CHAPTER SEVEN
NADIA
Jack had not shown up at school the day after Sandro attacked him, and that was really unlike him. I waited to see if he would show up the day after that, but he didn’t, and that got me worried. I could barely concentrate in class, as I kept on looking outside, hoping he would show up, but he didn’t. Samantha, my friend, had noticed my behavior in class and sought to know why.
“You look lost. What's wrong, Nadia?”
"I'm fine," I lied, trying to sound convincing.
"You've never been a good liar, Nadia," she reminded me, her eyes narrowing with concern. "You're worried about Jack, right?" she probed further.
There was no point in pretending it wasn’t about him, so I just nodded my head in affirmation.
"I think you should ask him," she said to me, pointing towards Mark, Jack's best friend in college.
"Thank you," I said. I had never spoken to Mark before, so I didn't know what to expect as I walked towards him. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my palms were sweaty with nerves.
"Hey, Mark," I said as soon as I got to him.
"What do you want?" he asked, not even looking up from his book. He sounded blunt, and I didn't know if I should carry on with my question.
But I was determined to know what was wrong with my friend, so I carried on.
"I just want to ask if you've heard from Jack. He wasn't in school yesterday, and he still didn't show up today," I said, trying to sound casual.
Instead of responding to me, he kept his eyes on the book on his desk, pretending not to have heard me.
"Please, Mark, I just want to know if he's okay," I pleaded with him, my voice shaking.
"I don't want any trouble with your boyfriends, so please leave me alone," he said, still not looking at me.
"Boyfriends?" I asked as if the word sounded strange to me.
"Yes, your boyfriends. Because of you, my friend is stuck at the hospital. Because of you! Stay away from him!" he said, nearly yelling at me. Without speaking further, he walked away, leaving me looking lost.
I stood there, stunned and hurt. Without thinking much, I knew he was talking about Alex and Sandro. I was hurt that Jack had to go through pain because of me. I tried to find out from Mark what hospital he was admitted to, but he wouldn't say a word to me.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. I couldn’t focus on my classes, and even Samantha’s attempts to cheer me up fell flat. I kept replaying Mark’s words in my head, over and over, trying to make sense of what had happened.
After school, I decided to go to the local hospital. It was a long shot, but I had to try. But first, I had to avoid being seen by Sandro and Alex. I was sure they were looking for me so we could leave school together as it had become the norm. I hid where I was sure they wouldn't find me. After a few minutes, I walked out, convinced that they were gone.
I walked a few blocks to the hospital, my mind racing with worry, thinking about what to say to him. When I got there, I went straight to the front desk.
"Hi, I'm looking for Jack. Jack Mason. He might have been admitted here recently," I said to the nurse, my voice trembling slightly.
The nurse looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry, but I can't give out patient information. Are you family?" she asked.
"No, I'm just a friend," I admitted, feeling defeated.
She sighed. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."
I nodded and walked away, feeling even more anxious than before. As I was about to leave, I saw Mark in the hallway. He was talking to another nurse, and I could see the worry etched on his face. Gathering my courage, I approached him again.
"Mark, please. I just need to know if Jack is okay. I don't want to cause any trouble," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
He looked at me for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. He's here. Room 204. But don’t expect a warm welcome," he said before turning and walking away.
“Thank you,” I said, a bit relieved. It didn't matter if he was going to accuse me like Mark did; I just wanted to be sure he was okay.
I hurried to room 204, my heart pounding in my chest. When I got there, I hesitated for a moment before knocking gently on the door.
“Come in,” a weak voice called from inside.
I opened the door slowly and saw Jack lying on the bed, looking pale and exhausted. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me.
"Nadia? What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"I was worried about you," I said, stepping closer to his bed. "Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?"
He sighed. "I didn’t want you to worry. It’s not your fault, Nadia. Alex and Sandro... they were just looking for a fight, and I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"But Mark said it was because of me," I said, tears welling up in my eyes.
Jack shook his head. "No, it wasn’t your fault. They are just bullies looking for trouble. I’m glad you came, though. I’ve missed you."
I sat down in the chair next to his bed, feeling a mixture of relief and guilt. "I’ve missed you too. I’m so sorry, Jack."
He reached out and took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don’t be. I’ll be okay. Just promise me you’ll stay away from them."
"I promise," I said, squeezing his hand back. Deep down, I knew there was no getting away from them.
We sat in silence for a while, just holding hands. It felt good to be there with him, even if the circumstances weren’t ideal.
"How long do you have to stay here?" I asked after a while.
"Just a few more days, hopefully," he said. "The doctors want to make sure I’m healing properly."
"I’ll come visit you every day," I promised.
He smiled weakly. "I’d like that."
I stayed at the hospital with Jack, till it was time to leave, and just a few steps away from the gate, a car pulled in front of me.
Sandro and Alex jumped down, and at that instant, my instinct pushed me to run. Before my legs could move, they gripped me.
“Did you go to visit that scumbag?”
I pretended like I did not hear them, as I did not want to cause any more trouble for Jack.
“Let me go, please…” I cried, but my words fell on deaf ears.
“You are going home with us,” Sandro growled and my knees weakened.
I felt the grip of their hands tighten as they forced me into the car, my protests muffled by the overwhelming force of their presence.
They clicked the locks and dragged me that way till they got to a mansion taking me inside.
“Why have you been running from us?” Alex asked.
My voice was faint, barely above a whisper, “I... I’m not running.”
Sandro ignored my reply and pushed me to the bed, his body leaning closely against me. Shivering, I stuttered, “I’m not clean.” That was my attempt to escape, well till it backfired.
A dark chuckle left Sandro’s lips. “Then we’ll help you with that,” He murmured, his voice sending a shiver down my spine.
The world around me blurred, and before I knew it, warm steam surrounded me. I was in the ba
I felt the heat of the water first, then the hands moving through my hair, so gentle it was almost surprising. Their fingers worked the shampoo through, their touch lingering and drawing circles on my hair.
“Close your eyes,” Alex murmured, his breath warm against my neck.
Every one of my nerves was on fire, yet I couldn’t bring myself to push them away. The water cascaded over my skin, each droplet tracing the lines of my body like it was marking me.
Sandro and Alex completely took off their clothes and joined me. My eyes widened and I tried to stop them, but it was pointless.
“Open your eyes,” Sandro breathed into my skin. I could feel his hard, wet body slipping against mine.
They forcefully took my hands off my eyes, and I was left with no other option but to stare at their bare skin.
“You are shy, and it’s cute.” Alex shrugged as he stepped closer.
I shook in fear and stepped back, but my body hit against a hard build, Sandro. Every inch of their body was cut with long, well-defined muscles. Hell, I was admiring them instead of running. But where could I run to?
It was then that I noticed that they both had cute dimples on their cheeks. The only difference was that Sandro had just one on his left cheek while Alex had one on both sides of his cheek.
It seemed like their workout routine was similar, as their Adonis belt was well defined except that Alex’s had a more seductive feel to it.
Alex finally got to me, his long muscular c**k dangling about.
“Come here,” he motioned, nudging me with his hips while my back pressed against Sandro’s c**k. “You said you were not clean, let’s clean you up then.”
I gulped.