Broken Bad Boy

HAILEY

The rich smell of leather assaulted my senses as I took the passenger seat. I guessed Remy loved luxury. I was not into cars, but I was sure this one had cost a fortune. It was a sleek black convertible, and it was smaller than Percie's. He assisted me with my seatbelt. Every time he came closer, I froze. There was something about Remy that I didn't feel every time I was with Percie.

Remy made me skeptical, no matter how good his intentions were.

I swallowed hard as I looked at my side.

"You're gonna collapse if you keep on holding your breath. I don't bite, Hailey."

"I-I know." I swallowed again.

"Are you cold?"

I shook my head. I didn't know why I was shivering. Maybe because it was raining outside? I guessed I was not comfortable around him because it had nothing to do with the temperature inside his car but the chill of distrust.-this was the only reason I could come up with.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He pulled up to the main road. The rain was still pouring heavily. The wipers worked fast against the windshield, and I could barely see what was ahead of us as we drove through the main road.

"I'm fine." My voice came out a pitiful whisper. I wrapped my arms around me. I wasn't wet, yet I felt I was soaking. My body turning to ice as chills seeped through me.

"Just relax. We'll be there in no time." The more he talked, the more he gave me a chill.

I was terrified of something I didn't understand that I could barely speak. How could I when Percie had been warning me to stay away from Remy, yet here I was. I'd never planned on talking to him, much less riding in his car, yet here I was. Cramps churned my gut. My pulse raced.

Percie's voice knifed right into my chest.

"S-stop the car."

"What?"

"I said stop the car!" I spat the overpowering fear out of me as I glared at him.

He looked shocked. "It's raining outside, Hailey."

"Just stop the car, Remy!"

"Is it because"

"Stop the car or I will jump." I didn't know what came into me, but I needed to get out of his car.

He pulled to the side of the road, still confused. "You can't find a ride around here."

"I'm gonna be fine." I pushed the door out.

"But I don't like the idea of you standing in the rain!" he yelled from his car.

As soon as I was out, the chilly air and rain assaulted me, almost knocked me down. My heart plummeted. I wrapped my things to my chest, but I was still shaking.

"Hailey!"

"Go away!"

"What's wrong with you? At least let me call you a cab. I will stay here until it arrives."

I started walking away from him, but his car kept following me. I could barely against the rain.

Then I ran.

I wanted to get away from him.

It was silent, nothing but the rain patting on the ground and the gust of chilly wind against my body.

I was soaking.

Dread and fear crept into my skin. I shivered further.

I cried for no reason. Tears and water filled my eyes, making my vision blur.

I pitied myself. There was a part of me that I couldn't just shut off-the part of me that I wished it died with my brother-this horrible feeling that laughed at me, taunting me.

I jumped and shrieked to the car halted in front of me. I stumbled, coiling myself into a ball, crying, shaking, as I begged it to stop.

"Hey, hey. It's me. Stop, stop, it's just me." That voice. That voice sounded familiar. These hands were holding me, the smell, the warmth of his touch, and his embrace.

"Sweetheart, calm now. I'm here now," she whispered into my ear. His voice soothed me.

But still, my body kept shaking. This time, it was from the cold. Slowly, I opened my eyes and allowed myself to calm. "P-Percie?"

"Yes, it's me, Sweetheart."

I wrapped my trembling arms around him, my hands grasping onto him. I felt lifted off the ground, then deposited in his car. "H-how-?"

"You're shaking. No more talking. I need to warm you up." He was talking, but I could sense the anger, regrets, and anguish in his voice.

I knew he wanted to scream, hit something, blame someone or himself, but he chose to swallow the boiling up rage down.

Once we were inside the car, without a word, he wrapped me with his jacket and the coat I left earlier. If he was the old Percie, he could be yelling at me right now, shoving it to my face how stupid I was, and I'd rather hear it from him than keeping it in his chest until he exploded.

I blinked up the tears swimming in my eyes.

He steered the car toward the familiar road in eerily silence.

We arrived at the apartment building. He didn't put me down even if I insisted on walking to our apartment. He still hadn't spoken a word.

I sat on the chair, waiting for his instructions. The faucet in my bathroom squeaked.

A few moments later, he came in. He was also wet, but he didn't seem to care. "Percie "

He shushed me. "Let me get you out of your clothes before you catch colds." "I can do it myself."

"Let me help you, Lee." His voice was calmer than the ocean, and it was scaring me.

I let him do what he wanted, leaving me vulnerable for him. I started to shiver, but this time, not of fear, but his gaze and scrutinizing stare. As he watched me while he dropped every piece of clothing I had, his eyes traveled as well. When I was only on my pair of underwear, he stopped. He looked taken aback as soon as he realized that I was watching him all this time.

He swallowed and blinked off to whatever he had in mind while stripping me. "Let's get you in the tub."

I went in silently.

"Call me if you need anything."

"You might wanna join me or at least change to something dry."

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"I'll be fine."

I soaked myself for a while. If Percie didn't come on time, I didn't know what happened to me. What was I thinking in the first place riding with Remy? Or walking alone in heavy rain.

I wiped my tears, thinking how so helpless I was. If I did not meet Percie, if I was just stronger like anybody else, I wouldn't have been so powerless like this.

Thump. I startled.

Thump

Thump

I quickly got off the tub and wrapped the towel around my chest.

"Fuck!"

"Stop! Stop it!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Damn it!" Another punched on the wall.

"I said stop!"

He froze, rested his head against the wall he punched and breathed heavily.

"What did the wall do to you this time?"

Percie turned to face me and swallowed hard. His eyes narrowed, filled with pain, anger, and guilt.

His jaw clenched. His nose flared. Well, his knuckles were bloody busted.

"You turned me down, Percie. Every time you're mad, you hit something. Poor thing, if they could only scream in pain. That's exactly how you feel, but instead of opening up to me, you used your fist." He couldn't look at me anymore.

"I was dying to talk to you, but you kept on cutting me off. I could feel it in my bone that you're struggling, that you're boiling inside, and I was waiting for you to yell at me how stupid I was for leaving my coat behind." That was how finally meet my gaze. "It was my fault."

"None of these is your fault. I promised your mother that I'll take care of you, not leaving you at school."

"Just for a second, forget about my mother because the last time I checked, I was an adult, and I could decide on my own and do what I want." My eyes started to burn again.

"How could I? When I promised I would give you rides, but I broke that promise. And then I tried calling you, and you didn't pick up until my phone battery drained. I was driving fast just to get back to you, but still, I ran late. And I found-" He blinked back the tears and pursed his lips when they trembled. "I couldn't go through that again—"

"Through what again, Percie?" My brows knitted. My heart broke for him. "Per-chee!"