I can't believe I left her there. I should have stuck up for her more, but I know the more I push the worse things will get for her. I'll be lucky if I see her again at this point after her brother shoved me into the wall and her father looked like he'd like to beat me to a pulp.

It was a long drive home thinking about Sasha. It was me thinking about the way he spoke about her. Who speaks about their own daughter that way? Sasha has always done whatever her father wanted, no questions asked. She took his verbal abuse for years and I just prayed it never turned physical.

On the way home I got a call from Sabrina telling me she was home now and that everyone was coming over to hers in just a few minutes. I told her I'd be there but that was only so I could pull her away and give her the chance to come clean about the cheating. Either way, it was going to end in a break-up

Sasha was what I really wanted and I was sick of being put on a leash by Sabrina. The fact that I didn't even feel like I could be Sasha's friend while I was with Sabrina, told me everything I needed to know. The fact that I felt sparks course through my body when I touched Sasha was all that I wanted.

So I went, with nothing but the thought of ending things and rushing to Sasha's to try and make sure she's alright. I of course knew this would mean ending my friendship with Jake too and possibly exiling myself from my group of friends. But this was something I needed to do, I needed to be free to be myself.

"Oh sweetie, thank god you're here!" Was how she greeted me, running at me and wrapping her arms around me. "I missed you."

"Yeah uh-huh, can I talk to you?" I asked and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Sure, what is it?" She asked and I sighed.

"No, I mean alone." And she laughed, giving me a confused look.

"Why?"

"Because it's a conversation I don't want to have in front of everyone else." I huffed and at this point the noise in the living room just off to the side was dying off and I could tell everyone was staring at us, waiting for the show.

"Well whatever it is you can say here, in front of everyone." She said crossing her arms.

"Fine." I said with a nod and she gave me a smile. "Are you sleeping with Jake?"

"What?" She asked innocently with a giggle but I could see her eyes looking from side to side. "Don't be ridiculous, of course I'm not."

"Really?" I asked narrowing my eyes. "Last Saturday night, at around eleven-twenty-three, where were you? I showed up at that party and I couldn't find you."

"Do you really expect me to know where I was?" She asked starting to sound a little angrier.

"Well I know where you were." I told her crossing my arms. "I walked down that hallway and I heard my ringtone going off from inside of a spare bedroom. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door." I said and she lowered her eyes.

"Hey, take it easy." Jake said walking over and I chuckled a bit.

"Fuck you." I said. "Nice to know that while you were complaining about how I don't come around enough and how you wished I was there, you were inside of my girlfriend!"

"It's your own fault!" He yelled back. "You're never around anymore, what did you expect?"

"What did I expect?!" I asked harshly. "Maybe for you not to immediately start sleeping with my girlfriend! I've only been less available for a month and a half, don't try and spin this to make it my fault! Some friend you are."

"Look Nate, sweetie I'm sorry. It won't happen again, it didn't mean anything to me." She said grabbing my arm and I pushed her off.

"That's not what you said the other night-"

"Jesus Jake, shut up!" She said shoving him.

"Whatever, I'm willing to bet this isn't even new." I said rolling my eyes. "You might as well just be honest with me at this point. How long?"

"How long?" She asked quietly and I nodded. "Six months."

"Six months?" I said feeling more hurt than words could describe. How didn't I notice this happening?

"I-I'm sorry.....I just-"

"You just what?!" I ask feeling more angry then I meant to. "For all your complaining about how I'm not invested in this relationship and pushing me to tell you I love you? When you were just sleeping with my best friend behind my back? That borders on the line of sociopathic, Sabrina!"

"You stopped caring! I could tell, you weren't attentive anymore. You stopped being around to spend time with, and I was tired of being alone-"

"Spare me Sabrina!" I said massaging my temples. "I was always around and you know it! You forced me to do all these shitty things with you, and I did them! I'd drop everything when you said you needed me! You just wanted someone to screw and you clearly found them!" I huffed gesturing to Jake.

"I don't care how it started, I don't care if it was an 'accident', I don't even care if it ends! What I care about is that I'm your best friend and your boyfriend." I said and then shook my head. "Or at least I used to be."

"What?!" She screeched and I rolled my eyes. "No, come on sweetie don't be so hasty. It's over, I promise."

"I don't care. You wanted somebody to mess around with and now you have them. I won't even be in your way anymore." I said meaning it and I watched her start to cry but I know Sabrina too well. Her fake crying used to get me, until I learned it was a tactic that she was capable of turning on and off to get me to do what she wanted. "I want to break up." I say and walk start walking away when I feel her tug my arm.

"Please don't do this Nate." She begged and I sighed. "You can't break up with me because I made one mistake."

"Over and over again." I reminded her feeling strangely upset about the whole situation. "This is over Sabrina, you can't cheat on me for six months and pretend everything is fine." I said quietly and pulled her hands off my arms. "We're done Sabrina, have fun with Jake." I said weakly and left the house feeling defeated.

Did I deserve the way I was feeling because of my own cheating? Maybe. But I certainly didn't feel like that now, I felt stupid and hurt. Six months.....how didn't I know what was going on for six months? I was around all the time, it was long before Sasha had come back into my life long before any of Sabrina's 'I love you' bullshit started too. Clearly she didn't love me if she was cheating on me for that long.

I drive home feeling overwhelmed, this day had been a whirlwind from start to finish. I only wanted to see one person right now, I wanted Sasha with me. But if I know her father she'll be shut away in her room and he probably took her phone. How would I talk to her? I knew my life was on a serious downward spiral and I didn't know who to go to. Mom wouldn't be home with dad until later tonight.

I drive until I reach my house and then sit in my car in the dark trying to process everything. I couldn't see straight I was so upset.

Eventually I just couldn't think about it anymore. I went home and turned on the television while I reheated pizza from the night before. I just felt mindless, I could feel the tears in the back of my eyes, making them sting.

I instead scrolled around until I could find a good hockey game to watch. Tonight it was the Habs and the Blackhawks, two teams I didn't watch much but right now I couldn't care less.

Then a knock came on the door and I got up assuming it was my mom and dad coming back and they'd simply forgotten their house keys. When I open it I nearly pass-out.

"Nathan." I hear in a quiet voice and I see Sasha standing on my doorstep. She's got a few bags over her shoulders her hair is still tied up into a tight bun, there's tears running down her cheeks and I can see dried blood coming from a cut on her forehead.

"Oh my god what happened?" I ask urging her to come inside and taking her bags.

"It's a long story." She says quietly shaking her head.

"Come with me, you've got a wicked gash on your forehead." I tell her taking her hand and leading her down the hallway to the washroom to sit on the toilet.

"I...didn't even notice." She says and brings her hand up to her forehead and winces.

"Careful." I say and pull it away getting the first aid kit and a cloth. I wet the cloth and quietly start to clean the cut. Fortunately, it's not deep so I clean it up and I watch more tears coming down her face.

"Are you okay?" She asks quietly and I shake my head in utter confusion.

"You're the one who's hurt." I tell her and she gives me a weak smile.

"You just look really upset." She says softly and brings her thumb under my eye catching a tear.

"Believe me when I say I'm more concerned about you." I tell her and she shakes her head. "Will you tell me what happened?" She nods quietly and reaches out to hold my hand.

"We really got into it." She says.

"You and your dad." I confirm and she nods.

"He said that I was a child, that I was stupid and he was insisting on pulling me out of school starting Monday so he could enter me into a new competition." She says and I hear her voice break.

"I told him I didn't want to and I just....I laid into him. I yelled at him for everything he's ever done to me, I said a few things he didn't like though and he hit me."

"He hit you?!" I ask feeling upset.

"Yeah and it made me hit my forehead on the barstool in the kitchen. That's what that mark was I guess." She says and sniffles a bit. "I shouldn't have said any of it, even if it was true. I just got so mad! And I was upset and he made me angrier, then I packed up some things and told dad I quit."

"You quit?" I ask and she nods closing her eyes as a wave of sadness starts to hit her.

"I couldn't think of what else to do." She says and starts crying. "I couldn't take it anymore, I'm so sick of hating my life, of not saying all of the things that I mean and of not getting to be me. I can't keep doing it."

"Oh Sasha." I say and she nods starting to cry harder.

"I don't even know who I am." She sobs. "I'm a figure skater. I don't do anything else, I don't have hobbies, I don't even have parents that love me."

"Then you'll figure it out." I whisper. "This is your chance to do more and have fun. You'll find out who you are without skating."

"I left home." She says quietly shaking her head. "I took everything important and put it in those bags. I just needed somewhere to stay for a few hours-"

"Don't be ridiculous, you're staying here." I say shaking my head. "I'm not letting you go out there and suffer."

"I couldn't do that to you and your family." She says shaking her head.

"Do what? Dad's going on a two week business trip, mom loves you to death and Jenny's been moved out for two years." I tell her. "You need somewhere to be and you can stay here."

"Are you serious?" She asks and I nod.

"Of course I'm serious." I tell her and cup the sides of her face. "I'm so glad you're alright."

She leans forward and wraps her arms around me and I hug her back. I breathe easier knowing she's here and that she's safe.