My Beautiful Boy ✔️

33

I knock on Dawson's front door. A part of me was worried because he wasn't answering my texts and I feared that something was wrong. When he doesn't answer, I try the handle, and surprisingly, the door swings open. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

I slowly step in, looking around. "Hello?" I called out, but no one answered. If the door's open, then surely someone's home, right? "Dawson!" I yelled, but again, I'm met by silence. I gulp with nervousness.

I quickly make my way upstairs, knocking on Dawson's closed door. "Dawson?" I speak quietly. "Are you here?" I ask, but when he doesn't answer, my heart drops. My hands curl around the door knob, and I push his door open, looking around.

Dawson lay under his covers, barely moving. I sigh, frowning. I don't know whether to lift the duvet and see if everything is okay, or just let him sleep. Maybe he got a late night. I check the time on my phone. It's midday.

I shake my head before peeling back the covers away from his body. Dawson's eyes squint to an open when the light hits him, and my mouth opens in shock. A cut underneath his eye that has swollen up and a deep cut on his bottom lip.

"Oh my God, Dawson!" I exclaimed, my hand on his shoulders as I examined his face. "What the fuck happened to your face?" I gasp, and he slowly sits up, rubbing his uninjured eye.

"What?" He mumbles, still overtaken by his sleep. "How'd you get in?" He yawns, stretching his arms. "What time is it?"

"Your face, Dawson." I tell him, my eyes flickering all over his skin. "Did... did Stawarski do that?" I ask warily, but he shakes his head. "If it wasn't him, who was it?" I ask warily, my eyebrows furrowing.

Dawson shakes his head. "It doesn't matter." He mutters, but I raise my eyebrow in retaliation. "Seriously, Alayna, it doesn't matter." He takes my hand into his, lifting me onto the bed. I sit next to him, my feet dangling off of the side of the bed. "I've sorted it, okay?"

I frown and I have a headache from stopping myself from crying. I don't want to see him hurt. I don't want to see him suffer and this... this hurts me more than any pain I'd endure. If he continues to live this way, I'm afraid he'll end up dying, and I'm not sure how to deal with that. If I lose him... I don't even want to think about it.

I shake my head. Dawson caresses my arm, his fingers running up and down my skin. He gazes at me like I'm his everything, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I try to smile, but it's just a sad smile.

I don't know why Dawson suddenly feels like he can't talk to me about his feelings, but it squeezes my heart in ways that make the pit of my stomach twist upside down. "I'm here, you know that?" I tell him quietly, and his eyes waver. "You don't have to talk, but I'm here." I whisper, sending him a small, depressing smile.

Dawson moves a strand of my hair behind my ear, his thumb running across my jaw. "I know." He says, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry." He mumbles, leaning forward and kissing me gently. His lips are barely pressed against mine and my eyes are closed as I carefully rest my hands on his biceps. "Just trust me." He adds, and I kiss the side of his lips to avoid his cut.

"I want you to trust me." I tell him, and he chuckles, kissing my forehead. "I hate seeing you hurt, Dawson." I tell him, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his chest. I'm practically laying on top of him, burying my face into his chest and wrapping my arms around his waist.

"You know I really like you, right?" Dawson asks me quietly, and I think I stop breathing. I look up at him, a small smile on my face. Dawson's fingers run through my hair.

"I really like you, too." I grin, biting my bottom lip.

***

Me, Leilana, Willow and Sydney sit around a table in a random cafe before we go to college, and we've all ordered a coffee to drink. Leilana clears her throat, threading her fingers together. "I... I have to tell you guys something." She says, and my head quickly snaps to her. Is she planning on saying that she's a stripper?

"Yeah? Is everything okay?" Willow asks, shutting off her phone and placing it on the table, giving her attention to Leilana.

"I'm a..." Leilana clears her throat. "I work as a stripper." She says, and the whole table is silent. Willow's mouth drops open. Sydney's eyes widen in shock and I gulp in nervousness. "To make money." Leilana clears up.

"What?" Willow gasps, leaning towards Leilana. "How long has this been going on?" She asks, and Leilana tells her that it's only been a few months. "And- I mean, why didn't you tell us? We could have helped-"

"No, look, I-" Leilana sighs, running her fingers through her hair. "I can't rely on you guys for money, okay?" She shakes her head. "I'm just trying to... be independent and look after myself and my mum by myself." She tells us, and Willow nods her head in understanding.

"Wait, so... you, like, dance around on a pole?" Sydney asks, and Leilana bursts out into laughter.

"No, I'm not quite there, yet." She shakes her head once more. "I just do stage dances. You know, keep the men entertained until the actual strippers come." She rolls her eyes, and Sydney tilts her head in confusion.

"You know you can tell us anything, right?" Willow smiles at her, taking her hand into hers. "We're always here for you." She adds, and Leilana nods her head, smiling sadly at her. "That's what friends are for, right?" She chuckles.

"You're all great." Leilana says, grinning. "I love each and every one of you." She puts her arm around my shoulder because I'm sitting right next to her, and I lean my head on her shoulder. "I couldn't have asked for better people to do life with."