She giggled. Her high-pitched, playful voice dominated the air as she ridiculed me, "Caleb, you're so bad! You won again. But really, Lily's been into you since high school, hasn't she? Still obsessed, huh? Shows up at your door in her pajamas, trying to seduce you!"
Caleb threw an arm around her and sneered, "A woman like that? I wouldn't take her even if she were free."
The woman beside him… Nina Walker.
Just seeing her face sent chills down my spine.
It was her, the same woman who had bullied me throughout high school. She had led a group of girls who made it their mission to make my life miserable. My entire high school experience was filled with fear and isolation because of her.
And, it hit me.
This whole night had been nothing but a sick, twisted game.
Caleb and Nina had played me for a fool, and I had fallen into their trap. I was nothing more than the fool in their cruel little act.
When I realized it, it was already three in the morning, and there were no taxis in the area. I had walked over an hour in my pajamas through the cold because of Caleb's cruel words.
How could he do this to me?
Overwhelmed by emotion and exhaustion, a sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, and I turned to leave. But before I could get far, Caleb smirked and shoved a black bag into my hands without any explanation.
"Since you were so eager to come, we can't let you leave empty-handed," he said, his tone ice-cold. "Open it."
I stared blankly at the bag, too numb to process anything. Mechanically, I followed his instructions and opened it. Inside, a mass of slithering creatures writhed and squirmed.
"Ahh!!" I screamed.
Startled, I stumbled backward, dropping the bag as hard as possible.
It hit the ground with a thud, and then… snakes.
Dozens of them, of all sizes, slithered out, flicking their tongues and staring me down with those cold, unblinking eyes.
Some even coiled into aggressive postures, ready to strike.
I collapsed on the floor, shaking and terrified.
Caleb stood over me, looking down with a smirk as if he had won some sick game. "You made a post accusing Nina of bullying you, didn't you? Consider this a lesson. Next time, it won't be as simple as just releasing a few snakes, Lily."
Then, he crouched down, his eyes narrowing. "And don't be so petty. This happened years ago. Why are you still holding on to it?"
I could hardly believe what I was hearing.