Manipulate

“What are you doing?” A voice barks.

Nick stops and lets my lips go. But his hands still remain on my shoulders. I attempt to shrug them off but his grip only tightens causing me to feel pain. I wince under the harsh action.

“I said, ‘What the hell are you doing?’” the voice asks again in a harsher tone.

“I just was kissing her,” Nick explains.

“Then explain to me why she was shrugging you off then,” the voice says.

“I don’t know. She might’ve liked it until you interrupted us,” Nick spits out.

The man steps closer to Nick. It’s Max.

“Well I know a thing or two about women. And if she is shrugging you off or she is showing any sign of discomfort then you stop,” Max explains to Nick.

“Let me go,” I command after Max leaves.

Nick looks at me. He smirks and shakes his head. Nick leans into me again. I pull back. He doesn’t understand that I’m not okay with this. I know I shouldn’t do this but I do it anyway. I take my bow and jam it into his stomach. Nick clenches his stomach and screams.

“You son of a bitch!” Nick yells out.

I don’t drop my bow and arrow. I hold onto it and run toward the door. I throw open the door. The arrow is still loaded in the bow.

I run into someone in the hall. The person stumbles back. “Woah!” He says.

I rub my forehead from the impact. I look at the person I just ran into.

“Sorry,” I quickly apologize.

“It’s fine. But why were you running?” He asks.

“Nick kissed me and I didn’t want him to. I told him to stop. But he didn’t. So, then I hit him and ran,” I explain.

He points to the bow and arrow. “Why do you have that then?” He questions.

“Oh. Um...” I start. “I forgot to put it down and I felt threatened,” I say. He nods and buys the story.

“Abhaya, why were you in the training room anyway?” he asks.

“I don’t want to talk about that. It’s more of a personal reason.”

“Oh, okay. Come back to the dorms with me then,” he says.

“Why would I walk back with you? It’s a dark hallway and for starters I might not even know you,” I say. He laughs.

“Abhaya, come on you can trust me.”

“Okay, for starters you’re scaring me. Because you’re saying that I can trust you to take me back to the dorms when one of the boys in there just kissed me,” I point out. I hear him sigh.

“Abhaya, it’s me, Theo.”

“Sorry, Theo. I guess I’m a little skittish around people.”

“It’s fine. I get it. You’re still adjusting to the new surroundings and people. And I respect that,” Theo says. “Come on let’s go back to the dorms. We’re playing truth or dare.”

I laugh. “Is this what you guys always do?”

“More or less so. Yeah,” Theo says. He adds a smirk at the end.

Theo holds out a hand. I accept the offer as I lay down my bow.