BEN's POV
"He's been in a mood since he's gotten home, don't mind him,'' Logan said flicking her hand towards Blake who sat at the kitchen table.
I sat with Logan on the couch nervous about how to approach this discussion.
"So did something on Halloween?" she asked curiously.
She sat criss-crossed next to me on the couch as we talked.
"No-I mean that's not exactly what I wanted to talk about..." I began nervously.
"Okay...so what's up?"
I thought about how to bring this up without giving away who I was talking about.
I cleared my throat and began, "So I have this...well, I know this person...who I think is in a bad relationship and I need advice on how to help him–I mean, them."
I rubbed my thumb anxiously against my knee. I really wanted to help Parker if I could I just didn't know how to do it.
"What does a bad relationship entail?" Logan asked sounding a little confused.
"Like...I think it's abusive," I said slowly. "But he–they– don't want help."
It's not like I could go beat up Holden and tell him to leave Parker alone. I needed a different option.
"Did he tell you this or is it more of a suspicion?" she asked raising her eyebrows.
"He told me."
I knew I couldn't go to Aero with this in case that would somehow make the situation worse. I was surprised Parker even told me about it in the first place.
"I fucking knew he was a knobhead," Blake grunted while slamming a fist against the table.
"Wh-what do you mean? I asked confused.
"No offense Ben, but you only have one other friend other than the people you live with," Logan stated.
Fuck me.
"Okay, but you guys can't tell anyone about any of this!' I told them aggressively.
"You hear that Blake," Logan began sarcastically. "That means you can't go and slam your fist into anyone's face over this.''
Blake rolled his eyes and placed an unlit cigarette between his teeth.
"I just...don't know what to do. I'm worried about him," I confessed with my head low.
"I mean it's a good sign he talked about it with you," Logan pointed out. "That means at least subconsciously he wants help."
"Parker isn't exactly great at getting help...or admitting anything is wrong," I began frustratedly. "He's more of a deal with it on his own ..or a 'ignore it until it solves itself' kinda guy..."
"I'll handle it," Blake cut in quickly.
What the fuck does that mean? Oh god what did I do?
"Blake what did I just tell you?!" Logan yelled at him.
He shook his head and answered, "I don't mean with my fists. Just, leave it alone for now and I'll see if I can do anything."
I looked between him and Logan suspiciously.
Logan sighed and nodded her head after making harsh eye contact with him.
"Fine," Logan said looking back to me.
I was still confused.
"I'm supposed to just roll with that? Trust that Blake is somehow going to fix it?"
"I never said I was fixing anything," Blake defended quickly. "I'm just...just trust me."
I sighed deeply and didn't argue with him.
''Do you trust this guy?" I asked looking at Logan deadon.
"Unfortunately I do," she answered seriously.
I really hoped I did the right thing by telling them and prayed for my life that Blake wouldn't tell Parker that I was the one to tell him about Holden.
PARKER's POV
Holden traced his fingers along the side of my cheek.
"Your beauty is slowly coming back," he smiled as he touched me.
Most of the bruising was either gone or just a very light shade of yellow. The bruising was mostly gone yet I still flinched every time I saw myself in the mirror.
He moved his fingers down my face and slid them slowly down my bare chest. I still wasn't good at hiding my facial expression.
"What's wrong sweetie?" he asked sticking his bottom lip out as he looked down at me.
He practically laid on top of me as we spoke in my bed.
"Nothing's wrong," I lied slowly.
I figured he wouldn't accept the actual answer so I had no choice but to lie.
I didn't want him touching me anymore. I didn't one anyone to touch me anymore.
"Do you want to go for a drive?" he smirked. "You can come watch me surf again."
I shook my head no and gently rubbed my thigh with my hand.
"I don't feel great. I might just sleep some more if that's alright," I told him and sat up a little.
He let go of me and also sat up.
"Fine," he agreed while placing a quick kiss on my lips before leaving my bed. "You're probably still recovering from all that love-making last night."
I laughed a little, whether it was out of actual entertainment or fear was the real question.
He winked and threw on one of his t-shirts.
While walking over to the door he said, "I'll see you later after classes. We'll have dinner at 6. I love you."
"Sounds good," I answered as he stared at me. "Love you too."
The door slammed behind him making me shudder. I finally let out a deep breath and ran my hands over the top of my head. I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and saw I had one message from Ben.
B:
I silently chuckled to myself and answered,
P: actually what goes thru my mind
I put my phone back down and sighed again. It was a relief to see it had just been a meme. Ever since I told Ben about Holden and I's issues I'd been nervous to talk to him about anything.
The whole conversation was awkward and I knew now that I never should have brought it up in the first place. Now I just felt embarrassed about it.
The sound of the fire alarm suddenly blaring through the building made me sit up quickly which was shortly followed by the sound of someone pounding on my dorm room. I jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of clothes before begrudgingly making my way outside with everyone else in the building.
I stood awkwardly by myself with not even my phone to hang onto. I crossed my arms as the morning breeze sent chills down my body. This is so not what I need right now.
"Trying to burn the place down are we?" Blake's voice snuck up behind me startling me.
I turned to see him standing next to me. He wore a black jacket buttoned up with his hands in his pockets. The tip of his nose was no longer pale but instead a light shade of pink.
"Someone is," I answered while clearing my throat. "What are you doing here?"
"Just walking to class when I saw you standing here in the cold. Thought I'd pop over and see what you were doing but I see it isn't by choice."
Did the blaring alarm give it away by any chance?
I tried to hide my chattering teeth and looked straight ahead of me.
I knew Holden wouldn't like it one bit if he knew I was talking to Blake.
"Want to go warm up somewhere?" he asked looking up and down.
I shook my head immediately and said, "No, I'm good."
My chest and leg muscles tightened as another burst of wind blew by us. I'd hope the building would've been all set but the alarm still blared.
"Jesus you're going to catch pneumonia standing out here," Blake commented quickly.
I turned to see him undoing the buttons on his coat and take it off. Underneath he wore a thick-looking, grey sweater.
"Take it," he insisted holding it out.
When I didn't move, he rolled his eyes and threw it at me. I didn't try to catch it before it hit the ground. I stared at it for a second and then let out a heavy sigh before giving up and picking it up.
I shoved my bare arms into the sleeves and wrapped it around myself. It fit awkwardly as the chest fit tightly but the sleeves were longer than my hands. I didn't mind that much because the extra fabric kept my hands warm.
"There you go, ya thickhead, all better," Blake smirked at me.
"Aren't you cold now?'' I asked instead of thanking him.
"No," he shook his head. "I'm not the one in just a T-shirt."
He then squinted his eyes towards the building and added, "That blessid alarm is giving me a headache. Let's go get breakfast somewhere."
I narrowed my eyes unimpressed.
"I thought you were going to class?" I accused quickly.
He shrugged and took a few steps away from me.
"And now I'm getting breakfast. Let's go."
"Breakfast? Isn't it almost 11?" I continued to argue with him.
"Fine. Brunch," he explained while continuing to step away. "Now come on, you're wearing my coat so you have to follow me."
He then turned away from me and left me with a choice. I looked back at my building and groaned. Holden won't like this.
"Fine, wait up!'' I called after him.
After jogging to catch up he looked at me and said, ''There's this great place right in the corner of town you'll love."
I was going to argue with him on why we weren't just going to the dining hall but then I figured there was more of a chance of Holden catching me if we stayed on campus.
We walked on the sidewalk towards downtown for what felt like forever. Even though I had Blake's jacket on I was still freezing. I didn't even want to know how cold Blake must've felt.
"We should have used Uber or something," I sniffled and shoved my hands inside the pocket of his coat.
Blake scoffed and replied, "It's not much further. Plus we get a good leg stretch!"
"November isn't supposed to be this cold. This should be illegal," I continued to complain as we turned the last street corner.
"There she is!" Blake stopped abruptly in place.
I stared in the direction he looked and saw the sign that read, "Millie's Place".
It sat in the middle of what looked like a laundry mat and a pet store. The pet store had a huge glass window in the front where you could see a couple of cats chilling.
Blake rubbed his red hands together and looked both ways before bolting it across the street. I followed him quickly and avoided getting hit by any cars.
"Quickly now, don't wanna let any of the cold air in," he said pulling the door open for me.
I awkwardly walked in ahead of him and immediately was embraced by the warm air. The little bells that hung from the corner of the door jingled as it shut behind Blake. The inside of the place was very small and the amount of people inside could be counted on one hand.
"Blake Madison, as I live and breathe!" A small, older woman greeted us as she popped up from behind a long wooden counter to our left.
"Hello Ms. Millie," he smiled and walked over to the counter.
"You've brought a friend!" she smiled widely while making eye contact with me.
I showed a small, awkward smile and then looked back at black.
He rested his elbows down on the counter and placed his chin in his palms.
"Yes, and we'd like your finest table, ma'am," he said in what I think was supposed to be a Southern accent.
She grabbed a couple of menus and then waltzed out from behind the counter. We followed her across the checkerboard floor towards the back corner of the restaurant. It was a small booth but the table was clear with what looked like words or objects trapped underneath the glass.
Blake sat first, him up against the wall, and then I sat across from him and removed his coat.
"Coffee, Black?" Ms. Millie asked while already scribbling something down on her notepad.
Blake nodded and then she turned to me.
"How about you, dear?" She asked nicely.
I picked up the menu and scanned it for the drink section.
Not a black coffee I can tell you that much.
"I think I'll just take some water," I answered simply.
She nodded and then left us to return to the back.
I couldn't tell if Blake was intensely staring at me or if that was just how he always looked. His dark eyes and eyebrows pierced through me with every glance.
More importantly, I still was confused about what we were doing.
I tried to keep my knee from shaking anxiously but my foot just kept tapping uncontrollably.
"Why Canada?" Blake asked me randomly.
"What?" I blurted out confused.
I hated that I felt so nervous.
"You're from the States, you hate the cold, so why come here for school?" He clarified.
"I followed my sister here," I answered after clearing my throat.
"Right," he began suspiciously. "So you two are close then? Where she goes, you go?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Why did she choose Canada then?" he added.
What's with the third-degree buddy?
"Well our father wanted to kidnap her so she came here to get away from him," I answered honestly.
Part of me hoped that maybe if I was honest it would scare him away.
"Guess that didn't very well then, yeah?" he chuckled a little and leaned back against the back of the booth.
It then just occurred to me that he had met my father.
"He's great, isn't he?" I asked sarcastically.
"Yeah he seems like a real peach," he chuckled back at me.
"Here you go," Ms. Millie said placing our cups down. "Now what about food, darlings?"
"I'll take the usual, yeah," Blake told her briefly.
She nodded with a smirk and then looked at me. I hadn't even looked through the menu yet.
I think Blake saw that I was struggling because he quickly asked, "Do you like waffles? They have the best waffles here."
"Yeah, sounds good," I answered to just give a quick answer.
After handing her back the menu she disappeared once again.
"So what did my father...say to you?" I asked nervously.
I didn't know fully what had happened when my father came back but I knew Blake was involved.
Blake raised his eyebrows and told me, "Just a bunch of threats and weird asks."
"He didn't mention me at all—did he?"
Deep down I was afraid to know the answer.
"Not really," he shrugged. "Did you grow up with him? Or has he always been chasing you?"
I was no longer interested in this conversation.
"Um, well we lived with him until we were about 13," I told him.
"What happened? What changed?"
I'd never really talked about it before with anyone. I didn't like to think about it too often.
"My sister had enough one day and made us go to the police. He- he'd just beaten me pretty badly the night before we left and I think it was the final straw for her," I explained slowly.
"What about you? Did you want to leave?" He asked placing his mug back down on the table.
"What do you mean?" I asked surprised of what he asked.
Of course I wanted to leave.
"I just mean, did you love your dad? Despite everything happening? It must've been hard to leave," he said clearing his throat.
"I hate my father," I told him firmly. "I've always hated him.
The truth was it was hard to leave him. To turn him in and no longer be under his control.
I didn't want anyone to know what happened behind his closed doors and I was a kid who was afraid of what it would be like without him.
Maybe that's why I let Aero take the initiative—it wasn't until she convinced me that we could do better than that life that I was able to realize we needed to escape him.
"So you come here a lot?" I asked him to change the subject.
I had picked up on his regular status he seemed to share it with Ms. Millie as soon as we walked into the place.
"Yeah, usually I don't bring anyone though," he answered me with a light sigh.
"How'd you find this place? Or how long have you been coming here?" I asked curiously as I looked around.
"Ms. Millie has been my pimp since I was 15 so I'd say I've been working for her about...five years now?"
I quickly caught his eyes and stared at him in shock. He held my gaze for about ten seconds before bursting into laughter.
Asshole.
"I'm just fucking with you," he continued to laugh. "I started coming here probably about three years ago, I think? Yeah, it was the only place open after my late-night gigs got out."
I frowned at him and shook my head. I glanced down at the table and tried to read some of the snippets that were under the glass.
One of them was a cut out of a piece of paper that read, "High and dry, out of the rain. It's so easy to hurt others when you can't feel pain. And don't you know that love can't grow 'cause there's too much to give 'cause you'd rather live for the thrill of it all."
"Are these song lyrics?" I asked grazing my thumb overthe top of the table.
Blake nodded and looked where I was looking.
He started humming and eventually began to quietly sing, "and you've gone too far' cause you know it don't matter anyway..."
His voice was deep and airy as he sang a few of the words.
"Alright here you are, dear, Ms. Millie said placing down the plate of waffles in front of me.
"You're not going to get anything?" I asked a little confused when she didn't bring Blake anything.
Breakfast was his idea after all.
"No I come here strictly for the coffee," he smirked while raising his mug as if he was toasting to me.
I couldn't help but feel suspicious about this whole situation. Why does Blake have an interest in me?
I knew nothing about him. He seemed to know too much about me.
After finishing my waffles, Blake left a couple bills on the table and I followed him back into the cold. I tried to offer him his jacket back but he declined persistently.
"Mind if I have a smoke?" Blake asked as I walked beside him.
I shrugged my shoulders not caring. He stepped out in front of me stopping me in place. I looked up at him as he stood only a few inches away from my skin. He reached for his jacket to which he opened it off my chest to reach into the inside pocket where he stored his cigarettes.
He didn't move as he pulled one out of the little box and placed back inside the pocket. I held my breath as to not let him feel it stifle into his skin.
He then pulled down the edges of the coat to straighten it back out. He didn't say anything the whole time and then casually took his place back beside me.
As we began to walk again I let out a deep breath and stated, "Guess I should actually go to class now,"
"That's so boring!" Blake complained letting out a puff of smoke.
I tried hard not to choke on the terrible smell that filled the air around us.
Class was supposed to be boring. That was normal.
"I don't mind it so much," I told him quietly.
I could feel his side-eyed glare on me.
"Do you want a puff?" Blake asked holding out the remainder of his cigarette butt.
I shook my head no and we continued to walk. As I looked around I couldn't even tell if we were walking in the direction of campus.
"Have any plans with your boyfriend tonight?" Blake randomly asked me.
I swallowed hard before answering. For the first time in a while I hadn't thought about him at least once every minute.
I shrugged and answered, "Probably."
We turned at the end of the street and I started to realize where we were.
"What do you mean by 'probably'?" He asked suspiciously. "You've either got plans or you don't."
"I mean," I began trying to explain myself. "I mean we don't have any exact plans but we'll be together no matter what we decide to do."
He pursued his lips and nodded.
"But what if I invited you to a party tonight? Then what?" He asked.
Stop asking me questions.
I felt myself begin to become quite annoyed.
"Then we'd just go to that because that would be a plan," I stated feeling like it was the obvious answer.
"No, no," Blake clarified. "You were invited, not your boyfriend."
I rubbed my fingers together tightly in the pockets of the coat. I couldn't help but feel awkward.
I remained quiet without answering him so he stopped in place forcing me to also stop.
"Would you come without him?" He asked.
His eyebrows furrowed slightly as a very serious expression crossed his face.
"N-no I mean I probably wouldn't be able to go then," I answered in almost a whisper.
"Why not?" He asked still pressing on the matter.
"C-cause I want to spend time with H-Holden..."
"Do you?" He asked instantly.
"Y-yes of course."
"Then why are you stuttering?"
"I don't know now would you get the fuck off my back?!" I screamed at him.
My breaths came out quickly whileI looked around embarrassed as people passed by us.
Blake's eyes widened and he crossed his arms.
"Deep breaths mate," he said placing one hand on my left shoulder.
I flinched away quickly from his touch and continued walking back towards main campus.
I hear Blake's steps followed quickly behind me to catch up.
I've already risked everything by telling Ben my issues and I don't need another person added to that pile.
"Wait up," he told me softly. "I didn't meant to upset you."
He breathed heavily beside me making his breath visible in the air as he walked. He sounded sincere but I was too upset to actually believe him.
I'd picked up my pace to get back to the dorms as quickly as I could. We both stayed quiet for the rest of the walk.
Once my building came back in sight I was able to calm down a tiny bit.
I stopped in front of the front steps instead of just silently abandoning Blake.
I turned to look at him as he stared at me with his big, brown eyes.
I could just by his face, that look-
He knew what was happening.
"Look-" he began softly but I cut him off before he said anything else.
"I'm fine," I insisted. "I can take care of myself."
He frowned at me unimpressed.
"Are you sure? That ''mugging''was pretty bad," he commented.
Part of me suspected that Ben must have opened his trap.
"Stop," I told him aggressively. "Stop right now. You don't know what you're talking about."
I turned away from him towards the steps. After jogging up the first couple I heard him call out from behind me.
"You don't have to live like this, you don't deserve to be treated like shit," He said to me.
I turned again to face him with my eyes rolled.
I quickly stepped towards him until I was only a couple inches from his face.
"He cares about me. He knows I exist," I seethed at him. "Don't talk to me about shit you don't understand. Pretending to be all friendly with me—what is this? Is this a game to you? I can take it. Just leave me alone!"
Blake's face didn't change. He didn't look shocked or angry. He still looked calm.
"What's going on here?" Holden's voice pierced through every bone in my body.
I turned to my right to see him walked up to us.
"Nothing, I was just going back inside," I told him while backing away from Blake.
Blake glanced over at him now looking slightly pissed.
"Do we have a problem here?" Holden asked taking a couple of steps forwards Blake.
I quickly grabbed ahold of his arm and pulled him back towards me.
"Holden—" I said his name while squeezing his arm.
"No," Blake sighed softly. "There's no problem."
He made deep eye contact with me before walking away from us.
I moved my hand down from his arm to his hand and pulled him up towards the door.
"Let's go in," I told him.
I didn't know in the moment if it was more telling or begging him.
"Why was he here?" Holden asked sounding annoyed already.
He pulled off his sweatshirt and tossed it onto his bed. I had to think of a lie quickly before I got myself into trouble. Already I could feel my palms start to sweat.
"He was just asking if I knew where his roommate was," I lied quickly through my teeth.
"It sounded like you were arguing," Holden pointed out quickly as he came up to me and rubbed my shoulders.
I looked down at the floor and answered, "Yeah I was just-uh telling him that I didn't know where he was and that he should leave me alone."
Holden nodded slowly. I couldn't tell if he believed me or not.
"Oh, good," he smiled at me happily.
I sighed in relief.
"How was class?" He asked curiously.
"Fine, how was surfing?" I asked quickly changing the subject off of me.
"Good. I'm exhausted now though," he answered with a smirk. "I need some cuddles I think."
He moved his hands down to the opening of the coat and then froze.
"Is this a new jacket?" He asked inspecting it.
I gulped anxiously had forgotten that I was wearing it. I was wearing Blake's coat.
"Yes," I answered. "For the winter."
"It's very nice," he commented while pulling it off of me. "But it looks a bit big."
He dangled the sleeves out in front of me and laughed at it.
"It's- oversized," I chuckled nervously.
He shrugged and tossed the jacket aside. As we laidback onto my bed I stared at the jacket that now sat on the floor.
How could I have been so careless today?
I spent the whole first have of my day with Blake. I'd let his charisma take advantage of my poor mental state and it almost got me in so much trouble.
It almost all felt like a dream but I knew for sure one thing.
I'm gonna kill Ben.