He abandoned her. then he saved her.

Chapter 8

Tess's POV

The whole way home from the gym I was having flashbacks of everything Jake has done. Once I pulled into my driveway I shut my car off and ran up to my front door unlocked it and quickly shut the door, not even bothering to relock it. I ran upstairs with tears falling out of my eyes, I got to my room and slammed the door shut. I leaned against the wall by my bed, pulled my knees up, and hugged my arms around them. I started bawling my eyes out with flashbacks of Jake running through my mind. All of a sudden I heard a voice that made me tense.

(keep in mind that she was having flashbacks so the first voice she heard was Jake even though it was really Blake)

"Tess?" I heard Jake's voice. I looked up at him and started tearing up more

"Please. Please don't hurt me. I'll be good I promise." I said as my voice quivered and I looked back down

Then I heard another male voice behind him
"Hey, T don't worry we won't hurt you. It's me. Kale. Can you recognize my voice?" I nodded

"Ok good. Now look back up at us, okay? You can trust me." Kale said to me
I slowly looked up because I was scared that I would see Jake again. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it was Blake and not Jake.

"Good. See you can trust me. We won't hurt you. Can I come sit next to you? I wanna try something." Kale asked not moving until I give him an answer. I reluctantly nod and then he slowly comes to sit by me

"Okay. So we are gonna try to slow your heartbeat down because you are still panicking, okay?" he asked

"Uh-okay" I say quietly

"I'm gonna put your hand on my chest so you can feel my heartbeat, okay? Maybe it'll slow yours down." he prepares me for what he's gonna do

I nod as he puts my hand gently on his chest so I can feel his calm beating heart. I start calming down.
Shocked that he knew how to help I ask him

"How did you do that? I can never get close to calming myself down. I always just have to ride it out."

"My little sister has panic attacks so I've taught myself how to help someone that has one. Hers can be about as bad as the one you just had but it's only when she thinks she's looking at someone who has hurt her. She has been raped and abused by her biological dad so she panics after flashbacks of him." he tells me which surprises me that the exact thing is or was happening to his sister

I nod and say "Ahh makes sense." I look up when I remember that Blake is here too

"Sorry that you had to see that Blake. I also didn't mean to freak out on you about thinking you'd hurt me." I tell him feeling guilty

"It's ok. How long have you been having panic attacks?" he asked with sadness in his voice

"Well since the first time Ja-" I pause then continue
"Um-I mean-um since October." I tell him

"October? Was it my-" he says before I interrupt him

"No, it wasn't you." I reassure him

"Okay good." he lets out a sigh of relief

After sitting in silence for a while I suggest to them that we should go downstairs and then order pizza for lunch, they agree. I order the pizza in the kitchen and then go back into the living room to join the boys. When I sit down on the couch Kale asks me a question.

"Where did you get the bruises from?" he asks bluntly

I stare at him for a while thinking of an answer, right when I was about to say the excuse I made up, my phone rings. I can feel my face go pale when I check the contact and it's Jake. I answer because if I don't then he'll be mad at me.