Chapter 20: Voice

“WHAT happened?” Justin asked Audrey as he gave her a towel to dry her clothes. “Did they hurt you?”

Audrey didn’t answer. She was so ashamed of herself, and at the same time, frustrated because of her weakness. Why didn’t Althea show up when those bullies were picking on her again? And what did she do to them to make them so mad at her? Audrey covered her face with her hands and started to cry.

She felt Justin’s hands wrapped around her shoulders. “Audrey…” he murmured and pulled her into an embrace. “I’m sorry; It was my fault. I should have fetched you at your house and walked with you here.”

Audrey doesn’t know what Justin is talking about, but it seems that he was involved with what happened between Althea and that woman. Whoever is that girl, and whatever Althea did to her to be mad at her like that, Audrey has to find out. This is getting worse as days go by. Audrey has to look for answers on how to manipulate Althea and control her emotions.

Audrey pulled away from Justin. He was so nice to her, but it didn’t change that Althea was getting in trouble whenever she was with him. Before her alter persona could do worse of whatever she has done, Audrey has to distance herself from Justin.

“I-I’ll go get new clothes,” she said and took a step away from the man.

“Where? You’re going home?” he asked in a knotted forehead. Audrey can see that Justin noticed her abrupt distancing.

Audrey shook her head. “No, I don’t want my mom to see me like this.” She wiped her tears in her eyes. She doesn’t want to avoid Justin because her feelings for him have bloomed, but she has to do this to fight her own battles with herself. “She might get hysterical if she found out that I was being bullied at school.” She scoffed and shook her head. “I’m so pathetic…” Tears pooled from the corner of her eyes. “I’m already twenty, but I still get bullied. I can’t even defend myself—” She broke down and cried. When Justin stepped forward and attempted to comfort her, she stopped him and took a step away. “Please, don’t pity me, Justin. And, you don’t have to give me comfort…”

She looked around the parking lot, bothered that students were watching them. Justin noticed her and took the step separating them. When she tried to step backward again, Justin held her hand to stop her.

“You can stop now, Audrey,” he said in his most soothing tone of voice. “I’m here now…I promised you that I wouldn’t leave you, right? I’ll stay on your side from now on.”

Audrey looked at him and drew her brows together. “You can’t do that. We’re in a different class,” she said and lowered her head. “Please, don’t be so kind to me, Justin.”

Justin’s hand slipped down her hand and intertwined their fingers. “I can’t do that, Audrey,” he murmured just on top of her head. “I can’t stop being kind to you because I like you.”

Audrey looked up at him and met his gaze. The man was looking in her eyes as if he could read her soul. She tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth.

Justin chuckled. “It’s okay. You don’t need to give me an answer now,” he said and lowered his head to kiss her cheek. “But please don’t distance yourself from me.”

Audrey doesn’t know what to say. This is the first time that somebody has confessed his feelings for him. Audrey grew up an introverted girl and seldom spoke with anyone because she always had this strange feeling that somebody was watching her every move. Since then, Audrey decided to distance herself from other people, except with her best friend, Rose.

“But I don’t want to bother you anymore, Justin,” she told him. “I don’t want to be a nuisance to anybody—”

“You’re not a nuisance, Audrey,” Justin cut off. “You’ll never be a nuisance for me.”

‘Bitch, he’s just fooling you…’ The voice inside her mind came back again. ‘He’s just curious in your case. Don’t forget that he’s a psychology student and being with you could help him excel in his field.’

Audrey lowered her head and tried her best to ditch the voice inside her mind. When Justin squeezed her hand, the voice disappeared.

“You okay?” he asked worriedly. “Are you feeling dizzy again?”

Audrey shook her head. “No, I-I need to change now. It’s starting to get cold.”

“Where are you going to get dry clothes?”

“I’ll wear my P.E. uniform,” she said and smiled. “It’s in my locker. I’ll just get it then change—”

“I’ll get it for you. Just stay here, okay?” Justin pinched her cheeks. “I don’t want you to walk around with wet clothes.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you here,” she said and sat on one of the waiting benches beside the parking lot.

“I’ll be quick,” he said and ran towards Building C, where the female lockers were located.

Audrey watched Justin walked away. As soon as he disappeared by the corner, the quiet and cold voice inside her head was back again.

‘What are you waiting for?’

Audrey ignored the voice by getting her phone, but the voice was getting louder than usual.

‘Go and find the bitch that did this to you, Audrey,’ the voice said to her. ‘You are not weak; you are strong. And you can make that bitch regret what she’d done.’

“No, I can’t—”

‘You can,’ the voice insisted. ‘You can if you could just lift your ass off the bench and find the bitch. Justin will take long at the locker because you forgot to tell him your locker number.’

Audrey clenched her fist. “I-I don’t want to—”

‘You’re a coward,’ the voice said. ‘Althea is much better than you because she can defend herself—’

Audrey stood on her feet. The voice grew louder inside her head when it said, ‘find the bitch and paint her bloody red.’

Audrey looked up and smirked. “I know where she is.”