We were now situated in the living room, sitting side-by-side on the couch, with me holding a zip lock bag filled with ice on top of my injured hand. There was an awkward silence in the room, and neither of us knew what to say to each other. Finally, Ace broke the silence.

"You don't have to tell me anything. You were right, I was being an asshole-"

I cut him off. "No, Ace. What I said was absolutely mean. You were only trying to help me, and I snapped at you. I'm sorry for that. And, anyway, I want to tell you everything."

I looked straight into his eyes, as I finally poured out everything to him. I told him everything, leaving no details out, staring at the floor the whole time.

"Luke...he and I met in Australia, when I went with my family and Beth to spend the summer over there with my cousins. He was really sweet to me. We got to know each other, and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I was surprised, also a bit hesitant, since I would have to leave soon. But he said that we'd work out a long-distance relationship, and that I could visit him every summer."

"I agreed, but I still had my doubts about this whole long-distance thing. I'd heard that they never work out. Nevertheless, I agreed to be his girlfriend. He was so nice, always acted like a gentle man, and my doubts about our relationship not working slowly faded."

"We used to call and text each other every other day. And then, as I had promised him, I visited him the next summer. Beth came with me. I could tell there was something off about Luke the moment I saw him again. But I didn't pay much attention to it. I didn't want to believe there was something wrong...with our relationship."

"The second night of that summer, my cousins who lived there, threw a party, and invited me and Beth. Luke was a good friend of my cousins. I...when we entered the house, Luke was already there, and he immediately set to persuading me into having a few drinks."

"Beth had gone off somewhere, and my cousins were no where to be seen. When I refused, he got angry. He grabbed a glass full of some weird substance in it, and tried to force it into my mouth."

I tried to get away from him, but that only aggravated him more. He threw the glass on the floor, and it shattered into pieces. He....he then tried...to..." I wavered, and I felt my eyes brim with tears.

I felt a heavy, muscled arm drape around me, and this time, it was Ace. He drew me closer to him, rubbing my arm soothingly. "Sshh, you don't have to continue. It's okay, I understand," he murmured softly.

"No, Ace. He-he tried to f-force me to get me in the b-bed with him. I screamed, kicked, did everything I was capable of doing, but he didn't l-let go of me", more tears ran down my cheeks, and Ace's grip on my shoulders tightened. He was stiff as a board.

"It was so dark in the room, i couldn't see anything. He was lying on top of me, when the door burst open, and Michael, my oldest cousin, barged in. He turned the light on, then he went ballistic. He grabbed Luke and yanked him off of me, and started punching him continuously. I didn't try to stop him. I was too shocked to do anything."

"He finally noticed me whimpering and crying on the bed, and quickly came up to me. He kicked Luke out of the house. Beth convinced Michael not to call the police. But before he left, he told me that he'll come back for me someday, and he'll...f-finish what he started."

It felt so good, to finally let everything out. I felt like the weight on my shoulders had lessened considerably. Ace drew me closer to him, and placed his hand on my hair, gently laying my head on his chest.

"It's okay, Princess, he's not going to hurt you. I won't let him lay even a finger on you," he continued rubbing my arm, sending warmth throughout my body.

"That's part of the reason I'm afraid of the dark... I can't help it, I just keep thinking of that room-"

He cut me off by pulling my head further into his chest. "Shh, don't think about it."

I reached up and placed my palm on his chest. He stiffened a little at first, but then relaxed under my touch. "Hey, I've heard that crying is really bad for your vocal cords. So unless you want to sound like Lady gaga when she's high, you should stop crying."

I let out a strangled laugh, and gave him an incredulous look. "Just because you don't like Lady gaga, doesn't mean you should insult her," I told him, my lips tugging upwards at what he'd said.

"Fine, I won't insult her no matter how bad she sounds - which is a lot, by the way," he gave me a small boyish grin.

"She's not that bad-"

"Are you kidding me?! She probably doesn't even know the meaning of singing. All she does is scream."

I hit his chest lightly. His chest shook as he chuckled. I wiped my tears, and smiled as well, feeling my heart beat faster at our close proximity, and snuggled deeper into his chest.

"Getting comfortable, are we?" I could feel him smirking as he said that. I blushed, and pulled away instantly. "It's okay. I don't blame the ladies wanting to use me as their pillow," he grinned at me.

I frowned. My heart did a jealous little thud as I thought, how many girlfriends have you had?

"W-what? I'm not telling you," Ace's voice floated up to me. I looked up at him. What was he talking about?

"What are you talking about?"

"You just asked me how many...girlfriends I've had?" he raised his eyebrows hesitatingly.

Oh My GOD! I said that out loud?! I can't believe I did that. But then, curiosity got the better of me, and I asked, "So..how many have you had?" I asked him.

"Like I said, I'm not telling you," he replied. As I looked at him, I noticed his cheeks had pinkened slightly. A grin erupted on my face.

"Com'on, it can't be that bad, can it? Tell me! I just literally poured out my whole life to you, and you can't even tell me a simple thing as how many girlfriends you've had?" I whined teasingly.

With surprise, and amusement, I saw his cheeks darken with a blush. He paused for a few seconds. And then, "Fine! I've...I've never had a girlfriend before."

My mouth dropped open. So did the bag of ice. "What?! You're joking!" I paused. And then, "OH! So you're a one-time guy," I stated, as realization dawned on my face along with a little worry for my own self; I have a crush on him, what will I do?

Ace looked at me in horror. "NO! I...I've never been with a girl before!" he exclaimed incredulously.

"Are you gay?"

Ace seemed to be choking on air after each of my questions. "Goddammit Ellie, no!" he sputtered. He was full out blushing now.

I scoffed. "I don't believe you. I mean, someone as hot as you has to have at least one girl!" As soon as I said it, I clapped a hand over my mouth.

His expression turned from an embarrassed one, to a hubristic one quite fast. "You think I'm hot?" he asked cockily. His cheeks turned back to their normal color.

"N-no. I-no I don't!" I stuttered. This time it was me blushing.

"Really?" he asked, inching closer to me. I moved back on the couch, and he grinned evilly.

"Yes, really. I-I don't think you're hot," I stated, as he moved closer to me.

"Admit it, Princess. You think I'm hot," he smirked. Suddenly, he was on top of me, his arms braced on either side of me, with me lying underneath him. His face was mere inches away from mine.

"I...don't," I breathed. His face turned sideways, and he moved his face close to my neck. My breathing hitched, as I felt his lips on my neck. He moved his face down, leaving a trail of soft, lingering kisses.

"Don't you?" he whispered. He continued moving down, and I let out an unconscious sigh of pleasure.

The front door suddenly opened, causing Ace to jerk off of me. Well, that's what would've happened if he hadn't lost his balance, and fallen on top of me, leaving me breathless. I frantically tried to push him off, trying to see past him.

"Ace--" a feminine voice intervened. "Wha--Ace, Ellie, is that you?!" Sarah's bewildered voice exclaimed.

I finally pushed Ace off of me - which took all my strength, and pain in my hand - and jumped off the couch. Ace fell on the floor on his butt, his face instantly turning into a glare, as he looked at me in annoyance.

"I-it's not what you think it is, Sarah! W-we...." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. Sarah's eyes were wide with surprise, but a few seconds later, they transformed into...hopeful? I mentally shook my head.

Ace heaved himself up into a standing position, as Sarah's face broke into a mischievous smile. I gaped at her. What was she smiling about? Isn't she supposed to be mad at us? - or me, to be specific. Instead she's smiling, looking all happy about something...

"You guys know the meaning of a bedroom?", she asked with a grin. I flushed at that, and, I noticed Ace pinken a little as well. Sarah shut the door behind her as she entered the living room.

"It's not what it looks like!" I protested weakly, as at the same time, Ace replied, "Sorry Mom, next time, it'll be in the bedroom, not here."

I gasped, and punched his arm. Unfortunately, I forgot that my hand was injured, and suffered a stinging sensation. "Ow!" I hissed, shaking my hand up and down to shake the pain away. Sarah frowned in concern.

"What happened to your hand, Ellie?" she asked as she made her way up to me. I looked at my hand, and then at Ace, who's expression was that of guilt. Yeah, he should be feeling guilty, I thought half-heartedly.

"Oh, it's nothing!" I answered her. "Anyways! I should be leaving, I have a lot of homework to do! I'll see you later, Sarah," I added hastily, and walked up to her, gave her a hug, and proceeded to make my way out the door.

"You can do your homework tomorrow, Ellie. It's the weekend-"

"Oh, no, no! I like doing my work on time," I said quickly. Too quickly. She must've noticed I was trying to make excuses, so before she could say anything else, I exited out the door, yelling out a quick "Bye!"

I distinctively heard a, "I think I embarassed her," and loud chuckles. I blushed.

I raced up to my house, and unlocked the door. The first thing I noticed was Ulises, who was lying on the couch, staring at the T.V. screen. I locked the door behind me, and Ulises looked up. A scowl made it's way onto his face. "Where were you?" he asked immediately.

"I was at Sarah's. No one was home, so I decided to give her a visit," it wasn't exactly a lie. I had been at Sarah's, though only because I wanted to talk to Ace. I blushed, thinking of what happened on the couch.

Ulises relaxed. "Oh, okay, then. Go freshen up, the dinner's on the table. Mom has to stay out late tonight, and Jason's staying at his friend's," he sighed. "That boy spends more time at his friends' than at his own house."

I smiled at that, and walked upstairs to my room. My phone buzzed in my hand, and I glanced at it. It was Beth.

I looked at the text in confusion. What the heck was she talking about? I texted my thoughts to her.

I plopped down on my bed, as I realized what she was talking about. I felt a shiver run down my spine at the thought of Luke. Beth doesn't know, yet. I know she'll go ballistic once she finds out it was Luke.

I thought of not telling her right now, to let her find out on her own. But, no, if I tell her now, she'll be prepared for Monday, and not freak out.

Suddenly, I felt really angry. I know Beth didn't know it was Luke, but I couldn't help it. The sudden anger just formed inside me.

I was breathing a bit heavily, as though I'd yelled at someone for 5 minutes straight. A few minutes passed, and no reply came. I waited impatiently for Beth to reply, and after a few more minutes, her reply finally came.

I closed my eyes, running my hands through my hair in frustration.

I was blushing at her previous comment, and was glad no one was there to see me. Beth said Ace must be someone special for me to share my horrible past with him.

With a smile, I thought, Yes. Ace is special. Very special. With that thought and smile on my face, I fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.