I Spun the Bottle

I Spun the Bottle: Chapter Twenty-Three

I Spun the Bottle: Chapter Twenty-Three

Song for this chapter: “Fine By Me” by Andy Grammer

          My eyes were wide open as I stared at Taylor with shock beyond belief. I knew she was crazy, and I knew she was a blackmailing witch…but I did not think she would actually lay her hands on me.

          I brought my right hand up and cupped my left, tingling cheek. I wanted to say something…but I didn’t even know where to start. Tears were beginning to build up from the sting, and I tried to blink them away. The one thing I didn’t want to do was to cry in front of her and David.

          That would only make her feel like she was better than me. And I wasn’t about to give her that satisfaction.

          “Taylor!” David hissed suddenly. He was just as shocked as me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

          The blonde didn’t flinch from David’s outburst; instead, she just smirked at me. The look she gave me boiled my blood. I wanted to retaliate. I wanted to slap her back. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. No matter how much I hated Taylor and all the crap she put me through, I just couldn’t bring myself to slap her, or lay a finger on her. I wasn’t about to stoop to her level.

         “I told you to stay away from him, didn’t I?” Taylor ignored David, and placed her icy eyes on me. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, nerd.”

        “What?” David turned to look at his girlfriend with disbelief. “You’re the reason why Lyn’s been avoiding me?”

          She shrugged, finally looking towards him. She looked bored. “Yeah, why? It’s not like it’s a big deal anyway.”

          A muscle in David’s jaw jumped as he grounded his teeth together. “It’s not your place to tell Lyn who she can and can’t hang out with, Taylor.”

          “I can do whatever the hell I want.” Taylor snapped. I could tell that she was beginning to get annoyed with him.

         David looked angry…maybe pissed. And I knew that this was time for me to intervene. “Stop, David,” I said, sending him a meaningful look. “You don’t want to do something you’ll regret.”

          I turned towards Taylor. “I’ll stay away from him,” I told her, finally releasing my cheek.

          If this was what it was going to take to leave me alone, then this was what I was going to do. Besides, Taylor was David’s girlfriend, and it’s normal for her to get jealous…right?

          “You better,” she warned. She scowled at me, and I leveled my eyes with the floor, feeling a little more than intimidated. “Next time, it won’t just be a slap.”

          I nodded. My cheek burned. And saying that my feelings were hurt was such an understatement. Taylor slapped me publicly…she degraded me…in front of my house and in front of David. And what was I doing in return?

          Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

          “Lyn,” David’s voice made me jump a little. He had been quiet for a while that I almost forgot he was here. “Are you alright?”

          I wanted to give him a reassuring smile, but I couldn’t. Not just because Taylor was here, giving both of us a death glare, but because I wasn’t alright. I tried to shrug my shoulders indifferently. “I’ll be fine.” My voice sounded dense, hard like I had just gargled a mouthful of nails.