Max's POV:
I was quick to grab her in my arms before she fell on the floor and hurt herself. Guilt overwhelmed me as I adjusted her in my arms to carry her better. She didn't deserve what was about to happen to her. She seemed like such a lovely girl.
And She loves cats!
Liam was looking guilty too. He didn't want to do this just like me. Damien was simply not interested. But Zack was cruel. He was smirking, already thinking about the ways he was gonna torture her.
I carried the girl in my arms over to our car to keep her in the trunk. I tied her hands together with a rope, making sure not to make it too tight and put a duct tape on her mouth just like Zack wanted.
"C'mon Max.. It's just a matter of days, then she'll be free." Liam said just as much to himself as to me. His tone was unsure.
I don't know why but when I looked into those ocean blue eyes of hers, which were so similar to my own, I felt an odd sense of belonging. There was an unspoken bonding which occurred between us as soon as she opened the door to reveal herself.
We sat in the car and drove off to our house, away from this neighbourhood before anyone could suspect us.
"So, would you first like to explain what in the fuck you two were doing?!" The silence in the car didn't last for long when Zack turned to look at us before focusing on the road again.
He was driving and Damien was sitting next to him in the passenger seat while me and Liam were at the back.
"What were we doing?" I asked confused.
"The cat talk, you ugly duffer!"
"Oh.. She loves cats! She even said that the names I gave to my cats were cool! None of you ever appreciated my creativeness in naming them. And also sh-"
"Max!" Zack snapped.
"...What?" I met his eyes in the rear view mirror and nearly flinched seeing the harshness in them.
Why did it feel like he was strangling me in his thoughts?
"Can someone remind me why he is still here with us and not fucking dead already?" Zack growled.
Damien just stared out of the window, not participating in any convos with us. He has been like this for the last few months. Not talking much and just taying emotionless and cold.
In response to Zack's question, Liam shrugged. "I wanna know that too."
I turned my head to glare at him but he only shrugged again.
Zack didn't say anything after that, too busy cursing me in his head. Soon, we reached our house which was literally in the middle of a forest.
The forest was huge. I don't even want to count the number of times I got lost there and the boys had to come and find me.
Why are they so good at navigating and I am not?
Stopping the car, we took Jennifer out of the trunk, still in her bind state and locked her up in the basement.
***
When it had been an hour and a half and no sign of Jennifer waking up, Zack was getting impatient. By the look on his face, I could tell he just wanted to murder her already.
He raked a frustrated hand through his hair and took a bottle of water and left for the basement, all three of us following him. He opened the door and was just about to throw the bottle along with the water inside, at Jennifer's face, when he stopped.
Jennifer stumbled backwards, holding her nose and mumbling something under her breath. She wasn't tied and had managed to free herself.
...
This meant trouble for me.
...
"Who was the stupid fuck to tie her?!" Zack asked, looking furious with the way he glared at us.
"Max." Liam replied quickly, even having the audacity to point a finger at me.
"Couldn't you have taken the blame on yourself for once? I am your best friend, Liam?" I looked at him with dramatic betrayed eyes.
"Sorry, Max... But you are just so useless sometimes." He replied with a straight face, shrugging afterwards.
"What do you even me-"
"SHUT UP!" Zack yelled, coming at me with a tightened fist.
"What the hell?! Let me go! My nose is broken! I need a damn doctor! Who in the world opens a door like that? Shouldn't you be a little gentle?! My poor, poor nose! Do you want to deform my face or something?! It's already pretty ugly why do you want to add-"
"You are not ugly, Jennifer!" I interrupted her panicked rambling.
She looked at me shocked, still holding her nose.
"I am.. Not?" She asked in a quiet voice.
"No!" I shook my head.
"Really?" She smiled adorably, not seeming to believe me.
Why did she think she was ugly? I don't think anyone is 'ugly'. It only depends on how we look at it. For a mother, her child will always be the most beautiful person in the world. And we don't make each other so it gives us no right to judge someone's looks.
"Yes!" I grinned.
"Wow that's something new! No one has ever said that to me, Max-"
"CUT IT OUT! HOW ARE YOU UNTIED? WHERE WERE YOU PLANNING ON GOING? YOU CANNOT RUN AWAY FROM HERE. IF YOU TRY TO ESCAPE AGAIN I'LL KILL YOU IN THE MOST PAINFUL WAY POSSIBLE AND I DON'T FUCKING LIE." Zack screamed at her.
What is wrong with him?! Can't he be polite? There's no need to yell like there's no tomorrow. One day, he's gonna make my ears bleed with his stupid shouting.
Jennifer was taken aback, frozen in fear. Before anything could happen, however, Zack grabbed her arms to take her over to the chair in the room to tie her down on it.
Jennifer's POV:
"Couldn't you be a little gentle?" I winced at the tightness of the rope on my wrists.
"I like it rough, honey." I choked on my spit, a stupid blush dusting over my features due to the embarrassment.
What the hell is this guy's problem?!
"Why am I tied on a chair in this ugly room?!"
"You are tied to a chair in this ugly room because we have kidnapped your pathetic ass." Zack rolled his eyes.
"Kidnapped me? WHAT?" My eyes widened.
"Hadn't you realised that yet-"
"I thought you were joking! It's a prank right? Lucas is behind this, right?" I so desperately wanted this to be just a joke.
"Who's Lucas?" Max asked me, tilting his head in curiosity.
"Our school's biggest prankster! He had done a kidnapping prank on a girl last month! It was so fun, not for the girl though. And I kinda felt really guilty on laughing at her but now people would be laughing at me too but I guess I deserve this for laughing at her but again everyone else was also laughing so why should only I-"
"OH GOD! SHUT UP!" Zack interrupted with a hard slap to my face, immediately making me zip up.
Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes as my cheek stung. I looked down and whimpered, not wanting them to see me like this.
"Please, chill bro! She was just sharing an-"
"You want to sit with her too, Max?"
"Uh.. No. I am good."
Zack grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head up so that I could look straight into his ruthless eyes.
"Listen you, we have kidnapped you and we will only let you go once your parents pay us 5 million dollars in exchange... Otherwise you can say goodbye to this fucking world." He sneered at my face which was so close to his.
"5 what?!" I choked out.
"Million dollars." Max nervously smiled at me.
Were they seriously serious?
"They don't have that much money." My voice cracked.
"You aren't worth that much money either but we don't care. They're rich. They'll get the money." Zack let go of my face and moved away.
I wasn't worth 5 million dollars? I wasn't worth anything! My parents weren't home since the last 3 months.. Whenever they visit it's not more than a week.
Will they pay that much money for me? They will, right? I am their daughter! They have to.
"Where are you lost?" Zack asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Don't waste your time and just kill me." I whispered. "Spare me the torture..."
"What? Why?" Max frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me in concern.
"They won't pay you the money. So, kill me."
"Why not?!" Max asked me again, his frown growing.
"They just... Won't.... They don't love me.."
"Why are you saying that Jennifer?"
"They are hardly ever home and when they are, it's never more than a week. They don't talk to me on the phone. The last time we celebrated my birthday together was when I was 14... Last year they even forgot about it.. "
There was silence in the room. I avoided to look at them, not wanting them to see my tears.. It's not like they'll care anyways.
Max came up to me and bent down to my height. He raised his hands to cup my face to wipe away my tears.
"That doesn't mean they don't love you, Jennifer. Some people just don't know how to express love." He tried to assure me but I knew better.
"I think we should discuss this." Zack announced after a few tense seconds and left.
Liam looked at me with sad eyes before he took a leave as well.
"I'll see you soon, Jen." Max said.
He called me by my nickname which made me smile. He smiled back at me before reluctantly getting up to leave the room.
The last to go was Damien who was staring at me.. His face showed an unreadable expression but soon, he left too.