nail lodged in my brain. My skull throbs, and it takes my eyes ages to adjust to the sunlight through my curtains. Images from last night creep into my mind. Everything that happened after the alleyway is like a bad trip, like I smoked devil seeds or some shit. My head's throbbing—definitely a minor concussion—but fuck going to the hospital.

Honestly, I nearly shit my pants at that Colt guy. I've never felt like such a huge pussy in my entire life. That asshole is right—I can't protect Lucy, at least not in a fight like that, but I can give her everything he never could. Security. Love. A safe roof over her head. Anything she ever needs, I swear I'll give it to her if she lets me.

A knock lifts my daze, and Lucy pokes her head in. Like every time I see her, my heart throbs in the best way possible.

"How you feeling?" She closes the door behind her and holds her hands together, nibbling on her bottom lip. I can't believe she's really here. Real. In front of me. Not a figment of my imagination.

"Like an elephant stomped on my head," I tell her.

Lucy sits on the edge of the bed, and her dark brown eyes soften with guilt, her bangs framing her pretty face. I probably look even worse than I feel, so I take out my phone and face the camera toward me. Yikes, that purple and red blob on the screen looks nothing like me.

"Beauty," I mutter.

"You look like shit," Lucy says.

"What? Aww, come on." I tilt the camera closer to my face. "I look badass. I look like I was in Fight Club. Like, I was totally the guy who got beaten up, but still."

She laughs. "Okay, sure. We can go with that."

With a tired sigh, I set my phone down. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. I just got off the phone with Brett. He said Colt came back to his place, grabbed all his shit and left. Said he was going back to Toronto."

"What's that mean for you?"

"I don't know, but..." Her lips twitch into a smile. "He's never acted like this before. Brett said something about Colt saying that he never wants to see me until I get my inheritance. I feel like it's too good to be true, but..."

"Hey." I grab her hands as tears fall down her cheeks. "You're safe here, Luce. If he comes back, we'll get my dad involved and we'll figure it out, okay?"

"Okay. Maybe... maybe we can try something like that if it comes down to it. Either way, I'm not going back to him again. I won't let him win."

I sigh in relief. At least she's considering the cops now. "So if that guy's gone," I say, "does that mean you'll stay with me?"

"Yeah, of course."

"No, I mean like, stay stay."

She frowns.

"I'm saying that if you let me tell my parents even a fraction of the truth about you, there's a good chance they'll let you stay with us. At least for a while."

"What, like, live here? Elliot, I can't..."

"Why not? Do you have anywhere else to go?"

"No, but..." She takes her hands away. "I could never impose on your family like that. And if they know the truth, they'll just want me a million miles away from you."

"No, you don't get it. My parents actually aren't that bad. My mom got kicked out of her house when she was like, sixteen, and so she was between places for a while. She knows what it's like."

"Elizabeth was homeless?"

"More like a couch-hopper, but yeah, kind of. I guess my dad like, saved her or whatever. My point is, she's really understanding and my dad does whatever she says so it wouldn't be a problem. Ollie's ex even lived with us for a while before Ana was born."

She's quiet for a moment, chewing on her lip. "What about your sister? Charlotte hates me."

"I don't care what Charlotte thinks. She's just going through some dumb rebel phase."

Lucy's eyes drift across the floor before they meet mine. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I can't just let you go out there alone again. You'll be safe with us, I promise."

I can see the gears working in her head. My heart pounds heavier as I anticipate her reply, before she finally tells me, "Okay. If you're sure, then I'm okay with you asking."

Smiling as big as ever, I ease out of the bed. "And don't worry, I won't tell them the full story." I speed out of the room and thud down the stairs as fast as my sore body will let me. Mom and Dad are in the kitchen making pancakes, and they raise their eyebrows when I enter. I take a deep breath and blurt, "Mom, Dad... can I ask you something?"

There are three rules: no drinking, no closed doors, and absolutely no sex.

Yeah, right.

It's crazy how fast life speeds by when I'm soaring. We've been going skating with my family on Fridays, and for the first time in forever, I'm really excited about playing hockey. I haven't missed a single practice, and Luke and the guys don't have any reason to hassle me because I've been on fire. I've reminded them there's a reason they call me the best player, that I'm gonna get into the NHL no matter what.

My face has healed nicely too. Only a faint red imprint remains beside my eye, a little scar I think might stay forever. I'm okay with it because it shows what I survived. What Lucy survived. Everyone at school looks at me funny, but I don't care what they think. I'm happy and that's what matters. I'm on top of the goddamn world, and I don't ever, ever want to come down. Because as long as I have Lucy, I'll be happy forever.

And I've stopped getting high.