Blackmailed by a Bully

Freida took a deep breath before opening the gate. She could see a puff of smoke rising from Damon's garden.

After gathering all of her strength, she pushed the latch and entered his yard. He looked up with a crooked grin that broke her heart.

'I can't do it,' she thought, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"I need to talk to you," she said.

Damon nodded and let out a long sigh before squashing out his cigarette on the bin lid. "Yeah... I knew this was coming." "You... you did?" she whispered.

"I'm going to find a way to stop him, Freida," Damon said, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry you are involved in all this." "You know?" she asked.

"He isn't my friend, Freida." Damon looked around as if worried Ben might overhear. "He's been blackmailing me this whole time. I don't think I'm the only one. I was mates with Ron before but Granger and Chelsea... I don't know about them." "He's forcing Chelsea to be his girlfriend," Freida confirmed in a quiet voice. "Like... what is wrong with him? Who does this to people?"

Damon shook his head and shrugged. "I can't answer that. I tried to get him to act like a human being, but nothing I do gets through to him. There is something seriously wrong with him." Freida let out a sigh and nodded.

"He said I have to tell you I only pretended to like you," she said.

"Then... I'll pretend that is what happened. But only until we can find a way to get one over on him. I promise. I will think of something," Damon said.

"Me too," Freida said. "I'll see what I can do. I can sort of do computer programming now. I'll see if I can find out how to hack into his computer and delete all that spy shit."

Damon smiled kindly at her and nodded. His face suggested he knew it was a long shot, just as she did, but she was going to try, damn it.

"How will we communicate?" she asked.

"I'd give you your phone back... but Ben took it," Damon said.

"I'll get a new secret phone," she said. "And only give you the number."

They smiled at each other before Freida felt a buzz in her pocket.

"Huh?" she frowned. "But I don't have a phone."

She fished through her coat pocket and found the little burner that Damon had provided her with--the one she'd gotten the weird messages on--was nestled inside. Opening it, she found a message from a new number.

"Come to this address now," it said and listed a postcode. The message was finished off with the signature Ben and a cross.

"Oh, great," Freida said. "I have been summoned."

"I don't want you to go," Damon said. He stood and blocked the gate with his large form. "Just... ignore him. If he wants to hurt me, he can. He can do whatever he wants. Just... I have to keep you out of it."

As Freida took a step toward him, giving him a stern look. "I can do this. I'm stronger than I seem."

"I know how strong you are," Damon cried. His shoulders slumped as he stepped forward and wrapped her up in a hug. "But you shouldn't have to do this for me."

"I want to," Freida replied, her words muffled by his sweater.

"Come on," she said, taking a step back. "You have to let me go now."

Damon nodded, but he held on to her hand as she moved away.

She turned back to him with the most reassuring smile she could muster up. "I'll be fine."

Instead of getting up google maps and navigating her way to Ben's house, she decided it was simpler to get a taxi, especially when he followed up his text with a warning not to take too long.

She hated getting taxis because the conversation with the driver was always strained and awkward, but in this situation, it was the least of her worries. Luckily, he was on the phone with someone and barely grunted hello to Freida. Once they pulled up at Ben's mansion, the guy continued to talk on his phone while holding out one hand. "Seven fifteen."

She paid the man and got out, fighting the urge to jump back inside the taxi until he drove off and left her there. All alone.

'This place feels lonely.'

No cars sat in the enormous driveway and no lights were on inside. Was Ben even home?

'I hope not,' she thought with a scowl.

Then he appeared in the doorway.

"Are you just going to stand there like a statue?" he asked.

"Maybe," Freida said.

The gravel crunched under Ben's sneakers as he slowly walked towards her. He stopped, looking her up and down with an oddly blank expression. "That attitude of yours won't play well with me. I suggest you cut it out now," he uttered with a look of contempt.

"I can't help who I am," she said honestly. "If you want someone to submit mindlessly... why don't you find someone else?"

"I don't want someone mindless. I want you," he said. He took a step forward and ran a finger through her long hair. "I want to see what it's like to break you."

"But why?" Freida whispered. She could have come back with some snappy remark about how he didn't have a chance in hell, but it would only make him mad. He didn't answer her. Instead, he turned and led her inside his house.

Her footsteps echoed about the spacious foyer as she tagged along, feeling out of place and scared.

"Where are your parents?" she asked.

"Mum lives in Sweden, and Dad is always at work," Ben said.

"And they just leave you on your own?" Freida asked, shocked by their obvious neglect.

Ben sighed. "Enough questions."

Freida hung her head and followed him to his room. She watched as he sat at his computer and turned it on, leaving her to stand there like a spare part. "So... what do you want from me?" she asked.

As soon as they were out of her mouth, she regretted asking.