Crys' POV

"We are going to a party." Scarlet says with finality, while pulling her bag further up her shoulder as we walk towards the cafeteria.

"And why would I agree to that?" I ask with a raised brow.

"Because I said so. Plus you haven't gone to any since you came and we get to finally enjoy a night off." She orders with a grin.

"Can we invite the others?" I probe, pulling my bottom lip in. I trust Scarlet but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be more comfortable having the others with us too.

"Of course. I figured you'd want everyone there. Plus I get to enjoy the eye candy that is your brothers." She wiggles her brows at me with a cheeky grin.

"Gross. I just don't need the image, thanks." I shudder.

Spotting everyone already at our regular table near the window, we walk over to them. Evan and Jeremy are in such a deep conversation that they don't even notice our arrival.

"Took you long enough. Where were ya?" James asks as he pulls me to his side.

"Just had to work out misunderstandings on my assignment. All good now." I smile up at him.

"Yeah, little miss smart ass here corrected the teacher. Should have seen his damn face fixing the grade." Scarlet chuckles remembering him scowling at her while she mocked him.

"Of course. That sounds about right." He mutters while giving me a knowing grin. No, it's not the first time that's happened. But in my defence, our old school wasn't very good.

"Whatever, I'm getting a drink." I huff, before getting up to go line up.

It's not worth making a fuss over. I was right, so why shouldn't I get the grade I deserve.

"So, she's beautiful and smart. Can't imagine you having the low standards you have." A familiar voice sounds behind me making me internally groan.

"What do you want Parker?" I ask, already bored without turning around.

"Ouch. I'm hurt sweetheart. Just thought I'd ask if you'd like to be my date to a party tonight?" He says leaning on the counter as we wait.

"I think I'll pass, thanks." I glance at his smug expression before it falls off, then turn away from him.

"Come on baby. I would treat you like a princess if you gave me the chance." He says trying to look genuine but something just feels forced.

"Yeah, I don't think you have the morals you think you do, to be able to do that." I say while facing him, to show I'm not even a little interested.

"Chloe was never one night baby." He walks closer, putting a piece of my hair behind my ear as his other hand cages me to the counter.

I feel my heart beating harder in my chest and my hands form fists to hide the shaking he's causing by being so close to me.

"She was my girl, all through the holidays. And I was loyal the whole time." He tells me so close to me, I can feel the heat from his body.

I close my eyes trying to remember things Lee showed me to calm down but I just can't do it. I always hated the vibe this guy gave off. All my brain is telling me was to get the hell away from him.

"Get away from my sister." James' voice says firmly as a hand pulls me to a warm body. A sense of comfort comes over me when I smell the familiar scent of my friend.

Opening my eyes, Harv has his arms around me as he glared daggers at Parker.

"We were just talking. No need for the aggressive tone there Jimmy." He smiles at my brother.

"Don't. She's not interested and she never will be so back off. I'm not going to say it again either Parker." James tells him looking pissed off.

It honestly isn't a sight I get to see very often. I don't know what it is about Parker that brings out this side to everyone but he definitely feels like bad news.

Hopefully tonight we can all relax and have a fun night out together.

It feels like everyone could use a night off from college stress.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Harvey's POV

Why the hell do girls take so long to get ready!?

All I did was put on my jeans and a dark grey button up, then I'm done.

The twins strut out moments after me, their usual self confidence rolling off them in waves.

"So, are you going to start looking for someone new yet?" Jeremy asks as he sits next to me on the couch. "Or do you already have someone in mind?" He nudges me while wiggling his eyebrows and sticking his tongue out.

He's always been the goofy one out of all of us. The two might look the same but their personalities are pretty much different. Jeremy is the easy going class clown and James is the head strong one that looks out for everyone.

"Nope, no one in mind and not really ready to start something new yet. It's been refreshing not having her around too." I mumble at the end.

"Well she was always a bit... intense. Just don't close yourself off mate, they aren't all like that." James says while putting his wallet in his back pocket.

I just nod and continue thinking about it all. Parker, the prick, said they were together all holiday. I heard that much before James intervened. All that time I thought I was giving her time to hang out with her family alone, she was probably fucking that bastard. The only good thing about my holidays was seeing my parents, even my sister was there for a bit.

After what feels like hours, the door to Crystals finally room opens. Scarlet struts out in a tight black dress that sits just above her knees, hair, and make up making the already beautiful woman look stunning.

"Crys, come on. You promised." Scarlet huffs after she sits next to a smiling James.

Looking back over, Crys walks out wringing her hands together with a shy smile that makes my heart beat a little faster.

She's wearing a strapless purple dress that's hugging her curves in all the right places. Her long hair flowing over her bare shoulders and her eyes piercing right through you as they shine within the black around them.

I don't even realise I've stood and walked over to her until she smiles up at me.

"You look beautiful, Crys." I whisper to her.

Watching the light blush cover her cheeks, I remember we're not alone and clear my throat. Looking at everyone watching us closely with amused grins, I take a deep breath.

"Well, shall we go then?" I say hoping to take their attention off us.

After checking we all have our phones and wallets, we lock up and walk to the party that is only 10 minutes away from our apartment building.

Once we see the large house that one of the rich kids families own, Crys slows her pace to a stop. Looking at Scarlet and the twins continue on towards Evan and Darcy, I turn back to the frozen woman next to me.

It's clear as day that she gets anxious but I've seen how well she covers it up too. When Chloe pissed her off was probably the only time she didn't show it.

So looking at her now, her breathing is shallow and her hands are shaking, I can tell she is feeling it. Walking in front of her, I grab both of her hands and call her name a few times before she seems to snap out of her panic.

"We don't have to go in. I know Scar will understand." I reassure her, because Scarlet has always seemed understanding.

"No. I want to go. I just... need a minute." She explains while pulling her bottom lip with her teeth.

She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath before smiling up at me and pulling us towards the party.

You'd never think that behind the smile that lights up a room, she's haunted and hurt. The look of pure fear on her face when she wakes up from a nightmare sometimes could break anyone.

I wish I could do more to help her but she still hasn't told me much. Her brother's explained some of it, hoping to give me the basics without actual detail. They've said that their uncle was cruel to her, targeted her. They also said when she showed up, she was banged up and they suspect by her ex.

When we get to the party, I tell her I'll watch over her and that she doesn't have to worry. She gives me a smile before hugging me tightly and going to dance with Scarlet and Darcy.

After an hour I'm leaning on the wall and watching as Scarlet whispers in her ear before they both laugh. She's a lot more relaxed now, if not a bit drunk.

"Haven't got your eye on anyone, huh?" Jeremy chuckles as he leans next to me.

"No. I haven't." I mumble while watching Crys and Darcy laugh at Scarlet as they dance.

"You seem to have had eyes on the dance floor for a while." He chuckles.

I simply give him a look that says 'I'm not amused.' He enjoys hinting that Crys and I have an unconscious relationship.

"Don't start. We're friends, Jeremy. I told her I'd keep an eye on her so she could enjoy the party, nothing more." I tell him the same thing I always do before looking back to the dance floor.

Everything else seems to fade away as I watch her dancing, she gets lost in the music just like when she sings. Her face showing one of those rare moments of peace taking over. We stare at each other as she sways her body to the song and I feel hypnotised.

"Right. Just friends." Jeremy mutters next to me, snapping me from my daze. I glare at him for a minute as he stares back at me before batting his lashes, I mumble for him to shut up, ignoring his stupid chuckle.

As I look back to the dance floor, I'm stunned for a moment seeing that Crys is gone. Scarlet and Darcy are still there though. Looking around the room though, I can't find her anywhere.

A bad feeling comes over me and I go over to the girls to find out where she went.

"Where's Crys?" I ask them as they look around to point her out, only to apparently realize she isn't there.

"Shit. She just went to the toilet, but she should have been back by now." Scarlet says while still looking around.

"Fuck sake." I growl while heading towards to where Scarlet says the toilets are located.

As I push by people, I feel my stomach knot with worry. I only turned for a moment, she can't have gotten too far.

As I reach the toilets, I knock on the door but all I hear is a muffled noise. Banging harder before I try the handle, the door suddenly swings open.

My moment of relief is short lived when I realise that Crys isn't who was in there though. Chloe walks out with red rimmed eyes that go wide when she sees me looking at her.

"Harv! It's great to see you!" She beams.

"Hey. Have you seen Crystal?" I ask while sticking my head into the bathroom to check.

"Yeah, I think they went upstairs before. But she didn't look like she wanted to be interrupted, if you get my drift." She winks making my panic skyrocket.

"Fuck!" I shout while bolting upstairs two at a time. Checking every door I pass, I'm starting to really freak out when they're empty or occupied by others.

"Harv! Help!" I hear from the end of the long ass hallway and bolt straight there.

Opening the door at the very end, my anger sky rockets at the sight of some drunk prick trying to take her dress off while she's trying to push him off with tears streaming down her face.

Without a second thought, I run up to him and tear him backwards by his shirt. He stumbles backwards for a second before falling flat on his back. Before he even gets a chance to blink, I'm on him slamming my fist into his stupid face.

I'm stopped after a few punches by two hands pulling me up to my feet. When I look around, I see the twins holding me back. Quickly looking for Crys, I see her sitting on the floor on the other side of the bed with her knees to her chest with her head buried in them.

"What the hell happened, Harv?" Jeremy asks, apparently not realising Crys is on the floor.

"This fucker was trying to tear her dress off. When I came in it was half way down." I growl before shaking their hands off me and going to where she's curled up. I can hear her quiet sobs and I pull her into my lap without thinking.

"It's okay, you're okay. I'm here." I whisper trying to calm her down. The sound of her crying breaking something inside me.

Hearing someone's pained grunt snaps my head in the other direction. What I see is the twins kicking the prick on the floor. The best part is Jeremy kicking his balls so hard the guy loses colour in his face.

"Guys, stop before you do serious harm." I say loud enough for them to hear me. When they look over to me, I nod to Crys in my arms who is still sobbing in my arms and that's enough to pull their attention away from the scumbag.

When they come over, the moment they try to touch her she flinches away and they step back. The hurt in their eyes is there but they seem to get over it quickly given the situation.

"Crys, are you alright? Can I pick you up, so I can take you home?" I ask lowly while still holding her close, her sobs still there but slowing.

"Take me home p-please." She cries into my chest.

"Did anything happen? We can go to the police." I tell her quietly.

"No. You came in... before he could." She restarts her sobbing but this time she wraps her arms around my neck and cries into my neck.

Picking her up under her knees and back, I see the prick groaning while holding his balls and I can't help the smile on my face. Hopefully it never works again.

Looking over at the twins, I see Scarlet being held by by James as she looks sadly over at Crys.

Leaving the party and walking us home, Crys slowly seems to fall asleep in my arms as her cries fade away. All that is going through my head is how I fucked up and what could have happened if I didn't get there in time.

I just hope that she's okay when she wakes up.

And that she forgives me.

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Edited 03/07/2018

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