~ Zoie's POV ~
"P-please!" Zoie pleaded. "I'll give you whatever you want, but I really don't know what you're talking about!"
Miles scoffed in annoyance as he clearly didn't believe her.
"You're the only person in the world who'd hate me enough to do this," he said as he strode closer. "It's gotta be you!"
"M-Miles, I really don't know what this is about," she stammered nervously as he kept coming closer. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. "L-Let's just talk about it, alright? Let me go and we can settle this. I can talk to the dean if you want, and get you reinstated---"
* SMACK!!! *
The sound of Miles's hand hitting her cheek reverberated through the walls. The guys standing behind Miles chuckled and laughed while Zoie held in the pain. She tasted blood in her mouth, and her lips were swollen.
"I don't have time for your fúcking games!" Miles roared angrily. "You need to fix this right fúcking now or I swear you're gonna regret it!"
Zoie didn't know what else to do but cry. She didn't know what he wants. She'd give it to him if she could, but he wasn't making any sense.
Miles groaned in annoyance as he watched Zoie tremble and cry. He walked around the chair and stood right behind her. As if to give his friends a show, he grabbed Zoie by her jaw using his free hand and raised her head up forcefully. Zoie was forced to look at Rob and John. Miles was holding her jaw so hard, she could barely breathe.
"Fine, if you don't know what I'm talking about, maybe this will refresh your memory!" Miles said as he dropped the baseball bat to his side. He then zipped down the front of her hoodie and yanked at her top. Zoie fought hard to keep her clothes down, but to no avail. She could hear the fabric tearing as her tank top was ripping in the middle.
"P-please...! Stop it...!" Zoie cried harder, but that only made Miles more aggressive. He successfully ripped her tank top open and her bra was exposed.
"Oooh, yeaah!" Rob was whistling and laughing.
"Give us a show, Miles!" John added.
Zoie was disgusted beyond words. Miles's hand was now groping her breasts. He was laughing maniacally too. It was the most vile sound she'd ever heard.
"Please... stop..." Zoie's plea had turned into voiceless cries. "Help me..."
Zoie scrunched her eyes shut because she knew what was coming next. Miles will probably rip her bra open. Then he'll probably rip her leggings too until she was left completely naked. And when that happens...
"STOP!!!"
Suddenly, a loud yell was heard as the door flew open in a loud bang. Everyone was taken aback, including Miles. He stopped whatever he was doing and moved back. Zoie opened her eyes instinctively and saw a figure walking in. It was a man in a black leather jacket and a motorcycle helmet. Zoie couldn't see who it was at first, but slowly, the man began to take off the helmet and Zoie recognized that face instantly. It was the face of an angel.
"...Ash!" she croaked.
"Shit!" Miles spat as he picked up the baseball bat again. "I told you guys to make sure she was alone!"
"She was alone!" Rob replied.
"Then how the hell did he fúcking find us!?"
"He must've been following us!" John answered.
"Everyone, just calm down," Asher's voice boomed across the room. He spoke in a cool and collected manner, but his eyes said anything but that. His gaze was fiery and angry. He saw the state that Zoie was in and it looked like he was about to kill somebody.
"Don't come any closer or I'll break her skull!" Miles threatened as Asher took a step closer. He aimed the baseball bat at Zoie's head and Zoie flinched back in response.
"Hey, easy," Asher said as he raised his hands up.
"You got anyone else with you? The cops?" Miles asked.
"No, I come alone and I come in in peace," Asher raised his hands even higher.
Miles gave his friends a nod and the two men quickly went over to Asher. They patted him down and Asher just stood like a statue, keeping his gaze on Zoie.
"Ash, help m--" Before Zoie could finish her words, Miles put a hand on her face, muffling her voice.
"Shut up, bitch!" he spat.
"Hey! No need to be violent, alright?" Asher yelled in response. The two men had finished patting him down and they stepped back. Asher threw a deadly stare starting at the two men and then at Miles. "What is it that you guys want? Money?"
"Money?" Miles scoffed.
"He thinks I got him kicked out of Stanford. Ash, tell him it's not true!" Zoie spoke up again. The arrival of Ash was a game changer. Suddenly, she wasn't afraid of Miles anymore. She knew what Asher could do.
"Is that what this is about?" Ash narrowed his eyes.
"Ash, tell him!" Zoie pressed.
"Well, actually..." Asher let out a smirk and cocked his head to the side. "She's right, she had nothing to do with that. That was all me,"
What?!
"What?" Miles gaped.
"I paid this friend in Miami to hack into the school system and get you expelled. We also put that record on your name so you can't transfer anywhere or play baseball. Oh, and that thing about you being in the herpes infomercial, that was us too," Asher was unfazed as he said all of this. He was smirking like it was funny.
Miles let out another scoff and shook his head. He was seething. His blood was boiling underneath his skin.
"Huh, so it was you," he snickered. "I should've known,"
"Yep. I did it. I did it all by myself. Zoie didn't know anything, so if you can just let her go, I'll get this all sorted out," Asher said confidently, taking a step closer to Miles and Zoie. Miles quickly pointed his bat out to stop Asher from coming closer.
"You think I'm that stupid?" he scowled.
"You really want me to answer that?" Asher sneered.
"You think this is a joke?!" Miles roared. He gripped the baseball bat tighter.
"Look, if you let her go, I will stay," Asher said as he pulled out his phone. "I just need this phone right here to make some calls and I'll get the expulsion revoked,"
"What about the record on my name?"
"I'll get that cleared out too,"
"Really?"
"Yes, but it has to be me. I have to be the one making the call and I will only do it if you let her go first,"
Miles and Asher were locked in a staring contest. No one said anything for a while and the deadly tension filled the air. The tension was so thick, it was practically suffocating.
"Alright, fine," Miles was the first one to speak. "I'll let her go, but you're gonna take her place,"
"No!" Zoie shook her head warningly at Asher.
"Gladly," Asher shrugged like it wasn't a big a deal.
No! Knowing Miles, he's gonna hurt Ash!
Zoie kept shaking her head no to Asher, but he simply gave her a wink. Miles took out a pocket knife from his back pocket and cut the ropes that tied her legs to the chair. He didn't, however, untie the ropes around her wrists. Her hands were still tied together.
"Ash, don't do this! He's gonna hurt you!" Zoie said as she was finally able to stand up.
"It's gonna be okay, I promise--" Before Asher could finish his words, Miles pulled him and slammed him down to the chair. Zoie wanted to fight, but of course, the two men were quick to pull her away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
~ Asher's POV ~
"Alright, you got five minutes to make this happen, starting now!" Miles roared his command.
Meanwhile, Asher was seated on that chair with his legs tied down. His hands were tied together in front of him while he was holding the phone.
"She's still here, the deal is for her to go," Asher shot a glance at Zoie who was standing in the far back area, behind Rob and John. The only thing on Asher's mind right now was to get Zoie as far away from here as possible. The BMW car was parked in the warehouse and he wanted her to take that car and go. But yet, Miles was still keeping her here, behind his ugly friends.
"She's my collateral," Miles replied. "What happens if you can't deliver on your promise, huh?"
"I will deliver. Just let her go,"
"I can't trust you, so no," Miles shook his head. "She stays and you're gonna do what you say you're gonna do. When it's done, I'll let both of you go,"
"That's not the deal," Asher said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, yeah?" Miles smirked. "Well, now it is,"
* SMACK!!! *
Miles's fists connected hard against Asher's face. He flinched back in response as blood began trickling from his nose.
"Fúck!!" Asher cursed in pain.
"Ash!!!" Zoie yelled. She wanted to come forward, but the two men blocked her way.
"Want some more?" Miles taunted.
Asher didn't respond. He looked at Miles with a deadly glare and spat out his blood at Miles's face.
"The fúck!" Miles cursed angrily. He grabbed his baseball and struck it against Asher's kneecaps.
* CRAAACK!!!*
"Aahhh!!!!" Asher yelled in pain.
"Asherrr!!!" Zoie yelled with him.
"Last I check, you don't need legs to make a phone call," Miles laughed as he pointed the bat at Asher's arm. "Make that call or it's your arm next,"
"... I'm not... gonna do it... unless I know... she's safe," Asher spoke through labored breaths. The pain was taking over his body.
"What a stubborn son of a bitch," Miles shook his head.
"Don't... call... my mother... a bitch, bitch,"
"What'd you say to me?!"
"I said... don't call my mother a bitch... bitch,"
* SMACK! *
Miles threw another hard punch across Asher's face. This time, it landed on the side of his eye.
"Nooo!! Stop!!!" Zoie cried harder, but no one was listening.
Miles grabbed Asher's jaw forcefully so he was forced to face him.
"I don't know what they're feeding you out there in New Jersey, but that's not how we do things around here, alright? You're gonna have to learn some manners!"
Asher let out a weak smirk as he said, "Bite me,"
* SMACK! *
Miles threw another punch at Asher, but Asher only laughed in response.
"Fúcking idiot!" Miles yelled and punched him again and again.
* SMACK! * SMACK! * SMACK! *
The sound of those punches echoed through the room. Asher couldn't even feel the pain anymore as everything sort of blurred together.
"Is that all you got?!" Asher kept laughing to taunt Miles and it was working. He wanted to get the guys' attention so Zoie could safely slip out.
"Let me do it, Miles!" Rob yelled as he came over. Using his bat, he hit Asher from the back, causing the entire chair to break down and Asher fell to the floor.
* SMACK! * SMACK! * SMACK! *
"Noooo! Stop!! You're hurting him!!!" Zoie shrieked in terror, and she tried to get past John, but John simply shoved her to the side. Zoie fell hard on the ground and her head hit the floor pretty bad.
* SMACK! * SMACK! * SMACK! *
"Yo, let me in on some of the fun!" John said as he went to join the party. The three men surrounded the fallen Asher as they rained down punches, kicks, and swings all over him.
"Do whatever you want, just make sure he can still talk!" Miles ordered.
"Noooo! Nooo!! Nooooo!!!" Zoie cried as she slowly got up. This was the most heartbreaking sight she'd ever seen in her life. With every kick and punch, she felt her insides being torn up, and there was nothing she could do to help him.
In between the guys' legs, Asher's eyes found Zoie and he mouthed, "Go..." as he pointed to the car.
Zoie glanced across the room and saw the BMW parked there. The car key was on the table behind the guys. Zoie quickly crept over and no one noticed her. She grabbed the key and ran over to the car. The next thing he knew, the engine was on and Zoie revved that car as loud as humanely possible. The sound caught the guys' attention and they stopped whatever they were doing to look at her.
Something must've happened in her psyche at this moment because when Asher looked at her, he didn't see a scared little girl, he saw a fighter.
Asher sighed in relief as he thought Zoie would drive away. But instead of that, she hit the gas pedal and drove straight toward the guys.
* SKIIIID! *
"Watch out!!!" Miles yelled and the guys ran over to another side.
Instead of stopping, Zoie skillfully drifted the car around and chased after the guys. She went after them until they were cornered and she didn't stop. The guys were standing on top of each other in the corner of the room and Zoie ran straight at them.
* CRASH! *
Zoie hit the car hard against the wall. It didn't really hurt the guys as they were stuck in the corner, but it was enough to scare them shitless.
"Ahhhh!! My leg!!!" Rob said as his leg was stuck between the car's grill and the wall.
"Fúck!!!" John cursed as he was pressed backward.
"Aahhhhh!!! Ahhhhhh!!!" Miles cried in agony. Apparently, his hand was stuck between the car and the wall too.
"Who's the little bitch now, Miles?" Zoie yelled out. She revved the gas pedal again and it pressed the car tighter to the wall, hurting them even more.
"Wait, wait, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!" he cried.
Like the little bitch that he is.
Zoie didn't move back. She parked the car right there and opened the door, stepping out.
"I could've killed you, but you're not even worth it!" she spat. "Tell you what, after all of this, you and your friends are gonna disappear out of town. Move somewhere far away where I won't ever see your faces again! Otherwise, I'll make sure all of you will rot in jail for the rest of your pathetic lives!"
Miles and his friends didn't know what to say. They just looked at each other in confusion.
"You think I'm bluffing?" Zoie yelled again. "I'm Zoie Van Zandt, daughter of Damon Van Zandt! Google that name and see if I'm still bluffing!"
Without wasting another breath, Zoie turned to her heels and went towards Asher. Meanwhile, the three guys were whispering to each other like little girls gossiping.
"Damon Van Zandt... He's the governor of New Jersey and some people say that he was... linked to the mafia...!" Rob hissed.
Asher couldn't help but smile and chuckle.
"Oh my God! Ash!" Zoie gasped as she came closer. She saw him lying in a pool of blood and her eyes softened instantly.
"I'm fine..." he croaked.
Zoie slowly and carefully untied the ropes around his ankles and hands. When she was done, Asher pulled himself up, but he wasn't strong enough. Zoie grabbed his arm and linked it around her shoulder as she helped him stand up.
"Come on," she said. "Let's get you home,"
Asher could only smile. He leaned his body to her as she led him into the car and they finally drove away. All the while, Asher kept staring at her in awe. A girl like this had never existed before and will never come around again. She was truly...
A fúcking badass.
*
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- - - - - - To Be Continued - - - - - -