"What makes you think I want to talk about last night?" I breathed, trying not to think about how close we were to each other. Ever since last night, just the thought of his presence made me nervous.

"Oh come on, princess," he smirked as the warmth of his grip seeped through my clothes. "You broke down in my arms."

I gulped, cringing as I heard those words fall from his mouth. "Okay?"

"I just want to know what made you so upset," he admitted as our bodies almost pressed against each other. My stomach fluttered, but my jaw was clenched together like glue.

My breath was lodged in my throat as I looked at his viciously dark eyes. His grip tightened on my waist as I gasped.

"I told you last night that I didn't want to talk about it," I hissed as his eyes never left mine.

"Was it a nightmare?" He sarcastically mocked, a sly smirk tugging at his plump lips. He was making fun of me. He knew it was a nightmare. He knew this whole time that it was a nightmare. Asshole.

"Fuck you, Karson," I scoffed, placing my hands on his chest as I tried to push him away from me.

"So it was a nightmare," he smirked. "I knew I heard you screaming. Or maybe that was from something else."

"God, you're such a dick!" I yelled at him as my eyes narrowed into slits. I was able to gain enough force to push his broad chest as he stumbled back, allowing me to get out from underneath him. "When you told me you would be there for me if I wanted to talk about it, that was a lie, wasn't it? You don't give a fuck because it's just a game to you. That's all it ever was, just a game."

He was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say because it was true. I shook my head, god I'm so gullible. I should've known. He repeatedly opened his mouth, but closed it when he couldn't find the right words.

"Just leave me the fuck alone," I growled as I tried to hide the pain in my voice. He just stared at me as a wash of guilt passed over his face.

"Look," he started as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. "It wasn't a fucking game to me, okay? I was just angry and it slipped out, I didn't mean to say it."

"You knew it was a nightmare," I pressed, ignoring his comment as I stared at him. I was frustrated with myself that I wasn't able to walk away from him, but I wanted answers.

"I heard you last night," he admitted as he looked down at the floor.

"What did you hear?" I demanded as sheer panic seeped through my voice.

"You said something along the lines of 'stop, get off me, please stop'. I was outside your door so it was hard to hear," he told me as he studied my face.

I felt my body freeze. My blood ran cold as I stared at him with wide eyes. "You're kidding."

"Does it look like I'm fucking joking?" He scoffed, meeting my frightened gaze.

"You were probably hearing things," I mumbled as I shook my head in denial.

"Stop denying it, Dakota. I heard what I heard," he sighed as he ran a hand through his messy hair, taming it as it rested perfectly against his forehead.

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath. There was a long silence shared between the two of us. We both didn't know what to say because we knew he was right. I was pushing the confrontation away because I didn't want him to be right.

"Have you always had these nightmares?" He cautiously asked, breaking the silence as he made his way over to the edge of his bed. He sat down, his legs dangling on the side as he stared straight ahead of him.

I was so tired of lying and pretending. I was tired of keeping everything in. At this point, I didn't give a shit. "No."

I hesitantly made my way over to his bed, contemplating as I stared at his figure below me. I huffed as I sat down next to him. He looked at me and briefly glanced at our legs that were almost touching.

"When did they start?" He questioned, keeping his eyes downcast.

I sighed as I placed my injured hand on my thigh, studying the stitches that stretched across my palm. "A few weeks ago."

The atmosphere surrounding us was oddly tense but comfortable. We could sit in silence, no words shared between us, and it wouldn't be awkward. I knew our relationship was different from the first time we met. One minute we could argue, but the next minute, we would act like friends who deeply cared for each other.

It was weird. We were arguing not even a few minutes ago and now we were having a normal conversation.

"Does it relate to your hand? Or when we saw you on the side of the road?" He asked, turning his head to look at me as he took a long breath.

"No," I admitted as my head hung low. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"You know," he started as I felt him separate my hands so I would stop fidgeting with the stitches. I didn't even realize I was doing that. "I got nightmares when I was younger, too."

I turned my head to get a better look of him. "Really?"

He hummed in response. "My father cheated on my mother when I was only ten. I would hear them fight in the kitchen while I stayed in my room, trying to block out the noise with my music. If my mother wasn't there, then he would yell at me instead. She was never home."

I frowned as the thought of a young Karson getting yelled at by his father crossed my mind. We were both fucked up. Maybe we aren't so different after all.

"My father ended up getting that bitch pregnant," he growled, his fists clenching at his sides as he remembered his childhood.

"Amelia," I cut in, the dots connecting in my head as I stared at his clenched hands. "That's why she has brown eyes."

Although there was a chance Amelia could have different eyes because of genetics, it made sense as to why Karson got angry when anyone mentioned her eyes. It reminded him of his father cheating on his mom.

"Exactly," he snarled. "I wouldn't talk to him for months. I was so fucking mad at him for cheating on my mother. Even when Amelia was born, I didn't talk to her until she was a toddler. I was just so fucking angry at my father and that bitch that I took it out on their daughter."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I frowned as our gaze connected.

"I know how hard it is to open up to someone, Dakota. Maybe if I opened up, it would help you realize that it's okay to tell someone about what you're going through," he sighed as he rubbed his calloused hand down his face. I never realized the scars that were scattered around his knuckles until now. Probably from his fights.

"I'm perfectly fine not telling anyone about anything," I lied, a fake laugh slipping out as I wore a convincing smile.

"We both know that's bullshit, princess," he rolled his eyes.

"It's not bullshit," I argued as I anxiously scratched the back of my neck.

"Look," he abruptly got off the bed and stood tall as he stared down at me. "I understand what you're going through. I've been in your position before, trust me. It fucking sucks. You think you're fine keeping everything inside, but one day it will become too overwhelming and you won't know how to handle it. It happened with me. I waited too long and ended up taking all my anger out on everyone around me."

I stared at him with my mouth hung open in shock. My mind was trying to process everything he just spewed at me.

"Don't be like me, Dakota," he warned. "It doesn't fucking end well for anybody."

He gave me one last look before he hesitantly walked to the door. Without a second thought, he left the room and left me alone with my overwhelming thoughts.

Karson knew I was struggling. Fuck.

I was still sitting at the edge of this bed as my thoughts were racing. I furrowed my eyebrows as I bit my fingernails anxiously. My head was pounding as Karson's words echoed in my head.

Maybe if I opened up, it would help you realize that it's okay to tell someone about what you're going through.

Maybe he was right, but I've opened up to Nora and it never made me feel better. I didn't feel like the weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Then again, she always brushed it off.

I didn't want people to look at me differently. If I told someone what happens at home, everyone would walk on eggshells around me. I didn't want them to think of me as the girl who has such a shitty life behind closed doors. They would look at me with only pity, and nothing else. I didn't want that. With Nora, she still does that and she knows how much I fucking hate pity.

She doesn't treat me the same way she did before I opened up to her. She's constantly anxious around me, scared she might say the wrong thing. I wish she treated me the same way she did before I told her about my fucked up life, because I'm still that same Dakota.

I shook my head as I tried to get rid of my consuming thoughts. I placed one hand on the bed and pushed myself up so I could stand up. Once I was up, I trudged towards the door and slowly walked out of Karson's bedroom. The overpowering scent from Karson's room traveled out into the hallway, following me until I reached the stairs.

I heard laughter come from downstairs, causing a small smile to morph its way onto my lips. I slowly made my way downstairs and was welcomed with my siblings and the boys sitting where they were before I left.

Braxton turned his head and smiled when he saw me. "Pretty girl! There you are!"

"Blondie!" I played along, purposely using the nickname I made for him.

Karson sat at the far end of the table, his eyes steady on me. I froze for a split second as his eyes held an unrecognizable emotion, one I've never seen before. Jace coughed, causing me to break away from Karson's intense gaze.

Jace wore a smug smirk as he caught Karson's steady gaze on me. I huffed as I walked down the few remaining steps. I went up behind Jace and discreetly flicked the back of his head as I wore a sweet smile. He hissed in pain before mumbling a few curse words under his breath.

"What were you two horndogs doing upstairs for so long?" Braxton impatiently asked as he looked between Karson and I.

I gulped, squeezing the top of Jace's chair a bit harder than before. Karson cleared his throat as I felt his eyes study my movements. "Well, I was calling my boss and Karson just wanted to talk to me about something."

Karson hummed in agreement. Colton and Braxton didn't seem convinced. "Bullshit."

"Excuse me?" I gawked as I heard my heartbeat pound in my ears.

"Oh come on," Braxton rolled his eyes in a dismissive manner. "We all know how much you guys want to have sex with each other. I don't know if y'all have ever heard of the term sexual tension, but you guys have quite a lot of it."

My eyes almost bulged out of my head and my mouth was hung wide open. I heard Jace snicker from beneath me as Colton mustered a laugh under the hand he held in front of his mouth.

I shot my eyes to meet Karson's hard gaze. His jaw was clenched as his chest rapidly moved up and down. "What are you talking about?"

"Tsk, tsk," Braxton waved his finger in the air back and forth. "Oh Karson, you blind motherfucker."

"What?" Karson hissed, his eyes dangerously dark as he looked like he was ready to murder his best friend.

"Talk to you about something?" Braxton used air quotes as he rolled his eyes. "More like 'quickie in the bathroom before we get caught'."

I could not believe what was coming out of Braxton's mouth. Jace was bending over in his chair, howling in laughter as Colton began to join him.

"Are you mental?" I whisper-yelled towards Braxton who just looked at me with a smug look on his face.

"Can either of you take a goddamn joke?" He huffed, crossing his arms as he threw a glare to Karson.

"For it to be a joke, it would have to be fucking funny," Karson scoffed, his muscles tensing underneath his tight shirt. God those muscles-

Stop. We are not going there.

"They thought it was pretty funny," he shrugged his shoulders as he pointed to Colton and Jace. Olivia even started giggling, following after their contagious laughter. "You just have a stick that's shoved way too far up your ass."

I slightly snickered at his last comment. The two just continued to bicker back and forth as I remained standing behind Jace's chair. I slightly bent my stiff knees, trying to keep the blood flowing. Everyone's laughter died down as we continued to watch Braxton and Karson argue in front of us.

"At least I don't have a stick shoved up my ass," Braxton argued, using that same phrase to insult Karson again. I wasn't really paying attention to any of the conversation before, slightly zoning out as they threw words at each other.

"You're very fucking mature," Karson gave a bitter laugh. "You just love saying that, don't you?"

"I am immature!" Braxton threw his hands up in the air in annoyance.

Jace nodded his head in agreement as Colton barked a laugh. This argument was going nowhere, but it was entertaining. Watching Braxton curse at Karson while he stayed calm, only throwing insults when needed was quite an interesting sight. Braxton was right though, we both needed to learn how to take a goddamn joke.

~•~•~

I felt someone poke at my side, causing my body to jerk back further into my seat in horror. I glared at Braxton who had his elbow resting on the desk with his head in his hand. I watched his hand retreat back as he gave me an odd smile.

It was a few hours after Braxton and Karson's little argument at the dining table. We all ended up getting to school a few minutes late because of the slight setback this morning. We knew we weren't going to make first period on time, so we took our time to get to school. We also had to make a pit stop at our local drugstore to buy cheap makeup to cover up the bruise on my jaw.

We didn't have any spare clothes so we just wore some of the guys extra clothing they never wore. Once we were changed, and I covered up the bruise, Jace, Olivia, and I left a few minutes before so we could drop our little sister off at school.

We somehow still made it before the guys showed up, probably because Karson and Braxton were still arguing. I wouldn't be surprised. We left while they were arguing, and I could still hear them from outside as their voices grew louder.

Now, I was seated next to Braxton as the two other boys sat on the other side of me. We all sat impatiently in our history class, already bored before it even started. Our teacher hadn't arrived yet, so all my classmates were making small talk with one another as they waited for him to walk in.

My eyes focused on the blonde boy who sat next to me. He was wearing a light green pullover that had a small flower in the middle of his chest. His blonde hair was styled how it usually was, slightly gelled at the tips as no hair rested against his forehead. Unlike Karson, Braxton looked like he put in a lot of time to do his hair. Yet Karson's still looked better.

Braxton was attractive. He was the type of guy every girl would die to get at least one chance with him. He was the funny, cute, sarcastic yet sweet guy. Although he was a player, I could tell deep down how much of a good guy he truly was.

Colton was the same way, but he was very shy. Although Karson and Braxton were players, I imagined Colton waiting to do anything until he found the perfect girl. He doesn't sleep around like Karson and Braxton, and I admire that.

While these two were both very attractive, there is something about Karson that always made him stand out. Maybe it's how his eyes glisten a certain way in different lightings, or maybe it's his way of hiding how he truly feels. Girls are more drawn to him because of his mysterious aroma. No one really knows much about Karson, other than he's the stereotypical 'bad-boy' in every girls' eyes.

Braxton fluttered his eyes together in a flirty manner, breaking me away from my thoughts as I fake gagged in response. He gasped in disappointment as he wiped away a fake tear with his middle finger. "Bitch."

I barked a laugh as Braxton narrowed his eyes at me. I felt the heat of someone's gaze on the back of head, but I ignored it as the classroom door shot open.

"Hello class!" My history teacher clapped as he sat his bag down on his desk. He fixed his tie, slightly tightening it around his neck as he breathed out a long breath. "Projects people! How is it going? Any progress?"

Students shouted different answers, their words bouncing off each other as it made it hard to hear what anyone was saying. Some students grunted in annoyance while others beamed saying they finished. Braxton and I stayed quiet.

"One at a time! You guys are talking over each other, I can't hear," Mr. Johnson huffed, rubbing his temples as he stared at the loud students in front of him.

"We haven't even started," A girl with raven hair mumbled to Mr. Johnson.

"Well isn't that lovely," Our teacher deadpanned, giving her a sarcastic look.

"We finished Mr. Johnson!" One girl shouted out with a faint blush covering her cheeks. She stared at him with horny eyes, making him shift uncomfortably. I coughed into my hand, trying to cover the small laugh I couldn't keep in.

Braxton snickered at the girl causing her cheeks to grow darker. I nudged Braxton, giving him hard look as I tried not to burst into laughter. He bit his lip, trying to fight the smile that threatened to break out onto his lips.

"Anyways!" Mr. Johnson clapped his hands together, shifting his gaze away from our classmate. "The history project will be due next week, so make sure you get it done. I don't care how you get it done, just do it."

I started to feel anxious as I felt someone's eyes lingering on my body. I looked up and was met with a hard gaze from the girl with raven colored hair. She rose one of her eyebrows and dragged her eyes down to stare at the stitches Karson gave me.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as I used my long sleeve shirt to try and cover my palm. I felt self conscious as she continued to stare at my injured hand. She reconnected her gaze with mine before turning around and drawing on the desk in front of her.

What the fuck?

I bit the inside of my cheek as I let my mind wander off to think of why she was staring at me like that. I subconsciously started to fidget with my stitches, feeling anxious as my teeth tugged on my bottom lip.

A few moments later, the bell's noise rang throughout my ears, cutting off my thoughts as my body slightly jumped. This class period went by insanely fast. I gathered everything in my bag as I followed behind Colton, Braxton, and Karson. I gave a slight nod, saying goodbye to Mr. Johnson as we walked out of his classroom.

I caught up to the guys, standing next to Karson as we all walked down the hall together. "Did you guys finish your project?"

"We aren't even close to being done," Colton huffed, slightly leaning his head in front of Karson so he could see me. "This ass won't do anything."

"It's fucking stupid," Karson grunted, slightly glancing down at me. Braxton stood on the other side of Colton, minding his own business as he winked at a group of girls who blushed from his acknowledgement.

"So?" Colton bellowed, his muscles tense as he glared at Karson. "We still have to do it."