Because of Her (BOT Spin-Off)

Chapter 2

Mike dropped his keys onto his kitchen counter, shrugging out of his jacket. It was freezing out, and he longed for warmer days. Maybe that would cure whatever he was feeling.

Or maybe it was just an excuse because he'd never be whole again. This is what he deserved after sitting around for years, watching his father buy young girls like they were objects. It was disgusting. He was disgusting.

A part of him wondered if he even had anything to live for. He didn't. Not really.

The silence in his rundown apartment was deafening. He itched to clean everything even though it was already spotless. It was because he felt filthy.

He opened his pantry, eyeing the last package of noodles with a sigh. He needed a job, but who was going to hire him?

Warrior Wilder told him he was more than welcome to join the pack for training, and he considered it. It's not like he had anything else to do.

He boiled the noodles, taking a seat on the couch that felt far too soft, even with the condition it was in. It soothed him to have a full stomach, and he stretched out.

He didn't know what to do with himself. He had never been free. He grew up being his dad's punching bag, and then forced into a lifestyle he didn't want.

He should've just left, but a piece of him wanted to fit in, to be just like his father. He couldn't do it. He couldn't beat and rape those girls.

His stomach twisted and he had to force his thoughts to stop before he lost the only food he had.

He must've drifted off to sleep, because he woke up to his cellphone ringing. Only two people had his number. Warrior Wilder and Marilyn. He rushed to get up, scrambling to find his phone in the dark.

"Hello?" he asked, gripping his head as a deep ache rushed through.

"Mike?" Marilyn sobbed and he stalled.

"What happened?" he asked gently, already switching on some lights so he could find his keys and shoes. "Are you okay?"

"I lied," she said. "I didn't have anywhere to go, and I'm all alone and it's dark, and-" she hicupped. 

"It's alright. You're okay. I can come and get you if you want?" he said.

"Please come get me," she sniffled. "Will you hurry?"

Mike was already at his car. It sputtered when he turned the key, and he was going to be dangerously low on gas, but it was all worth it. She needed him. When had he ever been needed?

He found her exactly where she said she would be, just roaming the streets with her one bag.

"Marilyn," he called, getting out of the car. She turned to him, looking so sad and scared that he felt he could shatter into millions of pieces. "You could've told me. I would've helped you."

"I wanted to do this on my own," she said. "I thought it would be easy to find a place to stay, or even a job, but every time someone gets close, I think-" she sobbed, muffling it with her palm.

He wanted to comfort her, but he stayed back. "Do you want to stay with me until you get everything figured out? It would be safer than doing this. Besides, it's freezing."

She thought it over a bit, shuffling her feet.

"You won't do anything or expect anything to happen, will you?"

"No," the words tasted foul in his mouth. He wanted this to be the moment where she realized he wasn't a bad guy, but he doubted that would ever happen. "I just want you to be safe."

She nodded, and he opened the passenger side door of his car for her, gently taking her bag without touching her and putting it in the trunk.

"That doesn't sound good," she noted when the car struggled to start once again.

"I've been meaning to get it fixed. Plus, the cold doesn't help." Neither does not having any money.

She was tense sitting next to him. He wanted to reach out. She was so close, but he could tell she was terrified, so he refrained.

He was embarrassed when he guided her through the nasty run down apartment complex. At least he kept his place spotless.

Marilyn noticed that, too. "It's so clean," she whispered.

He took her bag to the only bedroom, dropping if on the bed.

"The bathroom is that door there," he said, pointing to the other door in the short hallway. "The shower will only stay hot for about ten minutes though, and sometimes the water pressure will disappear. I have to mess with the showerhead to get it to fix."

"Okay," she said softly. She looked so pretty sitting on his bed. "Where will you sleep?"

"I'll be on the couch," he said.

"I can take the couch," she offered, but he insisted. It was the least he could do.