me on my bed as I came out of the shower later at night.
I screamed so loud, running to the door and panting until I realized that if I didn't stop shouting, my mother would hear and come over to find out what was wrong.
Looking at the lock on the door, I wondered how he had gotten in because I was sure that I had locked it.
Or had I not?
The dead rat on the bed with a note written in blood of what was possibly the rat's, that said 'Welcome to the family' was more than enough evidence that Hardin had been in my room.
It hadn't been there when I got back from the dining hall, so it had to be when I was in the bathroom.
Had he entered the bathroom?
Had he seen me naked?
No, I couldn't afford to think that he did. Hardin hated me. He wouldn't want to see someone that he hated naked, would he?
Shaking my head, I took deep breaths, counting backwards from ten to one continuously, all in an attempt to calm down before I started to think of what to do.
I couldn't confront him.
No. That would be playing directly into his hands and I had learned more than once, that I would never win in a physical confrontation with Hardin Morales.
He was the reason why the word intimidating was created.
How could someone so handsome be so ruthless?
Picking up my phone, I dialed Nadia and she picked up on the first ring.
"Yo, Jazz, what's good?" She sounded like she was about to sleep.
"What is good is that Hardin kept a dead rat on my bed with a note in blood."
"The fuck? Are you serious? Let me see it!"
Quickly changing the call to video, I tiptoed closer to the bed and she screamed.
"That is nasty. How did he get into your room? You didn't lock your door?"
"I did. Or I'm sure that I did" I replied, moving back to stand by the door.
It was almost comical that I was standing in my bedroom, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around my chest like a stranger.
"Have you told your mum about it?" She asked, her eyes wide and looking very far from the sleepy person I had dialed.
The news was enough to stir someone awake.
"No." I whisper-yelled.
The last thing I needed was to report Hardin and have him more mad at me.
His dad thought the threats had worked and the last thing I wanted was to make matters even worse for myself.
"So, how are you going to get that out of your bed or do you not plan to sleep on the bed tonight?"
"I'll find a way around it, but I doubt I'll be sleeping on that bed tonight."
Eyeing the couch, I knew that I would be sleeping there, if at all I was able to get any sleep after what had happened.
First thing tomorrow, I was going to request that the lock on my room be changed with immediate effect.
"Alright, let me know if anything else happens, alright? Sleep with one eye open. That boy's a menace." She said and when she nodded, I hung up and stared at the mess on my bed.
There was a knock on my door and I flinched.
"Who is it?" I squeaked, hurrying to find a paper bag when I heard my mother's response from behind the door.
This was the worst timing in the history of timings.
"Give me a minute." I screamed, taking a deep breath and forcing down the urge to scream more as I removed the rat and the bloodied paper, then hid it inside a nylon bag beside my bed. Before removing the bed covers and placing it in the laundry basket.
Rushing to my wardrobe to get a robe, I took a deep breath and finally opened the door.
"Oh, you were in the bathroom. Is this a wrong time? I can always come back later." She said and I shook my head with a smile that was probably too wide, it could be suspicious. Then I moved aside for her to enter.
Her eyes moved to my bed and she looked at me, with her brows raised.
"What happened to your bed covers, Jasmine?"
I was resisting the urge to scream at her that her step son dropped a dead rat and a bloodied note welcoming me to the Morales family.
"I stained my bed. Period! You know how it can be." I blurted and when she nodded, I heaved a sigh of relief and gestured towards the couch.
"Oh no, I'm not here to take a lot of your time. I know how much stress I have put you through with this marriage and I'm so glad that you have been so understanding. I feel like we have not hung out much since we moved. You know, just me and you. And so I wanted to ask if you would go to lunch with me. Whenever you're free, of course."
I nodded with a smile, reaching out to hug my mother and reminding myself that no matter what Hardin thought, she was the sweetest person in the world.
She was not an opportunist and neither was I.
"Anytime is fine, mum." I told her and she nodded, kissing my cheek.
"Alright then. I'll leave you to it. Goodnight my love."
I waved at her as I closed the door and immediately I turned around, my smile faded because I knew that this was just the beginning of Hardin's antics.
I dreaded what was going to happen next.