Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 112926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“Are you asking me to meet you after school? A date?” A shocked gasp spilled from his lips, but it was fake. I could easily sense the mocking smile in his words.
“No,” I growled. “Come to my locker. I’ll return your jacket to you, and we both can go on our merry ways, separately.”
He didn’t have a chance to refute me since we were already standing at the storage room.
A note glared back at us, and I rubbed a hand over my face. “Great,” I muttered under my breath. “The light isn’t working.”
I snuck a glance at Maddox, and he looked a bit… apprehensive. Hmm. “Can you keep the door open for me while I get the TV?” I asked.
Maddox shrugged.
The door was heavy as we pushed it open, and I walked inside. It was dark, but the lights from the hallway illuminated the inside enough for me to spot where all the TVs were kept against the back corner of the room. Aha, there it was.
Each TV was sitting on its own small four wheeled shelf, and all I had to do was roll one out. Easy peasy. Not.
When I tried to pull, it didn’t budge, not even an inch. Goddamn it.
I took a peek behind the TV and saw that there was no way I could roll it out of this storage room. All the cords were tangled up together.
“Maddox, can you help me with the cord? It’s stuck, and it’s dark in here. I can barely see anything.”
“Just pull it,” he rumbled, impatiently.
“If I could, I would,” I hissed. “It’s stuck. Help me.”
He was silent for a moment before uttering, “Ask nicely.”
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Say please.
“Please,” I said through clench teeth.
He tsked. “Say the full sentence.”
I straightened, bringing my hands to my hips, as I rolled my eyes. “Maddox, can you help me with the cord, please?”
“Good girl,” he praised.
He pushed the door wide open, holding it against the wall, and stared at it for a second, waiting. “It’s not going to close. Hurry,” I called out.
When Maddox was sure the door wasn’t going to close and lock us into the storage room, he sauntered inside. He looked behind him once, staring at the open door for a second longer, before coming to stand beside me.
“Move aside,” he demanded.
I rolled my eyes, again, but still did as I was told. Maddox reached behind the shelf, trying to find the cord. “Fuck, what is this?”
“Exactly. It’s all tangled up with the others.” There were four TVs in all, and they were pushed together into a tiny corner. We hadn’t used them in the longest time, since we got the new projector screens, so they had been sitting here, collecting dust.
He let out a frustrated groan before starting to untangle the cords, which would take a lot of patience to do. The space between the rack and the wall was too tight, and I could see he was having trouble. “Here, let me get my flashlight. That might help,” I suggested.
I fished out my phone from my pocket, but before I could turn it on, a loud banging sound echoed through the room. We both flinched, and Maddox lifted his head in surprise, hitting the top shelf in the process. He let out a string of curses.
Before I knew what was happening, we were surrounded by complete and utter darkness.
Shit, the door closed.
And… double shit, we were locked inside; the note had said that the handle was broken.
“No…no… No!” Maddox bellowed, rushing for the door through the dark. Huh? Was he scared of the dark? Who would have known Maddox Coulter, with his cocky smirk and eyes that could melt you on the spot, was scared of a little darkness?
I successfully turned the flashlight on, already thinking of teasing him like he would have done to me. My gaze slid to Maddox just in time to see him bumping against a shelf in his hasty attempt to reach for the door. The metal rack crashed to the floor with a loud, booming sound, and Maddox fell to his knees before he scrambled up again. He slipped over the broken shards and fallen liquid, crawling toward his escape.
No, wait. No… he wasn’t just scared of the dark. This was something more.
A heavy weight settled on my chest, my throat closed and my breath stuck in my throat. Shocked, I stayed rooted on the spot as Maddox came completely undone.
Cool, collected and flirty Maddox was replaced by a stranger. He blindly reached for the door, grabbing the broken handle and pulling himself to his feet. Maddox hit the heavy door with his palm. “No, no! Please! No, no, no. Please,” he repeated under his breath. “Don’t do this, please Let me out of here! Don’t leave me here. Don’t do this. No, no, please! Don’t.”