Sweet Disturbance
Synopsis
Helene is a loner. She doesn't have many friends and definitely no boyfriends. Isolated in her own apartment, Helene only has one comfort: her obsession with The Beach Boys—in particular, her love for the band's lead singer, James Osburn. Hoping to one day meet her idol in Hollywood, Helene begins working as a cam girl to save up for the expensive flight there. However, the life of a sex worker is never easy, and Helene finds herself spiraling under pressure...until she meets Malcolm. Malcolm is sweet, gentle, and kind—and most importantly, he makes Helene feel important. But not everything is perfect. As she grows closer to Malcolm, Helene's friends grow more and more suspicious of her new friend... Something about him doesn't add up, and the truth may destroy everything Helene has ever believed to be real.
Sweet Disturbance Free Chapters
PROLOGUE | Sweet Disturbance
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I’m scarred. I have wounds inside my heart that I’ve been carrying ever since the day that I learned to recognized people…But those scars weren’t caused by enemies or people that I disliked. Those wounds came from the few persons that say they loved me…I am unwanted.
“Helene, I can’t believe you’d go this far for James,” Lexy, one of her best friends, told her then showed her the phone’s screen. “For James Osburn, you sell your nude photos?”
“Wait…what?” Helene grabbed the phone and looked at it closely. “It’s not me!” she denied. “Why would I sell my nude photos online?”
Lexy shrugged her shoulders. “Because you’re eager to earn money just to support him,” she smirked. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I should expect that you’d do this—”
“Lexy, how could you say that to me?” Helene stood and was about to walk away, but Lexy blocked her way.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Lexy asked, arching her brow. “This is you, right?”
Helene held her breath when Lexy played a video on her phone. “Lexy, please don’t do this…We’re best friends! Why are you doing this to me?”
All of her classmates gathered around them as Lexy clicked the play button. Helene tried to stop her, but she pushed her to the ground. She watched in shock when the screen flashed a pornographic video of her. The speakers roared her loud moans and groans while holding a huge sex toy pressed between her legs.
“No!” Helene stood. “That’s not me!” she shouted and ran. She pushed away the students blocking her way, but they’re all laughing at her.
“Helene, why don’t you just tell us the truth?” Adam, who just arrived, asked her. His phone was in his hand.
“No…” she said, shaking her head. Adam is her ultimate crush and the only male student that showed kindness to her. “No…”
Even Arianne was giving her a look that tells her how shameful she did. “Helene, I didn’t expect that you could do this—”
“That’s not me!” she shouted. “That’s not me! That’s just photoshopped.”
Lexy and their other classmates laughed, including Bela. She’s giving her a scrutinizing glare as if telling her that this is what she deserved for being a freak. Helene can take all the bad words that Bela and the other people around told her; what she can’t handle is Lexy’s and Arianne’s thoughts about her now. They are her only best friends…
“How will you prove to us that the woman in this video is not you?” Bela asked with a smirk. “We can clearly recognize her face, Helene. And it’s you.”
“That’s not her!” a male voice from behind her classmates shouted. “That is not her.”
Helene froze at her feet. That voice is familiar to her, but how did he know that she’s in this university. She turned slowly and met the man’s gaze. In an instant, all the people around her vanished.
This mysterious man saved her once again from this nightmare…
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CHAPTER 1 | Sweet Disturbance
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Helene looked at her cell phone screen and watched James Osburn’s latest vlog. He looked so handsome that she can’t figure out why he didn’t become the group’s visual instead of being the leader. She’s been a fan of The Beach Boys since she was in high school. Now that she’s in college, she wanted to level up with her fangirling level. But how will she able to do that if she doesn’t have enough money?
She took a spoonful of cornflakes and ate it. “I need to find a job that can support my life as a fangirl,” she said to herself without taking her eyes off the screen. “For my beloved James, I’m willing to give up my spare time.”
She was about to wash the dishes when she heard a noise from the outside. Helene looked at her wall clock. It’s almost eleven p.m. Out of curiosity, she opened her door slightly and peeked outside. She saw a tall figure of a man dragging his large luggage bag towards the door beside her apartment. Helene knotted her forehead. A new arriving late at night?
“Did he just arrived from the airport?” she asked, brows furrowed. She watched the man as he struggled to open the lock of his door. “He has to use force to open that door—” Then the man suddenly turned to him. “He’s creepy!” she exclaimed as she shut the door behind her. “What kind of tenants does my landlady accepting?”
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“What? You’ve got a new neighbor, and he’s kinda cringey?” Arianne asked Helene when she told them about the guy last night while having lunch at the school canteen. “What makes you say that?”
Lexy snorted. “What’s new? Helene is such a judgmental person.”
Helene glared at Lexy. “Do you have a problem with me?”
But Lexy just rolled her eyes heavenwards. She transferred towards the other table without even trying to answer her. Helene can’t believe it, Lexy is bitchy with her now, and she hated it.
Helene laughed bitterly. “Just because you’ve got yourself a boyfriend, you think that you can act like that to me? Is that what you’re trying to show off to me, Lexy?”
“Helene, don’t mind her,” Arianne nudged her. “Tell me more about your new neighbor.”
Helene blew her breath. She glanced at Lexy, who was now busy on her cell phone. It seemed like the bitch wasn’t going to explain herself to her. “What’s with Lexy?”
“Nothing,” Arianne replied casually. “Maybe she’s just not in the mood.”
She shook her head. “She started to be like that when she…” she trailed off. She can’t remember when Lexy started to be sarcastic with her. “Never mind.”
Arianne laughed. “So, what’s up with your new neighbor?”
“He’s creepy,” Helene said. “He arrived at our apartment building late at night with his big and bulky luggage bag. His attire was like the ones in a crime fiction movie—”
They heard Lexy snorted from the other table. When Helene looked at her, she just raised her phone, saying that she’s not laughing at her but at what’s on her screen.
“Whatever,” Helene mouthed with an eye roll.
Arianne tapped her arm on the table to get her attention. “Come on, tell me more. How does he look like?”
Helene drew her brows together as she tried to remember what the man looked like. “Well…he’s kinda cute, tall, and lean. Actually, he has a little resemblance with James—”
This time, Lexy burst out laughing. “Come on, Helene.” She raised from her seat and walked towards them. “Maybe it’s just your imagination? Because you often watched James Osburn’s videos, your mind created an illusion that your new neighbor looks like James.”
Helene arched her brow to her friend. “I know what I saw—”
“Tell me, what were you doing before you saw your neighbor?” Lexy cut off and propped her hand on her waist. Lexy looked like the ones in a high school anime series with the style of her school uniform. Plus, her eyes were almond, and her skin tone was rosy-white. “You’re watching James Osburn’s live video?”
Helene pressed her lips together and didn’t answer. Lexy was right that she’s watching James before seeing her new neighbor, but she’s sure that he looks like James.
“Helene,” Arianne called her. “Is it dark when you saw him?”
Helene heaved a sigh and nodded. “But there’s a bulb light in the corridor—”
“Maybe, next time, provide a picture,” Lexy said and tapped Arianne’s shoulders. “Let’s go, Jeremy texted me. He’s inviting us to watch his game.”
Arianne raised from her seat. When she didn’t move, she nudged her shoulder. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
Helene looked at her food. “I’m not yet done with my food,” she said and picked up her spoon and fork. “Go first; I’ll be there after I finish this.”
Lexy looked at her, but Helene looked away. She didn’t like what she saw in her friend’s eyes. It was as if she were telling her that she didn’t know her anymore. But Helene knew it otherwise…They were starting to be strangers to her.
***