Kaleb's POV

Her laugh. It's so addicting. Mesmerizing. How is it possible that someone can have such an alluring laugh? It isn't until she catches me starring that her laugh dies down and her cheeks turn a dark shade red that even the bruises can't over power. "Since I won, are you planning on sticking with your end of the deal." I smirk

She tucks a strand of hair behind her hair which is something that I've begun to notice that she does when she nervous. She gulps, looking at me nervously. My friends are staring between the two of us. They didn't know we had made a deal. "I g-guess."

"Wait. What are y'all talking about?" Summer ask being nosy.

Layla stares at her feet as if they're the most interesting thing in the world. "We had a small wager, and since I won, she will not be changing her schedule."

Whitney looks at Layla. "Is this true?"

Layla nods her head without look up from the ground. High pitch squealing erupts from Whitney, Summer and Winter as they jump up and down around Layla in excitement. "I was hoping you were going to beat Kaleb because he never loses, but now I'm glad he won." Winter laughs in delight.

Daniel pats me on the back. "Nice going bro." He whispers out of earshot from Layla.

With a smile on my face, I shake my head slightly. "It was harder than you think. At first, I didn't think she would agree to the wager. When she did, I didn't think she would be good at air hockey. I'm the champion of that game, but she was a tough competitor."

He laughs. "Finally, there's someone who stands a chance at beating you. So, what did you have to do if she won?"

I give him an impish smile. "Well, it was more of a win-win for me. If she won, she wanted me to answer any two questions she chooses honestly. I told her that wasn't good enough because I would already be honest with her. When she couldn't think of anything, I said I would take her to the movies and dinner." Daniel's grinning like an idiot. "As friends. Her words not mine."

Daniel bends over laughing. "Damn. Already in the friend zone."

"Shut up." I grumble, smacking him on the back of the head.

"Watch it." He groans, as he rubs the back of his head. "It shouldn't bother you if you don't have a crush on her like you keep saying."

After my air hockey match with Layla, we end up watching a movie in the theater room. By the time the movie was over, everyone was asleep besides me and Layla. I guess with waking up early and all of our so called fun that we had today everyone was exhausted. I gesture to Layla that we should leave the room and she follow me upstairs.

We enter the guest room that she is staying in and she gives me a sad smile. "Umm. Thank you for letting me stay the night last night, but I need to get home before my dad...umm... before he worries where I'm at." I can't let her leave without finding out what happened to her last night.

Grabbing her arm, I have her sit on the side of the bed next to me. "First you need to tell me how you really go hurt."

She shakes her head at me. "I can't. Can you please just let it go?" She pleads to me.

"No." I say firmly. "You said you would try to trust me. Trust me with this."

Tears roll down her face. "I can't. I'm sorry." She stands and tries to run out of the room, but I gently pin her up against the wall like I did the previous night.

"You aren't going anywhere until you tell me what happened, Layla. I need to know you're safe and I don't think you're safe at home." I exclaim. "Who is hurting you? Is it someone in your home?"

Tears are streaming down her face as she nods her head. She starts to collapse to the floor, but I reach how for her and pull her into a hug. I walk us back to the bed with her in my arms. Her tears soak my shirt as I comfort her. "Layla, whose hurting you?"

"My dad." She whispers, as she clings to me.

Her dad. Her dad is hurting her. "Where's you mom? Why doesn't she stop it?" I feel a wave of panic wash over me. I couldn't imagine my parents every laying a hand on me. Parents are supposed to protect their child not hurt them. They're suppose to make the pain go away not cause it. "How often does he hurt you? How long as this been going on?"

"My mom." She cries even louder. "She's dead." She clings onto me even tighter. "It started when I moved back with him right before I started high school. It's every day, Kaleb. He causes me pain every day." Tears are falling from my own eyes.

"Why where you at the park?" I ask feeling scared of what she going to tell me. "Wait, does your dad try to touch you inappropriately?"

She rapidly shakes her head. "No, but his friends will try if I stay at the house, so I always leave."

"Has any of them every tou-"

"-No!" She abruptly stops me. "One of his friends was asking me if I wanted to have a 'good' time with him. When I said no. He hit me and so did some of my dad's other friends. I normally leave before they come over, but I got home late and they were already there and drunk."

I ball my fist in anger as I continue to hold her in my arms. She can't go home. I won't allow her too. She can stay here or with Whitney. I'm sure neither of our parents would mind. Layla scoots away from me and wipes her face. "Kaleb, I really have to get home, or I will be in even more trouble."

"No. You can't go home. I won't let you." I shout. "Layla, I won't allow for someone to hurt you anymore."

She bites her lip for a few seconds before standing up and walking to the door. "Kaleb, I have no where else to go. I have to go home. I'll be fine."

Before she can even take two steps out the door, I scream, "Mom! Dad! Come here now." I grab Layla's hand and yank her back into the room.

In mere seconds my parents are barging through my door. "Kaleb Andrew Knightly, why in heavens are you screaming?" My mom and dad look at the state that Layla is in who now looks like a deer in front of headlight. "Sweetheart, you've been crying. What wrong?" My mom asks with concern.

Layla as a fearful look. "Mom. Dad. She's trying to go home. Stop her. Her dad caused the bruises. Her dad and his drunk friends." I shout panicking. I have no earthly clue what to do in this type of situation. Hopefully my parents do.

My dad looks pissed while my mom seems to be in shock. "Is this true? Does your dad hurt you?" My dad tries to calmly ask her, but you can hear the anger in his voice. Now that I think about it. This was probably not the best way for my dad and Layla to meet, but I needed find a way to not let her leave.

Layla starts trembling and tries to run out of the room, but my mom stops her. "Sweetheart, is your dad hurting you?" Layla backs herself into a corner and curls herself into ball and cries.

My mom gives my dad a knowing look. "Son, lets leave your mom with Layla so they can talk."

Glancing back once more at Layla, I follow my dad to my room. "Dad, she can't go home. He is abusing her daily. I'm pretty sure he's starving her too." I pull at my hair. "Dad, we have to help her."

I'm pacing the room back and forth when my dad puts his hand on my shoulder. "Son, you really care for her, don't you?"

"Probably a little too much."

My dad let out a heart filled chuckle. "Son, you can never care too much for a girl. Don't worry son. We are not going to let her go back home. Give you mother some time to talk with her and calm her down. She probably didn't expect you tell us, but you did right thing and I'm proud of you for that."

My dad leaves the room and soon all of my friends rush in. "What the hell was all of that noise?" Connor asks.

I collapse on my bed as my friends gather all around. "I was able to get Layla to tell me what really happened and then she tried to go home. I had to stop her from leaving so I called for my parents."

"Why can't she go home?" Jake questions.

"It's her dad. Her dad is the one whose hurting her and her mother's dead." Summer and Winter start crying. The color from Whitney drains. Jake and Daniel are both clenching their jaws.

Suddenly there is a long bang. We all look where the noise came from to see Connor clenching his bloody fist and a giant whole in my bedroom wall. "I'll kill him." Connor says through gritted teeth. "I'll kill him."

Summer runs to my bathroom and grabs the first aid kit to bandage Connor up while everyone else is still gaping at the huge whole in my wall. Connor looks down in shame. "Kaleb, I'm sorry. My anger got the best of me."

"Giving him a small smile, I pat his back. "Don't worry about it. I want to kill her father also."

"I'm going to call my mom and explain what's going on." Whitney says as she pulls out her phone. "I don't think I will be going home tonight, and I doubt anyone else is either." Even though we all have school tomorrow, it's not unusual for us all of them to stay here. As long as they call their parents to let them know they won't care. We do this all the time and all of our parents are close friends.

We wait for my mom after everyone is finish calling their parent. My mom has been with Layla for over an hour now. Just as I was about to ask how much longer everyone thinks it's going to be my mom walks into my room. "I'm assuming everyone knows what happened and everyone is staying the night." We all nod our heads. "Okay, girls how about y'all go and spend some time with Layla. I think it would be best if she doesn't have any alone time right now. Please don't ask her questions about her family right now. If she wants to tell you that's fine, but she's had a stressful day to say the least."

The girls all walk across the hall to Layla's room leaving me, the guys and my mom. "She isn't going to back home, is she?"

"Not tonight at least. I'm going to see what I can do about getting her out of that house permanently, but Layla is still a minor and her dad still has custody, so it's not as easy as just saying she has a place to stay."

"Abby, isn't she almost eighteen though? Can't she leave then?" Connor asks.

My mom looks at him then his bandage fist before she turns towards the hole in the wall. She doesn't say anything about the hole. She just frowns. She knows about Connor's anger issues.  "Do any of you know how old Layla is?" She asks.

We all look at her perplex. Isn't she seventeen?" Daniel questions.

My mom shakes her head. "No, she just turned sixteen at the beginning of August. She had such high grade and was an advance learner in elementary that she skipped the third grade."

"You've got be kidding us." Jake laugh humorlessly. "So, she still technically has two more years living with that scum bad."

"Yes, but don't worry boys. We will figure out something. Kaleb, your dad and I are just as committed as all of you with helping her. Now wash up. I'm going to order pizza for dinner. I'll also let the school know that y'all will be missing again tomorrow. I will probably have Layla miss the rest of the week. I was able to get a better look at her bruises and she needs time to heal from them."

Until dinner we all sit in silence wonder what's happening in the room across the hall.