10/31/2020 - Happy Halloween :)) Figured I'd give a *spooky* chapter for a *spooky* day. This chapter is nearly 7k words, so it's a long one. Please don't hesitate to comment! Attached cover sent in by Shall_Know_Pain It's a beautiful and unique cover- I don't think I've ever received any quite like it! I love that editing the chapters has resulted in more/new people sending me covers!

TRIGGER WARNING: Please be wary later on in this chapter. Without me giving anything away... just please note this warning.

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Today is the day. Friday; the day of the ever dreaded party that I, for some reason, have decided to attend. Even when given the chance to back out I made it clear to West and the others that I was going to go. That was easier to commit to when I still had a few days to prepare myself. But now the day is here, and I'm still not sure that I'm mentally ready. But then again... I don't think I'll ever be mentally ready to face the setting that helped create who I am today.

I walk towards the mirror in my closet and smooth out my dress that Alyse and I chose for me to wear. Of course, there was the obvious option of going in high-waisted jeans and a crop top, the typical party outfit, but I chose against that. Instead, I'm now realizing, I chose something that has potential to make me stand out...the opposite of my game plan. However, as the school mute who hasn't been to a party in three years, I suppose I was bound to stand out anyways.

It's a simple red 'skater' dress that isn't too revealing. I bought it for homecoming with Kyle, my ex, last year but I ended up breaking up with him before we ever went. So, better to wear it now than never I guess.

"You still all in on going tonight?" Alyse asks.

I catch her eye through the mirror and let out a small sigh.

"I don't think I'll ever be all in, but the important thing is that I'm also not completely against the idea. I can't keep hiding from such a normal high school Friday night, right?"

Alyse frowns and stands from my bed to walk over to me.

"Raine, no one is going to be mad if you need to back out. Frankly, we're all shocked you're still stuck on going."

"Thanks for the confidence in me."

She chuckles with a small eye roll. "You know what I mean. It's been three years, why now?"

I look back at myself in the mirror and stare at a girl who has been through so much in only 16 years of life, and the answer is right there.

"I'm sixteen. I need to start living my life instead of acting like it's over."

Alyse smiles softly. "You sure it doesn't have to do with a certain bad boy that's going?"

My cheeks flush nearly as red as my dress and I turn to face her.

"I guess West has a part in my decision, too."

I'm not going to be alone tonight, and I know who to trust. It won't happen again, how could it? I have five great friends that will be there with me the entire time.

I'm not as naïve as I was. I can't be.

"Knock knock!"

Alyse and I turn towards the doorway just as Toby opens the door and walks through with his typical party attire on. A flannel and jeans with a little bit of gel in his hair- guys have it so easy. They could wear sweatpants and would still look the part.

Alyse, despite the low temperatures, chose to wear a revealing outfit. She has on a black lace-up crop top that I'm sure will have every single guy there staring at her boobs, matched with a black skirt that shows her long, tanned legs. She looks undeniably hot and I catch Toby eyeing her up.

"You know, saying 'knock knock' and then walking in without an answer is just as bad as walking in without knocking," Alyse says as she crosses her arms. "You could have walked in when we were still changing."

Toby snorts and quickly pulls his eyes back up to meet hers. "You two have been up here for nearly an hour. I know it can't take much longer than that to put on some pants and a crop top."

Then he glances my way and his playful smile melts into a smaller one.

"But you, on the other hand, are wearing a dress."

I quirk a brow, "Great observation skills."

"You sure you're ready for this?" He asks quietly.

I turn around to face him and nod. "It's been nearly three years. It's better late than never, right?" He still seems unconvinced, so I offer a reassuring smile. "Now tell me I look good."

He cracks a small smile and nods, "You do look good. I wish you would wear a dress that extends all the way to your ankles, but..."

I laugh and shove him slightly, causing him to chuckle and pull me in for a bear hug. He ruffles my hair a little when we pull apart and smiles gently.

"You look beautiful, sis."

I still scowl at him for messing up my hair, but still sign a small thank you before stomping back to my mirror to fix my hair. Through the mirror, I catch Toby staring at Alyse who is sorting through my assortment of earrings. Without turning around, I see her smirk as she lifts up a pair she likes.

"Toby, if I turn around am I going to catch you staring where you shouldn't be with drool leaking out of your mouth?"

He snorts, but I don't miss the way he subtly jumps from being caught and diverts his gaze. He further proves my theory that no one can truly stare discreetly and I begin to wonder about the times I apparently never caught West staring at me.

Alyse turns around to face him as she puts the earrings on and grins.

"Your silence speaks volumes."

Toby smirks, "Don't act like you didn't dress up for me."

"Your confidence is alarming."

"You like it."

She raises a brow and pops her hip out. "Do I?"

"You're blushing."

"No, that's you."

Toby drops his smirk and begins to chuckle, throwing his hands into his pockets.

"I can never win with you," he says.

She smiles as she walks past him and out the door, "We'll be waiting downstairs Raine. Take your time."

Toby watches her go with a small smile, quickly following after her.

I stay in my room for a few moments longer. I stare at the mirror as my mind gets bombarded by every excuse I can think of to not go tonight. I shove those thoughts away and force myself to take a deep breath. I'll be okay.

With one final look, I grab my phone and head downstairs. I hear the boys talking animatedly to one another downstairs as I approach the steps and I stare down at the group. My eyes instantly land on West with his leather jacket, somehow not ruined from the rain the day we drove to my mothers grave, overtop of a dark red flannel. He's nodding along to something my brother is saying, adding his input to the conversation.

As I start down the stairs, I step on the one second from the top that is known to be the creakiest of them all and it catches everyone's attention. The conversation instantly stops as they look up at me, but I keep my eyes on West. He stops mid-sentence when he sees me with his mouth half open as I walk down the rest of the steps. When I finally reach the bottom, his gaped mouth turns into a smile and he meets my gaze.

"Raine," Tyler says, practically running to me, "You look stunning."

I shift my attention to him as he slowly looks up and down my body. I offer a slightly awkward smile, shivering uncomfortably from his stare when his eyes linger too long.

"Thank you, Tyler."

"You do look beautiful," Gray comments with a warm smile.

I smile my thanks at him and then drift to West who seems to have gotten over his daze, and smirk up at him.

"Your turn." I sign.

He raises a brow and smirks back. "My turn to what?"

"Compliment me, you goof."

He tilts his head, "Did I hear a please?"

"You didn't hear anything. In case you forgot, I can't really talk."

West chuckles at me and puts his hands up in surrender. He pauses and glances at me as I do a little spin for him, grinning when I turn back to face him.

"Red is definitely your color, Sunshine."

Though his compliment isn't as direct as the other's, it still has me blushing.

"Hey Raine, I got you something," Tyler says, walking off to the side and nodding for me to follow.

I do so and stand by Tyler as he pulls something from his pocket with a boyish grin. His back is to West, but the others try to discreetly look at what's about to be handed to me. However, when his hand opens to reveal a bright red plastic whistle resting in his palm, my curious smile drops in seconds.

"Blow it in case anything goes wrong." Tyler jokes, handing it to me.

Suddenly, the whistle is ripped from Tyler's hands from a seething Toby which causes his grin to drop instantly.

"Too far, Ty." He growls, storming into the kitchen to throw it away. Alyse frowns and goes after him, ready to calm him down.

"Dude...really?" Gray asks incredulously, smacking Tyler on the back of the head.

Tyler flinches and then looks at me through guilty eyes, but I avoid his gaze. Instead, I cautiously eye West to gauge how much of that he saw. If he saw the whistle and heard Tyler's comment, there's no hiding what happened to me anymore.

But when I look at him, he's off far enough to the side and seems confused enough that my worry dissipates. I brush past Tyler, who watches me walk away and scratches the back of his neck while cursing under his breath, and go back to West's side.

"What was he handing you?" West asks, glancing at Tyler before he focuses on me.

I shake my head, "Just something he thought would be funny."

"Sort of made the whole room tense up," West says carefully.

"Let's just go."

West frowns as I head to the door and wait for everyone else to notice and get ready to go. As soon as we step outside the winter air hits me full blast. The scent of a house in the distance burning fresh wood in their fireplace sweetens the air and I take it all in, preparing myself for the night ahead.

"Sunshine, you okay?" West asks, and I realize that everyone else is already down the porch stairs and headed for his Jeep, but West stops on the second step and turns back to face me.

I glance at the others who are now waiting by the Jeep and try to force my feet to follow, but they're rooted in place. West frowns and quickly bounds back up the steps and to my side.

"Hey, it's not too late to back out," he says gently.

"I need to do this."

West scans my eyes for a few moments before nodding with a small sigh. "Okay. I'll be by your side all night, okay? If anyone makes you uncomfortable, I'll be right there to make them go away."

I let out a shaky breath and smile at him. "I don't know, you may cramp my style."

West quirks a brow and smirks, "Oh I'd cramp your style? Sunshine, something tells me it'd be the other way around."

I grin. "You may be right. They may finally see you for the teddy bear you are. It could really ruin your reputation if they saw that side of you."

West chuckles, "That side is reserved for you."

We walk towards the Jeep together, my previous nerves slowly fading enough to grant me the courage to make it to the car and to the party. West sends me a wink right before we reach the others who are shivering where they stand as they wait for West to unlock the Jeep.

"Finally! I hate to break up your flirting but could you please unlock the damn car doors!" Alyse complains as she jogs in place to try and keep warm.

"You could have just worn more clothes," Toby chirps.

Alyse sends him a look, "Is that really what you would have wanted me to do?"

Toby's cheeks lightly flush red as he scratches his neck. West chuckles and finally unlocks the car doors so that everyone can pile in, and comes to my side to yank the door open for me. After Gray, Toby, and Alyse cram in, Tyler throws his hands in the air with a huff.

"Where am I supposed to sit?" Tyler asks, seeing that all the seats are taken.

We all turn towards him and cock our heads.

"Oh yeah...forgot we had an extra person coming tonight," Toby says.

"Just squeeze in," West says as he starts the car and cranks the heat.

"Whatever you do, do it quick so we can shut the door," Alyse says with her teeth nearly chattering from the frigid air.

I turn around and catch Alyse's eye, and I start to smirk. "Alyse, just sit on Toby's lap so that way you all fit."

Her eyes widen and she shoots me a look, but Toby just smirks and pats his lap.

"Come on Alyse, I don't bite."

She shoots me another look before crawling onto his lap, pulling her skirt down as far as it can go. Tyler crams in and shuts the door and then we drive off.

We get to the address of the party just ten minutes later, and we all pour from the cologne encased car. As I step onto the beautifully cut yard, I freeze in place and stare at the shaking mansion. Music blasts outside from any crevice it can, and hundreds of teenagers stand throughout the property.

"Raine, you sure you're ready?" Toby asks, appearing next to me.

I'm able to tear my gaze from the house and to my brother, ready to tell him to take me home, but something else catches my attention in the transition. The others are all walking into the party, but West is standing patiently off to the side, waiting for me before he goes inside.

I take a deep breath and nod. "I'm ready."

As Toby nods and heads for the door, West makes his way over to me. Even from here I can feel my chest vibrating with the music and my nerves skyrocket, but before my legs get rooted to their place and more panic settles in, West takes my hand in his. He interlocks our fingers and gives my hand a small, reassuring squeeze with a crooked smile to go with it. With newfound confidence, I follow the others inside.

"Welcome to the party," Toby says as we all step through the doorway.

He turns around to gauge my reaction, but I'm too busy taking it all in to notice. I swear it seems like the entire school is here. Everyone is either wandering around, on the makeshift dance floor, or playing some version of a drinking game. Aside from the sheer amount of people...it's not too intimidating.

Tyler, after taking one more look at me, disappears into the crowd of people and is soon out of sight. Gray follows, but the others stay by my side.

"What's going through your mind?" Alyse asks, having to both lean in and yell in order for me to hear her over the music. The speaker must be near the door.

I meet her worried gaze and shake my head, having to pull my hand from West's to respond.

"What do you guys do at these things?"

Toby chuckles and drapes his arm around my shoulders. "Drink. Dance. Play. The night is yours to decide."

Alyse rolls her eyes and shoves him off of me, "I prefer the games. You don't have to drink if you want to play, but they make the time go faster and they're a lot of fun."

"Alyse is pretty badass at Pong," Toby admits, "they have a table set up in the next room. Do you want to play, Raine?"

"I could use a partner," Alyse grins.

I slowly nod as I continue to look around, shuffling closer to West's side as a drunk sophomore runs past and nearly spills his drink all over me. He bumps me rather hard and I start to tumble until West steadies me and wraps his arm protectively around my waist.

Alyse instantly notices and quirks a brow as she slowly starts to smirk, grabbing Toby's arm to pull him away.

"Why don't you and West get settled into the party first, Raine? You can come find me in a little bit to play some pong,. I'll warm up the table for us." She says slyly, pulling Toby away as she once again eyes West's arm around my waist.

As I watch them go, West suddenly leans down so that his lips are only inches from my ear. I feel his minty breath fan across my skin as he talks, and it causes a shiver to threaten my body.

"Come on, I know where we can stand so that it's not so crowded."

He leads me through the party, easily maneuvering through our drunken classmates. I feel a lot of eyes on me and I try to ignore them, but I clearly stood out more than I intended to. Part of the reason West and I were able to get through the crowd so easily was simply because people stopped what they were doing to stare at me- utterly shocked that I'm here.

Once West and I get out of the main crowd, I see where he is walking and I let out a small breath of relief. He leads us to the wall of the almost empty hallway looking into the congested living room.

"And we're through safely," he jokes, his arm sliding out from around my waist so that he can lean on the wall and face me. "How are you feeling?"

I follow his lead and lean against the wall. "So far so good, actually."

He smiles, "Good."

As I stare around at everyone in the main room, jumping to some song blasting on the speakers, I note that nearly every person here has a drink in their hand. It seems that West and I are the only two without one.

I look up at him. "What do you do at parties if you don't drink?"

He shrugs, "This."

"What is this?"

"People watching, Sunshine."

"Doesn't it get boring?"

He glances down at me and smiles slightly. "That's what people seem to think. But I enjoy watching everyone. I see everything that goes on at these parties."

I furrow my brows in confusion and he looks back at the hundreds of teenagers dancing in the room ahead.

"Like look over there," he says, nodding towards a couple talking with one another.

I follow his line of sight towards the couple, and I watch them for a few moments. I don't see anything unusual and I glance back at West confusedly.

"Just keep watching."

I sigh and do as I'm told, and I soon notice the guy not having a single sip of his beer while his date downs hers. He simply holds the can in his hand while they talk, and every time she turns around or looks away he pours a little of the can into the plant next to them.

"Wait, isn't that Scott Cannon? He's, like, known for drinking." I sign.

West smirks down at me. "I've never once seen him drink beer at a party before."

My mouth drops open, "Really?"

He nods, "Really. It just goes to show that rumors can be the opposite of the truth. Rumors are only what people want to believe."

I frown and think about just how true his statement is. The rumors that swirled around me and Warren were tough to hear, and the rumors that have circulated through the whole school about West have to be hard for him.

"If only they knew you're a Teddy Bear. Imagine what that would do to the rumors about you."

West laughs, "Well, that may make them a little nicer. But anyways, Alyse over there seems to be waving you over. You want to go play some beer pong?"

I follow his line of sight and see Alyse over by the front door waving at us. When she catches my eye she gestures for me to come and imitates throwing a ping pong ball with question in her eyes.

"I don't have to drink, right?" I ask West.

"If you don't want to, I won't let anyone make you."

Well, I may as well have a good time while I'm here.

We head back through the crowd and over to Alyse who quickly explains the rules of the game to me. I already knew them for the most part after hearing stories from the guys about how they 'ruled the table.' These cups, however, are filled with water to help save on beer. Instead of chugging the cup someone makes, the rules tonight are just to take a sip of whatever you have in your hand. In my case, that's the water that Toby went to the kitchen to grab for me.

Whether it be because I'm not getting drunk while playing or just that I'm naturally gifted at throwing a ping pong ball into a red solo cup across the table, Alyse and I end up ruling the table for the next four rounds. We first take on Gray and Toby but after we beat them other students try to take us on. West watches from the side the whole time, cheering Alyse and I on, and I actually forget about my fear of parties while I play.

That is, until Kyle comes up and challenges us next.

"Raine?" He asks, smiling widely at me when he walks up. "I heard you were ruling the table but had to come see it for myself! I haven't seen you at a party since, like, freshman year."

I smile awkwardly and nod, noticing West push off of the wall and walk the few steps to be by my side.

"So, I hear you're a natural at pong," Kyle says to me, slurring his words from how much he's had to drink. He reeks of beer.

"She's been kicking ass!" Alyse shouts excitedly next to me.

Though we have been winning, she's still been drinking her Seltzers as though we've lost every shot so she's a little drunk. At least her seltzer's don't reek of the beer stench that's blowing off of Kyle every time he opens his mouth.

"You've got to tell me your secret!" Kyle says.

I lift my cup, "Water."

Kyle blinks at me and I remember that he can't understand since he never took the time to learn ASL in our relationship. I had to type everything on my phone while we dated, and that's ultimately why it didn't work.

"She's drinking water," West interprets gruffly, crossing his arms as he eyes Kyle up.

"Oh, come on Raine that's cheating!" Kyle laughs, "Let me go get you a beer and we'll see if you keep winning."

"Oh, no that's okay." I sign while shaking my head.

"What do you want?" Kyle drunkenly asks, "We've got all the good stuff."

I shake my head a little more for him to get the message, but he ignores it.

"Here just come with me and you can choose," he says, going to grab my arm, but West steps in front of me before he can.

"She said no."

Kyle puts his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay just wanted to make sure she's having a good time."

"She was," West says lowly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kyle's face drops and he gulps, peeking behind West to look at me.

"Are you?"

"I am, but I really don't want to drink."

West tilts his head to look at me so that he can read my hands, but Kyle speaks up first.

He stares at my hands and then smirks, "Either I suck at sign language, or you just requested that we dance."

"You suck at sign language. Back off man."

Kyle gulps again as he looks at West before turning and walking away with his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs.

I grimace and nod, watching as he stumbles away. "Thanks." I say, looking at West.

"I told you I would make anyone back off if you seemed uncomfortable."

Alyse suddenly starts laughing from next to us. "Ohhh man, did you guys see the look on his face? West, I think he thought you were gonna punch him right there!"

Her laughter soon turns into hiccups, but it still doesn't stop her snickering.

"Imagine, Kyle really thought he could make a move on your girl!" She continues, causing me to blush profusely at her reference to me as West's girl.

"You good, Alyse?" West asks when she stumbles into the table, reaching out to steady herself and her drink.

"I-" hiccup "-I'm gonna go find Toby, see if he wants to dance!" She stumbles away from the pong table and into the crowded dance room, and I watch as she goes.

I chuckle and go to take another sip of my water, only to see that it's now empty.

"Want to go get some more, Sunshine? I'm getting kind of thirty myself," he says, nodding in the direction of the kitchen.

I smile gratefully and start to walk with him, close enough that our arms are touching so I can continue to revel in the safety West has provided me with tonight. But just as we enter the kitchen, I see Gray walking swiftly towards us.

"Raine, West! I haven't seen you two all night." He says, blocking the entrance. I eye him suspiciously, watching as he fidgets slightly.

"You played her in pong like a half hour ago..." West says, raising a brow.

"Oh yeah! I guess I tried to forget, you know, being beaten by a newbie and all." Gray says, laughing awkwardly.

"Yeah..." West trails off, looking at him oddly. "Well we both need some water so if you'd excuse us-"

"Actually, there are two people kinda getting it on on the kitchen table, I don't think you want to go in there." He says quickly, and from the way he scratches the back of his head I know he's lying.

"Gray?" I sign as best I can with my only free hand. "What are you hiding?" I ask, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

He stares at me for a few seconds and then sighs, "Fine, West you go ahead in and see what you want, but I'm going to have to be a good friend and keep Raine away." He says, moving out of West's way and walking directly to me. "She's too young for that sight."

West glances at him as if he's grown three heads and then at me and shakes his head. "Alright... Water or soda, Sunshine?"

"Water works, thank you."

West takes my cup for me and heads to the kitchen, and Gray waits for him to go before he looks back at me.

"Want to tell me what that was about?"

He lets out a puff of air, "Warren was in there."

My blood runs cold and I tense. Any fear that had previously vanished comes back full force and my heart starts to pound harder against my chest. Playing pong with Alyse helped get my mind off of the entire reason I've avoided parties in the first place, and I hadn't even thought of Warren until now.

"I don't think he's seen you yet tonight, and I didn't want him to. Nor did I want you to see him."

I swallow nervously and nod slowly, looking down at my hands.

"Good news is that what I said wasn't a complete lie. Dylan from our calculus class actually was getting it on with some girl from a few towns over." Gray says in attempt to lighten the mood.

"Good, maybe then West won't interrogate me when he comes back."

"Oh yeah, how is it going with him? He hasn't left your side all night."

A smile appears on my lips uncontrollably and I shrug, "Who knew coming to a party would be so fun?"

"It can be when you're with the right person."

I narrow my eyes at him. "You're a little drunk, aren't you?"

He grins, "It wouldn't be a party if I wasn't."

"West doesn't have to get drunk and he's still having a good time." I point out.

"Because he's with you. I've seen him at other parties and he's always just the brooding man in the corner." He says, winking at some girl that walks by.

I bite my lip to keep from smiling at that confession, but he notices.

Gray smiles and tilts his head. "You really like this guy, don't you?"

I shrug sheepishly and don't reply, but that's enough of an answer for him.

"Well all I can say is he had better not screw up. Or else he's got me and your brother to watch out for." Gray says, causing me to laugh lightly. He glances over at the party and sighs. "Here comes Ty. I think he owes you an apology for the stunt he pulled back at the house, so I'll leave you two alone."

He sends me another small smile before he walks away.

"Hey, Raine." Tyler begins, looking down at the ground awkwardly. "Look, I'm sorry I did what I did earlier. It wasn't cool of me, but I honestly didn't think it was that offensive. I kind of meant it as a 'fuck Warren' type of gift."

I nod and look down, pursing my lips. "I know you didn't mean it in any rude way, Tyler. But you shouldn't have done it in the first place."

He sighs and nods, "I know. I'm sorry, Raine."

I offer him a small smile, "It's okay."

"So we're good?" He asks hopefully.

I smile gently and nod, "Yeah, we're good. I could never stay mad at you."

He smiles back. "Awesome. And I didn't just come over here to apologize; I was wondering if you wanted to dance?"

Thankfully, before I have to come up with an excuse, some guy that I played against earlier comes over.

"Yo Ty! I need a partner in pong now that Alyse and Raine finally left the table. They were impossible to beat...You in?"

Tyler eyes me for a few more seconds, waiting for an answer to the dance proposal, but when I make no move to give him one, he frowns and turns away.

"Yeah man, who are we playing?"

And with that, he and the guy start walking away and back towards the dining room where the pong table is. I stay where I am and look out at the dancing crowd, suddenly feeling uncomfortable being all alone. I'm still getting a lot of stares from my classmates who apparently think I'm blind, not mute, with how obvious their glances are. I sigh and look around, deciding to go and find a room that's not so crowded to wait for West. Plus, if Warren is in the kitchen, then standing just outside of it probably isn't the smartest idea ever.

I wander back down the hallway where West and I stood at the beginning of the night, eyeing random pictures on the wall. I come upon an office with French doors leading into it. No one else is in here, so it could be a good place to gather my thoughts and wait for West who is taking a surprisingly long time to get us some water. I walk inside of the office, looking around at the bookshelves along the walls filled with trophies and books.

However, suddenly I hear the door shut and I spin around.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Warren.

How is his timing so impeccable?

My entire body seems to shut down and my heart drops. My breath gets caught in my throat, and while I try to remember how to breathe I also focus on calming my heart rate.

But it's to no avail. The room around me starts to spin from my panic attack, black spots dotting my vision. I force myself to focus on my breathing as I meet his icy eyes and bone chilling smirk. Before I can make a run for it and get the hell out of this room, Warren speaks up and my feet are glued in place out of fear.

"You may not be as naïve and you may not be nearly as drunk as you were before, but you still made this way too easy." Warren says, finally lunging forward and pinning me against the wall.

A scream burns in my throat, but before I can let it out his grimy hand covers my mouth. I fidget in his grasp and try to shove him off of me, but his other arm holds my wrists above my head and his body keeps me firmly and painfully against the wall.

"Now I'm going to move my hand, and when I do you had better not scream." He growls into my ear, and I can feel his erection growing with every second that passes.

I am not letting this happen to me again.

I narrow my eyes and bite down on his hand. Hard.

I'm not going to make this as easy for him as it was last time.

His eyes widen and he yanks it back with a angered yelp, blood pooling around my teeth marks. I shove him away and make a break for the door, but Warren isn't fazed for long and grabs me again, throwing me back against the wall. I cry out from the force of my head banging against the wall, putting me in a sudden daze.

However, when Warren presses himself against me, the daze is gone and I fight against him again.

"Quit struggling!" He sneers.

I'm able to shake one of my pinned hands loose and without hesitation I rear back and slap him, causing his head to snap to the side. But I didn't do it with enough force to have him let me go. Instead, he whirls his head back to me with fire in his eyes and seconds later a searing pain takes over half of my face and my entire head whips to the side. I whimper from the stinging pain that flows throughout my cheek.

Warren harshly grabs my throbbing face in his tight grasp and forces me to look at him.

"Now stop struggling," he growls, throwing my head to the side.

He lets go of my hands, but I don't have it in me to use them as my defense. I'm too terrified. It's like my body has locked down and all I can do is cry. He forcefully rips the top of my dress with strength I didn't know he had, and I shut my eyes tight as I await what's to come. Tears build beneath my eyelids and somehow find room to pour out.

I can't believe this is happening again. West said he wouldn't let me out of his sight. He said nothing would happen to me. Toby said I would be okay. I thought I would be okay.

I thought lightning never struck in the same place twice.

But, before Warren can fully rip the dress off of me, the office doors suddenly barge open again with such force they smack against the walls.

"Get the fuck off of her!"

My eyes snap open at the sound of West's voice, and suddenly Warren is ripped away from me and thrown against the desk in the corner of the room. West's eyes are ablaze with fire; rage dripping from his expression as he grabs Warren by the scruff of his shirt and keeps him pinned over the desk.

"I told you to stay away from her!" West booms.

I cower further into the wall from the fury in his voice.

But Warren struggles against him, breathing heavily as he grinds his teeth.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have left her alone," Warren spits.

West cocks his arm back, ready to throw a punch across Warren's jaw. But before he can, Warren instantly speaks up.

"I don't give a damn what you know; you punch me and you're going back to juvie and everyone will know why you went in the first place!"

West falters. His arm slowly drops, still ready to throw a punch if needed, but his movements are now more hesitant.

My eyes widen. Warren didn't say much, but he said enough to make my blood run cold. West can't go back. He's made it clear how much being sent to juvie affected him. And what does he mean- what does West know?

Warren keeps going.

"That's what I thought," he says, slowly beginning to smirk. "Now get out of here so I can finish what I started."

As though he never even lowered his fist in the first place, West suddenly throws caution to the wind, lifts his arm back up, and his fist goes flying forward.

But my blood runs cold and my heart stops. If West punches him, Warren will find a way to send him back to juvie. His dad is one of the top lawyers in Chicago and I know that all Warren has to do is say the word and West will be back in the one place he's told me he never wants to return to. I'm nowhere near close enough to grab West's arm and prevent him from making a decision that will change his life forever.

His song from the other day begins playing in my mind as I watch West's fist fly towards Warren's jaw with enough momentum to break it. The pain in his voice as he sang is clear in my mind, and the message behind it even more so. He said he can't go back. He nearly broke down just thinking about it. He has to be here for Casper. For his mom. For his future.

He can't risk it just because of me. I can't let him. I have to stop him.

With a racing heart, I gather up everything within me to yell out and prevent what I know can't happen.

"West!"

Everything in the room stops. West's fists comes to a sudden halt just before making contact with Warren's face. I stop breathing. Time stops ticking. West and Warren turn their heads towards me, mouths slightly parted and eyes wide with shock. I stare at them with the same look; stunned beyond belief that I just yelled out West's name.

"Did she just..." Warren trails off.

At that exact moment, Alyse frantically barges into the office. When she sees me cowering in the corner with my dress torn and Warren pinned against the desk by West, she quickly calls loudly for the others.

"They're in here!"

Toby, Gray, and Tyler come running into the room just seconds later in a frenzy. They pause in the doorway and take in the scene in front of them. West is the first to register that they're here and lets go of Warren to run over to me. The fire in his eyes is still there, only now it's nearly masked by utter shock and concern.

The others take his place with Warren. He was too dismayed to move before they got to him, and Toby keeps him pinned against the desk.

When West reaches me and I meet his gaze, we both stare at one another silently. We are both trying to comprehend that everything that we just witnessed actually happened.

But when he reaches out to gently touch my arm, I break down. I collapse into his arms, suddenly too weak to hold myself up. I begin sobbing nearly uncontrollably and West's arms instantly wind around me, providing me with all of the comfort I desperately need.

It almost happened again. Warren was only moments away from repeating my biggest nightmare and I yet again was too weak to stop him.

I take in a bunch of deep breaths and keep gulping air down as my body violently shakes with sobs and fear and relief. I can hear the hits and blows Warren is receiving from my brother, and each hit makes me cling to West a little tighter. Memories are appearing behind my closed eyes, so I fight to keep them open and the flashbacks away.

I take in more ragged breaths as a futile attempt to calm my heart rate, but I can't seem to stop my heart from pounding painfully against my chest or the deep headache that has risen from my hurtful sobs. It doesn't help that I can hear Warren groaning from every blow to his face from my brothers vengeful hands.

"It's okay, Sunshine," West soothes as calmly as he can. "I'm right here. I've got you."

I can feel his racing heart as I cling to him. I can only imagine how he feels right now after everything that just happened. I swallow deeply and pull away just enough to shakily sign something to West.

"Please take me home."

I don't know how I was able to talk. I don't know how I was able to yell out his name. But that same fierce determination to save him has drifted away with the threat of Warren, taking my ability to talk with it.

West instantly nods. Keeping me tucked into his side, we begin to walk out of the room. He blocks me from seeing the beating Warren is taking from my brother. West takes us through the party and to the front door, keeping me as close and as shielded as possible so no one can see me completely breaking down or my ripped dress. Flashbacks still pound through me and they only result in making me feel even more violated than moments before.

As we leave the house, a flashback hits me with the same force as the winter air and I'm too emotionally weak to fight it down. So I cling to West tighter than before and let it take me over, praying to god it doesn't last long.

I whimper loudly as Warren completely rips my bra off of me, the straps snapping on my skin as the throngs that held it together give way. I can feel them dig into my skin as they break apart, creating an open wound soon turning wet with blood. I arch my back from the pain and groan, clenching my eyes tight.

I keep my eyes closed and bite my lip to the point that it bleeds as I feel Warren's slimy lips trail down my neck and to my newly exposed skin. I whimper again as his mouth encases me and start to kick and struggle, attempting my very hardest to lift my arms from where he has them pinned against my sides.

His response is to grip my wrists tighter, cutting off my circulation and making me cringe deeply.

"Get off of me Warren!" I yell shakily, continuing to struggle against him.

"Shut up." He growls, lifting his hand long enough send a quick and painful slap across my face.

I snap back into the present with an audible sob and West tenses. The searing ache of Warren's hand across my face doesn't fade with the flashback, nor does the throbbing pain of my wrists.

Because it all happened again.

"It's okay, Sunshine. I'm here." West whispers against my hair, attempting to calm me down as he caresses the back of my head. The gentle tone of his voice is able to keep back another unwanted memory and I let out a small sigh of relief.

I jump slightly when I hear my brothers frantic voice and I look over to see him running towards West and I.

"Raine!" He yells, practically pulling me from West's arms and into his own.

I don't protest to the change but I don't melt into my brother's arms as I had West's.

"I'm so sorry, Raine." Toby mutters into my hair, his arms shaking around me.

I hear the Jeep unlock and next thing I know I'm being lifted inside, still tucked into Toby's side. West starts the car and we begin to drive away, and I let out a deep, shattered breath.

Why did this have to happen to me again?

I curl further into Toby as another wave of tears comes and his arms tighten around me. I try to remind myself that it didn't happen again. West was there to stop him this time before Warren could go through with his threat. West risked being sent to juvie to protect me from Warren, and the fear of knowing he really could be sent back somehow gave me the strength to yell out his name.

West was there.

And I spoke for the first time in 3 years.

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10/31/2020 - Yes. That just happened. As always, please let me know what you think! For the RR's, I'm sure you were beyond shocked at the change I made in this chapter... I really want to know your opinions on it!