BAD INFLUENCE
Bad Influence - Episode 27&28
(•Tainting Her Innocence•)
GENRE: College romance
By, Mide L.
✧༺✰༻✧ ✧༺✰༻✧ ✧༺✰༻✧
✮{...HIS VULNERABILITY...}✮
SAME NIGHT, ASHER'S PLACE*
Lucy entered into the house, the faint scent of alcohol and cigarette smoke clinging to her clothes. The birthday party she attended had been a wild one. She had left early, not because she wanted to, but because she needed to.
As she shut the door behind her, a heavy voice slurred from the living room.
"Where the hell have you been?"
Her father.
Lucy sighed, rolling her eyes as she stepped inside fully. The stench of cheap beer mixed with sweat hit her immediately. He was slumped on the couch, an almost empty bottle dangling from his fingers, his bloodshot eyes struggling to focus on her.
"At a party" she said, slipping off her heels.
"Not that you care"
His gaze raked over her, brows knitting together.
"Dressed like that?" He scoffed. "You look like your mother"
Lucy stiffened at the mention of their mother.
"Don't bring her up"
Her father let out a bitter laugh, taking another swig from the bottle.
"Why not? She left, didn’t she? Just like you will. Just like Asher probably will too" His words were slurred, but the resentment in them was sharp.
Lucy clenched her fists, her phone buzzing in her pocket. She knew what it was. Another notification. Another message. Another guy waiting for a picture.
Her father barely noticed the way she tensed. He just waved a hand in the air.
"You're just a kid, Lucy. You don’t know anything about life" he muttered, waving his hand lazily in the air.
Lucy fists remained clenched, her phone buzzing in her pocket. She ignored it, her chest rising and falling as she stared at the pathetic excuse of a man slumped on the couch.
"A kid?" she repeated, stepping closer. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.
"I stopped being a kid the day Mom died. You made sure of that"
Her father squinted at her, confusion flickering in his drunken look.
"You let Asher and me fend for ourselves while you drown yourself in alcohol every damn night You were supposed to take care of us! You were supposed to be our father!"
His expression twisted into something ugly. "Watch your mouth, girl"
"Or what?" Lucy challenged, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"You'll do something for once in your miserable life? You sit here, wasting away, while Asher breaks his back trying to keep us afloat!" She wiped at her face angrily then continued.
"Do you even care that we struggle? Do you even care that I—" She cut herself off, chest heaving.
Her father’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
"Of course, you don’t" she spat, shaking her head.
Then...
"What the hell is going on?"
Lucy turned sharply.
Asher stood in the doorway, his brows furrowed, eyes shifting between her and their father. His presence filled the space, but Lucy couldn’t look at him for too long. She quickly wiped at her face, stepping back.
Asher’s gaze darkened as he took in their father’s drunken state. His jaw clenched.
"You’re drinking again?"
Their father scoffed, grabbing the bottle and taking another swig.
"None of your damn business, boy"
Asher exhaled sharply, his hands balling into fists.
Lucy turned away, blinking away tears.
"Where the hell are you coming from dressed like that?" She stiffened, turning slightly but refusing to meet his eyes.
"A birthday party" she muttered.
Asher’s nose flared as he stepped closer. "Then why do you smell like alcohol and cigarettes?"
"Does it matter?" She shrugged.
"Lucy—"
Before he could say more, she turned and bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Her heart pounded, not just from the argument but from the persistent buzz of her phone in her pocket.
Once inside her room, she slammed the door shut, locking it before pressing her back against it. She exhaled shakily, then pulled out her phone.
Buzz. Buzz.
She swallowed hard and opened the message.
*You kept me waiting, babe. You gonna give me what I paid for or not?
Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed back.
*I’m here.
Without hesitation, she stepped in front of her camera, her reflection staring back at her.
Then, slowly, she reached for the hem of her dress, lifting it over her head, piece by piece shedding everything until there was nothing left.
She stood there, completely nakedly under the dim glow of her bedroom light.
And then... she pressed, 'Record'
The money was what mattered. As long as she got paid, nothing else did.
The screen buzzed with another message.
*That’s my girl. Now, show me what I paid for.
Lucy began the little show.
•••
AT THE CLIFF*
The wind was sharp and biting, sending chills down Hailey’s spine as she climbed off the motorbike. She hugged herself, shivering slightly as she took in her surroundings.
The cliff overlooked the darkened town below, the city lights twinkling like distant fireflies. The night air was eerily quiet, save for the rustling leaves and the distant crash of waves against the rocks.
She turned to Xavier, who was still straddling the bike, one boot planted firmly on the ground. He pulled off his helmet, running a hand through his messy dark hair before lighting a cigarette.
"Why did you bring me here?" she finally asked.
Xavier exhaled a slow stream of smoke before flicking the cigarette away.
"Because i wanted to, get a problem with that?" he said nonchalantly.
"You brought me to an isolated cliff in the middle of the night, so yeah... i have a problem with that"
Xavier smirked, swinging his leg over the bike as he stood up.
"If I wanted to kill you, Hailey, I wouldn’t have wasted time bringing you all the way here"
Her breath hitched.
"Relax, princess"
"What’s so special about this place?" she asked, eyeing him warily.
Xavier turned away from her, staring out over the cliff’s edge. For a moment, he was quiet, his usual cocky demeanor slipping. Then he sighed.
"I come here when I need to clear my head" he admitted.
Hailey studied him, surprised by the honesty in his tone. It was rare to see him like this... unguarded. Vulnerable, even.
"Do you need to clear your head now?" she asked softly.
Xavier glanced at her.
"Maybe, or maybe I just wanted you here"
Her heart skipped a beat.
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Xavier suddenly reached for her wrist and pulled her closer, she gasped.
She swallowed hard. "Can I ask you something?"
Xavier arched a brow, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips.
"You’re already asking, princess"
She hesitated for a moment, her fingers tightening into fists at her sides. Then, she finally voiced the question that had been nagging at her mind for days.
"That girl… the one who was said to be close to you before—" she paused, watching for any reaction. “She disappeared. No one knows where she went"
He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "And?"
Hailey frowned.
"And people say she was last seen with you"
Instead of answering, he simply laughed, completely unbothered.
"Why are you laughing?"
"You ask too many questions, Hailey"
"You’re not denying it"
He leaned in slightly, his lips just inches from her ear. His voice dropped to a near whisper, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Maybe I like keeping secrets"
Something about the way he said it... the way he looked at her, made her feel like she was teetering on the edge of something dangerous.
"That child from earlier..." she started. "Is she really yours?"
He frowned but it didn't take long before he smirked.
"You’re really pushing it tonight, princess" he murmured.
"I'm just curious, is she really..." Xavier closed the space between them, his hand curling around the back of her neck.
Before she could react, before she could even process what was happening, his lips crashed on hers.
The kiss was rough, demanding. Not soft or hesitant, but something else entirely... something possessive. Like he was trying to silence her. Like he was trying to make her forget.
And for a moment, she did.
Her fingers curled into his jacket. The scent of cigarettes and leather surrounded her, overwhelming her senses.
"You ask too many damn questions, and i don't like being interrogate" He said when he pulled back.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her lips tingling from the force of the kiss. Her mind screamed at her to say something, to demand an answer but all she could do was stare at him, stunned.
Xavier smirked at her silence, his thumb grazing the side of her jaw before he pulled away completely.
"Some things are better left unknown" he murmured.
And just like that, he turned away, heading back to his motorcycle as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t just stolen her breath away.
Hailey stood there.
She found herself wondering just how many more secrets Xavier was hiding.
And why, despite the warning bells in her head, she still wanted to know.
Hailey's heart was still racing from the kiss when the shrill ring of her phone cut through the silence. She jolted, blinking rapidly as reality snapped back into focus.
Jessa.
She moved to pick it up, but before her fingers could reach the screen, another phone rang.
Xavier’s.
Unlike her soft ringtone, his was a sharp, ominous buzz, vibrating aggressively in his pocket.
Hailey barely had time to process it before Xavier’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening. Then, in one swift motion, he pulled the phone out and smashed it to the ground.
The device shattered instantly, a loud crack echoing into the night. Pieces of the screen scattered on the ground, the glow of the display flickering weakly before dying.
Hailey gasped, instinctively stepping forward. "Xavier, what the hell—"
She crouched down, reaching for the broken phone, but before her fingers could touch it...
"Don’t" Xavier ordered.
She froze, looking up at him. His entire body was tense, eyes blazing but she didn’t listen.
Ignoring his warning, she snatched the phone off the ground, brushing off the shattered glass.
"Who was calling?" she demanded, glancing at the cracked screen, but before she could make anything out, Xavier walked up to her and wrapped his hand around her wrist, prying the phone from her grasp.
"Drop it" he warned.
"Why did you smash it? Who—"
Xavier yanked the phone from her, and then without hesitation, he turned and tossed it over the edge of the cliff.
Hailey watched, wide-eyed, as the phone plummeted into the darkness below, disappearing into the abyss.
She whipped back around to face him, shock and anger swirling inside her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Don’t. Touch. My. Shit" he growled.
"I'm sorry"
"If you're that curious, that was my mum calling. Happy now?"
Hailey blinked, taken aback by the sudden outburst. His whole body was tense, his fists clenched at his sides. But she could see it—the pain flickering in his eyes, buried beneath all that anger.
She hesitated before speaking. "Xavier…"
"Don't" he cut her off, turning away from her. His hand ran through his already messy hair, a bitter laugh escaping his lips.
"You want to know what happened between us? Fine. But don’t expect some sob story"
Hailey remained silent, sensing that this was something he never talked about.
"My mum, never had time for me. Work. Status. Everything else always came first" He let out a hollow chuckle, shaking his head.
"And then one day, when I was twelve, I got kidnapped" he continued.
Hailey inhaled sharply.
"The kidnappers called her, and you know what she said? She said she was busy. That they should call back later, and they’d discuss. Was she supposed to say that? Was that what a mother was supposed to say?"
Hailey’s heart clenched, her lips parting slightly in disbelief.
"She never even called back. They were the ones who did. And when she finally picked up, do you know what she said?"
Hailey swallowed. "What… did she say?"
His gaze met hers, filled with something raw and broken.
"I don't negotiate with criminals. If you want to kill him, go ahead"
The silence that followed was deafening. Hailey could barely breathe.
"That’s the kind of mother I have, so yeah, I don’t answer her calls. She doesn’t get to pretend to care now"
Hailey didn’t know what to say. Nothing could fix that. Nothing could erase what he had been through.
But before she could even try to comfort him, Xavier let out a breath and smirked, a hollow, empty expression.
"Now, you’ve gotten your answers, princess. Satisfied?"
He turned back to face her, but Hailey just stared at him, her chest tightening.
She wasn’t satisfied. Not at all.
Hailey’s heart ached at his words, but beneath all the pain and bitterness, there was something else... a strange sense of relief. For the first time, Xavier had actually opened up to her. He had let her see a part of him that he kept hidden from the world. And even though his words were heavy, even though his past was painful, she felt… glad.
At least now, she understood him a little more.
But Xavier wasn’t done. His breathing was rough, his fists still clenched.
"Do you know what’s funny?" he laughed bitterly, pacing a little.
"She didn’t even report it. Didn't send anyone to look for me. Just sat in her stupid office, sipping on her expensive wine like nothing was happening. I spent three days locked in some filthy, dark basement, wondering if I was going to die, while she acted like I didn’t even exist. My father doesn't know of this, he's always on business trip"
His hand shot to his hair, tugging at it in frustration.
"And when they finally let me go, when I came home, do you know what she said?" He scoffed, shaking his head.
"Don’t be dramatic, Xavier. You’re alive, aren’t you?"
His whole body was shaking with rage now.
"I should’ve never gone back. I should’ve—"
But before he could finish, Hailey moved.
Without thinking, she ran to him, throwing her arms around his waist and burying her face into his chest.
Xavier stiffened instantly, caught off guard. His breathing was uneven, his whole body still rigid with anger, but Hailey didn’t let go.
She held him tighter.
"You don’t have to act like it doesn’t hurt" she whispered against him.
For a long moment, he didn’t move.
Then, slowly, his hands lifted hesitantly before they wrapped around her, hugging her as if his life depended on it.
___
💕TBC💕
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