Because of you

Because

of

You

J. Lea

Lea J.

Because of You

Editor and translator: Tanja Kunej

Cover photo: Cover design © Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs

Copyright @2014 Lea J.

CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji
 
Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 
821.163.6-32(0.034.2) 
LEA J. 
     
Because of you [Elektronski vir] / Lea J. ; prevajalka Tanja Kunej. - El. knjiga. - Ljubljana : author, 2014 
ISBN 978-961-93705-0-6 (mobi) 
275007744 

Because of You
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author`s imagination. Any resemblance to events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright @2014 J. Lea

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Table of contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Epilogue

Chapter 1

Aaliyah

I enter the room with a glass in my hand. “Here’s your water,” I say as I close the door behind me. I turn around to hand it to her and let out a scream of horror. I drop the glass on the floor and it breaks, water spilling all around. “Hope!” I scream when I see her lying on the floor. I run to her and kneel down. Hope’s eyes are open, but they’ve lost the spark that has been shining brightly in her eyes just minutes ago. I shake her shoulders violently. “Hope? Hope?” I check her pulse, but there isn’t one. I notice a red mark on her neck—it looks like she’s been strangled. Tears spilling from my eyes, I run to the phone and dial 911 with shaky hands. At that moment I hear the door knob turning and I quickly spin around. Caden walks into the room, holding a big black plastic bag. His gaze is fixed on the bag and he’s trying to unfold it. Our
eyes
suddenly meet and for a few seconds we stand completely still, startled. “Wh—what happened?” I manage to utter, my stomach turning in terror.

“
What the hell are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” He hisses angrily. “She was butting her nose into things that were none of her business, like you just now!” He hisses
angrily
. I am surprised by his words, I have no idea what he’s talking about. Caden charges
at
me—it is obvious he doesn’t want any witnesses to his crime. I grab the camera Hope and I were using earlier and throw it at his head. It slows him down for a couple of seconds, and I quickly run towards my room, lock the door and pack some clothes in a hurry. I can already hear his voice, full of rage, at the door. I look around me in fear, trying to find an exit. Jumping out of the window seems the only solution since Caden is now trying to break down the door. “You can’t escape me!” he yells when the window is already half open. “I won’t hurt you, just open the door!”
Yeah, right,
I don’t believe his words for a second. I have one leg out of the window when there is a loud bang. He has managed to get the door open. In panic, I swing the other leg out of the window and jump from the first floor of my house. I roll as I hit the ground, quickly push myself up and start running. “I’ll find you!” Caden yells after me. I don’t stop, my legs carry me straight to the police station, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.

Chapter 2

Aaliyah

The
bus finally arrives at my stop - Schenectady, New York. The long, fifteen-hour ride has taken its toll on me. I’m tired and in desperate need of a shower and a warm meal. I slowly exit the bus and take in my surroundings. This is my first time in a big city. I was born in a small town and always kept to myself, but this time I’ve decided I need a change. Due to my high GPA, I was accepted to Union College before I graduated. Why not, I said to myself, as I was filling out the application form. I’ve always wanted to go to college and get a degree, and his threats are not going to prevent me from doing that. He doesn’t even know where I am, and hopefully it will remain that way. I want to live a normal life and not have to look over my shoulder with fear all the time. About two months ago, right after I finished my high school, I ran away because I had no other choice.

I cross the road carefully and head over to the student campus, where a room is waiting for me. They told me I will have a roommate, and I
truly hope we’re going to get along. I want to have at least one friend. I drag my dusty suitcase behind me and look curiously at this place, the place I’m going to call my home. I cross a bridge and turn left toward the city center. A few times I have to stop and ask the locals for directions since I’ve never been here before. After walking for about an hour, I finally reach my destination. A big student campus spreads in front of me, with large parking lots and a beautiful park, filled with benches. College students are sitting on the benches and chatting. For a moment, I just stand there and stare at the enormous building where I’ll be living. I take three deep breaths and go check in with the manager of the dorm to pick up the key to my room
.

“
Hi, my name is Aaliyah Thomas, I’m here for the key. They told me I can get it here,” I say to the manager, once I step from the cold, old-looking hallway into his office.

“
Just a second, let me check on the computer,” he quickly types in something—I’m guessing my name—and nods. He fixes his glasses and looks back up at me. “Found you. Your dorm is right behind this building, in the second part of the campus.  Here’s your key, room 203. Welcome and good luck with your exams.” I nod and smile, thank him for the keys and head towards my room.

The sun is already high in the sky. I follow the asphalt road, and many students, carrying luggage, hurry past me. Climbing the three steps leading to the entrance of my building, I gently push open the door and climb the stairs to the second floor. I unlock the door to my room, step in, dragging my suitcase behind me, and look around me. There is a small fridge in the corner and on each side of the room there is a closet, a bed and a nightstand.
The
walls are bare and painted white. The room is just big enough for two people. I laugh and spin in circles. At the moment, my roommate hasn’t arrived yet, so I choose the bed by the window and unpack my belongings. I don’t own much—some items of clothing, a diary I’ve been writing
in
for the last few years, a wallet and the broken camera Hope and I were using in the past. The wallet isn’t much of a help, since it’s empty. I’m lucky to have received a full scholarship, so I don’t have to worry about tuition, but I do have to pay for the room I’ll be living in. This means I have to find a job as soon as possible. Once all the clothes are in the closet, I grab a shower gel, a towel and a change of clothes and head to the end of the hallway, where the common bathroom is. I strip off my clothes and step under the hot shower
.
Closing my eyes, I enjoy the hot water caressing my naked skin and washing off the sweat from the fifteen-hour travel. I run my hands though my hair to get rid of the dust from the travel. Once I'm clean, I towel off and
put on
fresh clothes. I
instantly
feel better. I return to the room which is no longer empty. A brunette is standing next to the bed with her back to me, putting her things on her bed. As she hears the door opening, she turns around. She’s almost a
foot
shorter
than me, and her hair is wavy, falling free around her shoulders. Her eyes are almost black, but they hold warmth, which instantly makes me at ease. She’s petite and wears a colorful outfit. I smile gently at her and move closer. “Umm, hi, my name is Aaliyah, I’m your roommate. I hope you don’t mind I’ve already picked a bed.” I extend my hand for a handshake.

“
Hi yourself,” she responds and
gives
me an honest smile. I am relieved because she seems nice—I was worried about what kind of a person is going to live with me. “I’m Addison, nice to meet you. And I don’t care where I sleep, I just need a bed
.
Aaah, I can’t believe we’re at college! Imagine all the fun and good times we’re going to have. And the parties! I’m sure these are going to be the best four years of my life.”

“So, tell me about yourself,” Addison joins me on the bed after she puts away all the clothes she brought with herself. I am leaning against the edge of the bed with my legs crossed Indian style. I raise my head as I am in the middle of writing in my diary. I close it and put it in my lap.

“
Huh, I don’t know. There’s not much to tell, I’m not a very interesting person—I don’t want to bore you. What about you? How did you end up here at this college?” I ask her with interest. She shifts on the bed and starts explaining.

“
My father used to study here, and my brother goes here, so I decided to follow
in
their footsteps. My brother insisted I attend this university, so he can look after me.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Like I need a babysitter. He doesn’t particularly like me dating Jackson, but he’ll have to get used to it. They are on the same basketball team and they’re really good friends and roommates. My brother says he doesn’t want to hear us whining and moping around after we break up. Like that’s ever going to happen! We’re destined for each other.” Addison sighs, very much in love, and looks up to the ceiling. “That aside, my brother is great and I love him very much, he’s just overprotective. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?” she asks with interest. I shake my head.

“
No, I don’t. And I’m not even looking for one. I just want to finish my studies and find a good job after getting my diploma. I want to be a social worker and help children. I don’t want to be dependent on anyone.” Addison nods.

“
I know what you mean.” Addison nods.
“I felt the same way until I met Jackson, and now we’re inseparable.” She wiggles her eyebrows and I look down at my knees, blushing.