《The Strings Attached》Chapter 5 - Loni
Advertisement
Bethany Harris is a great roommate. She's clean, she takes out the trash, and she's quiet. She always has her nose in her textbook, studying all day and night, giving me my own privacy. Giving me privacy to stalk Eric's social media all night.
Or at least attempt to stalk him.
My thumb hovers over his Instagram username. But I don't have the balls to tap the screen. My thumb twitches, following the ticking of the tiny clock on my desk.
I'm going to do it.
"You better put the phone down right now, Loni."
My thumb freezes and my whole body goes tense. I glance across the room to where Bethany is standing in my doorway. Of course the one night she's not studying for her classes, she's studying me.
"I'm not doing anything." I quickly lock my phone and place it face down.
She cocks a brow. "Well, good. Because if you were stalking your ex-boyfriend I would tell you to knock it off." She walks inside my room and sits on my bed, running her hands over the soft white comforter. "He hurt you, Loni. Why subject yourself to even more pain by making yourself vulnerable to his crap again."
Bethany watches me with her big brown eyes and I know she's right, but I can't help myself. Not knowing what he's doing is driving me crazy.
"What if he's with another girl?" I blurt out. Damn, am I really this pathetic?
Bethany shrugs. "So what if he is? Good riddance to him. He wasn't worth your time."
"That's easy for you to say." My tone is harsher than I intended, but I can't help it. The thought of Eric being with someone else, especially this soon after our breakup, makes my blood boil. And, I mean it is easy for Bethany to say, she's never had a boyfriend in her entire life.
Advertisement
She brushes off my tone like it's nothing. "If you want to stalk him, then at least let me help. I need a break from studying for my marketing exam. I can help you go all Sherlock Holmes on his ass."
"No," I say, pushing my phone to the other end of the desk. "You're absolutely right." I shake my head. "This won't do any good."
Bethany gives me a small nod and I can't help but notice the tiny smirk on her lips like she's proud of me. But still, even though I know in my soul that I'm doing the right thing, I feel like shit. I don't know what's worse— knowing what Eric is doing, or imagining what he's doing.
"Well, that went a lot better than I had planned," Bethany sighs, standing from the bed with a crooked smile. "I thought I was going to have to pin you to the bed and pry that phone out of your hand."
"Not this time," I laugh.
"Darn." She snaps her finger. Her eyes drift to the clock on my desk. It's eight o'clock at night. "I wasn't really ready to end my study break just yet. Want to watch the Bachelor with me?"
I laugh at her god-awful proposal. The last thing I want to do is sit on our couch and watch thirty women throw themselves at a hot single man. A man who is only going to break their heart in the end and pick a woman who is completely wrong for him.
Definitely passing on that one. There is only so much heartache I can take.
"Thanks for the offer." I stand from my desk. "And though it pains me to decline," I say with the utmost sarcasm. "I am going to go for a run."
Advertisement
Bethany lets out a pathetic exaggerated whine. "Are you sure? It's so dark out. You sure you should be out there alone?"
"I'll be fine," I answer, snatching up my sneakers. "I'll stay inside the property. And the courtesy officer is always on standby."
I love our apartment. It's student housing off-campus but the site is beautiful. It's hard to tell we are even in Florida as the all-red brick buildings scatter the large piece of land. Oak trees line the streets and there is a bike path that winds throughout the property which is perfect for jogging.
"Suit yourself. I'll give you the rundown on the episode when you get back." Bethany flips her blonde hair over her shoulder before trotting out of my room.
The TV in the living room turns on and the sounds of bachelor drama flood into my room. I dress quickly in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top so I don't have to endure another unwanted moment of the scripted nonsense.
The late August night breeze brings goosebumps to the surface of my skin as I run down the trail. My feet pound the paved surface to the beat of "One More Night" by Maroon 5 that's blaring through my AirPods. Dim orange lights shine down on the path casting an ominous glow, but I've never felt more at peace. Since I stepped foot outside the apartment, I haven't thought of Eric once.
I focus on the lyrics swirling in my head. My lips part and I silently sing with each breath. Glancing up, I take in the sight of the starless cloud-covered sky.
"On your left!" Someone shouts but I don't have enough time to respond.
As my head snaps down, the handle of their bike clips the side of my hip. I stumble forward, losing my footing as a burning sensation coats my skin. Before I hit the ground, someone grabs my arm and yanks me up. My sneakers skid across the pavement.
"Ow, damn it." I curse under my heaving breath, looking down the path to the biker who just hit me. They don't even bother stopping to see if I'm okay. Asshole.
"Are you good?"
My head jerks back around, now realizing that a man is holding me in his arms. I blink up at him. Through the dim lights of the bike path, he looks familiar, but I can't place it.
He releases me and shakes his head, tucking his hands into his shorts. I pluck the AirPods from my ears when he opens his mouth to speak again. "Loni, you good?" He gesture's to my torso where my tank top is ripped open— wait, he knows my name? Who the hell is this guy?
"Do I know you?" I ask, ignoring the dull ache that stretches across my hip.
Advertisement
- In Serial160 Chapters
Eight
His name is Eight. Not really, but that’s what the System decided after a slip of the tongue. One moment, he was stepping out the office door on the way home, and the next waking up on a hillside below a town wall. Oh, and the gate guard drove him off, because he thought Eight was a monster. Life’s tough when you’re trapped in an eight-year old body on another world. The first book focuses on Eight's survival on a dangerous new world. If you're a fan of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, you'll enjoy it. The story is one of discovery, bushcraft, and finding one's way. Note that, while this is very much LitRPG, progression is slow, and Eight spends much of the first book alone. The second book recounts what happens when Eight and friends head east to the village of Voorhei. Expect a blend of fantasy adventure, ghost story, cozy mystery, and family drama. Books one and two make a complete story, while book 3 has just gotten underway.
8 687 - In Serial125 Chapters
Greg Veder vs The World
The average person can easily understand that when it comes to living in a villain-infested, crime-filled city like Brockton Bay, treating life like a game can get you killed. It's kind of ironic, then, that Greg Veder has always been far more serious about games than he ever has about life. (Worm/The Gamer AU)
8 328 - In Serial6 Chapters
Orbital Station 47c
Senior Medical Officer Valerie Helvetica Carlisle is having a very bad day. First, the military base she was assigned to as a civilian medical practitioner got bombed to hell by rebels no one really cared about. Then, she awoke super confused, on the other side of the galaxy, with her body in pieces in a cryogentic pod, on a station that had been abandoned centuries ago due to a suspected plague. Homelessness is a bitch, especially when it's your body that you got kicked out of. She has to find a way to get back into her body, get answers from the purple dude in the cryopod next to hers, and find a way either home or at least forward. She has no idea which, really.
8 54 - In Serial33 Chapters
Mindshifter: The Mind War
Most of the Malkene world is shrouded in fog which transforms everything. Remaining humans are forced to live in a few isolated areas. War against mind-snatchers on the east will affect peaceful west. Time for changes has come, the decision is in thehands of the group of volunteers. On their path they will interact with many forces including Gods. To reach the truth and victory they will have to lose everything and battle utter hopelessness. From this different kind of mind war strongest one will emerge as a mindshifter. All mysteries will be revealed to him. Only one question is left without answer: when mankind's everlasting hunger for power is finally saturated, is there any humanity left?
8 102 - In Serial8 Chapters
Pokémon Reset Bloodlines Sidestory - Cipher Chronicles
Part of the Pokémon Reset Bloodlines universe. While Ash Ketchum continues to travel across the land, new threats lurk far and wide beyond Kanto. Sidestories focused on Cipher's involvement while they set their world domination plans in motion. Written by Crossoverpairinglover and several others. Knowledge of the main story isn't fully required but recommended.
8 147 - In Serial21 Chapters
The Joker's Daughter
Her simile, her blue eyes, her raven hair, her grace. They're all beautiful. I fallen in love with the daughter of the Joker...... Robin has fallen in love with the daughter of the Joker's. She was experimented on and she seems nothing like the joker. In some ways she resembles him. The Joker has tormented her and torture her and robin tries to save her from him and the insanity that built over the years of abuse. If you see or read this story on quotev that's because i'm the same author. I'm just editing and moving it on here too.
8 188

