Song: "I Am Not Nothing" by Beth Crowley

**

At first, Heather didn't think she was alive. Then she spent an hour of her night vomiting. Her head throbbed viciously, throwing off her vision and balance. She would've tried to escape, but Chandler followed her everywhere she went. He explained that he used chloroform to calm her down, and throwing up was a side effect. She would've completely lost it if her head wasn't so foggy.

When it was time for her to go to bed, Chandler handcuffed her right wrist to the bed with his dad's old cop cuffs that he stole from him. He then hid the key somewhere else in the house so she wouldn't find it. "This is just temporary, my love. Once you prove to me that you won't try to escape or hurt yourself, I'll let you be free during the night." He kissed her lips. She didn't kiss back. She just stared ahead, letting a single tear fall from her eye. Chandler played with the ends of her hair. "You're going to school tomorrow, ok? I can't let you be home alone. It's too dangerous."  She nodded emotionlessly.

He laid down next to her and kissed her shoulder. "You're so lovely. You have no idea how much you mean to me. You're my precious jewel. I have to protect you like one. It's already hard enough when you're out of my sight for a few hours at school."

Out of his sight, she thought. That's when I can escape. The only problem was, she was still too scared and ashamed to tell anyone. She wished she could blink and be back at her parents' house. For once, she wanted to be with her parents. She realized she made a mistake when she thought moving in with Chandler was better than living at home. Her parents may have been mean to her and ignored her, but at least they've never done anything as horrific as this.

She had no idea where the guy she fell in love with was, but she knew he was long gone. A monster inhabited his body—or the monster was always there, waiting to come out.

Chandler pulled out her phone and started scrolling through it. "I love this picture of you." He showed her a picture of her and Courtney eating strawberry ice cream a few months back. "Oh, by the way, Courtney texted you while you were asleep. I pretended I was you and told her I was studying." Heather's face fell. "You know," he started again. "I wish I could take you out of school and keep you here in restraints, but all your friends would know where you were. And that's why I'm taking you to Florida with me in the next few years. No one will know where we live then." He put her phone down and cuddled up next to her. "Goodnight, my love."

I've got to get out of here! Heather showed no emotion on the outside, but her heart raced with fear. School is the only chance I have. Who knows how long it will take for me to be able to tell someone. She squeezed her eyes shut. Think, Heather. Think! That's it. Maybe I don't have to tell anyone anything. I know what sets Chandler off the most. All I need to do is use that against him. I just have to hope that he doesn't keep it together since we'll be in a public setting. Heather hardly got any sleep that night, but she was determined to get herself out of this nightmare.

**

The following day, Chandler drove himself and Heather to college. Heather laid her right arm on her lap. There was a red ring around her wrist from where he cuffed her, and the skin around it was tender. She heard Chandler talk about how much he'd miss her that day, but she didn't listen to his words. Thoughts about her plan spun around in her head. What if this doesn't work? What if this makes him want to rape me again? She swallowed hard. I don't know if I can do this. But I have to. It's either that, or I have to tell someone what he's doing to me. Living like this isn't an option.

Chandler pulled up to the University parking lot and told Heather to wait in her seat so he could open it for her. He never does this when nobody's watching, she thought bitterly. He opened the door for her. She counted the seconds it took her to get out. Every moment from this point on was crucial.

Meanwhile, Alejandro was walking on campus talking on the phone with his mom. He caught a glimpse of Heather from the corner of his eye, and he froze. "—Mama, I'll call you back, ok?" He hung up and looked in that direction. He saw Heather and Chandler walking away from Chandler's car. There he is! And I can see him much more clearly now! He frantically opened his phone camera and snapped the best picture he could get of him. As they got closer, he walked behind one of the college buildings and peeked around the corner.

Heather let Chandler grab her hand and lead her to the campus. "We still have about fifteen more minutes until my first class starts," he told her. She nodded, looking anxious. She's uneasy around him, Alejandro noted. And she's nervous when she's just talking about him.

Heather's eyes darted around. There were people around them, but she wasn't sure if they were close enough. They'll hear if Chandler starts yelling, she thought. But she was also afraid to make a massive scene if Chandler made her look crazy. Anything could happen. Worst case scenario, he pretends I'm insane and hurts me later. Just do it, Heather. You can do this. She waited until they were a little closer to the public. Unbeknownst to her, they were no more than twenty feet away from Alejandro. She took a deep, shaky breath. "Hey, Chandler?" Her voice cracked nervously.

"Yes, baby?" He sloppily kissed her cheek.

"I-I have a confession to make." She faked a choked-up voice to make it seem like she was guilty. If Heather was good at anything, it was faking remorse. She did that all the time around her family. She hadn't done it since she got enamored with Chandler, and she wanted herself back.

Chandler furrowed his eyebrows. "What? What is it?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Well—there's this guy in my math class. I think he's really cute, and I—" she dramatically trailed off. "I had—dirty thoughts about him in the shower the other night!" She flinched. "I feel so bad! I'm so sorry, baby!"

Alejandro could tell she was acting. Why would she lie about something like this? Does she want a particular reaction from him?

Chandler blinked, his jaw clenching. He lowered his voice. "Are you fucking serious right now?" Alejandro could barely make out the words, but he already didn't like the way he was talking to her.

"Yeah." Heather nodded. "Chandler, I love you! I'm so sorry! I promise I won't ever think about another guy again!"

Chandler suddenly grabbed her by the same wrist he cuffed her in. Although he didn't pull her hard, she winced. "We're going back to the house. Now." He held in his anger.

Fear ignited within her. She decided to take it a step forward and jerked her arm away. "No, I-I don't wanna go with you!" Alejandro held his breath. That stutter was no act.

Chandler looked around before walking close to her. "Do I need to remind you who you belong to?!" He growled between gritted teeth. Again, Alejandro couldn't make out what he was saying, but he could tell it wasn't something good by the look on his face. Heather shook her head, real tears now starting to form in her eyes. Chandler looked again and roughly grabbed her by her left arm, digging his fingers into her skin.

The moment Alejandro saw this, he wasted no time. He sprinted forward. "Get your hands off her!" Heather's eyes were saucers. Alejandro?!?! How did he—

Chandler glared daggers at him. "I've seen you too many fucking times to like you! Stop fucking my fiancé!"

"We did nothing of the sorts." He stepped closer to him, puffing his chest. "Back off before I shove your dick up your ass," he hissed. Heather backed away, completely overwhelmed.

"Whoa, who the FUCK do you think you are, man?! Think your dick's bigger than mine?! Think you can fuck her better than me?!"

Alejandro balled his fists, enraged. "This isn't about SEX, you piece of shit! This is about the way you treat Heather! I know you cheated on her just because you thought she did the same to you, you sick fuck!!!"

"What the fuck, Heather?! You told him that?! You're such a fucking traitor! And you're a fucking JOKE!" Chandler shoved Alejandro with rage.

Alejandro shoved him back twice as hard. Chandler fell backward and hit the concrete with a loud thud. People around them started to watch. Chandler got up and swung for Alejandro, but Alejandro took his fist and twisted it backward.

"How does it feel to have no power, huh?" Alejandro snarled. Chandler cried out in pain. Alejandro thought of the bruise on Heather's neck. He now knew Chandler had done that for sure. "Do you like when I put my hands on you like you put yours on her?! ANSWER ME, FUCKHEAD!"

Chandler cowered in fear. "L-let go of me! Someone help!!!!" Alejandro imagined Heather crying for help at the hands of this man. How could he do this to her? That absolute monster! He twisted Chandler's arm as hard as he could and heard it snap.

Chandler screamed in agony, falling to his knees. "What the fuck?! You're fucking crazy!!!!"

Assured he was done for, Alejandro let him go. "You're lucky I didn't do worse! Now get out of here! And good luck driving to the hospital with one arm!" Chandler looked at Heather. "Don't you DARE tell her to go with you! Stay the fuck away from her!" Alejandro stepped in front of her protectively. Chandler weakly stood up and walked off, holding his left arm.

Alejandro let out a breath. His face softened when he looked at Heather. "Are you ok?" he asked gently. Heather stared at him for a moment. She was in shock. Is he actually gone? I'm free. Her lower lip quivered, and she ran into his arms, hugging him tightly. Her whole body shook as she let an ocean of tears out into the crook of his neck. Alejandro was surprised, but he hugged her back. He felt her small frame shake in his arms, and it broke his heart. "You're safe now. I've got you," he whispered.

"Can we please—can we go somewhere else?" she wept.

"Of course. Is my car ok?"

She hesitated before nodding. It was hard for her to trust other men, but when she hugged him, she felt safer than she'd ever felt in her life.

Alejandro walked to his car with Heather and opened the door for her. He slowly got in after her. She let herself cry until she couldn't anymore. He waited patiently, getting teary-eyed himself.

Once Heather stopped, she looked out the window. She watched birds fly over the almost bare tree branches, and she watched two squirrels chase each other up a tree trunk. Autumn was passing by quickly.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go in particular?" Alejandro asked.

"I don't wanna go back to my parents' house. My phone—fuck, he has Bruiser too! My cat!"

"Let's not worry about that right now, chica. I am sure your cat will be fine. Let us focus on getting you somewhere you feel safe at."

"I don't have a safe space," Heather said, playing with her hair.

He sighed with concern. "Do you want to come to my house then? I'll skip school today to make sure you're ok."

"Alejandro, no, don't be stupid. I can just deal with my parents."

"I don't think so." He put his hands on the wheel. "I've never missed a day of school, so it's ok. It would be best if you felt calm and safe, and going to your parents' house will not help with the matter. I am perfectly fine with staying with you to guarantee your well-being, señorita."

"Thank you." Heather blushed lightly.

"Don't thank me. It was my pleasure to help you get rid of that sad excuse for a human."

Heather looked at the engagement ring on her finger. She slid it off and waited for Alejandro to start driving to throw it out the window. She felt the weight of the world fall off her shoulders.

Alejandro noticed and smiled. "You are courageous. I admired your stunt back at campus. Thank the heavens I was there."

"How did you know that was fake?"

"Because it's his breaking point. I thought it made no sense that you were lying about fantasizing about another man, then it hit me. I remembered that he had cheated on you because he was convinced you cheated on him. You used his fear against him so you could be saved. Brilliant."

"I didn't wanna tell anyone, so I had to do it that way." Heather played with the ends of her pink sweater.

"That is very understandable."

**

When they arrived at the house, Alejandro set up a comfy spot on the couch for Heather. He gave her the softest pillows and the warmest blankets. "Is that enough for you, Hermosa?"

She nodded. "Yes, it's perfect. You know, you didn't have to do all this."

"Oh, but I did. I will also bake us some cookies with milk. If you'd like that, of course."

"Jerk. You know I can't refuse that."

"That's why I suggested it." Alejandro winked before walking into the kitchen. Heather smiled to herself. She was amazed at how he could make her fears go away, even if it was only for a few minutes. This happened every time she was with him; the world would disappear for a while, no matter how big the obstacle was.

She got cozy on the couch and waited for him. He came back with a tray of chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of milk. "Let's see how good your baking skills are," Heather teased. She took a bite out of her cookie. "That's actually really impressive. It's good."

"That's why I help my mom cook dinner all the time."

"Where are your parents right now?"

"They are on a business trip. They'll be back tomorrow night."

Heather nodded, looking at the blue cup in her hand. "I don't think I'll be ready to go back to my parents' house tonight."

"That's ok. You can stay with me," Alejandro offered. "We have a nice guest room upstairs across from mine."

"I don't know, Alejandro."

"Ok, it is your choice, señorita."

"I'll wait and see."

"Sounds excellent." Alejandro turned on the tv. "Is there any show you like?"

"You'd hate it, so no," Heather said.

"I'm letting you choose. It does not matter if I don't like it."

"Ok then." She grinned. "I like Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

Alejandro gasped. "No way! You watch that show too?!"

"Stop pretending you like it!"

"No, I do! I love watching the drama unfold!"

"There's no way you like that show." She crossed her arms.

"I do. Quiz me."

"Ok," Heather began excitedly. Alejandro admired the happy look on her face as she spoke. "Who said, "I'm not buying her a fucking pair of shoes.  I bought her a fucking career"?"

"Easy. Kim said it about Kourtney."

"Here's another one: "Kim, would you stop taking pictures of yourself? Your sister's going to jail"."

"Kris when Khloé was getting arrested for violating parole when she had a DUI," Alejandro answered smugly.

"Oh my God." She laughed. "We have to watch it now!"

"Absolutely!"

He searched it up and started playing it. The both of them laughed and talked about their favorite episodes, moments, and characters. And again, Heather forgot she was in the real world. She ignored the terrible things Chandler did to her. All she saw was her and Alejandro.

After a few episodes, Heather was asleep. She needed to catch up on sleep she lost the night before. Alejandro looked at her, snuggled up to the pillow he had given her. Warmth filled his body. The urge to cuddle her was almost unbearable. But he let her be, lifting her blanket to her shoulders.

He turned off the show and got on his phone. He thought about Chandler. I should've gotten his license plate! All he had was a picture of the monster on his phone. He painstakingly realized that Heather was the only way to get information about the guy, and he didn't want to push her for answers. I won't ask today. I'll ask whenever she feels more stable. In the meantime, I will do as much spying on him as I can to acquire data.

Heather woke up an hour later. She forgot where she was for a moment, so she sat straight up. Her eyes scanned the unfamiliar area until her brain caught up. "Good morning," Alejandro smirked. "You slept in quite a bit."

"It's morning?! What time is it?!"

"I am just teasing." He chuckled. "You only slept an hour, Hermosa."

She sighed and fell back on the pillow. "Alejandro, don't ever do that again. I thought I was going to be late for school!"

"Whoa, I don't think you are ready to go back yet. You need some time to heal," he said.

"I'm fine."

"Heather, please don't lie to yourself," Alejandro pleaded. "I know you are not fine, and that's ok. You were abused and mistreated. You deserve a break."

Heather relaxed her shoulders. "But I'm so used to being fine. It always works for me. I just fake it till I make it. That's what my mom does whenever she feels sad. Don't get me wrong, I don't like her, but she has some great advice."

"Not in this case." He looked at her sadly. "—How long has he been doing this to you?"

She bit her lip. "Pretty much since the beginning of school. So a little over two months."

"He didn't do any of the physical stuff the rest of the time you two were together?"

"No." Heather shook her head. "It started with him slapping me. It was just one slap." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "He promised me over and over again that he would stop. And he didn't. It just got worse." She cried harder.

Alejandro scooted closer to Heather and gently hugged her. "Is this ok?"

"Mhm," she hummed through her tears. She laid her head on his chest. "I hate feeling like this. It's so shitty and stupid. I hate everything."

"I'm so sorry, Heather." He teared up. He could almost feel her pain. "I wish there was something I could do."

Heather stopped crying but stayed in his arms. She loved how warm he felt around her, more so than the blanket. "I think I'll stay here tonight."

"Of course," Alejandro said. "As long as you feel safe."

"I do."

**

Later that night, Alejandro set up the guest room for Heather. He opened the door for her. "Here you go, señorita. I gave you fresh sheets. The shower is also clean for you. I gave you some of my mom's shower products and a couple of towels too."

Heather looked at him in disbelief. "Alejandro—"

"If there is any complaint, you can always sleep on the couch." He smirked playfully.

"No! Are you kidding me? I am not complaining at all!" She walked into the room. "This room is—insane! This is the guest room? This? You're giving me this? And you got everything ready for me?"

"I don't wanna hear it, chica. You deserve all of it."

"I—" she blushed. Don't get ahead of yourself. He's just being nice because he feels bad for you. "Thank you."

"Of course, Hermosa. I will let you take your shower. If there's anything else you need, let me know."

"Ok." She smiled. He walked out of the room.

Heather took another look around the room. The walls were painted baby blue. Baby cherubs decorated the top where the walls met the ceiling. She walked into the bathroom and felt like she was in an entirely different room. Grey marble walls surrounded her with a floor to match. The walk-in shower had stairs that led into a square jacuzzi. And this is just the guest room. She couldn't help but wonder how Alejandro's room looked. Her cheeks turned pink at the thought. I'm never going to see it anyway, so whatever.

She got undressed and started the shower. She stuck her hand in, watching as the water bounced off her fingers. When it was nice and hot, she stepped in. "You deserve all of it." She beamed when she thought of Alejandro's words. "You deserved it," Chandler's voice invaded. "That was punishment for your behavior." Heather's chest felt tight. Tears spilled from her eyes and mingled with the shower water. As she washed up, all she could think about was the dark look in Chandler's eyes as he mercilessly violated her. She blocked out the memory, but now it was suddenly coming back. He had looked at her like she was nothing but a way to take his anger out. A devastating amount of shame shot through her like a bullet. She couldn't breathe. She quickly shut off the water.

Heather laid in bed after she dried off and got into the pajamas Alejandro had laid on the bed. She put on what she guessed was his mother's tank top and shorts. They were a little big on her, but too big was better than too small. The cushioned texture of the mattress relaxed her a bit, but she still couldn't get Chandler out of her mind. The experience returned so detailedly that she felt as if she were reliving it. She felt his hands all over her and his teeth biting her until she bled. She covered her ears as if it would drown out her intrusive thoughts. She fell asleep with dried tears on her face.