Loud yelling brought me out of my book. A boot stamping the floor shook the wooden slates below my feet. More yelling and a door slamming were heard before complete silence. I pulled up my onesie over my ears, so I couldn't hear the dispute happening in my house and returned to reading my bible. Low breathing worked its way into my consciousness and I knew there was someone in front of me. I glanced up to see Blake frozen mid stride starting at me from the doorway. 

My breath caught in my throat from seeing his eyes boring so intently into my face that I jumped, and my heart leapt in my chest. Blake realised his mistake instantly and shook his head as he stormed into the room. My neck and cheeks heat up as I think about what Blake must have seen, me rugged up in my cat onesie with an actual cat hood, surrounded in blankets and stuffed animals while reading my bible. I wasn't expecting to see him here as he hadn't returned home for a day since he dropped me off in the woods.

But Blake doesn't seem to take any notice of me as he stormed around the room with a sneer on his expression. Those yells must have been my mother and Blake fighting over the fact that he hadn't returned for over 24 hours. I shivered to think what strict punishment she had dished out, it was bound to be harsh. He pulled out his suitcase from underneath his bed. I noticed as he did so a small piece of paper fell out of his pocket, my eyes followed it as it drifted to the floor. It faced downwards and the top was covered in a dark colour like it was a few years old. 

I grabbed it from the floor, it was close enough to me that I didn't need to stand up. But as I flipped it over for the one second it was in my hand, it then disappeared as Blake snatched it back from out of my hands. I glanced up at him in outrage. He hid it in my pocket again and then returned to scrummaging through his suitcase like nothing just happened. 

"Your mother just gave me a curfew of 9 o'clock every night and now I have to go to church with you freaks every Sunday!" He slammed the suitcase on the bed, I flinched away from him. His words hitting a vulnerable place in my heart.

"You do deserve it," I replied flatly barely containing my anger. My hands were shaking so I closed my bible and placing it softly on the ground next to me. The glare he shot over his shoulder at me nearly made me sink back into my onesie.

"I need to go to Freddie's tonight and now because of your mother I can't, so therefore I am leaving this place." I rose from my position on the floor and I yanked my onesie off in annoyance.

"Good riddance," I replied harshly. His eyes snapped to mine like I had shot him. "You know we don't want to have you here you, causing all this disarray and arguments, our lives are already hard enough without you here ruining what little peace we have at home. My mother only took you in to help you. You can be a bit more respectful to her and me." I slammed my onesie on the floor and stormed out the room, if I stayed in there to hear his reply I probably would have done something I regretted.

I made sure to stay away from Blake all day at school just in case he said something again that set me off. I was strict to not allow my eyes to gravitate towards him like they usually did but as I reached lunch time I was losing resolve. Especially when I noticed Blake walk over to Sarah's table and sit down next to her.

I peaked at Blake from over the top of my school papers. He was sitting with Sarah and her friends, along with Dean and Liam. Blake was sitting next to Sarah and they were laughing and talking like he never said those words to her about defending me. It was like I was no longer even here or had a heart which felt like it was crumbling in my chest from seeing him with her, befriending her. I felt betrayed by him and I didn't know why. I had no right to feel betrayed, he was never mine to start off with.

"I will see you tonight at Freddie's" Sarah grinned to Blake and then hugged him before walking off with her girlfriends.

"Do you think I should wear a zinc breast to the dance?" I hear in my peripheral senses bringing my out of my thoughts. I was bewildered for a second, did I hear that right?

"What did you just say?" I looked at her like she had gone insane.

"I said, do you think I should wear a pink dress to the dance?" She asked with tight eyebrows.

"Oh, I thought you said zinc breast," I laughed. Lisa's tight brows puckered deeper. Then she placed a hand onto my forehead.

"Are you feeling okay?" She quizzed. "No fever, alright must be psychological," she deduced. "What's going on with you?" she crossed her hands across her chest. She knew me too well. I glanced over at Blake and my curiosity was sparked again. I needed to know what he was up to at Freddie's tonight, to stop him from doing anything else reckless. That was the place where he stole a motorbike, what if those guys recognised him?

"Do you want to go to Freddie's tonight?" I asked spontaneously. Lisa did a double take.

"Excuse me who are you and what have you done with my friend that calls fun having a tea party?" she looked at me flatly.

"I am being serious," I spoke with finality. She looked at me skeptically.

"I think we will get murdered and bashed up just from stepping in there." She was right especially if someone recognised me as being the girl that punched one of their own, but I didn't care.

"Be optimistic gal, we seriously need to venture out in out expeditions and activities in life," I encouraged, speaking the worlds that she always said to me when she was sick of tea parties.

"Alright fine you have convinced me, I have always wanted to go there without being dressed in black leather," Lisa grinned so widely she showed her gums. I raised my eyebrows at her questionably.

"Kidding, arrow reference." She raised her hands up in surrender.

"You worry me." I shook my head at her, but I couldn't hide the small smile that was rising on my lip. I could always rely on Lisa to go along with my strange plans.

Lisa and I parted at the end of lunch to attend our separate classes. As I walked through the corridors I held my books close to my chest in an involuntary preparation for an attack. But I realised as I neared Sarah's locker where she was speaking with her boyfriend that everyone was leaving me alone. I hadn't received one taunt, trip or mean word today. Sarah didn't even pass a glance at me. When normally she would have tripped me over or said something snidely to me. Being friends with Blake was more important to her than tormenting me. 

Due to Blake's actions all the bullying had stopped. All my anger at his actions this morning and disrespecting my family dissipated as I realised this. Although he does say some mean things to me, his actions speak louder than his words. School was actually enjoyable now and it was all because of Blake. As I walked into English and sat beside Blake I watched him out of the corner of my eye with awe instead of anger.

**

Four hours later I was dressed in black leather and had makeup smeared onto my face which made me look more like a supermodel than myself. In other words, I looked ridiculous. Lisa had dressed me up in the most stunning outfit and something I would never wear on my own. The only reason I agreed to it was because I was actually scared that those men who shot at Blake and I the other day would recognise me. There was no chance of that now.

Freddie's was a sports bar, but it was such a run down and old place that anyone with an ID that looked semi like them could enter. That is why it is a popular hangout for people from my school. More specifically a hangout for Sarah and her friends. I know they went there most Friday nights.

Luckily Lisa and I had both already turned eighteen, so we could enter without needing fake ID's. We both met at the car park of Freddie's and Lisa had her hands linked with mine as we walked down the road towards the bar. My stomach was churning so badly I had to hold my stomach to prevent myself from being sick. Lisa and I had never shown our faces before at Freddie's, I was extremely apprehensive for how this was going to turn out. As we neared the pub the noise of live music and laughing resonated from its depths. It was going off tonight. 

We stopped out the front of Freddie's, so the bouncer could check our ID's. Then with shaky hands I opened the door. The smell of drunken bodies and booze hit my nose instantly. Many faces turned to check out who had just walked in and I noticed a few stares that didn't leave Lisa and I for a few moments. Their eyes caused my stomach to churn with anxiety and I knew then that this was a terrible idea.

I spun around on my heel.

"Alright that was fun, let's go now." I moved back and grabbed the door handle to leave but Lisa wasn't having it. She grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me further into the bar. "No way Rose, you are not chickening out."

My eyes scanned the crowds searching frantically for any threats. Any of my bullies from school or those men who shot as Blake and me, there were way too many people after my blood. With Lisa practically pulling me we reached the bar.

Lisa ordered both of us drinks and I skulled mine down in the first gulp to help aid my anxiety. Lisa raised her eyebrows at me and then bought me another drink, a soft drink this time.

Lisa started talking to the bartender, Cameron. He had black dreadlocks and such dark skin you could hardly see all the tattoos running down his arms, she tried to include me in the conversation, but I wasn't at all interested in the motorbike he had just done up. As I stared into the distance lost in my thoughts, someone barged past me and threw me into the bar. I rose my head in outrage to yell at them, but my mouth snapped shut when I realised it was Blake. He turned around slightly to give me a pathetic, "sorry."

But then he did a double take when he caught sight of me.

"Rose?" He questioned skeptically like he couldn't believe his eyes. His eyes ranked me up and down taking me all in. I didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. But the way he was looking at me was making my heart beat faster in my chest and my palms to start sweating.

"Good evening kind sir," I saluted him, nervousness taking over the sensible part of my mind again. It always did when I was around him.

"What are you doing here?" He almost growled, ignoring my polite tone. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"To dance the night away," I replied and then I busted my best disco move. Blake just stood there staring at me with a blank expression on his face.

"Well you do that, and stay the hell away from me," he responded harshly and then turned around and stalked away from me.

"I was planning to do that anyway," I yelled after his retreating form. I stomped my foot on the floor and crossed my hands across my chest. I didn't know if it was annoyance at his attitude towards me or my stupid reaction to him.

"I brought the binoculars," I heard Lisa say in my ear as she held out an actual pair of binoculars to me.

"Why on earth did you bring binoculars?"

"Babe I know the real reason we are here," she motioned her head to where Blake had just disappeared in the crowd. "Your super-hot housemate," she reasoned. She did know me too well.

"I think I will be arrested for stalking." I smiled at her trying to make me feel better.

"Probably and it would so be worth it."

After some time debating whether we should actually use the binoculars or not, we decided on the latter and started dancing instead. But after a few songs I felt tired and sore and just wanted to sit down. Lisa had made some other run friends on the dance floor, so I left her there.

But where I sat down I had perfect view of where Blake was sitting. He was with everyone from school, Sarah, her two friends Diana, Talia, Liam, Dean and Sarah's boyfriend Jack.

After sitting there by myself watching Blake have a great time with his friends I realised that this was a huge mistake. He was not in any sort of strife or trying to hurt himself in any way, he was just enjoying a night out with his friends. I wanted to ask Lisa to leave with me, but she was having such a great time I didn't want to spoil it. I decided to head out the back door to get some air. Opening the back door and feeling the cool breeze whirl the hair around my face was like a huge weight was released from my chest. But my peace was disturbed by a noise from down the dark alleyway. My eyebrows knitted together as I tried to figure out what it was.

There was a bang and then a crunch, then a yell of pain. My heart started pounding faster as I thought about the possibilities of that noise, it sounded like someone was being mugged. I knew I wouldn't live with myself if I stood around and did nothing while someone was being mugged so I rose and followed the noise. I reached the end of the alleyway and with unsure motions I peeked around the corner of the pub. It was then that I saw what was going on. Someone was being mugged.

They were being held up in the air by the throat by someone dressed in a black hoodie and a skull mask covering his face. The man dressed in the hoodie punched the other man in the face and causing blood to splatter out from his mouth. I placed a hand over my mouth to muffle the gasp of horror when I recognised the man in the hoodie.

I knew straight away who it was. The way he squared his feet, the way he rubbed his hands around his wrists when he was nervous and how he hadn't changed out of his black converses with a white splurge of paint on his left shoe that he was wearing this morning.

It was Blake. And he was squeezing the man's throat. 

***

Hey guys, I hope you are all wonderful and had a great new year! 

Please let me know your thoughts, I do love reading them! Thanks for reading and waiting!! :) Xx

Also a big thank you to Pizzagirl for making the amazing cover above, it really is fantastic!! Thank you for investing your time into it :)