Look for the light | Dalton Lambert

IF CLARITY IS IN DEATH, THEN WHY WONT THIS DIE?

TW - mentions of abuse. (If this topic is a personal issue for you do not force yourself to read this chapter! It's not an essential plot line really and you can skip this one! Look after your mental health because no one else can! I will put a [!!!] before the TW is needed!)

DALTON, LIZZIE AND CHRIS propped themselves up outside the JPU student health centre. They'd decided Stella may have needed medical attention due to the bruising on her neck. They'd told the nurse some bullshit story about the girls play wrestling when things accidentally went south and this seemed to please the woman enough to limit the questions for now.

The glass door behind them swung open and out came a slow Stella. The bruising around her neck purpling and a tube of cream in her left hand. She smile softly at the group and they began walking down the path, Chris walking noticeably ahed, eyes cast down and silent.

"Chris? Chris hey?" Dalton calledc reaching out to lightly grab his friends arm.

"Don't!" She spun around to face him, pulling her arm back to her side. "I- I just wanted to see if you were okay." He told her, shocked at her outburst.

"I'm okay." She calmed herself and lowered her voice this time, looking to the two girls behind Dalton and then back to him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone could get hurt in the real world, if I'd known I would never have asked any of you to do this." Dalton sighed, the idea that he'd put his new friends in trouble consumed him.

"Well they can, I mean, look at Stella. Her neck is the same colour as her purple pants and Lizzie hasn't said a word since we left the house." Chris told him, "You have no idea what you're messing with. I cant be a part of this, Dalton. And neither should you! Next time, you might not wake up." She turned her back to the group and began to leave, walking off into the night without another word. Lizzie squeezed Stella's hand and placed a soft kiss to her head. "I'm glad you're okay." She whispered, smiling down at her friend before placing a hand on Daltons shoulder, squeezing it and following Chris.

Neither of the two roommates were mad at Dalton, they understood his pain. If it were them, they'd want to know too.

"Hey." Stella spoke lowly, stepping to Daltons side and watching the two girls leave. "Are you okay?" She asked him, looking at him through her lashes. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He chuckled, turning to face her. "No, not really. You only asked me thirty times on the car ride here." The two laughed before falling back into a comfortable silence.

"Stell I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have brought you into this and I never wanted you to get hurt, I should've protected you." Dalton gestured, placing his hand on the girls lower arm and looking into her eyes. He spoke softly and quietly yet Stella could feel the pain in every word her spoke. His goal was never to hurt them.

"Hey I know. We knew the risk and we still wanted to help you, we put ourselves in that position the second we decided to help you. You didn't do anything wrong love." She smiled at him. "We told you we would protect you while you were under and that's what we tried to do."

"I know, but I should've helped I should've been quicker." Dalton trailed off, his eyes flickering from her dull green eyes to her lips.

His arm left her wrist and met the underside of her head, landing below her ear, with his thumb on the side of her face. Careful not to irritate the bruising. His other hand met her waist.

"Can I kiss you?" His voice barely above a whisper and she only heard him due to their close proximity.

She kept her eyes on his, nodding her head slightly. His lips met hers and for the first time since she started the semester Stella felt pure happiness. This wasn't like the kiss they'd shared before. This one was deep, real and felt. The two stood there, enjoying each other's company and touch. Stella's arms meeting at the bottom of his neck as the two pull apart. Dalton rests his forehead against hers, smiling at her before pecking her lips. Stella laughed as his action and brought her arms down.

They walked back to their dorms hand in hand. Him stopping to make sure she got into her dorm alright, kissing her once again and pulling the door shut behind him. He waited to hear the click of the lock before entering his own room and calling his brother once more.

A FEW HOURS LATER

A small knock rang out from Daltons door and he stirred in his sleep. Sitting up before registering the knocking coming from his right.

He placed his sock clad feet on the ground. And moved to slowly open the door.

Before him stood a small, shivering girl in pyjama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt.

"Stella?" He questioned, squinting at the light emitting from the hallway.

She looked up at him through teary eyes and pushed herself into him, grasping at his shirt.

Dalton wrapped his arm around the girl, pushing his door closed and picking the girl up. He wrapped her legs around his waist and brought her over to his bed, placing her in his pillows, bringing the blanket up to cover her shivering body before wrapping her in his arms.

They sat there for a while, him holding her with his chin on her head.

"What's wrong, hm?" He moved to look at her patchy red face. "Talk to me Stell, I need you to breathe for me, okay beautiful?" He placed his hand on the side of her head and let her hold his arm as she slowed her breathing.

Her breathing came to a slow and she looked at him.
                           
                            [!!!!!]

"I- I don't know what to do" she let out finally.

"What do you mean?" He asked quickly, placing his free hand on her knee.

It was then that Stella realised Dalton's love language must have been touch. It was how he communicated and how he comforted, she didn't mind.

"Earlier, at the house, when IT happened, everything that went through my head in that moment, terrified me. I can't stop thinking I should have done things differently, I was asleep and that feeling was back, I couldn't breathe I just felt suffocated." She let out, so much pain and pent up emotion finally meeting it's breaking point. Her parents had ruined her and now all she felt was guilt?

"When I was younger, my parents didn't love each other, they didn't even want to be near each other. I think they blamed me. I was only seven when they first expressed their hate for me. Their own daughter. Verbal and mental abuse turned physical and no one would believe me. No one, not school nor my family. I'd never felt the fear I felt in those years since I left my parents and moved to live with my grandma in Vancouver. I thought it was over, all of the pain I had endured couldn't reach me there. But today I felt it again, that fear. That thing, that hurt me today used that fear against me, used my memories to hurt me." She explained to him in short breaths.

He sat there stunned. He felt so strongly for the girl yet he had no idea the pain she held. He took her in his arms and held her close, he wanted her to feel safe with him. He wanted to hurt anyone that had hurt her.

"I need you to know that you're safe with me, I need you to know that I will never let them hurt you again. Any time you need me I'll be here to help you through it. You'll never me alone anymore. Me, Chris and Lizzie are going to take care of you darling." He whispered, stroking her hair and holding her close.

The two fell asleep in each others arms. Stella had never felt the safety she felt with him before and it scared her, but it also made her feel alive.

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Hey you guys! Kinda touchy subjects in this one! You aren't alone!

Childline- 0800 1111

Samaritans/suicide help- 116 123

National domestic abuse hotline- 08082000247

Stay safe!