Today had been very stressful, and I very, truly, did not do well with stress. I was completely positive the only reason I made it through was because of the extra pill I decided to take that morning.

Then again, I had been taking an extra one for the past three days, so I would be able to handle the leader of the Big Four without freaking out. At least I hadn't, even if it didn't happen anywhere near how I imagined it.

That's what I was thinking about as I stood just before the main road, waiting for Tate or Luce to come get me. I was too busy wondering over harsh words and a specific pair of dark eyes to notice the person stomping up behind me.

"Rosalyn."

My spine instantly stiffened as the monster's voice filled my ears, the voice of who I thought wasn't at school today. I glanced quickly around, and only let out a sigh of relief when I saw a group of students a little way away. He never tried anything in front of others, that was the only security blanket I had.

I turned slowly to face him, my fists holding onto my bag like it was battle armor. The tall, buff, blond was glaring down at me, his broken nose held in place by surgical tape. I gulped at the fire shooting from those deadly brown eyes.

"What do you want?" I mumbled as he stood fuming a few feet away, his hard hands curled into tight fists at his side.

"I'm tired of playing these fucking games!" His loud shout stung my face like a hard slap, and I took a staggering step backwards. "I don't care if you're whoring around with those fucks, this ends now!"

I glanced hopeless over at the group of students from earlier, though now they seemed to far away to make much of a difference. Fear began to grip around my throat, but most of my senses were too numb from the medicine to keep the panic from surfacing.

I went to take another step back, but staggered when my foot fumbled over the curb. I couldn't walk back any further, not if I wanted to go feet-first into on coming traffic. I gulped and turned wide, frightful eyes on the football player.

Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?

"Now," He said slightly calmer, though the fire in his dark gaze hadn't subsided one bit. "You are going to come with me—quietly—to my car, and-"

The shrill shriek of tires against pavement roared in our ears, right before the smell of burning rubber hit my nose. Both of our heads whipped around as that sleek, black, convertible I had spent too much time staring at from my living room window, practically scorched earth when it slammed to a stop behind me—right in the place I had nearly fumbled into.

The monster and I were both too stunned to move as the pitch black tinted passenger window rolled down. "Get in." I don't know who was more surprised at the practically growling Rex Turner glaring at me from the driver seat of his car, me or monster-boy.

I was frozen in my spot, my eyes wide and my mouth slightly open as I watched the beautiful boy practically shooting daggers in our direction. "Get in the fucking car, Rosalyn."

And just like that, my body unfroze, and I was reaching for the door handle before I realized it. I wasn't sure if it was because he said my name, a boy I could only ever dream about, or if it was because of the obvious, very violent, threat in his tone that had me instantly complying.

He didn't say anything else as I slipped uneasily into the passenger seat and closed the door behind me, but he revved the engine, locked the door, and shot away from the curb before either Jason or I could react. It was all I could do to buckle my seat belt and hold onto my backpack for dear life as he drove away from the school like we were in a Fast and Furious movie.

There was fury pouring off him, too much that I wouldn't dare of asking him what was going on. I wasn't sure how long we were driving, or where we were going, and every time I glanced over at Rex, his jaw was set in such an icy anger I could feel it burn my veins. His fists held a white-knuckled death grip on the leather steering wheel, and he refused to acknowledge me as he tore us down street after street.

It wasn't until we were in the middle of empty fields and abandon buildings, with no sight of town, did he slam on the breaks for an upcoming stop sign. The car stopped so hard that I knew if I hadn't worn a seat belt I would have been thrown through the window.

Ow... I could already feel the painful throbbing from the belt against my chest, and it didn't help that I bruised like a peach.

Rex's fist wrung the steering wheel as if he imagined it were a neck. My eyes were wide, my bag squeezed to my chest like a life vest as I watched him. My breath caught in my throat when his jaw clenched and his hand left the wheel long enough to put the car in park. Then he started punching it—repeatedly.

He hit the poor leather wheel over and over again until I was positive it started to bend against the pressure. I could only imagine the damage he was doing to his knuckles.

I was pressed flush against the passenger door, torn between wanting to run and hide from the giant mountain of fury beside me, and wanting to cradle that hand until the pain I was sure he was feeling faded away.

It was too long before that vicious anger ripping through him started to subside, and he stopped hitting the steering wheel long enough to ease back into his seat. He pushed the sunglasses he had been wearing the whole time onto the top of his head, closed those beautiful eyes and leaned his head back against the black leather headrest.

I gulped, squished my bag tighter and finally leaned away from the door. "Are you alrigh-"

"Don't." He all but snarled, his heavy, quickly bruising hand reaching up to run down his face. My mouth snapped shut instantly. I had no doubt whatever just happened was because of me, and I didn't want to anger him anymore than I already had.

He sat like that for a long while, his face pointed towards the roof of the convertible, those dark eyes closed as his haggard breath slowly evened. I stayed silent the entire time, even after he let out a hard sigh, dropped his sunglasses to his eyes, and ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Where do you live?"

I was so surprised at the question took me a minute to respond. "Uh, um, Briar Oaks." The unamused snort that passed his lips didn't go unnoticed, but I chose not to say anything as he put the car back in drive and turned us in the direction of town.

We sat in silence the whole way, and even though most of whatever fury had been thriving through him disappeared, he didn't seem to want to acknowledge my existence. He had his window rolled down nearly the entire time, a pack of cigarettes clenched in his hand as he tapped it repeatedly against the door. Though he never lit one.

It wasn't until he pulled into my neighborhood that he spoke. "What street?" Dark, clipped, and to the point.

"Copper."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." He groaned as he started what I was sure were memorized twist and turns for him. "Which house?" He grumbled as he turned down the street, Trey's house and the rest of the Big Four's cars passing behind us.

"That two-story with the pillared porch." I murmured and pointed towards the empty house and vacant driveway.

Tate must have been going crazy driving around the school looking for me, he probably even called the worry-wart of the century and they were on a Rosalyn man-hunt. Just my luck I left my phone home that day.

Rex pulled to a much smoother stop in front of my house, most of that furious tension gone. I sat silently, unable to move as I continued to decipher what the heck just happened. Whatever it was though, he saved me from that monster—again.

I opened my mouth to thank him, then hightail it out of there before he shot some more hurtful words, but he immediately cut me off. "I swear to God if you thank me again I will throw you from the car." My lips instantly glued shut, and my eyes snapped down to my lap.

Time to go.

I unclicked my seat-belt, let go of my death grip on my bag, and pulled at the door handle, a 'thank you' trying to desperately fall from my lips the entire time.

"Rose."

The way my name rolled off his tongue sent such an unfamiliar shiver down my spine that it pulled me to an instant stop. I glance slowly back over at him, my hand ready to close the car door behind me.

"Just try not needing to be saved all the fucking time."

His sunglasses were gone, and those dark eyes were glaring over at me once again. His words were hard, an icy bite to his tone, but I could sense no malice in his eyes. I didn't bother responding as I closed the door and stepped away from the convertible. The engine revved, the tires squealed, then Rex Turner was driving away from my house, from the entire street, like he had the devil on his heels.

Thank God I took two pills that morning.

Tate had been beyond irritated that I left my phone at home, and even though Luce had to stay at the college late I knew I would get an earful from her when she came home too.

It turns out I had been driving around with Rex for nearly two hours, and he had called more than a dozen times. I could only give him a sheepish, apologetic smile and promise not to leave my cell again.

"Did you freaking walk home, Rose?" He exclaimed with an exasperated huff as I dropped my backpack on the bench by the door and tugged shyly at my jacket.

"A friend took me. I'm sorry, I'll make sure to tell you or Luce next time."

He paused, his back stiffening before he shot me a look over his shoulder. "What friend?" He knew, just like everyone else, that I didn't have many friends—didn't have any friends. Especially not Rex Turner.

I shrugged and walked slowly over to the stairs, ready to take a long hot shower and spend hours overthinking everything that had just happened. "Just somebody from school. Tell Luce 'hi' for me when she gets home!"

I waved over my shoulder and raced up the steps. I don't think I would be able to handle both of their overbearing-ness tonight, even with the two pills coursing through me. I laid in bed a few hours later, tangled in blankets with Netflix playing some show about magicians quietly in the background.

I wasn't paying attention, I could only think about the whole day over and over again until my mind had muddled it in every possible way. From imagining Rex Turner as a demonic monster straight from Hell itself, to seeing him as the epitome of a knight in shining armor. It was honestly giving me a horrible headache.

The shrill sound of the doorbell ringing tore my attention away from the never-ending montage of Rex Turner's many personas my mind had created. I jumped to my feet, my headache completely forgotten as I hurried to the hallway.

No one ever came to our house except for Luce's college study group—she didn't have friends either but that was only because she was a major B-word to everyone but me. "I got it!" I shouted to whoever was around to hear me, though I'm sure Luce and Tate had gone to bed hours ago. It was pretty darn late out.

I skipped down the steps two at a time, plastered a huge smile on my face and threw the door open, my father's 'never unlock or open the door before you know who it is' rules be darned! I paused the second I pulled the door wide open, my eyes bugging-out in surprise at the pair of bright green ones shining down at me.

Trey smiled at me. "Cute PJs Princess."

My eyes glanced down at the Eeyore shorts and my dad's too-big-for-me t-shirt nearly covering the sad little donkeys. That blush that loved to stain my cheeks whenever the Big Four were around slowly crept up my neck.

"What are you doing here?" Then my eyes widened as I realized how rude that probably sounded and I instantly shook my head. "N-Not that I'm not glad to see you! This is just a surprise..." My words trailed off as he let out a soft chuckle, his head shaking slowly down at me.

"You're too cute for your own good."

My face burned.

"Rex mentioned you had a little run in with Jason after school. I just thought I would check on you, and how convenient it is that we live so close together!" His laughter boomed across the porch and foyer as his bright eyes seemed to flash. "He was a little more reluctant to mention that part though."

Then he shot me another smile, his large hand reaching up to run through his short, spiky, sand-colored hair. "You are alright though, right?" His smile slowly fell, his bright gaze scanning my face for any indication of pain.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Because of Rex. I tried to give him a reassuring smile of my own, though I'm sure it looked like a weak grimace.

His eyes narrowed as they scanned my face again. "You sure?"

I nodded and gave him a big thumb's up as he stepped away from my front door. "Well, good then. I didn't think Jason would have tried something again so soon, but that fuck-head is a determined shit." He shook his head, no trace of that previous smile pulling at his lips.

"Here." He suddenly held out a folded piece of paper, his eyes hard. "Put my number in your phone in case you ever need one of us again. I wrote down Denton and Brett's too, but Rex... Well." He shrugged, his lips just barely rising at the corner. "I don't think he would be okay with me throwing around his number."

No, he wouldn't. Especially if it was for me.

My heart let out a flutter as I reached up gingerly and took the paper from his hands. I unfolded it carefully, preciously. Here, on this simple white lined sheet, were three of the Big Four's number. No way in a million years could I have ever imagined having them in my own phone.

"Make sure to put them all in your phone. And call us if you ever need anything."

I could only nod numbly up at him, my eyes glued to the digits in front of me. He let out another laugh, his head shaking once again before he turned to head down the porch's steps. "Sleep tight Princess! And you best bet your cute ass your eating lunch with us tomorrow!"

I slept better than I had in weeks.