Note from the Author-

Chapter 17: Life Threatening Decisions

Ross' POV

My whole entire body was pumping with adrenaline. I knocked Landon to the ground, while he took me down with him. "You think that's okay?! To touch her with your nasty hands?! She's 17 for God's sake! Not to mention, she's not interested!" I struck his face with my fists until he was bleeding. I had him on the ground begging for mercy. Laura hovered over my body, but all I could think about was one thing. He was going to do it again. I had to stop him. I had to make it impossible for him to ever touch her; hurt her.

"Ross! Stop, that's enough! You're killing him!" Laura exclamied.

My palms tightened around his neck, while he gasped for air. I faced Laura. "Isn't this what you wanted, Laura?!"

She began sobbing, "No! They're going to take you away from me! Don't! Please, please Ross. I can't go through this again!"

Her sobs were like echoes. My anger overshadowed them. All I could feel was rage. Instantly, I felt myself being pulled. Laura was trying her hardest to get me off of him. "Laura, let me go! I'm doing this for you!"

"Ross, if you do this... you lose me! So, just give it up! It's not worth it!" She continued pulling at my arms.

"If I don't do this, I know I'll lose you somehow! You said you couldn't handle this anymore- you said you wanted to be gone. I don't want you to ever think about taking your life- not for this jackass. Not even for Dianne! I just won't tolerate it anymore! I don't want you being harassed the rest of your life!"

Laura had an anxious look in her eyes, "Ross- please. I'm begging you to stop. You're going to be taken away, just like my father!

I stopped and viewed below me. Landon was a knocked out bloody mess and Laura was sitting on the ground, discomposed.

I left him and rushed to Laura's side. "Laur, everything is going to be okay. I need you to take a deep breath."

Her eyes widened and her breath was rapid. "You- you killed him. They're going to take you away from me. I won't ever get to be with you. I won't ever get to wake up to you. I won't ever have a life with you. You're going to be away- just like my father. And you knew it," she cried. "You knew the risks and you took them. How can you do that?! How can you risk us like that?!"

"Laura, I love you so damn much and I did what I did for you. I risked it all for you and I would do it all over again."

She held her hands out in front of her face. They were trembling. She appeared shook. "God, this can't be happening. I feel so sick. I feel like we're all about to disappear into a pit of nothingness. I feel all these things, yet I can't feel my own hands. I think- I think I'm about to-"

Before Laura's head could crash to the ground I caught her in my arms. I began panicking. "Laura! Laura, wake up!"