They Could Never Know (Editing)

Part 3

We pull into the drive of a huge, and I mean HUGE white house. Stepping out of the car I feel myself sway, drinking wasn't my thing and I was a light weight. I follow the girls up the drive and into the front door of the house. It was packed, some of the faces being familiar and others not. There must have been people from neighboring schools. Almost as if she was reading my mind Chloe breaks my thoughts, "Liam's party's are big. Everyone from around here shows up once the word is out." The buzz of people passing by and laughing was exciting. "Don't the cops find out about this?" I ask. "When your friends with Grant and his dad is one of the most powerful people in town, you do whatever you want." Katy replies. Rich people and their entitlement. As we find the boys, Chloe also finds a table of shots leaving us. Katy kept her arm hooked through mine but as soon as Nick makes an appearance I feel her shift side to side. "Go ahead. I'll be fine, I'm a big girl I'll take care of myself." I pat her hand letting her know she can release me. She smiles big and tugs me into a hug before bouncing off to Nick. My gaze meets Liam sitting on the couch with two girls plastered to his sides. He winks and I smile, no matter what other people thought, Liam and I were just good friends. I make my way to Chloe and begin my fair share of shots. We've both had way too much since starting in the car and now this. Chloe grabs me and we run to the back yard, my eyes get big at the sight of the large pool. People splash around us, hollering, enjoying their own little worlds. Chloe strips her clothes off; no way was I doing that. But the tequila was working faster than my common sense and I started stripping my top off then followed with my bottoms, leaving me in a bra and underwear. Katy runs past me jumping into the pool with Chloe and I jump in after her. The cold-water shoots through me, making me even more aware of myself and the current, unclothed circumstance I was in. I break the surface of the water and gasp for air. The girls continue splashing each other but I wanted out. I hoist myself out of the pool and quickly wrap myself with a towel, I was freezing, might as well have a couple shots to warm back up. I make my way back to the kitchen and let a few burn their way down my throat, my buzz was back. Just as I was about to shoot another a large body presses against my back, I freeze. "How about we get outta here." The voice isn't one I recognize. He grabs the shot from my hand and sets it back on the counter. "Ple..please leave me alone." I stutter out. His grip on me tightens and without saying anything he turns me towards him. His dead eyes scrape my body, bile rises to the back of my throat. " We'll be quick, don't worry." He grabs my arm and directs me away from the kitchen, away from prying eyes that could stop him. Once we are in a more private area he pushes me onto a bed and rips my towel from my grasp. "Stop." I manage to mumble. I hear the jingle of a belt, followed by another voice, this one familiar and intense, "she said stop Mason." My eyes stayed on the floor, the room was spinning. "Why don't you mind your business, Grant, like usual." Mason bites back. Like usual? Was this a thing? Had it been a different night or a different girl would Grant have turned the other way. "Not her. Not tonight." Grant glares down at Mason. Before I can react, Mason grabs me from the bed and shoves me into Grant's body with so much force that it's borderline painful. "Sorry bud, didn't realize she was your bitch." This time I whip around, I wasn't Grant's, I wasn't Mason's, and I wasn't my mom's, why couldn't these sick people get that through their heads. I walk up to him, reared my arm back and felt the connection with his nose, Grant laughs. By this time we had been loud enough that we drew a crowd, Liam pushes through and his eyes bounce from Mason hunched over grabbing his nose to me. I'm sure I was hard on the eyes, mascara running down my face from the tears of immense pain radiating through my right hand. Liam looks back to Mason who has blood seeping through his cupped hand. "What's going on here." Liam questions. Mason stands up, squaring his shoulders, Grant grabs my arm and pulls me behind him. " Mason is leaving, now." Grant states. The room is silent, everyone holding their breath waiting to see how this was going to go down. Liam breaks the silence, "Mason I think it's time for you to leave." Mason breaks his gaze from Grant and I. "You never said she was off limits." Mason pushes through the crowd. "Well now I think I've made it clear and she definitely made it clear." A smirk grows on Grant's face. That was it, Mason snapped and tore towards Grant. Grant pushed me, my back hitting the wall behind us. As Mason charged Grant went low and hit him right at the hips. They both fall to the ground, everyone whipping their phones out. "Break it up!" Liam yells. Liam grabs Mason and throws him back and I grab Grant's arm before he can sink one more on Mason.

....

The crowd died down and now it was just the two of us. My hand ached so much but I kept in tucked into my stomach as I dabbed his face with a wet cloth. "Ouch." Grant seethed through clenched teeth, grabbing hold of my arm. "You need to let me clean these, be a big boy." I wiggled out from his grip. I continued tending to his cuts while he stared at me. His eyes drifted from my face down to my hand, I tugged it closer to my body, "I'm fine, it's fine." He takes my hand into his, and I cry out in pain, I think I broke my hand on that pricks face. "We'll take you to Nick's dad, he's a doctor. He'll know what to do." His hand slides down my cheek and for some reason I let him. I can't get myself to speak so I just nod. It's pouring rain as we run to his car. "Do you really think it's safe to drive after drinking?" I ask as I pull the passenger door shut. "I haven't been drinking, it's football season right now." He replied, starting the car, he backs out of the drive. We are both silent, but it's not an awkward silence between us. So much for a great first party, it was fun till Mason made his presence known.

....

It's broken. Nick's dad took me after hours to his clinic and took x-rays. He casted my arm there and sent me off with a prescription for pain killers. "Where are we going?" I ask as he drives past Katy's house. "Liam says the girls are still at his place, so I figured that's where you would want to be." Grant turns into the drive that leads to Liam's house. There were less cars but some still lingered, what if Mason was still here. "He's not here. I wouldn't bring you back here if he was." Grant put the car into park and we both open the door to get out. Grant meets me on the passenger side and holds my good hand to help me down from the car. Had he not lifted his jeep I could have maybe managed to get out without stumbling into him. I mutter a sorry, but I don't move, and neither does he. He feels different, he feels familiar. I study his face, how can I feel I know him when he's a stranger. My eyes search his, his eyes glancing down to my lips. That's when he pulls away, and begins the walk into the house. The rest of the night is the girls gushing over the fact that I punched Mason in the face and how Grant squabbled with him. I wasn't feeling tonight anymore, my hand hurt and I didn't want to think about Mason with his body on me. Grant doesn't say much but he keeps his gaze on me. His gaze makes me burn up leading heat to rise to my cheeks. I couldn't do this, I couldn't sit here with him staring at me. I stand up and announce that I needed fresh air, as I walk out the back door I feel his eyes trail me. What was his problem. The door opens and I know it's him, I hate that I know its him. "Are you ok?" He asks. I roll my eyes and let a laugh escape, "what is your problem with me? First you don't speak to me, then you're fighting for me, almost kiss me and then we get back inside and it's back to cold stone Grant..." I was ranting and flailing my arms, I didn't understand him. "I just don't want to hurt you, in any way." Oh so he speaks again. I whip around and glare at him, who was he to think he could hurt me. The truth was that he was right, I was fragile and after everything that happened to me a boy was the last thing I needed. For some reason my mind wanted him. He takes a step towards me, and unlike the usual me I don't step away from him. I needed to know why my mind thought it knew him, I needed to know what was familiar about him. He wrapped a hand around my waist and tugged me towards him. It wasn't a demanding tug, he was asking. Letting my body fall closer to his, I could smell his cologne. My body was tense, not from fear, but from the want. I wanted him to kiss me. Grant cupped his hand around my face and swayed me towards him. With that, our lips were almost touching, and it felt like my body was going to explode. I wanted him to kiss me and stay here to keep figuring him out, but we're interrupted by the opening of the back door. I jump, and Grant lets his arms fall. "Tess, you ready to...oh, oh gosh, I'm sorry." Katy turns on her heels and heads back into the house. Great, I was gonna hear about that one all night long. Instead of Katy driving us, Nick does the honors since he hadn't had a lick to drink. We get to her room and I practically fall onto the bed made up for me on the floor. Once my head hits the pillow I'm out.

......

His eyes, his stare. He kissed me and I let him.

......

I wake for the first time without a cold sweat. I had slept till morning, this was something I could get used to.