Page 102 of Sangre
“You fucking teased me. Just like you do now with your shorts and tits.”
“I never made a date with you. I was going out with Jay.”
“You’re a whore. You dated him and now are screwing Steve.”
Think back.Then the fog cleared.I remember. I bumped into him in the hall and he asked me if I wanted to go and get a milkshake with him the next day after school. I said yes, but that night Dad beat the shit out of me. I didn’t go to school for two weeks.“I remember now,” Isla said softly. “I didn’t stand you up to be mean or because I was teasing you. I couldn’t go because my dad… well… I got in trouble and was grounded for two weeks.”You can’t even tell the truth about what Dad did to save your own life.
“I don’t believe you. You always flirted with me. You were like my girlfriend.”
Isla knew it was hopeless to explain things to him; he was in too deep. His delusions made him remember things that never happened. She put her hands behind her on the counter, and that’s when she felt the cable.My microphone.Slowly, she inched her fingers toward it.
The front doorbell rang. “Open up, Isla.” Mark’s voice soothed her, connecting her to the real world and giving her hope.
Colt turned around and that’s when she grabbed her mike and slammed it with all her might against his head.
“Ow! Fuck!” Blood streamed down the side of his face as he brought his hands to his head.
Isla bolted from the room and dashed toward the front door, but Colt recovered faster than she’d anticipated, and he came running out of the kitchen. She took the stairs two at a time and went into her bedroom and locked the door behind her. Her pulse raced, and the sound of her heartbeat thrashed in her ears. Breathing heavily, she sprinted over to the French doors, flung them open, and stepped out onto the balcony.
“Mark! Help me. Break the windows. He’s coming for me.” Isla looked down, but the drop was too far. The door groaned as Colt slammed his body weight against it over and over. She ran into her walk-in closet, closed the door, and hid in the corner, praying that he’d think she’d climbed down the balcony. She took out her phone and called Sangre. No answer. She called 911, but hung up when she heard the door splinter. Her heart leapt in her throat as she sat in the dark waiting to see if she would live or die.
