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13

"Aria, Aria!" I was being shaken awake by Josh.

My cheeks were tear stained and hot, but I didn't have any idea as to why. Josh pulled me into a hug and rocked me back and forth gently.

"What?"

I looked down to my arms. They were red — it looked like there were scratches all over.

"You were having a night terror," Josh soothed. "You were scratching at your arms."

Suddenly it all came back to me.

"You're useless Aria! Useless!" My father stood in front of me, my hair in his grip.

"I'm sorry." I choked out.

"DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK?"

I shook my head violently.

As my father began to attempt to choke me as punishment, I snapped out of it and clinged onto Josh.

"It's alright." He whispered. "Did Abbi show you that thing? The breathing technique?"

I nodded.

"Come on, let's do it together."

We lay down beside each other and Josh grabbed my hand and placed it on his stomach. At the same time, he placed his hand on mine.

It meant so much to me to know that I was now with people who genuinely cared about me, that could make sure I was okay.

Once Josh had returned my breathing to its normal pace, he gently pulled my arm into his reach.

"Ari," Josh had called me by a foreign name, one I had never heard before. Although I knew what he was about to say. "When?"

It was one word, but it spoke sentences in my mind.

The scars that littered my arms were still visible, and Josh had never really seen them.

"I don't know." I said quietly.

"When was the last time?"

"5 days ago or something."

"Ari," Josh had tears in his eyes. It made me guilty. "If ever you feel like doing it again, please, talk to me. We can figure something else out. Take your mind off if it."

But whatever Josh had said after that, I had zoned out completely. I had suddenly become so tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open at all. I just crawled up into a ball in the corner of the couch.

"We're here Aria. We'll always be here." I heard Tyler.

And that's when a tear slid down my face. A single tear.

I woke up only to find that it was pitch black outside, and I silently cursed myself for falling asleep in the middle of the day.

I looked around. Josh and Jenna were gone, they probably went to bed, but Tyler sat on the other end of the couch, seemingly asleep.

"You alright Aria?" Tyler turned around to face me. I jumped from shock. "Sorry," he scratched his neck. "Can't sleep."

"It's okay."

I was much more comfortable around Tyler now, but there was still a little bit of fear.

"Wanna come watch me play piano?" Tyler asked. I nodded excitedly, pulling the heavy blankets Josh had placed on me throughout the night off of me.

"Come on."

Following Tyler through a few doors, we reached a large room which made me smile. There were instruments everywhere, and in the midst of the room was a piano.

"Can you play?" Tyler asked me.

"I wish."

"Come on then, I can teach you."

I sat beside Tyler on the piano stool.

"This one is c."