A couple days ago Grace DMed me on Instagram telling me that her brother is back home and wants to see Leah. We decided to make it a surprise. Today is the day that he's coming here.

Leah is nervous about the dance tomorrow, but hopefully seeing her cousin again will ease her nerves a little.

Tomorrow is the dance and as the days go by I get more and more nervous. I'll be meeting some of the Whites family for the first time.

"Can we go do something?" I whine, pulling at Masons arm.

"No, we have to stay here Le. Please, just trust me" He says, kissing my forehead.

"But I need a distraction" I frown, smoothening out his shirt. A smirk appears on his face and I brace myself for his inappropriate comment.

"Oh, you do now? I can give you a distraction" He runs his hands up my legs, up to my shoulders, seductively. Goosebumps cover my body, my cheeks flaming red.

"Not-not like that" I stutter out, not being able to ignore Masons hands resting just above my äss.

"Mhm, you sure?" He kisses my neck, my knees buckling.

"M-Mason. You know how I feel" I say embarrassed, leaning into his arms.

"No need to be embarrassed Le" He brushes my hair behind my ear. The sweet gestures makes my knees even more weak. "I also never want you to feel uncomfortable around me. I'll do whatever it takes to make you comfortable. Absolutely no rush with anything. Okay?" He runs his hand up and down my arm, soothingly.

"O-okay" I stutter, speechless by his kind words.

Most guys would have broken up with me a week into our relationship because of my nerves and uncertainty.

"Now, we are not going out. We are staying in today" He smiles, kissing my temple.

"Fine, but I'm hungry" I frown, crossing my arms.

"Okay, lets go in the kitchen. I'll make you something" He smiles, holding out his hand.

I smile, intertwining our fingers together as we walk down the stairs.

The house is unusually quiet. Something is going on today and I need to find out what.

"What would you like?" He asks as I slide on top of the counter.

"Umm, a grilled cheese would be nice" I say, thinking about the amazing sandwich.

"Sounds good" He pats my thigh, walking over to the fridge.

Its getting really hot outside and Masons air conditioning hasn't been turned on yet so he's been shirtless all day. I on the other hand have been wearing spandex and a cropped tank top.

Mason grabs out all the materials, turning the stove on and putting some butter on the bottom of the pan. He looks so good when he cooks. I quickly get my phone out, snapping a picture.

I place it on the table, walking over to Mason and sitting on the counter next to him again.

"You okay babe?" He questions, glancing up at me.

"Yeah, of course" I kiss his cheek.

I hop off the counter, running over to my phone as it goes off. My cousin, Luke, has been face timing me a lot recently. I really miss seeing him all the time.

I frown, seeing that its just an Instagram notification.

"Damn, are you cheating on me?" Mason laughs, turning around. "Whats wrong?" He asks, concerned.

"I thought it was Luke. It was just Instagram" I shrug, sitting on the counter next to him.

"I'm sorry Le" He says, rubbing my shoulder.

He finishes up making my grilled cheese, putting it on a plate for me.

I let it cool for a minute before digging in, causing him to chuckle.

"Your food is heavenly" I groan, admiring the taste.

He smiles, kissing me on the cheek.

I scarf down the grilled cheese. My hunger being satisfied.

"Thank you Mas. It was amazing" I hug him, throwing my plate out.

The doorbell rings, causing me to look at Mason curiously.

"Are you expecting someone?" I look at Mason, causing him to shake his head.

"No, I'm not. Let's go get it though" He says, grabbing my hand.

"Leah, can you get that? Its Brooks" Ellie calls down, causing me to nod. "Got it"

"Hey Brooks-" I open the door, the familiar face stopping my words.

"Hey little cuz. I missed you" The boy smiles, dressed in his uniform.

Uncontrollable sobs wrack my body as I throw myself into my older cousins arms. His familiar scent filling my nose.

"Leah, come inside" Mason says, placing his hand on my back.

I pull away from Luke, a couple tears falling down his face. "C-come in" I hiccup out.

He smiles, nodding at Mason. "I'm Luke. You must be the Mason I have heard so greatly about" Luke holds his hand out.

"I am, and you must be the guy I thought my girlfriend was cheating on me with" Mason chuckles causing me to laugh.

"I'm Ellie. The one who helped all this happen. Its nice to meet you Luke" Ellie says hugging him.

"Hi Ellie. Thank you, again" Luke says, glancing over at me.

"I cant believe you are here" I say, wiping my tears.

"Alive and in the flesh" He jokes, a small smile spreads on his face.

"Can I talk to Leah alone for a little?" Luke says, turning to Mason and Ellie.

"Yeah, of course. Take as long as you need. Let's go Elle. You can take my room" Mason says kissing my cheek.

I nod, leading Luke to Masons room.

"So give me details on lover boy over there. When did you realize you liked him?" Luke smiles, causing me to shake my head.

"Luke" I whine, flopping onto Masons bed. "Tell me. I'm your big cousin. This is what I'm here for"

"Fine, I don't know. I guess I always found him attractive. Obviously, I mean you have seen him. But I don't know. When we started hanging out like everyday I started to feel something. It really just built up as the days went on I guess" I say, sitting up.

"He seems like a great guy Le. Grace has told me everything he's done for you" Luke says and I nod.

"I'm happy for you, I really am. But if he does anything, I've got you" He smiles, patting me on the back. "Make that if anyone does anything" He says after a couple seconds

"Thanks Luke. But I know why you wanted to talk to me" I say, looking down.

"Yeah, um. I-I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I know you have like your own place but I'll be home for a while. And, you can come with me back to Florida" He says causing me to shake my head.

"Can you stay with me? I have plans tomorrow and I can't leave Luke. I'm fine, I want to stay. I finally feel safe" I say, tears filling my eyes.

"Leah, can you please consider it? I'll stay with you for a couple days but I don't want you to be alone" Cody says, a tear rolling down his face.

"I'm not alone though. I am always with someone. I rent a room from my friend Cody and his boyfriend is always over. I know they would protect me at all costs" I say, pleading.

A couple months ago I wouldn't think twice about moving in with Luke. But now, my life is finally back on track. Everything is coming back together. I am dating my best friend, his family is like my family, I have my own place with one of my closest friends, school is going great, and my parents are finally out of my life. It can't get much better than this.

"Okay, I'll meet them later, yeah?" He asks, pulling me into a hug.

"My God, I missed you" I say, the dam breaking again.

"I missed you too. You have no idea how hard it was with how little amount of contact I was able to have with all of you" He says, his voice cracking a little.

"I'm okay. I'm better than okay now. My whole life turned around in a couple months" I say, feeling Luke's head rest on top of mine.

"How long are you home for?" I ask, laying my head on his shoulder.

"3 months at least" He says, a huge smile breaking out on my face.

"No way. You'll be home for summer?" I question, causing him to nod.

"Yes I will. And I'm taking you and Grace somewhere special this year" He smiles.

"Now, here's the real question. What colleges are you applying for?" He asks, causing me to shrug.

"I honestly don't know. I applied to UCLA and I got almost a full ride to North Carolina State but its still really expensive .I'm honestly not sure. I know it sounds crazy because just last year I was telling you how much I want to get out of this place, but I really don't want to anymore. I might just go to community, save some money, get a good job" I say, he nods.

"Yeah, I get it. I would really consider that full ride though" He says, looking around Masons room. "Clean isn't it? I was shocked when I first saw it" I chuckle, standing up.

"Yeah, extremely. Even the way the video games are stacked is impressive" He smiles, picking up the photo of Mason and I on his night table.

"You look really happy here" He says, smiling at the photo. "Yeah, I was. Crazy how fast all my worries about mom and dad would disappear when I was with him. That was on Christmas" I say, holding the picture. Masons arms around me, huge smiles on our faces.

"So how are you handling all this? Hit me with it" He takes the picture from my hands.

"This might sound crazy but I miss them in a way. I've been having a lot of nightmares and flashbacks. I had one recently from a thunderstorm just after everything happened. It was scary, I just stood there in the storm while Mason was trying to get me inside" I say, taking a deep breath. "Its just weird. Its weird not being scared constantly. Not having to run around getting them beer or food. I love it, don't get me wrong but I'm still getting used to it" I explain.

It feels nice being able to talk to Luke again. Don't get me wrong, I talk to Mason about it and I trust him with my whole life. But Luke has been with me since I was born and has almost gone through all this with me. Its nice to talk to someone who has watched everything.

"I get it Le. They're still your parents. Its hard, I know. I wish I could have been here to help. I know you had someone though and a family who took you in. Hearing that gave me hope. You're going to turn into a beautiful lady Leah. You really are" He nods, taking in all my words and absorbing them like a sponge.

"Its like I should hate them but for some reason I don't. For years they abused and practically tortured me but I still see the good over the bad. Why is that?" I ask.

"Thats just the way you are. For 18 years you have been like this. You see the good in everything and everyone. You always think of the worst at first, but find the good in it. Thats you, and that makes you special. I guarantee you Mason did something or is going to do something that is bad. But you are going to find the light in it and thats a great trait to have" He adjusts his position.

"Is it though? Because that seems like it could be bad. Like really bad" I scratch my head.

"It can, but it doesn't have to be" He nods.

I nod, looking down at the floor.

"Can we talk about something else?" I ask, laying back on the bed.

"We can. I also have this for you" Luke digs in his pocket for something. He pulls out a big yellow envelope.

"What is it?" I ask, opening it gently.

"The rest of our contract and some letters I had written. They got sent back throughout all this time but I always saved them" He explains.

"I can't believe they would send letters back" I roll my eyes, looking at the letters. Theres at least 10 of them.

"Don't read them now please. Its embarrassing" He laughs.

"Of course" I take a keychain out of the envelope.

"I can't believe you remembered this" I laugh.

"Of course I did. You know how big of a deal that was" He smiles, reminiscing to simpler times.

"As much as I wish it was back to that, I'm really happy right now" I mumble to myself.

"You really like this guy, huh?" He crosses his arms.

"I do. I really do" I nod.

"Well, I guess tomorrow I'll try and get to know him. As of today, lets go do something?" He suggests.

"I would love nothing more" I smile.

We walk out of Masons room, going to Ellie's.

"Hey Mas. We are gonna head out. I want to spend some time with Luke. Is that okay?" I push my hair behind my ear.

"Of course. Thats why I kept refusing to do or plan something" He laughs, kissing my cheek.

"You guys should do something tomorrow" I suggest, knowing Luke wouldn't just come out and say it.

"Yeah man, that sounds cool" Mason nods, shaking Luke's hand.

"Alright cool" He nods.

"See you tomorrow Mas. I'll text you. Bye Elle. Thank you both, again" I hug them both and kiss Mason.

"I just need to stop at my place to get changed really quickly. You can if you want too" I suggest, sliding into my car.

"Yeah, sure" He nods, getting in the passengers side.

"Okay, here, can you take my phone and call the contact who's name is 'Land lord'? Its my friend Cody" I ask him as I pull out of Masons driveway.

"Yeah sure" He says, letting me put my fingerprint in and pressing in Cody's name.

"Leah, what up?" He answers.

"Hey Cody, I'm here with Luke. He surprised me. We are on our way to the apartment. Are you there?" I ask, turning onto a side street.

"Yes, Andrews here too. I'll leave the door unlocked" He answers.

"Wait, did you say Luke? As in the Luke?" He asks, causing Luke to snicker.

"Yes, the Luke. The only and only" I joke, smiling at him.

"Alright, I'll see you soon. By code" I say, hanging up.

"Hmm, does Miss. Leah talk about me a lot?" He teases.

"I do" I admit, pulling into my parking spot.

"Welcome to my half house" I smile.

I walk into the apartment, Luke trailing behind me.

"Hey Cody, Andrew. This is my cousin Luke. Luke, this is Cody, my roommate and this is his boyfriend, Andrew" I introduce them.

"Its nice to finally meet you" Cody gives him a hug.

"Thanks man, thats for watching over my little cousin" Luke teases, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and ruffling my hair.

"Ässwipe. I'm going to get dressed" I huff, making my way to my room.

I change into some ripped denim shorts and a pale blue, almost white tank top. I throw on my white converse, brush through my hair quickly, putting a scrunchie on my wrist incase my hair gets in the way. I put some jewelry on and do my normal makeup.

"I'm all ready" I smile, sitting next to Luke on the couch.

"What are we even going to do?" I question, trying to think of something.

"I have no idea" He laughs.

"Well, we can go to the mall. Or we can go to a coffee shop. You can meet my horse. Um, I'm not sure" I laugh, walking out of the house

"Lets go to the barn so I can meet your horse and then go and walk around the mall" He says as we pull out of the parking lot.

"Sounds good" I smile, turning to go to the barn.

Once we are there I grab JD and we hang out for an hour. JD and Luke instantly clicked.

On our way to the mall my nerves pick up. I really hope Patdįck is not there. But he always is. He must get his drugs from there.

"You seem worried. Is there something I should know?" Luke clicks his tongue.

"No, of course not" I laugh nervously, pulling into a parking lot.

"Just, don't pay attention to anything" I say, mentally slapping myself in the face.

"Leah, whats going on?" He asks, walking into the store.

Right on cue a car parks right next to me, nearly running me over.

"Hey, move it" Adam sneers.

"Just walk, Luke" I pull Luke's hand.

"Who is that?" He whispers in my ear.

"Just ignore him. He doesn't even matter" I sigh, not wanting anything to happen.

"Moved on already? Damn, you are a slüt. I guess Samantha was right. I taught Mason well. The old fück and dump, nerd edition. Hey, can I tap that now?" Patrick and Adam walk up to us, his face still broken and bruised.

"Luke, I mean it. He's not worth the air you're breathing. Lets go" I sigh.

"No, Leah. Listen man, I don't know who you are. But I'm going to say it once. Leah has been through enough shįt. Back the fück off. Obviously whoever did that to your face didn't send the message strong enough. So you're going to go back to that car and drive your little ässes back to the house. Got it?" He crosses his arms, his muscles bulging.

Why does this always happen? I have too much drama in my life.

"Who even are you? I've never even seen you" Patrick smirks at me.

"Patrick, please. Just back off. I'm sick of this. I'll do all your homework. Just please pįss off" I groan.

"Homework?" Luke looks at me questioningly.

"I used to do a bunch of their homework. Its not a big deal. Lets just go Luke. Please" I plea.

"Crying to your side? Or is Mason your side?" Patrick smirks. "I'll just take a quick picture"

"Listen ässhole. Leah is the most loyal person to walk this earth. I am her fücking cousin and if you don't back down I'll get all my friends to come here" Luke crosses his arms.

"You'll get thrown out. Lets just ignore him" I pull on Luke's arm.

"Oh come on. Boo hoo. You guys are boring. Snooze fest" Adam laughs, walking past us with Patrick.

"Does that happen often? What the fück" Luke frowns.

"More than it should. Mason went behind my back and fought him a week ago. He hurt him pretty bad, as you can see. I don't know why he wont just back off" I sigh, walking into the mall.

"Leah, I know you don't see it but everyone else does. You're gorgeous" He says in a brotherly way.

"Thanks Luke, but no. Lets go in here" I laugh, pulling him into a dollar store.

Patrick, you're gonna have to try harder to ruin my day.

I just finished Stranger Things 3 last night and it was so bad. I cried to hard, why did they end it like that? I have so many theories!!

I will be going away July 17th-21st so I will write a bit in the car but there will most likely not be an update since I won't have my computer. My DM's will be open during the car ride if anyone would like to talk!

18 votes and 60 comments

Word count: 3481

~Leah