CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

[stress relief]

"i'm long overdue to get fucked up"

● warning: (for flashback) graphic depictions of torture and violence from/against children ●

Over the course of the week, Andi decided to take it easy for once. She had been correct in her assumptions that she had sustained a concussion from having her head smashed into a brick wall, naturally. Both her arm and her leg wound had also been stitched up.

The doctors at the school's infirmary were pleased with how her injuries were healing. They even said she could get the stitches removed after the weekend. The blonde was happy with the news. The quicker her injuries healed, the quicker things could return to normal for her.

Aside from physically taking it easy, Andi was—mentally and emotionally—stressed.

The stupid, teasing letter from Abaddon was consistently at the forefront of her mind. She had not felt so weak and vulnerable since she was thirteen years old. It was not as if she did not realize that Abaddon had been watching her, or even that he was in San Francisco. She did. But, now that she was facing the possibility of coming confrontation with him, she was terrified.

She was on edge. Over the week, her nerves settled slightly as each day passed with no sign of him, but she was still on edge. Paranoia was eating away at her. So, when Saya mentioned Vegas, her answer was almost immediate.

Andi needed this trip. She needed the distraction. She needed to get out of the city where she felt her tormentor's eyes on her everywhere.

When the blonde asked Saya who else was going, the Kuroki girl started to list people off: Maria, Willie, Simon, Billy... Marcus. The dark-haired girl seemed reluctant to mention the Arguello boy and Andi did hesitate when he was included in the list, although it was not at all surprising that he was.

She and Marcus were awkward. For the first few days after their emotional confrontation, they avoided each other. Not because they were mad or upset, but because they wanted to give each other space and time to process everything so that they could start over. When they finally did begin to hang out again, their interactions were stiff and almost robotic, doing what they thought the other wanted or needed, not what was natural. However, by the end of the week, they had some sort of understanding with each other to be civil and not... weird with each other.

They were still working on that last part though, hence the awkward.

Andi needed the trip though, and she and Marcus were still on good terms despite everything, so she agreed to tag along. If worse came to worse, she had Maria, Saya, and Simon to distract herself with instead.

The group was too large to pile into one car, so Willie, Marcus, and Billy all rode in Willie's red convertible while the girls all opted to ride together in Simon's Mustang.

Andi sat beside Simon in the front passenger seat, her feet kicked up on the dash, her window cracked to allow the smoke from her cigarette to escape. Her legs were left exposed to the cool night air in the denim shorts she wore, while her arms were protected by her long-sleeve thermal.

Sunglasses covered her eyes, protecting them from the brightness of the sunrise on the horizon. She was not a morning person, but it was imperative that they leave in the early morning hours in order to sneak out of King's for the weekend. That did not mean she had to like it though.

Maria, Saya, and Simon chatted animatedly about how they planned to spend their time in Vegas. But, first, they needed drugs. Lots of drugs.

Simon huffed as Saya told him where to go for the drugs, ever the straightedge.

Sitting up to pull her hair into a high ponytail, Andi let out a short laugh, "Oh, Simon. This is just karma. We're gonna get fucked up and you're going to finally make up for all the times we had to play DD for your drunk ass."

The Londoner scoffed, "Just because I'm not getting coked up like the rest of you, doesn't mean I'm not gonna drink. So I guess we're walking everywhere when we get to Vegas."

"Boooo!" all the girls yelled at him but he simply waved them off.

Saya and Maria laughed yet agreed with Andi enthusiastically from the backseat. "This is gonna be fucking awesome," Saya said. "It'll be so sweet not to have to babysit all of you."

"I take offense to that," Maria gasped jokingly. "I mother them just as much as you do." Andi wanted to defend herself, but she really did not have anything to say so she simply shrugged at the statement knowing that her friends always looked out for her.

"Yeah, when Chico didn't drag you off."

Andi set her feet on the floor of the car and turned in her seat to look back at her other two friends. "Speaking of the devil spawn himself, where does he think you are this weekend?"

Maria grew quiet for a moment before answering. "It doesn't matter. I'll deal with him when I get back. For now, I'm going to enjoy this freedom." The blonde narrowed her eyes at Maria's remark as something inkling in the back of her mind told her she should be worried.

Simon glanced at the Latina through the rearview mirror and her eyes connected with his through the glass. He knew what she was planning. He knew that she meant to make her escape last week, but her plans were ruined when Chico busted out of detention early. Now was her chance.

Saya and Andi were not obvious to the heavy look shared between their two friends. It was no secret that the two had always had a flirtation with each other. And regardless of the fact that Maria was in a very unhealthy relationship with her psychotic boyfriend, they knew Simon was in love with her.

The other two girls always suspected that there was more there than flirtation on Maria's side as well, but the girl was too terrified to do anything, practically being held hostage by Chico.

The look between Simon and Maria did not last long though, the boy's eyes returning to the road once again. Andi eyed her best friend beside her, wishing he would just make his move. This trip was the perfect opportunity. She was away from Chico, her abuser. She was there to enjoy herself and let go; be free like she has always wanted.

Simon did not meet the blonde's inquisitive gaze. His eyes remained locked on the long stretch of road, his hands gripping the steering wheel a little tighter.

"What about you, Andi?" Maria asked.

Andi quirked an eyebrow behind her glasses. "What about me, Maria?"

The curly-haired girl laughed lightly. "You and Marcus... How's it going? Being 'just friends' and all?"

The blonde took a deep breath. "It's alright. I just needed some room to breathe. I felt like I was suffocating from all of it." Simon finally glanced at her, giving her an understanding look. "I'm just not used to it."

"Used to what?" Saya asked, curiously.

"People caring."

Maria leaned forward, reaching over the seat to place a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We care about you," she stated confidently.

Andi felt a small smile tug at her lips at the comforting words. It was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "I know. But, it's just different with Marcus. I mean, I've known you guys for years and only recently came to terms with seeing you guys as friends.Besides, we moved way too fast. I barely know him. It was time to hit the brakes and get to know each other better. This week has been iffy, but yesterday we had a nice talk over lunch. Felt as close to natural as can be expected, I guess."

Maria spoke again, "So you still like him then?"

"Of course I do, but I'm not ready for a relationship right now. I've got too many other things to worry about."

"Like what?" Saya asked, chiming in.

Simon glanced at Andi once again, and Maria saw the worry in his eyes. It was something that Saya could not see from her spot behind him. It made the Salazar girl wonder what happened recently that Andi was not talking about. It hurt her a little that Andi was facing her problems alone, even though she understood the reluctance to share. It was just that after the blonde had finally let Maria in a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like their friendship was taking a step backward. Andi was there for her through a lot. Maria just wanted to return the favor.

Andi quickly covered the glimpse of anxiety that brushed through her mind. "Like... making this weekend our bitch! Now, where the hell is this hippie caravan you were talking about? I'm long overdue to get fucked up."

Saya laughed, and although Maria and Simon knew there was something else on Andi's mind that she was keeping to herself, they laughed too.

Four Years Ago – Unknown Location

Andi bit her tongue to hold back the scream that she desperately wanted to release. The sharp edge of the scalpel dug into her upper back between her shoulder blades, carving the sixth tally mark onto her porcelain skin. She tasted the iron of blood in her mouth at the same moment she felt the small trickle of it leave the new open wound on her back. The red droplets rolled down her back and along her spine sending an uncomfortable chill through her entire being.

She had to give it to Abaddon. He knew what he was doing.

Despite being only a couple of years older, he was fully capable of overpowering the twelve-year-old with little effort. Sure, Andi was not completely defenseless, but that was also while dealing with the average thug or asshole. Abaddon was exceptional in the worst possible ways, even more deadly and trained than she was prepared for.

The pain subsided as the boy withdrew the blade from her skin, walking around where she was strapped to the chair to face her.

"Well, you're certainly lasting a lot longer than I expected," he started with a sickening grin on his angular face. "Six days and not a peep out of you about where your mother is. I'm honestly impressed."

His teasing gaze looked over her bruised and beaten body and stopped briefly at the mark he left on her left upper thigh. A roughly cut 'A' lingered just under the hem of her short cotton shorts, looking particularly angry and red with the surrounding flesh growing dark due to the trauma. It is definitely going to scar, he thought with terrifying glee.

Overall, Abaddon was proud of his work. His masterpiece of black and blue and red.

However, just because he enjoyed the artistry, did not mean that his mission was complete. He was still a failure as far as he was concerned. He would be until he got the information that he came for—the location of Lorraine Broughton. And to be a failure, well, that just was not an option for him.

Andi half-ignored his words. Almost a week had past and she was beginning to feel less like a hostage and more like a science experiment for this sadistic prick. After the initial cut, the pain in her back quickly dissipated. No, it was not gone. It simply blended in with the rest of her aching body.

She wanted to take a deep breath, to center herself and refocus on how to get the hell out of this horrible situation she found herself in. But every time she tried to take a breath, her chest ignited in fiery pain, most likely alluding to her several broken ribs. Every time she tried to clench her fists, she winced and remembered her missing fingernails that matched her missing toenails. Every time she blinked, she shuddered at the pain from her fractured and bruised right orbital.

Andi was waiting for her chance, biding her time. She needed to work through the haze she was in and figure out what the fuck she was going to do. Six days was all he was going to get with her. He had six days to break her and nothing to show for it. He may have succeeded physically, but she would never give the psycho the satisfaction of complete success.

"What can I say?" she started with a wry smirk. "I'm nothing if not loyal, I guess."

Abaddon let out a light chuckle at her sarcastic remark. "Yes. Loyal. Like a dog. A bitch, if you will." His pleasant tone turned hard, the crazy leaking out, as he grew more frustrated. "You know what else bitches do?" he asked, leaning forward to whisper the question in her ear. Andi glared at him out of the corner of her eyes, not saying a word. He pulled back and grasped her sore jaw in his left hand, forcing her eyes to connect with his. He smiled a wolfish grin, masking his unbridled anger and mania. "They beg." Without hesitation, his right hand shot forward, embedding the scalpel into her abdomen.

Andi unleashed a blood-curdling scream, the white-hot pain blossoming unexpectedly to the left of her bellybutton. The blade twisted and was dragged toward her side causing the young girl to cry out in excruciating agony. She could focus on nothing else but the searing in her stomach but she did understand his next mumbled words.

"Beg for me to stop. It can all stop if you just tell me where your mother is."

With those words, Andi knew that this was it. This was the end. Not for her, but for him. There would not be a seventh tally because she was getting out of this no matter what.

Definitely a dark ending to this chapter, but I felt like it was necessary to get a little insight into the trauma that Abaddon put her through. He didn't just lull her into a false sense of security by being her friend and then betray her. He also physically tortured her and put her through the worst experience of her life and it's all the more heinous and disgusting because they're both kids. She's only twelve years old and he's only fourteen and they're in this twisted world where kids are trained—and effective—killers. The world of Deadly Class is twisted, not just animated, acid-trip clowns, pearls of KGB wisdom, and Breakfast Club parallels.

I also wanted to display some of that darkness leading into the next few chapters and Andi's inevitable confrontation with Abaddon who will be making an appearance in Vegas along with the other resident assholes such as Chico and Fuckface. With Abaddon's reemergence in Andi's life, we'll see a darker, more severe version of her that is much less angelic and much more demonic in a way.

Despite the subject material, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and some of the joking between friends as their trip to Sin City begins. Thanks for the continued support!