Less than Perfect by S. J. Evans (librera reader .TXT) 📖

away from him, and ran for the bedroom door. She didn’t look back, only ran as fast as she could out of the room and down the stairs, bounding for the front door. The lock was bolted shut and she scrambled to open it, gasping for breath as the fear of not making it out in time clasped down on her lungs.
She threw the door open as she heard footsteps racing down the staircase and sprinted for the outdoors; only, a hand clamped around her arm and pulled her back inside. She let out a scream as he wrapped his arms around her, trapping her. “Let go of me, Johnny!” She shrieked, thrashing around as he roughly dragged her into the kitchen. He tossed her into one of the stools and grabbed her wrists, bending down right next to her face. She was crying, he saw, and that only encouraged him to do what he was about to even more.
“I told you, Skylar, I’m the one in authority here.” He sneered, closing the distance between them drastically.
She spat in his face, her eyebrows furrowing in anger. He had seen her cry and she hadn’t wanted him to see that. “Filth,” She hissed, “that’s all you are, Johnny. Disgusting filth

.” She choked on the bile in her throat.
He laughed at her; although, there was something behind it, an uncertainty. He wiped his free hand quickly over his face, laughing with distaste, and tilted his head to the side as he gave her innocent eyes, feigning innocence. “What could you possibly be talking about?” He asked her.
She scoffed, anger firing inside of her. “You kissed me, y—you psychotic monster!” She shrieked in outraged, tugging at the strong grip around her wrists. “Let—go—of—me

!” She stammered, her throat constricting with tears every breath she took.
A grin taunted her, mocking her. “Are you going to stay put?” He seemed as if he was trying to negotiate it, but why would he be negotiating anything? He doesn’t have the right to be that way, to treat her that

way. “If you run away, or talk about our precious secrets, you’re going to wish the only thing I will do to you is kiss

you.” He whispered, brushing his lips over hers, her body squirming around.
She couldn’t believe it. Her mouth stayed intact, but it had threatened to drop open, to gape at him. She wanted to throw her hands up and slap him, but she couldn’t break out of his grasp. There was a wave of fear that washed over her, making her want to cower away, find a way out. Even though she wasn’t sure that he would really do what he threatened her about, she knew that she wouldn’t want to risk it. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to picture herself somewhere else far away and clear from him, somewhere that she knew she was safe. Wishing she was with Jules

.
“Please,” she begged, tears spilling out of her eyes. “Let me go, I promise I won’t run,” her pleads whispered, catching Johnny’s attention. She opened her eyes as he let go of her wrists and stepped away from her. Painfully, she calmed herself, watching as he went around the island counter, grabbing two glasses of water.
Her nerves hitched up a couple notches every time he stepped near her. “Here, drink this, you need to get something in your system.” He told her, his once angry voice voicing some shaky concern.
She took the glass from him carefully, watching him intently to make sure that he didn’t try to touch her again. Him touching her, it was worse than anything Bryan had done to her, it always felt even more wrong and unhealthy. She had to find a way to escape his destructive hold on her. Despite her own feelings of disgust with him, she forced a smile and thanked him, her voice quiet and breathless.
The moment the cold liquid washed down her throat, she tasted something sour and repulsive. She gagged, coughing as she brought the glass away from her lips. Without warning, she felt sick and dizzy, almost as if what she had just put into her body was not

water. Or at least, not only water. Fog clouded her vision and her lips quivered as the room started spinning. There was a painful ringing in her ears and she couldn’t concentrate on anything.
Her heart thumped against her chest, pounding so hard she thought it may explode. She tried to look at Johnny but her vision was fading and she couldn’t see him. Her stomach tightened and she keeled over, wincing. “What did you do to me?” She whispered, her breath leaving her.
Johnny set a hand on her shoulder and grinned, saying, “You need some more rest, Princess.” There was a cold pleasure within his voice and if she had really heard him, she would have panicked. Sleep was taking over her, carrying her away, and she rolled over the edge of the stool, falling into the arms of the older man. She was out just like that. “Sleep well,” was the only thing he said as he stroked her hair away from her face and smiled at her.

The bedroom was bright, illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Skye fluttered her eyes open, a yawn escaping her lips as she rubbed at her sleepy eyes. The heat of the sunlight hitting her sheets warmed her, keeping any cold that her body had felt away. All too suddenly, she remembered what had happened and realized that it was already the next morning. And that shocked her into the question: What could Johnny have given her? She had been out for over twelve hours.
Digging the palms of her hands against the bed, she pushed herself up and took a deep breath, the room slightly spinning from either too much sleep or just the dose of whatever Johnny had drugged

her with. Johnny had drugged her. She still didn’t want to believe that he could do something like that. She only hoped that nothing happened while she was out.
A pulsing fire blazed in her head, creating one of the loudest and most painful headaches she had ever experienced. I’m so dead

, she thought, if Johnny could do that to me easily what else could he be capable of doing? Anything?

Behind her eyelids visions of horrifying images flashed, causing her heartbeat to rapidly slam itself against her chest. She scrambled to get off of the bed, tossing the sheet away and wobbling over to the bathroom.
Her head throbbed as a side effect of whatever he had drugged her with and the room slowly spun around as she attempted to climb into the tub for a shower. Warm water always calms and clears her mind.
After finishing her shower and getting ready, she stood in front of the mirror, desperately trying to find herself in it. Although, she seemed to feel as though she couldn’t do it, all she saw was a falling apart girl with weary eyes and scarred cheeks. She brushed her hand over her cheek and then down to her lips, remembering the sour pang of distaste that accompanied Johnny’s hard lips the day before. She hated it—every single part of it. It wasn’t only uncomfortable and disturbing, but it felt too wrong and painful, a pure violation of standards.
Hiding something like that was going to be harder than all of the violation she had already taken by him. It was wrong

.
A knock on the door snapped Skye out of her thoughts, breaking the calm silence with an erratic banging. “Skylar?” Johnny said. His voice was cold yet warm, contradicting itself with a confusing amount of both. “How are you feeling?” Saying those words was enough to inflame a nerve of anger and disgust in Skye’s body, carrying her as far away from the door as possible.
She looked at the rattling doorknob hoping that he wouldn’t find a way to somehow break through it. Part of her knew that he could do it if he wanted but the other part, a stronger one, believed that he wouldn’t. Sliding down to the ground against the wall, she curled up into a ball, hugging her knees against her chest.
“Go away Johnny, I’m not talking to you, I can’t

.” She croaked, partially through anger and partially regret. She felt like she should have stopped him; maybe pushed him away before he kissed her, or broke free and ran long before it had happened; but how that seemed impossible was what angered her the most. Johnny’s oppressing power over her. His force; his nature; and his powerful ability to take matters into his own hands could change everything she felt or knew. He always knew what to do to keep her in his trap of the deceitful and dark game—a misfortune all too unreal.
“Come on now, Princess; don’t be that way. You are

talking to me. Maybe you don’t want to talk to me

, but sooner or later, I will get you to talk to me.” He told her crisply. Another threat to add to the long list of horror he had already created.
“Please Johnny, don’t.” She begged.
He chuckled from the other side of the door, a low laughter that repeated over and over again in her ears. “I’m not going to hurt you Skylar. Just tell me how you’re feeling and I will leave you be for the day.”
She hardly believed the words that sang out to her ears: leave you be for the day. Could he have meant it?

She wondered. “I’m doing just fine.” She replied plainly. Finding a little courage, she stood up and walked towards the door as her heart actually slowed its racing. “Johnny?” She whispered as she leaned her head against the door.
He dropped his hand away from the doorknob and it shook in abandonment. “Yes, Princess?”
Despite how strongly she felt against him she felt the urge to figure something out—she needed to know the truth. “My father—Derik—had he changed at all?”
Pause.
“Depends on what you mean by ‘changed’. Derik was still only seeking out his own desires and finding what he wanted; but from what I have heard of his behavior before you were born, yes. He had changed in the slightest.”
“Was it for better? The change, I mean.”
Another pause.
“It was, yes. But Skye, that no longer matters anymore; you don’t need him. You have me.”
Skye’s heart sank when she felt the longing desire to see her father—a common feeling that has burdened her for the past seventeen years. “I don’t want to have you Johnny, I need

my father. You’re not him and you never will be.” With her quiet words, she twisted around so that her back was against the door.
“You don’t need him; you want

him. And it’s pointless. He doesn’t even know you’re alive, Skye. I’m sure that he has forgotten all about you by now. He already was those many years ago, why would now be any different?” He replied cryptically, his anger slipping out of his lips and into the air.
“What made you so