𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑶𝑶𝑵. 𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲.

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦

Robby Keene was always an early bird, always awake at sunrise, but this was well too early, even for him. At first, he tried to ignore the knocking, praying it would go away. Next, he waited with his eyes shut for his mom to get it. Then, he decided to let whoever it was tire themselves into bordem and walk away.

At last, Robby sighed, not being able to take it anymore. Tiredly, the boy shrugged on a grey wifebeater, running a hand of exhaustion over his dark hair when he finally huffed and opened up the door to his small apparent meant. Immediately, he was greeted with the greatest pair of brown eyes he'd ever seen, and his heart plummeted straight to the ground.

"Dem," he whispered, almost like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Hey, Robby," the blonde girl behind the door said quietly, her tone filled with embarrassment and shame.

Demi Moore was an independent girl, who went by her life completely on her own, without the help of anybody at all. She learned a long time ago not to trust anyone, and she was beyond careful with who she allowed to be close to her. She wasn't somebody who showed vulnerability, and she certainly wasn't the type of girl to show up on someone's doorstep with the appearance of a lost puppy.

She and Robby hadn't seen each other in months, since the very beginning of the year. Robby was sure he'd never see her again. But here she was, at his door, with a bruised eye.

"Is there any chance I can stay the night?" she asked, not bearing to look him in the eye.

Robby's eyes widened a little, shocked by both her arrival and her request, and his own mind filled with a million questions, which he knew better than to ask. One thing about Demi was that she opened up with her own time. It could take days, it could take weeks, it could take months, and in some cases it could take years; and for some people, she didn't open up at all. Robby was one of the few lucky people she did let in. And he knew that if he asked her everything he wanted to, he'd only scare her away. Scaring her off was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

"Yeah," he answered, nodding slowly. "Course."

Demi sent him a small, tiny smile, which faded quickly. "Thanks."

Robby stood to the side, letting her into the apartment. "Uh, you can take my room," he offered her gentlemanly. "I was just getting up anyway." It was a lie, but he didn't want her to feel unwelcome.

Seeing Demi this way, bloodied and bruised, wasn't something he thought he'd ever see. She was usually headstrong and smart, only ever getting herself into trouble that she could handle. She was streetwise, and knew a lot of people. He couldn't believe anybody had allowed her to land in such a state. The last time he saw her, she was protected like a princess. They didn't treat her very good, and they used her a lot - - and not for good things - - but they wouldn't let a fly come near her.

So Robby knew better than to let her get away. He needed to find out what happened, why she came here, of all places. He knew all about her past and the things that happened to her to have ended up on the streets, but they hadn't spoken in months. Why was he the one she came to like this? Still, he didn't ask, knowing she was ashamed enough just to be in the state she was in. Right now, all he wanted was for the beaten girl to be comfortable in his home.

Fighting back tears as hard as she could, Demi Moore crossed her arms over her practically bear chest, following Robby as he led her to his bedroom. She clenched her jaw and shook her head, reminding herself of who she was and everything she'd done. She couldn't snap now. Not over something this dumb. She'd been through so much worse, and there was no way she was going to let this be her breaking point.

Seeing the mental drain on her expression, Robby frowned, stopping by his doorframe. "Get some sleep, yeah?" he told her, then nodded behind them. "I'll just be on the couch. Call me if you need anything."

Biting her top lip to stop it from quivering, Demi nodded. "Thank you, Robby," she whispered sadly, looking like a broken doll. She was wearing nothing but a dirty, blue bra - - which she tried covering with her arms, in order to give herself some modesty - - and tiny shorts. Other than that, all you could see on her were bruises.

It made Robby sick. His mind ran with questions and theories, and he was disgusted. He fought every urge in his body to reach other and hug her. A hug was what Demi really needed right now, but he knew her enough to know she'd run away and never come back if he did. Demi didn't like to know people cared. It scared her off. Robby understood why. How are you supposed to trust anyone when your own dad betrays you? He knew that better than most.

"Alright, well - -" He shrugged awkwardly, still surprised by her sudden arrival. He glanced through the window, to see that the sun was just starting to rise. "Night?"

Demi nodded slowly. "Night, Robby." Her voice was so quiet, so unlike her. She started to shut the door, and Robby made his way to the couch, where he was planning to get at least another hour of sleep.

But instead he ended up lying there with his eyes wide open, a pillow sat on his chest, as his mind woke him up with thoughts. All about the girl sleeping in his bedroom. What the hell happened to Demi?