Author's Note:
I don't usually do this, because usually I don't write scenes like this. But trigger warning ahead. If you have a difficult time reading SA, you might want to skip this chapter. I'll give a brief summary at the end.

Ollie keeps drinking as we talk, and about an hour later, I hear him start to slur his words. His compliments are turning more into flirts, which go from flattering to uncomfortable in a matter of minutes. I'm bouncing on the heels of my feet, and I look around to see that we're almost completely alone in the backyard now. It's dark and cold, and most people probably went inside a long time ago. I wrap my arms around myself to keep warm, and Ollie sees this and wraps his arms around me in a way that I know he thinks is gentle but is actually quite rough. This night is not going as I had planned at all. I'm searching around for an out and curse you Beth for not being here to help me. I make a mental note to insist we increase our study sessions to four nights a week, just so this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

"God, Summer," he says as he draws out every other syllable of his words. "You are so fucking hot. I can't remember why we broke up."

I give him a tense smile as he takes another sip of his drink. "Because you kept dumping me. And cheating on me," I reply as he gives my shoulder a squeeze.

He shakes his head. "I'm such an idiot. You know, I thought about you every time I was with her. Whenever I was kissing her, I kept picturing you. I wanted to be with you so bad. I missed you, Summer. I still do."

I know he thinks he's being sweet, but all his words are doing is reminding me that he's a serial cheater. When we broke up last time, he told me he just kept dreaming of Vivian when he was with me, and now it seems like it's the other way around. I wonder if these words worked on her, because they're definitely not working on me. Man, coming to this party turned out to be just mistake.

"You hurt me, you know," I tell him, because his words are making me want to be honest with him. You know, because I know he's not being honest with me. "When you dumped me for her. You broke my heart. You kept breaking my heart. So maybe it would be better if we just... I don't know. Stayed friends?"

He gives me a devilish smile as he takes a step closer. "One problem. What if I don't want to just stay friends? What if I want you back?"

Ollie slides his arm around my waist, and he smells like stale beer and skunk and sweat, and I'm starting to think that maybe he's high too. His hands are still cold and clammy, and his face is glazed in a light coating of sweat. I want to get out of here. I need to leave. Maybe I can fake a text to my mom. Maybe I can fake a text to Beth.

I give him an uncomfortable smile. "Ollie, I just... I don't know." What the hell is wrong with me? This guy destroyed me just a few months ago. Was I really stupid enough to believe he'd changed? "Listen, I think you're great. But this just isn't going to work, you know? I'm not... I don't think I can trust you again. Like ever."

His gross hand strokes the hair out of my face. "Give me another chance, baby," he whispers, and I cringe. I used to hate it when he called me baby. I'm nobody's baby. And I asked him a thousand times not to call me that, but he never listened. His bottom lip pops out. "Please? I promise, things will be different this time."

They won't be, and I know this. I shake my head. "We weren't good together," I say as I remember all the bad times.

"But we had good times, too," he says, and it's like he's reading my thoughts. "Come on, baby. Let me remind you about the good times we used to have together."

Oh my God, Ollie is leaning into me, and his lips are on mine, and it's not romantic and it's not sexy. I think of all the romantic movies I've ever seen, and all the times I pictured this moment in my head. Kissing Ollie Thompson again. But it's not at all like I imagined. It's nothing like I wanted it to be. He's pushing me against something hard, and I think it's the garage door. I'm trying to wiggle free, but I can't. I'm stuck. I can't even push him off me. His lips move to my neck, and I'm gasping, praying for help. I don't like where this is going. Not at all.

"Ollie, stop," I say in a feeble attempt at sounding like I'm at all in charge of this situation. His tongue laps at my neck like a cat drinking milk, and it's such a gross feeling that I do everything I can to get away. But he's so much stronger than me. He holds me in place, pressing his body hard against me. I give him a nervous laugh. "Okay, seriously. I'm not into this. Stop."

"Oh, fuck, baby," he groans against me, and my cheeks burn with embarrassment. "Do you know what you do to me?" I shake my head, not in response, but in an I-can't-believe-this-is-happening kind of way. "Let me show you."

He doesn't stop, and the panic in me begins to rise. I make a sound like a yelp just as he presses his lips back against mine. His tongue is dancing around the inside of my mouth like an angry worm, and I try my best to keep my own tongue away from his. I try to tell him to stop again, but he's kissing me so forcibly that no words are able to come out. But he must think I'm moaning into his mouth, because he slides his hand up my top. I feel his fingers fumbling with my bra clasps, and oh my God this is going way too far. I'm going from rising panic to full on freak out mode, and I try again to push him off of me. But things are moving so fast, and I'm afraid of what this situation is turning into.

Earlier tonight, I wondered if I could be ready for this. And maybe, in the right circumstance, I could be. If I was with someone I loved, who loved me back, and we were in private, maybe I would enjoy this. Maybe I'd even enjoy him calling me baby, or whispering all the dirty things he's saying right now. But Ollie is not that someone. I don't love him. And if he loved me at all, then he would listen to me and stop. Tears are burning my eyes as he starts touching me in ways that are so uncomfortable it's almost painful. And every second that ticks by, his hand begins to slide just a bit lower, getting closer and closer to going past the point of no return. And I am terrified.

My phone rings, and I say a silent prayer to whoever it is. Ollie finally pulls back a little bit, and it gives me a chance to move away from him. I pull my phone out of my coat pocket, and the name Baker Scott flashes across my screen. I don't even hesitate. I hit the answer button and shove it against my ear, distancing myself even further from Ollie as I do. My pulse is running so fast in my veins that I'm pretty sure it could beat Beth in a race. Ollie is now sliding his hand down my arm in a way that I think he believes is seductive, but is actually creepy.

"H-hello?" I choke into the phone, taking another step away from Ollie. I have to get as much distance as I can, so that when this phone call ends, I'll be able to get away.

He doesn't say anything, and for a single moment I think he butt dialed me. I'm too afraid to hang up. Too scared that if I do, Ollie will force himself on me again, and this time I won't be able to get away. But then I hear his voice, deep and worried, sound in my ear. "Summer, are you okay?"

I bite my lip. Ollie sees this and thinks he's turning me on, and his eyes grow dark and slightly dangerous. He presses into me again, and I gasp into the phone a single word. "No."

The call drops, and I don't even know if Baker heard me. Tears sting the corners of my eyes, and I'm actually scared now. I'm trying to push Ollie away from me. Trying to tell him that I want to go home. But he's not listening. He's licking my neck again, and it's so disgusting. I feel his hand move down to his pants, and I hear the sound of his belt buckle as he works on taking it off. Oh my God. This is happening. And there's not a thing I can do to stop it.

And then for the second time that night, Baker's hand comes out of nowhere to rescue me. He pulls Ollie off me, and Ollie is so drunk that he falls backward and lands hard on his ass. He blinks in confusion for a second, and then when he sees Baker standing in front of him, his handsome blue eyes turn to dark slits. "What the fuck, man?" he yells, wobbling up to his feet, his legs resembling Jell-O.

Baker pulls me behind him as Ollie gets back to his feet. Then he puffs up his chest, and for the first time I see something flash in Baker's eyes. A warning. Ollie recoils in fear. Baker doesn't waste any time. He pulls me into him and wraps one arm around me protectively. Ollie falls down again, this time without any help from anyone else. He's trying to get back to his feet. But by the time he steadies himself, Baker and I are exiting the backyard through the side yard fence and heading to the driveway. He pulls a set of keys from his pocket and walks over to a little pewter colored Honda Civic. He doesn't tell me to get in. He doesn't even invite me. But I slide into the passenger seat anyway, because I know that it's my only option at this point, and before I know it, we're driving away from the party to who knows where.

I feel something sticky on my face, and I realize it's a combination of smeared makeup, tears, sweat, and saliva. Choking sobs are raking themselves free from my chest, and I feel like I'm going to throw up. I don't ask. I just roll down the window and suck in some deep breaths of that cool autumn air. Baker doesn't say anything. He just lets me be, and I'm not even embarrassed to be crying in front of someone that I just met a couple days ago. I just can't believe how wrong everything went, and I can't believe that I ever even liked Ollie to begin with. What the hell is wrong with me?

My sobs begin to calm down, and after a minute of total silence, Baker takes a breath and says, "I'm sorry that happened to you, Summer. Are you... okay?"

I'm not okay, but I nod my head anyway. "How did you know I needed help?" I say thickly. "I didn't even see you out there. I thought...." My voice trails off, because I thought I was alone out there. And that still scares the shit out of me.

He shrugs his shoulders. And I notice he's trying to remain calm, but his eyes are giving him away. He's angry. His knuckles are white against the steering wheel as he grips the rubber in his large hands, and his lips are a hard straight line on his face. "I don't know. I went outside to get away from everyone, and I saw you two together. And I guess I just had a feeling. It's not the first time I've seem Oliver Thompson get too frisky with a girl when he's drunk. But I'm really sorry that it happened to you. I hope you're okay."

I nod my head again, and this time I don't really know what to say. So I don't say anything at all. And I'm even more appreciative that Baker doesn't seem to expect me to say anything. The silence drags on for what seems like forever in a way that brings beauty to this ugly situation I've found myself in. I've never been more grateful for silence in my entire life. And right now, in this moment, I find myself basking in the quiet of this car, enjoying every second of the silence.

Author's Note:

Ollie got drunk and semi-begged for Summer to give him another chance. When she said no, he attempted to force himself on her. Baker called her and asked if she was okay. She said no, and Baker came in to save her. The chapter ends with Baker driving her away from the situation.

This chapter is super intense, and I'm going to be honest... it's not going to be the last time. I've written a lot of books, but this one is probably the one with the most trigger warnings. It's definitely a new adult book. Just warning everyone now. I hope you're enjoying the story, even if this chapter was difficult to get through. Take care of yourselves, my dears.

XOXO,
~Aly