NO SHAME

V

CW: Abuse

I had ultimately ended up staying the night on Calums couch in an attempt to get a break from my boyfriend that night. Calum had offered to me and I was going to decline but he told me that the rest of the band would be staying too, so I took his offer with gratitude.

The morning when I went back to my apartment, Jake still wasn't home. This worried me slightly because he's never one to stay out all night like that, but then again neither was I. I figured he had decided to stay at his best friend's place and let it go.

I had to leave for work before Jake returned back home so I decided to leave him a note on the fridge telling him I was at work. I was hoping he wouldn't find out that I hadn't been home last night either.

When I got to work I had a meeting with Luke and Mark to talk about how everything was going and plan more outings. Mark was still pleased with how well the whole thing was working and seemed even more pleased that Luke and I weren't arguing the entire meeting.

We set up another outing for that night during the meeting and I texted Jake to let him know about it. He never responded so I didn't know if he had seen it but I decided I'd drop by before Luke and I went out so I could tell him.

I had decided that I liked hanging out with Luke. After what had happened last night, he had started being super nice to me and I felt like we were becoming real friends.

After I was done with work, Luke picked me up and drove me back to my apartment. I told him to stay in his car and that I would be ok, and he reluctantly did stay behind.

When I got up to the apartment, I could immediately tell something was wrong. I opened the door and the smell of smoke and pounding of music filled my senses, causing me to instantly recoil.

"Jake?" I called out over the music.

I waited a second but received no response. I made my way into the kitchen and winced as the heavy bass pounded my head.

When I reached the kitchen I saw Jake and his friends sitting at the counter, drinks in their hands. Jake looked up when he saw me, and a smirk slowly spread across his face.

"Look who it is, boys," he announced. "The whore. Hey whore, where's your little friend?"

"Jake, what the hell is going on," I asked cautiously.

"I'm just hanging with my pals, since you won't be here tonight."

"I'll be gone for like an hour max, Jake. Can we please talk?"

"Go ahead," he slurred, gesturing for me to talk.

"Alone," I asserted.

Jake's friends all let out calls as if we were children in middle school and he got in trouble. Jake nodded his head once and followed me as I made my way to our bedroom.

"What is wrong with you?" I whisper-yelled once he closed the door.

"What's wrong with me? You're the one who's going out with that bitch again," Jake stated.

"Don't say that about him, and I've already told you this-"

"Yes, yes. You had to or you'd lose your job, so you've said. What you don't have to do is defend that asshole though," Jake interrupted.

"He's not an asshole."

"What are you like, friends with this guy?"

"So what if I am? I'm allowed to have friends, Jake."

"Not him."

"Not him? Why, because he's male?"

Jake looked away from me for a moment, a scowl replacing the smirk he had been wearing.