Broken

Chapter 18 (Claire)

  Sam comes back, but he's not alone. He had Blake with him. I shoot Sam a look but his back is turned to me as he walks out. Well fuck, I think to myself.

  Blake uses his crutches to get over to me and he sits on the bed by my feet and rests a hand on my leg. I shiver involuntarily.

  "I'm sorry about what Chase did," Blake says in a whisper. "He's a dick. I hate him. I feel horrible that he did that."

  "He scares me," I admit. I can usually hold it back. What's happening now?

  "I bet he does. He's a jerk." Blake scoots to the head of the bed and wraps an arm around my shoulders. It feels odd. Sitting here with him like this. I've always hated him and now...now he is like a good friend to me. I'm shocked.

  "I don't know why he did it," I whisper, burying my face in Blake's neck. "Sammy let him take me. He...he could have stopped it." I look up at him and his eyes are full of tears. I've never ever seen Blake Dewer cry. I'm more than shocked.

  "No. No don't cry." I kiss him softly on the cheek. Then, he breaks down crying as he wraps his arms around me and buries his face in my hair and cries.

  I rub his back tentatively as if he is an animal and might try to bite me at any second.

  I don't know when it started, but I start crying with him. I'm shaking and everything is blurry. I hear the sobs, but don't know they're coming from me, even though Blake had stopped crying. It feels like it has been hours.

  Blake pulls me against his chest and rubs my back and runs his fingers through my hair until I stop, but, as it usually happens after you cry a lot, I fell asleep in his warm, protective arms.