Start the song. It's What the Heck by I Tried to Run Away When I Was 6 (But Got Too Scared).
***Trigger Warning for some mentions of vomit, but no vomiting. There will also be mentions of domestic violence, but that isn't shown either.***

The last day of junior year was punctuated with some giant party at some kid's house in some fancy neighbourhood. When Josh was waking up through the fog of a hangover, none of the specifics seemed that important. He was more focused on finding his pants.

Some girl was passed out on the bed next to him, just as naked as he was. From the look of the sheets below them and the bruises on her thighs and hips, it was pretty clear to Josh what they'd done last night. Her dark hair covered her face, but he didn't really care who she was anyways. He just wanted to find his pants.

Slowly, Josh located all of his clothing and pulled it on as he went along, finding his hat last under what were probably the shortest cutoff shorts he'd ever seen. He smirked, looking back over at the girl sleeping on the bed. His eyes scanned her tiredly, stopping at her ass, which was honestly kind of phenomenal. Yeah. She'd look good in these. Even when he was drunk, he did alright.

Josh was pulling on his boots when the girl woke up, groaning at the sunlight filtering in through the blinds as she pulled a pillow over her head. He chuckled as he tied his boot.

"That bad?" He asked her.

"So bad," she grumbled. "You drank more than me. You should be dead. I swear to God, you drank way too much to be that good. Jesus Christ."

Josh laughed, pulling on his other boot. "High tolerance," he reasoned.

She hummed some sort of response before giving in and sitting up, holding the pillow on her lap instead. Green eyes squinted slightly to block out the sun. Long eyelashes. Freckled cheeks. Pierced nose. The rest of her body just as nice as her ass. Yeah, Josh did alright.

"What's your name?" She asked curiously, pushing her hair back off of her face.

He finished tying his other boot before standing up. "Don't matter," he replied simply, heading for the door. "See you around."

"Oh, so it's like that," she said with a smirk.

"Yep," he replied simply.

"Cool. Wanna close the blinds for me then, douchebag?" She asked with a lazy grin as she laid back down, pulling the pillow over her head again.

Josh laughed again before going over to the window and closing the blinds. "All clear."

She let out a hum of approval as she moved the pillow off of her face and relaxed into the bed. "You're a gift from God, you absolutely gorgeous douchebag."

"Yeah, I've heard," he replied with a smirk before going to the door again. Just for good measure he added, "Night, darlin'."

"Mmmm night, handsome," she mumbled. He heard her yawn as she pulled the blankets up over herself. "Come back anytime."

With one last grin thrown to the girl on the bed, Josh left the room. He closed the door behind himself, grateful he'd had more than enough experience with hangovers to not be completely destroyed by this one. Navigating his way through a house he barely remembered, Josh ran through the numbers in his head, knowing his dad would ask as soon as he came in the door. Two beers. Three shots of vodka. At least one shot of whiskey mixed with...something else. Maybe it was three beers. No...four. Four beers. No drugs. Maybe more drinks than that. Yeah. Probably.

Josh's phone buzzed in the pocket of his jeans, so he pulled it out and checked it. Abbie. He didn't hesitate to open it, patting his pockets with his free hand to make sure he had his keys and wallet. He did.

You're not in your room. Are you okay?

He smiled slightly. Ever since their last mama had left, she'd been mothering him like crazy. She was a kid though. He didn't need her to do that. Still, he responded:

Yeah just got sick of your snoring

Her response was instant.

I'm surprised you can hear anything over yours

He rolled his eyes and stuck his phone back in his pocket. His head was killing him, but he knew it'd ease up if he could just get himself home where there was water, aspirin, and soft surfaces to sleep on. His dad would probably lecture him about sex again, but he could handle that. Apparently, he was good enough for a girl like the one he'd just left to be interested in him despite how much of a freak he supposedly was. Part of him wasn't surprised she'd been into him though. He knew what he was doing with girls, he could talk sweet if he wanted something bad enough, and he was definitely above average in a fair few aspects of his life. She had every reason to want him to fuck her more than once.

Josh had almost made it out of the house when he saw her. Ashley was sitting on the floor next to the couch her boyfriend was fast asleep on. Josh hadn't even known they were here. Brendon hadn't bothered him once. Dallon wasn't with them.

Upon closer inspection, it looked like Brendon wasn't just asleep. He was blacked out. One of his hands had vomit on it, and there was a puddle of matching chunks on the floor next to Ashley, who wasn't moving. She didn't look high or drunk or anything, but she looked out of it. Her slender fingers kept tugging at a rip in her fishnet tights as she stared at the floor in front of her. Josh pieced together why she looked so vacant pretty quick.

The bruise on Ashley's cheek bone was faint, but it was clearly visible. It was fresh too. Unsurprisingly, it didn't seem like Brendon was a friendly drunk. He didn't seem like he was a friendly anything.

"Hey," Josh said to Ashley, not sure why he did it.

Her eyes drifted up to his slowly, widening when she saw him. It had been two weeks since he'd caught her getting fucked in the church. He'd been dragging out the torture of not letting her know if he was going to fuck her or not. He didn't feel too strongly either way. She was slutty enough that she'd be fun, but she was also tainted from fucking Brendon for so long.

"Hi," Ashley replied in a quiet voice. Her fingers kept tugging at the hole in her tights.

Josh studied her face again, realizing her eye was a little swollen. She'd covered it in makeup since it happened, hadn't she? It was worse than what he was seeing.

"You should hit him back," Josh told her, eyeing her vomit-soaked boyfriend.

Ashley ducked her head in shame. "It's not like that."

Josh hummed. "So you let him punch you, and then sit next to his puke because that sounds like a good time to you?"

She remained silent. Her tights tore a little more, and Josh sighed.

"You need a ride home?" He asked, hating that he was doing something nice for her.

Ashley looked nervously at Brendon's unconscious face before looking to Josh and nodding. He nodded too, watching her stand up shakily. She followed him wordlessly as he walked outside and down the street a little to his truck. Just like he always did for Abbie, he opened her door before going to his own. Ashley seemed surprised, but Josh didn't know why. That was common courtesy. Even he knew that.

The girl in the passenger seat didn't say anything as he started the truck, turning down the radio that instantly started blaring rock music, making Ashley jump in shock. He rolled his eyes, pulling away from the curb and starting towards her house. She didn't say anything, so he assumed it was still the same one.

"Are you going to tell anyone?" Ashley asked quietly.

"That he hit you? I don't know. Do you want me to?" He asked calmly.

If he told his dad, Brendon would be locked up instantly. His dad may have knocked his mama around a little when they were still together, but he wouldn't put up with someone else beating on a girl. He especially wouldn't be too happy about Ashley getting beat up. For whatever reason, he still always asked Josh about her and how she was doing, although Josh always replied with, "How the fuck should I know?"

"No. Are you gonna tell about...." Ashley trailed off, her voice weak and crackly. Josh glanced at her, wanting to kick her out of his truck when he realized she was starting to cry. It wasn't his responsibility to take care of her anymore, and he didn't have any interest in it. "Are you gonna tell anybody about Brendon's dad?"

Terror crossed her features when he shrugged, smirking. "Maybe. I'm sure Brendon would think it was real funny. My dad might too. And Pastor-"

"Josh, please! You can't tell anyone. It isn't funny," Ashley insisted, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Josh groaned in irritation, turning down a particularly worse for wear street that he remembered all too well. Ashley lived a few streets down, but Josh used to make her run up and down this jagged street barefoot on summer nights to prove she wasn't a sissy. They stopped when she stepped in glass and he had to carry her all the way to his own house so they could find an adult to help them get the shard out. Ashley's mama wasn't even around then.

"If I don't tell, what's in it for me?" He inquired.

The girl beside him sniffled, turning in her seat to face him. "What do you want?" She asked quietly.

He shrugged. "I don't know, but it ain't worth the work of keeping my mouth shut if I don't get anything out of it."

Once again, Ashley was silent for a second. She took in a deep breath before saying, "Can you pull over for a second?"

Having driven a fair few drunk and hungover people around in his lifetime, Josh pulled over instantly despite the rough conditions of the road. He looked Ashley, expecting her to get out and puke on the asphalt, but she just looked back at him through tired eyes. The bruise on her cheek was darkening.

Before Josh could say anything, Ashley sat forward and kissed him. Her hands held his cheeks as her lips moved slowly against his. He hesitated for a minute before kissing back, which Ashley took as an invitation to scoot closer and deepen the kiss. After a moment, she sat back, looking at him much more calmly than before as she studied his face. He wondered if he looked as surprised as he felt.

Ashley smiled just slightly. "Definitely better than the last time we kissed," she commented quietly, and he couldn't help but smirk and shake his head.

"Fuck you," he told her, reaching to start the truck again.

"Okay," Ashley replied, making him freeze. She watched him withdraw his hand, raising an eyebrow at her. Pink appeared on her cheeks. "I mean, you can fuck me if you want. I owe you, right? If you don't tell, at least. If you promise not to tell, I'll let you fuck me however you want. Okay?"

When Josh didn't say anything, Ashley started to look a little less sure of herself. She moved closer to him, though, pressing her thigh against his. Her hazel eyes didn't leave him for even a second.

"I want you to," she assured him quietly. For just a second, she looked like she had when they'd sat waiting for their parents to pick them up from school. She was still silently begging him to tell her she wasn't ugly. "Do you...not want to?"

There were a few thing keeping Josh from agreeing to it. One, she'd slept with Brendon. Two, he'd used the condom he had in his wallet when he fucked the girl at the party. Three, he still didn't really trust her. Four, they were on a public street. Granted, it wasn't one most people were brave enough to use, but Josh would never hear the end of it if his dad or one of the other guys from the station had to arrest him for indecent exposure.

Finally, Josh sighed. "Look, Ashley. I'm not going to fuck you right now. Maybe I will eventually, but not right now. You smell like puke anyways."

The colour drained from Ashley's face. "I do?"

"It's gross," he told her as he restarted his truck.

"Oh my god," Ashley whispered in embarrassment, instantly shuffling away from him. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever. It's fine. Just don't get puke anywhere in my truck," Josh said, silently enjoying how uncomfortable she suddenly seemed.

Honestly, she smelled fine. None of Brendon's vomit was on her. She smelled like she'd been drinking, sure, but she mostly smelled like cigarettes and perfume. It was just more satisfying to tell her no in a way that made her uncomfortable. He liked when people felt uncomfortable. It gave him control of the situation.

When Josh's truck pulled up in front of her house, he pulled the E-brake and shifted it into first gear before looking at her. She remained sitting, looking nervously at her house. She looked back at him again.

"Can you come in?" She asked quickly.

He raised an eyebrow. "No."

Ashley's hands were shaking. It was summer in Alabama though, so she wasn't cold. He looked at her face again. She was scared. Why?

"You don't have to stay, and I'm not going to make you do anything," she insisted worriedly. "It's just that usually Brendon comes in with me when he drops me off to make sure my mom's new boyfriend isn't home. He freaks me out, and I don't want him here while I shower."

So she was scared. She was scared of some guy, who may or may not even be there. Josh sighed, turning his truck off. Ashley immediately relaxed, climbing out of the truck as he did. They didn't say anything as Josh walked her up to her door. She kept looking around the yard anxiously. Josh didn't like that very much.

Without a word, he followed her inside, looking around as well. Ashley started to go upstairs, but Josh grabbed her arm and led her through the rest of the main level instead, letting her look through every room. He went into all of them first, but he knew his dad would want him to make sure the whole house was safe before he left her here alone if there was something making her feel unsafe. He didn't say anything when Ashley slid her hand into his, looking anxiously into each room he led her to.

When the ground floor had been cleared, Josh took her upstairs. They did the same thing there. No one was home, but Ashley was still shaking and clinging to his hand.

"Come on," he told her, leading her into her bedroom, which honestly didn't look much different from when he used to spend all of his time there.

Unlike when he was a kid, however, he sat on her bed without hesitation. She sat down beside him, releasing his hand and hugging a pillow to her chest.

"Has he ever hurt you?" Josh asked her carefully.

Ashley shook her head, pulling at a loose string on her pillowcase. "He just looks at me weird."

"Weird how?" Josh guided.

She shrugged. "Like he's supposed to look at my mom."

They were quiet for a minute. Josh didn't like that. He didn't like this guy.

"Has he ever tried to...?" He asked, not really wanting the answer.

Ashley didn't say anything for a moment, hugging the pillow tighter. "No," she whispered. "I'm still scared though."

She looked like she thought Josh was going to tell her she was being irrational, but he just nodded. He understood. She didn't have to trust this guy if she didn't want to. If he was a creep, he was a creep.

"Brendon thinks it's funny," Ashley blurted out. "He said I'm being stupid and overthinking it."

"He's a piece of shit. Who gives a fuck what he thinks?" Josh mumbled. Then he remembered why he'd driven her home to begin with. "Why'd he hit you?"

Ashley looked different then, suddenly too calm. Josh didn't understand the change. It almost seemed practiced. "He was drunk."

"And?" Josh pressed.

She shrugged. "It's not his fault."

"Drunk people get arrested for shit all the time. He's still accountable," Josh argued. "Don't be an idiot."

"He loves me," Ashley reasoned, looking out of it again.

She flinched when Josh laughed. "Right. He hits you because he loves you. That makes sense."

"Josh-"

"You're a fucking idiot," Josh told her as he stood up from the bed.

"I am not."

"Then hit him back," Josh told her a bit too harshly.

She hesitated. "How?"

He rolled his eyes, but sat back down anyways. "With your fists, dumbass."

When Ashley didn't respond, looking down at her hands, he fell silent. She curled her hand into a fist, but her thumb was wrapped up in it. She looked to Josh for guidance.

"You're gonna break your thumb if you punch like that," he told her, taking her hand in his and unwrapping her fingers. He closed them again, keeping her thumb out this time. He tucked it in front of her fingers instead. "Hold it tight. When you punch, put all your strength into your fist."

She nodded, uncurling her fist before tightening it once again. Josh watched her. She genuinely didn't know. Why hadn't anyone taught her?

Josh turned so he was facing her, gesturing for her to do the same. He held his hands up when she did. "Try it," he instructed.

Ashley looked at him nervously. "Punch your hands?"

"Yep."

"Won't that hurt?" She asked.

Josh smirked. "Only if you do it right."

Ashley hesitated before the first punch, which was incredibly weak. He raised an eyebrow, and she blushed, trying again. She punched harder his time, but it wasn't enough.

"If you can't knock him out when you punch him, you aren't doing it right," Josh told her. "Put all your strength in it."

"I don't wanna hurt you," Ashley admitted.

"For fuck's sake, Ashley." He grabbed her wrist and pushed her palm against his. Her hand was tiny in comparison. "Look at that. You have fucking squirrel hands. You're not going to break me if you punch my hands."

She smiled slightly, blushing when he released her and held his hands up again. "Okay."

Her next punch knocked his hand backwards. He smirked, and she looked overjoyed. "Did that hurt?"

"That was good. Try again," he promoted.

She did so excitedly. She punched his hands again and again until his palms were red and raw, but he didn't mind. It seemed like she felt less scared now that she'd mastered this new skill. After a few minutes, however, he dropped his hands.

"That works on creeps too. If that guy tries anything, knock him out. Deal?" He proposed, just like he would with Abbie.

Ashley nodded, smiling at him. He rolled his eyes when she hugged him. "I missed you," she told him quietly.

"Yeah, well, we still ain't friends, and you still owe me. Don't get too comfy," he told her, not hugging back.

Surprisingly, Ashley pulled away from her hug just enough to kiss him deeply, knocking his hat off of his head as her fingers slid through his hair. If his dad wasn't probably staring at the clock in the living room in a state of panic right now, he'd just fuck her now. He didn't have time though.

When Ashley broke the kiss, she smirked at him. "Yes, because sleeping with you is going to be such a chore. I'm so inconvenienced by this. I hate having sex with cute boys. It's my least favourite thing to do. Why would I want you to fuck me when I could be knitting? What a waste of time."

Josh rolled his eyes and shoved her out of his lap, making her giggle. "I forgot how fucking annoying you are."

"Face it. You missed me too," she said with a grin.

"I can honestly say I didn't miss you at all," Josh replied as he stood up. Her face fell. "See you later."

Ashley didn't say anything as he left her room. He smirked as he went back downstairs. He was only going to sleep with her because she owed it to him. Their friendship wasn't magically restored, and he didn't just suddenly decide she was forgiven for betraying him. No. That would be stupid. Josh wanted to get laid. He didn't want to become Ashley's bodyguard again. She didn't deserve one, and she didn't need one either.