Anyone But Me

by J.D. Frost

It’s always the same with him. Cheap shots, childish pranks. And if he can make me bleed, that’s just a bonus. It’s been that way since I first set foot in this school just shy of a year ago. Asher Brooks, Leighton Bay’s most popular citizen and resident asshole, set his sights on me and made me his personal punching bag. And there isn’t a damn thing I can do to stop it.

I want to roll my eyes, smack the ball out of his hands, call him out on his shit. I don’t do any of those things, though. I just stand there, eyes squeezed shut, fighting to keep the anger rising within me in check. Getting mad won’t solve anything. I tried it in the beginning, thought that maybe fighting back was the key to getting him to leave me alone. Turns out, that only makes it worse.

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t worrying about something. The last time I didn’t feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. The last time I actually had fun or even gave a genuine smile. My life before, it feels like a distant memory now. Like it all happened to somebody else.

Asher? She’s with… Asher? Well, I guess that makes sense. Rich, beautiful assholes are bound to be drawn together.

My eyes start to slip closed, my consciousness waning. Stay awake, I scream at myself. Stay the fuck awake! You can’t keep April safe if you’re unconscious!

Nobody’s coming to our rescue. They couldn’t, even if they wanted to. And the car sitting in our driveway, the uniform he’s wearing, the gold badge pinned to his chest, they’re all reminders of that. Because my uncle isn’t just a drunk, abusive asshole. He’s also a cop. But not just any cop, he’s the Chief of Leighton Bay PD. He’s at the top of the food chain, and not one single person in this town would dare cross him.

This is no life for an eight year old. For anyone, really. She shouldn’t have to wonder where her next meal is coming from or whether tonight will be the night her uncle will finally break down her bedroom door. She shouldn’t have to see her big brother beaten and broken on the floor. She should be thinking about what dress to wear to her school dance and if her homework’s done on time and if a boy in her class likes her or not.

“Who did this to you?” My entire body erupts in a violent shudder, from… the pain, I guess. “Does it matter?” Asher looks at me like I’m crazy. “Of course it fucking matters. Somebody hurt you, Oakley. Really hurt you. You have to tell me who did this.”

This is Asher, the guy who tortures me on a daily basis. He doesn’t know the ins and outs of my life, doesn’t know the sacrifices I make. He doesn’t know I choose not to fight back in order to keep my sister safe. But to him, this looks like I’m just a pussy who can’t defend himself.

“Are you kidding me? You mess with me every day, steal my shit, call me names, make me bleed… and now, all of a sudden, you care about someone hurting me?”

And the suggestion that I should go to my uncle for help, when he’s the one who did this to me in the first place? It’s too much. I can’t help it, I just… explode.

I knew I was right. I didn’t believe him or his facade for even a second. He was probably lapping it up, enjoying every minute of me being vulnerable and in pain.

I should get a lot worse than just you calling me out on my shit.” And there he goes again, surprising the hell out of me. He’s actually taking accountability for the things he’s done? My brain feels like it’s about to explode.

“Oakley,” he rasps, sounding as desperate for this as I am. He cups the side of my face with a trembling hand. “Oakley, please.” And just like that, my control snaps.

“Your skin tastes like sugar. So fucking sweet.” “This better not be another one of your games, or I swear to God—” “It’s not. I promise it’s not. I want you, Oakley.”

It’s a serious power-trip, seeing this big, broad football player on his knees for me, panting and whimpering just from jerking my cock. It’s a serious turn on, too.

“Can you hear them?” I taunt, voice low. “They’re looking for you. They could come in here any second. What would they say if they saw you like this, huh? What would they say if they knew that their captain was on his knees for me, moaning like a damn whore?”

“You love this, don’t you? Love the idea of being caught.” He nods shakily and an evil grin slides over my face. “Touch yourself. Make yourself come. Let them hear just how much you love my cock.”

“Oakley…” he whispers, panting breaths hitting my lips. “Don’t you get it? I would hurt anyone for you. Anyone. All you have to do is tell me who it is.”

I’m his. Forever. “Come back to me, baby,” I whisper. “Come back.”

I spent hours - days, even - trying to figure out who was hurting Oakley, why he couldn’t just tell me. But I never, ever expected that it would be his uncle. The Chief. The man responsible for taking care of Oakley, April and the whole fucking town.

For those three days I spent beside his bed, holding his hand and praying he’d make it through, I must have imagined finally getting the chance to tell him I love him a million times. And in all those made-up scenarios, he’d be happy. He’d kiss me and tell me he feels the same way. Not once did I ever anticipate what would actually happen, the words he’d say. I feel him swallow hard, his hands reaching up to gently push me away. I frown, lips parting in shock as I take in his confused expression. “Who are you?” he asks. And just like that, my whole world falls apart.

“I can’t believe I ever thought he was messing around with Peyton. You two? It makes so much more sense.” My brows shoot up. “Really?” “Oh, yeah. You suit each other. Polar opposites, but also… the same. I can’t explain it.”

“You know,” she says, repeating my words, nudging me this time. “If my boyfriend forgot who I was, I’d bet showing him a journal full of pictures he drew of me would be a pretty good way to help him remember. Kind of romantic, too.”

“You drugged me,” I whisper. Peyton’s face turns ghostly pale. “Asher, I…” “You stole my phone, gave it to Chief Farrow, let him use it to hurt Oakley and then you fucking drugged me so I couldn’t do a thing to stop it.”

He gnaws on his bottom lip for a beat, hesitating. “We really loved each other, didn’t we? I can tell. From the drawings, I mean. The way we look at each other.” A fresh onslaught of tears prick my eyes. “Yeah. We did. We were like… two halves. We made each other whole.”

My phone beeps and I pull it away from my ear, heart stopping when I see a text from an unknown number. It’s a live location, the green dot moving fast along the highway. And beneath it are two words. NOT SAFE. Instantly, I know who it’s from.

I’m coming, Oakley. And I won’t let you down this time.

“No,” Oakley urges, his voice thick as he jostles me. “Wake up, Ash. Stay with me. Please, baby. Fucking stay with me.” Baby? I open them again, squinting to zero in on him. His body’s shaking from the force of his sobs, eyes red and cheeks wet with tears.

Right from the start, I knew I wanted it to be this way, for Oakley to dominate me and be the one in control. Maybe it’s because I’m sick of playing the alpha-male leader all the time or maybe it’s because I’m just a needy little bottom. Who knows? Whatever the reason, it turns me on like nothing else being at Oakley’s mercy. Plus, it’s pretty funny that everyone, especially the media, just assumes that I’m the one in charge in this relationship, but they couldn’t be any more wrong. Just thinking about the headlines makes me want to cackle. NFL Superstar Asher Brooks Treats His Twink Boyfriend To Dinner. Oakley pouted for a whole week after that one.

“Oakley,” I start, voice cracking on the word, the sudden level of emotion I feel damn near overwhelming. “When I met you, I was just a dumb, naive kid, who didn’t know what I wanted or what the hell I was doing. I was lost, with no idea how to find my way. But, there was one thing I knew for certain: that I loved you. From the second I first saw you, I knew. And every day since then, it’s only—” He launches himself at me, cutting me off as he crushes his mouth to mine, tongue spearing between my parted lips.

“Yes. The answer is yes. I’ll marry you, Asher Brooks. I’ll marry the shit out of you.”

Like always, we lose ourselves in each other, this time with a promise that it’s going to last forever. Jesus, I’m so fucking glad I pushed that kid over on his first day of school.