I was scared to go home, but I knew that I had to do it for so many reasons. From the second I told them that I wanted to go home, I didn't say a word. Brax tried to talk me out of it, but I had my mind set on what I was doing. I wished I could tell Brax the reason I wanted to go home, but I can't. During the car ride there, I could feel Brax looking over at me every now and again, but I kept my eyes on my hands, which sat in my lap, playing with the bottom of my jumper. He dropped me at the end of the street only because I made him. As soon as I got to the end of the drive away, my heart started racing, and I regretted my choices. There was no turning back now.I slowly made my way up the path to my run-down flat. The closer I got, the more I let fear overtake me. I knew what I was coming back to.I could hear Steve's voice from the house. As I came around the corner, I locked eyes with my mother, who was heading back inside. She had a look of disdain on her heavily botoxed face. He
Steve and my mother talked and laughed the whole way to the party. I kept my head down as Nat stared at me, studying my every move. I tried to pretend like I was okay and happy, but I couldn't shake the feeling that she saw right through that. As I pulled up to the party, the door came open, and Steve got out, followed by my mother. Nat turned to me before she got out. "You looked beautiful, Willow," she said with a warm smile.I forced a small smile in return, trying to hide the fear and anxiety bubbling inside me. As I stepped out of the car, I could already hear the loud music and laughter coming from the mansion where the party was being held. Steve put an arm around my mother as they walked towards the entrance, leaving me to follow behind them.As we entered the party, I immediately felt out of place among all the extravagance and wealth surrounding me. The guests were dressed in designer clothes and expensive jewellery, their faces painted with fake smiles and empty conversati
we sat out by the foundation for hours. Brax gave me his suit jacket, and we just talked about it. Well, Brax did most of the talking; I just sat there listening for once. My body was relaxed and at peace. the sun started to peer over the hill in the distance, casting a warm golden glow over us. Brax's voice was soothing as he shared memories and thoughts with me, his words intertwining with the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. as I sat there in peace, listening to him talk, I realised something that scared me: I was falling for him, and there was nothing that I could do to stop that. "come on" Brax stood up, taking my hands in his and pulling me to my feet before leading me into the house and up to his room. As we got to his room, it crossed my mind: what if he was expecting me to sleep with him? That was something I wasn't ready for and I don't know if I ever will be sex to be something that brought trauma and pain. I stood moving, my body starting to shut down as my mind rac
On the drive back to my house, I couldn't shake the feeling of shame and disappointment as I sat there in silence, the weight of Brax's father's words hanging heavy in the air. I knew deep down that he was right—no matter how much I tried to separate myself from Stevon King, his name would always be a shadow looming over me.Brax reached out a hand to touch my arm gently as he stopped the car outside Steve's house, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.I nodded slowly, trying to push away the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume me. "I'm fine," I lied, forcing a small smile onto my face.But Brax could see through my facade, his gaze searching mine. "You don't have to pretend with me, Willow," he said quietly. I forced a bigger smile on my face, not wanting to deal with this right now. I needed time to work out what I was going to do. "I'm fine, I promise, just tired," I lied again. Brax sat there for a second, trying to work out if I was lying or no
The rest of the day passed in a blur as I went through the motions of attending classes and interacting with my classmates. But no matter how hard I tried to push Brax out of my mind, his presence lingered like a ghost haunting me at every turn.After school, as I walked out, I heard footsteps behind me. Turning around, I saw Brax standing there, his expression unreadable. My heart clenched at the sight of him, but I forced myself to remain composed."Willow," he said softly, his voice breaking through the wall that I had built around myself.I swallowed hard, steeling myself against the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. "Brax, please... it's better this way," I whispered, unable to meet his gaze. My eyes searched the ground as I played with the bottom of my sleeves.He stepped closer, reaching out to gently cup my face in his hands. "I don't care what anyone says or thinks. All that matters is how we feel about each other," he said earnestly.Tears filled my eyes as his w
The sound of someone moving around the room quickly woke me up. I sat up, staring around the room as my eyes adjusted. I realised I wasn't at home, and it took me a few minutes to remember that I was at dillions. My eyes fell on Dillion. He was standing over at his dresser with his back to me and without a shirt on as he rummaged through his drawers. I couldn't help but admire the muscles that rippled beneath his skin, the way his back tapered down to a narrow waist. Guilt overcame me as I shouldn't be admiring Brax's best friend.I watched as Dillion grabbed a fresh shirt and slipped it on before turning around to see me awake. His expression softened as he met my gaze, and I felt a rush of warmth in my chest."Morning," he said softly, walking over to sit at the edge of the bed. "Did you sleep okay?"I nodded my head, clearing my throat. "Yes, thank you. How about you?" My voice was tired and rusty."The couch is not my favourite place to sleep, but it did the job", he joked. "Mum m
Brax Pov"Hey dude, what's the name of that blood girl at school?" Kasey yelled from across the room. I lowered my phone, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "There are over a hundred blonde girls at school," he said. he let out a sigh. "The blonde one with really big boobs that you slept with at that dude's party over Christmas".I rolled my eyes at him. That was not a night that I wanted to be reminded of right now. Girls are the last thing on my mind. "Emma"."Yeah, that one. Why don't you give her a call?" he said while cracking another beer. I went back to my phone, scrolling through only photos of Willow on her Facebook. She is all that I can think about; she is the only girl that I want to be with. "Give it a rest, Kasey," I said to him, wanting him to stop trying to make me think about other girls."Dillion," Kasey said, getting up off the couch. "Brax here is being a sad sack of shit".I looked up and saw Dillion walk through the door. "Hey, sorry I'm late," he
Days passed, and I stayed by Willow's side, watching over her as she lay there. I was starting to lose hope that she would ever wake up. My family and friends came to visit, but never Willow's mum or stepfather. Nat came a few times, but the last time she was here, she said she was sorry, but she couldn't stand to see Willow like this.One night, as I sat holding Willow's hand, willing her to wake up, Kasey spoke up softly. "Brax's, you know how much she means to you. You can't lose hope now. She needs you more than ever."His words struck a chord in me, and I realised he was right. Willow needed me now more than ever before, and I couldn't give up on her.As I sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair, staring at Willow's pale face, my mind raced with thoughts of revenge against the people who did this to her. I clenched my fists, trying to push down the anger that threatened to consume me. But then Willow's hand twitched ever so slightly, and my heart leapt in hope."Willow?" I whisp