Boom! He throws the chair against the wall and I watch in horror as it crashes against the wall. I begin to run towards my room, but it's like my feet are weighed down with bricks. I'm not getting anywhere and he's going to catch me soon. I look back and he's not that far away from me. My chest begins to heave up and down, fear taking over completely. He grabs me by the hair and yanks me down to the ground. He yells something at me, but I don't hear over the sound of my own screams. He draws his fist back and aims it right at my face.
I jolt awake in the bed, letting out a loud scream. I'm pouring in sweat and my heart is beating like I've just run a marathon. That dream was so vivid. I could have sworn it was real. I look to my side to see what time it is. It's nearly noon. I run my hand through my hair, trying to calm down. It was just a dream Abby. I look to my side, only to find an empty space beside me. Where's Jordan?
My door bursts open, causing me to jump. Alyssa is holding a knife and I almost freak out at the sight of her with the knife. I scream a little causing her to scream.
"Why the hell do you have a knife?" I yell.
"Because you screamed!" She states as if it's obvious.
"I'm fine, Alyssa." I say with a sigh.
She puts her hand over her heart as if she is relieved by what I just said. "Good, because I don't think I could actually stab someone. Or maybe I can."
She puts the knife down on the dresser before making her way over to me. She sits beside me and gives me a look that says talk.
"It was just a bad dream." One that still has me shaking with fear.
"Was it about Shawn?" She asks, already knowing the answer to the question.
I nod my head and she gives me a sympathetic look. She wraps her arms around me, pulling me close to her.
"You poor thing." She comforts me.
"Do you think I'm going to be like this forever? Losing sleep. Scared all the time. I mean, I don't want to feel like this forever." My voice breaks a little, but I refuse to cry again over this.
"Hon, it's going to take time. Rome wasn't built in a day. Things will get better, I promise." I bury my face into her shoulder, just needing the comfort of my best friend. She doesn't let go until I pull back.
"Better?" She asks with a small smile.
"I think I'll be okay. I probably need to shower. I'm sweating horribly." My clothes are starting to stick to me.
"Yeah, you smell a little." She jokes and I push her lightly.
I get out of bed, going to my bag with my clothes in there. "Where's Jordan?"
"Oh, he went with Jake to get the rest of your things. They wanted to leave early so that you couldn't object to them going."
I laugh a little, "They know me so well. You should have went with them to make sure that they wouldn't do anything stupid."
"Yeah, I was the main one talking about cutting his dick off." She says in all seriousness.
"Alyssa!" I scold.
"What? You should be happy to know that I'm willing to go to jail for you." She smiles and I can't help but laugh at her a little.
"I'm about to take a shower." I let her know before going into the bathroom.
I undress before turning the water on and stepping into the shower. My muscles are tense and I feel like I just can't relax. I drop my head under the water, just letting the warm water run all over me. I stay in the shower until the water becomes cold. I turn off the water, stepping out and grabbing the towel. I wrap it around me and grab another one, wrapping it around my hair.
When I step out of the bathroom, Jordan is sitting on the bed with his head in his hand. I walk over to him and when he hears me, he lifts his head up. His eyes are red and puffy. Why is he crying? I really hope he hasn't done anything bad to Shawn. I squat down in front of him, looking up at him. He looks down at me with those sad eyes and I can tell whatever it is, it's really affecting him.
"Jordan, what's wrong?" I place my hand on top of his.
He sniffs before wiping his eyes. "Richard passed away."
In that moment, everything seems to stop. Everything seems to go into slow motion after he says those three words. After telling me that, I hurried and got dressed. We packed our bags and got on the next flight out. None of us said anything to each other on the plane. Jordan was the most upset because he was closer to Richard than Alyssa, Jake, and me. If Jordan is like this, I can't imagine what Daniel is going through.
Once we get to the airport, all of our phones blow up with messages and calls. Richard was a well known man in this town and everyone is probably in mourning right now. We all wait outside of the airport, waiting for Jordan's car.
"Are you guys going to the hospital with me?" Jordan asks, looking down. It's the first thing he's said since we got here.
"If you want us to." I tell him.
He grabs my hand, "Yeah, I'm going to need you there."
I nod my head. I know Troy is probably going to need Alyssa. We all need to try and be strong for Daniel, though. He's lost his father and losing someone is never easy for anyone. I lean into Jordan, trying to comfort him. He has been here for me, now it's my turn to return the favor.
Jordan's pov
I knew it would happen eventually. I thought I had prepared myself for it, but I guess I didn't. I haven't let go of Abby's hand since we got back to California. She's the only thing that's really keeping me together and the fact that I know I'm going to have to be strong for Daniel.
We stop in front of his house and we all get out. I don't want to step foot into his house. The atmosphere is already so depressing right now. I can't even imagine how it is in that house.
I release a long shaky breath trying to get myself together, but I lose it. I choke out a cry, fisting some of my hair in my hand. The physical pain is always better than the emotional pain.
"Jordan, stop!" Abby grabs my hand before putting her hands on the side of my face, forcing me to focus on her.
"Keep it together. Your best friend is in there probably falling apart right now. He needs you. He needs you to be strong for him right now." She gives me a stern look, trying to seem like she has it all together right now. I know she's probably still hurting over what Shawn did to her and the fact that she's trying to keep herself and me together proves how much she cares about me.
She's right though. I need to suck it up and be strong for Daniel. I nod my head before wiping my tears. I turn to face the house before grabbing her hand. She squeezes my hand before leading me up to the house. Jake and Alyssa follow behind us, probably keeping quiet because they're unsure of what to do.
I knock on the door and a few seconds later, it opens revealing Troy. He looks at me, his eyes giving away that he's been crying as well. He pulls me into a hug and for a moment, we put aside our differences. We hadn't talked to each other since he punched me in the face at the hospital, but none of that matters right now. Daniel is the main priority right now.
He pulls away from me, sniffing. "Everyone's inside right now. It's quiet and sad, so don't expect there to be a lot of talking."
I nod my head before walking into the house. It's gloomy in here and as soon as I get into the living room, my heart begins to thump against my chest. Everyone is crying and I don't think I'm going to be able to hold it together. I squeeze Abby's hand, needing reassurance that she is still right beside me.
I go over to Daniel and he stands up, meeting me. He looks tired and I'm sure he was fighting just as hard as his dad was. He wipes his eyes and tries to put on a smile for me, but it falls as soon as he attempts it.
I let go of Abby's hand to hug him. I wrap my arms around him as tight as I can. He does the same and we seem to be depending on each other right now. He doesn't have to say anything. I know he's hurting.
"I can't believe he's gone, man." He cries into my shoulder.
I wipe away the tear that falls quickly, but another one falls soon after. "Its going to be okay." I try to comfort him, but my voice betrays me.
He pulls away from me. "We're just sitting around, waiting for the food. Your mom is in the kitchen cooking along with Naomi and my mom."
"You guys didn't have to cook. I could have ordered some food for everyone." I tell him.
"They need the busy work. Especially Naomi. She's been on go since he died. She hasn't even shed a tear yet." I take a small glance into the kitchen, looking at Naomi. She's stirring something in a bowl, but she doesn't seem to be all the way there. Her eyes are distant and she seems unfocused.
"You know, if there's anything–" He cuts me off.
"I know. You're here for me." He gives me a small grateful smile that doesn't stay on his face for very long.
He sits back down in his seat and I meet with everyone in the house. Everyone hugs me so tight and I do the same. It's like we all need the comfort of each other, but we don't exactly know how to provide it other than by hugging each other.
I sit beside Ryan and he bumps shoulders with me. He silently asks me with his eyes if I'm okay and I respond with a shrug. I'm not okay, but I'm definitely not as bad as Daniel right now. He gestures towards a figure in the corner and I immediately recognize the person as Stephen. He's off to himself and his head is cast down. He seems out of it too.
"How long has he been over there?" I whisper to Ryan.
"Ever since he got here. He hasn't said a word. Sometimes he'll start to cry or he'll just stare off into the distance like he's doing now." We look back at him and I feel a pang of hurt for him.
He looks up briefly before storming out of the house, catching everyone's attention. I stand up, putting a hand up to let everyone know that I'll go check up on him. I go outside to find him pacing back and forth, tears streaming down his face. He's red in the face and I can't tell if he's mad or just really upset.
"Stephen." I call his name.
He ignores me and continues to pace back and forth. I take another step towards him, calling his name again, but he just ignores me. I rush over to him and grab him by his arms, yelling his name again.
"Stephen!" I yell.
"What?" He yells back, tears streaming down his face.
I see the pain in his eyes. There's so much of it that I have to look away, but I force myself to look back at him.
"I knew, Jordan. I knew." He cries, his voice breaking.
I let him go, confused. What is he talking about?
"What are you talking about, Stephen?" I ask him, eyebrows furrowed together.
"I knew he had cancer! I saw the signs and I knew he needed to go get help. I even asked him one time to go to the doctor, but he wouldn't go. He kept putting it off until it was too late! I should have forced him to go to the doctor sooner! He would still be alive, Jordan! He would still be alive!" Tears fill my eyes and I try my hardest to hold it together. He can't possibly think that this is his fault.
He lets out a loud agonizing yell, the pain getting to him. I go over to him and wrap my arms around him. Stephen is like my brother now and I always look after my brothers.
"Stephen, this isn't your fault. It was just his time to go. We're all sad, but blaming yourself for him dying isn't right. Richard wouldn't want you to do that." He squeezes his eyes shut, pain written all over his face.
"I don't belong here. Daniel doesn't want me here." His head falls and I shake him a little, making him look back at up at me.
"Hey, I used to hate your fucking guts. If we can become friends then you and Daniel can definitely become friends. If anything, this is going to pull you guys closer. You were both like a son to Richard." I'm trying to talk some sense into him. He's hurting and it's causing him to be irrational.
"Jordan–" I cut him off.
"Jordan my ass. Stephen, you're one of us now. We may fight from time to time, but we look after each other. We love each other. We're basically brothers. You're one of us and you belong here with us." I tell him.
He looks me in the eyes, checking to see if I'm telling the truth. When he sees that I'm being sincere, he nods his head.
"We need to go back inside now. Let's not remember Richard this way. Let's remember him as the man we all knew." I say before throwing my hand over his shoulder and taking him back into the house.
When we get into the house, everyone has a plate in their laps but no one is eating. I made a promise to Richard to make sure Daniel doesn't fall apart, well, I'm expanding that promise to everyone. I'm going to make sure everyone is going to be okay.
"Hey, Troy." I catch his attention.
He looks up at me with sad eyes and I hope that he goes along with the plan.
"Do you remember that time Richard caught us on the trampoline fighting?" I ask him and a small smile appears on his face as he recalls the memory.
"Yeah, I remember. He made us get on teams and fight against him. The man kicked our asses. Even when we got Daniel and Ryan to help us out, we still couldn't beat him." He laughs a little and I can't help but smile.
"I remember that time he helped us with football. We were the worst ones on the team. Remember that, Jordan?" Ryan asks me.
"Yeah," I smile, "everyday after school we'd go to Daniel's house and he would practice with us. Him and my dad."
I look over at Daniel to see him smiling a little. "I remember he taught Troy and I how to ride a bike."
"Yeah, my dad couldn't because of work, but your dad always stepped up whenever we needed him." Troy says, looking over at Daniel.
"He was like all of our dads." Daniel says and I notice the small glance he takes at Stephen.
"Do you remember the song he would sing every year at the party for the forth of July?" Stephen walks over to us, his eyes still red from the tears he was just crying.
Daniel chuckles a little, "How could anyone forget? He always started it off every year."
"What's the song?" I ask.
"Living On a Prayer by Bon Jovi." Stephen tells me.
I smile, pulling out my phone. I search for the song before pressing play. I turn the volume up on my phone as loud as it will go and place it down on the table. As soon as the music comes through the speakers, smiles appear on everyone's face.
"Daniel, will you do the honors of leading us off?" I smile.
A small smile appears on his face and he stands up, coming over to where I am. I grab the remote to the TV and hand it to him as if it's a mic.
He smiles at me before singing the first lyric. "Once upon a time not so long ago. Tommy used to work on the docks, union's been on strike. He's down on his luck, it's tough, so tough. Gina works the diner all day working for her man. She brings home her pay, for love, for love."
He goes over and grabs Stephen for the next part, handing him the remote. Stephen laughs a little, but continues the song.
"She says, we've got to hold on to what we've got. It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not. We've got each other and that's a lot for love. We'll give it a shot." He sings into the remote.
I motion for everyone to join in on the next part and most of everyone stands up to sing the next part with them.
"Woah, we're half way there! Woah, livin' on a prayer! Take my hand, we'll make it I swear! Woah, livin' on a prayer!" We all sing as loud as we can. We're all going to make it through this. We just need to have faith.
We all take the hands of different people, dancing with each other. I grab Daniel's mom and twirl her around a little, making her laugh. I look over at Abby to see her dancing with both Alyssa and Naomi. I smile to myself, happy to see everyone taking a break from the crying.
Once that song goes off, I go to another classic to help keep everyone's spirit up. Michael Jackson's Dangerous plays through the speakers of my phone and everyone gets excited. All the women in the room have the men to stand up and sing the song. Of course, they want me to take the lead.
"The way she came into the place I knew right then and there, there was something different about this girl. The way she moved. Her hair, her face, her lines divinity in motion. As she stalked the room I could feel the aura of her presence. Every head turned, feeling passion and lust. The girl was persuasive, the girl I could not trust, the girl was bad, the girl was dangerous." Everyone cheers me on as I go over to Abby, taking her by the hand. The red creeps up her neck all the way up to her cheeks. I knew she would start blushing.
Troy takes over the next verse, making sure to add what he would call sexy moves in his little performance.
"I never knew but I was walking the line. Come go with me I said I have no time and don't you pretend we didn't talk on the phone. My baby cried, she left me standing alone." He does a Michael Jackson move and we can't help but laugh at him.
All the guys grab a girl and we all sing the next part to the girls we have chosen.
"She's so dangerous. The girl is so dangerous. Take away my money. Throw away my time. You can call me honey, but you're no damn good for me." I pull Abby close to me, squeezing her bit to hard. She winces a little and I release her, but she just pulls me back to her.
I remove the hair out of her face, but she just lets it fall back over face to try and cover her eye. No one has noticed because she did a great job covering it with makeup and her hair, but I still know it's there.
"You don't have to hide it from me." I whisper.
"I know." She whispers back.
I don't waste time connecting my lips to hers. Anyone who sees us kissing will probably be confused because of the fact that they don't know we're back together again. I don't care about their opinions right now though.
I pull away from her and I can't help the smile that appears on my face. "I'm madly in love with you, Abigail Monroe."
She looks up at me, blue eyes shining from the way the light is hitting them. "I'm madly in love with you as well, Jordan Collins."
I lean in and briefly kiss her again before we continue dancing. For the next hour we just listen to music while eating and remembering Richard. We spend a lot of time just laughing with each other. This is the way Richard would have wanted us to be. Laughing and smiling. Remembering all the good things he's done for us. Not crying because he's gone.
After a while, Daniel's mom has everyone leave. Of course, I help them clean up because no one wants to clean up a mess while they're still mourning. Once that's done, Daniel walks us out.
"I'll meet you at the car." I tell Abby.
She nods her head before hugging Daniel. He hugs her back and thanks her for coming. She heads down the steps towards the car and I watch her for a moment before turning back to Daniel.
"You better not lose her this time." He tells me.
"I don't plan on it." I smile.
For a moment it's quiet between us and I'm the first one to break the silence. "Are you going to be okay? The guys and I can stay over tonight if you want?"
He shakes his head, "No, it's okay. You've done enough for me tonight. I think some time alone would be good for me."
I nod my head, understanding. When my parents died, all I wanted to do was be alone. Granted, it wasn't good for me, but sometimes being alone helps you accept the fact that they're gone.
I pull him in for a hug and I don't let go of him for a while. "If you need me, don't hesitate to call me."
"Okay." He responds and I let him go. We do our little hand shake from high school, laughing at the fact that we still remember it. I smile before saying goodbye and heading back my car.
I start the car up and look over at Abby. "Where to?"
"My house." She says.
I pull away from the curb and head towards her house. We don't say anything to each other because there's nothing to be said. Things are finally falling into place for us.
Once I get to her house, I get out with her and walk her up the driveway to the familiar place. I always liked her home more than my own for some reason. I believe it was always because it seemed more homey than my own.
"What you did for Daniel tonight was really nice." She turns and faces me.
"He would have done the same if the roles were reversed. Actually, he did do the same thing. He was there for me when I was still dealing with the death of my parents." I say.
She nods her head and it becomes quiet between us. She has something she wants to say, but she won't say it. I decide to not force her to tell me because if she wanted me to know, she would tell me.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I say.
"I was, um, hoping you'd stay the night." She isn't nearly as confident as she usually is when she tells me this. Of course, I smile at her shyness because it reminds of how she used to be in high school.
"I would love to." I smile.
She smiles back at me and takes my hand, unlocking the door to her parents house. I don't think they've made it back yet from Daniel's house. She leads me up the stairs of her house and we go into her old room. I look around, trying to see if I still remember where everything is. I don't look around too long because Abby takes off her shirt revealing her black bra. The blood instantly goes running to my dick when I see her.
She walks over to me and puts her hands around my neck. "I love you so much and I always will." She tells me before leaning up to kiss me. I kiss her back with just as much passion she kisses me with.
I pick her up and she wraps her legs around my torso. I go over to her bed and lie her gently down before kissing on her neck. She begins to moan which encourages me to go lower. I kiss all over her body. I take my time when I get to the bruises, giving them extra care and attention. She deserves all the love in the world and I'm going to make sure I give that to her.
I remove her pants along with her panties lowering my head between her legs. Her breathing has picked up from the anticipation. I decide to tease her by kissing her inner thighs.
"Jordan." She begs and I decide to put her out of her misery.
I begin to move my tongue over her clit and she fists my hair in her hand and grabs the bed sheets with the other one. I suck and lick, causing her eyes to roll to the back of her head. The way she moans my name is a turn on within itself.
"Jordan, I'm about to–" I cut her off by removing my mouth from her sex. I start to kiss back up her body before kissing her on the mouth. Her hands slip to the bottom of my shirt, tugging it up. I chuckle at her before removing my shirt with one hand.
She unbuttons and unzips my pants before putting her hands inside my boxers. She grips onto my dick before moving her hand up and down. I can't help the small moan that escapes my lips. I'm as hard as a brick right now and it's all because of her.
I step back and pull down my pants and boxers, letting them fall to my ankles. I step out of them and go back over to her. She leans up to kiss me and I take the moment to remove her bra. I throw it somewhere across the room, not really caring for the piece of clothing.
She continues to kiss me, showing me how much she loves me through the kiss. I realize I don't have a condom and think about how I'm going to ruin this beautiful moment.
"I don't have a condom." I whisper.
"Birth control." She quickly retorts and I almost rejoice right then and there.
"I'm going to make love to you tonight, okay." I tell her and she nods her head before kissing my shoulder.
I slowly ease into her, causing us both to moan. She feels so good and tight. I pick up my movements a little while kissing on her. This is my heaven right here. I'm my happiest when I'm with her. She's the girl I want to marry. The girl I want to grow old with.
"Marry me." I say.
"What?" She says, not opening her eyes.
"Marry me." I repeat.
I pick up my movements while going deeper. She starts to grip on tight to me, her moans getting louder. She's close and so am I.
"Marry me, baby." I continue to say before kissing her.
I thrust faster inside of her and she grips on tighter to me. I repeat myself again and she grips onto me as tight as she can, about to come.
"Yes!" She yells and repeats as she rides out her orgasm.
Soon, I come myself and my thrusts become sloppy. I'm sweating and breathing hard, but I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now.
"So," I breathe hard, "was that yes to marrying me or..."
She laughs at me before pecking my lips. "I thought we were taking things slow?"
I roll off of her and she rests her head on my chest. "Well, we did just have sex. I think the whole taking it slow thing is out the window."
She sighs before a small smile breaks on her face. "I'll marry you, but I don't want it to be soon. Maybe, wait to the end of the year before get married."
"You mean, after my next football season?" I ask.
"Yeah." She looks up at me and I put my hand on my chin as if I'm considering it.
"Ms. Monroe, we have a deal." I reach out my hand and she laughs at me before shaking it.
For a few more minutes we stay up just talking until she falls asleep. I kiss the top of her head before turning the lights off and falling asleep with her.
_______________________________________
I was so happy to finally update. I'm so happy that you guys have been voting and commenting on this story. Not only are you guys making this book popular, but the first book is still getting a lot of votes and comments and I'm just so happy.
I hope you guys love this chapter as much as I love it. What do you guys think of that proposal 😂? Don't forget to vote and comment, my loves.
Also, I'm working on another book that won't be ready until march. It's just in the idea stages right now, but I think it might become something you guys would like to read. Anyways, I'm done rambling.