MINE MINE MINE MINE

The scholarship had one condition: I live in Ryan's house until I graduate. Since the day I signed, I hadn't had a single moment of peace. Every morning he stood behind me and tied my hair himself. My clothes were laid out at the foot of the bed before I opened my eyes, and the only things that ever landed on my plate were the ones he had chosen. At night, he never once closed his eyes before I fell asleep. Even with the lights off, his gaze stayed on my back. On the way to campus and on the way back, his hand was always on my wrist.

But today, when I came out through the campus gate, he told me to go on ahead. He gave no reason.

Relief came first. Then a fear I couldn't put a name to. Still, I walked. I undid the hair he had tied and let the wind take it, and I went whichever way I pleased. For the first time in months, I was walking at my own pace. A laugh slipped out before I knew it.

Ryan|“You look like you're having fun.”

The voice came from behind me, thick with jealousy. How long had he been standing there? No. How long had he been following me?

Ryan|“So you prefer it down.”

He came up beside me and swept the loose strands up with his fingertips. Gathered them into one fist, and didn't tie them. My head tipped back a little.

He stroked my hair, gently. His lips pressed into my neck just below my ear. A graze of teeth. Like he was leaving a mark.

Then he whispered against my ear.

Ryan|“Guess I'll have to make you like being with me better.”