Defendants with Cameron Dallas

Chapter 4

"You're honestly feeling better?" Cameron ran his hand up my calf.

"Yes, I promise." I sipped my hot chocolate. "It's still really hard but I knew I had to testify."

"You did amazing." He caressed my cheek.

I half smiled and set my hot chocolate down on the coffee table in front of the couch. I snuggled up closer to him.

Cameron wrapped his arm around my side and held me closer to his chest. "I'm always here for you if you ever get scared."

"You promise?" I asked, looking up into his big brown eyes.

"I promise."

I rested my head on his chest and slowly drifted off.

My dream started out fine, I was sitting at a vanity brushing my hair. I was humming something, some tune. I recognized it from somewhere but I couldn't place my finger on where.

I sat there on a pale blue padded seat looking into my own brown eyes as the brush ran down my hair stroke after stroke. My hair gleamed with a little shine.

Then I stood up, placing the brush down on the vanity. I smoothed down my black and white zig zag striped leggings. Weird, I was wearing a white skirt a second ago.

I looked down at my top. What had just been a yellow halter top a second ago was now that fated Chino High t-shirt. The one I kept tucked away in our bathroom, hidden from Cameron. Hannah's brother had gone and gotten it for me from the shed. Cameron didn't even know that Hannah's brother had visited me. After all, it was only once when I had first woken up. He wanted to keep hidden away, in many ways he was just as scared of Hannah as I was.

But the dream wasn't over, I had somehow managed to stay asleep thus far.

Soon I found myself standing in a bedroom, I recognized it from my childhood. Maybe it was a friend's? It was a distant memory so I couldn't be entirely sure.

I was humming that song again. Why couldn't I remember what it was called?

I heard Cameron call my name from the doorway but when I turned around I wasn't met with Cameron's bright brown eyes. I was met with a set of crazed blue eyes.

Time slowed as Hannah ran at me. She shoved me with full force. I stumbled back but didn't fall.

Why aren't you fighting back? I screamed in my head. Instead of defending myself I just stood there as she shoved me towards the window.

We reached the window and Hannah dug her nails into the sides of my head as she slammed my head against the window, attempting to break it.

Something was different tonight though. Unlike every night prior, I felt no pain. Blood dripped from the back of my head and trickled on my arm, I could see it. But I felt nothing. It was like I couldn't feel my body.

I heard the glass shatter behind me and watched as shards of glass dug into my bare arms and snagged on my t-shirt.

Hannah changed her grip to hold me by my neck. She folded me over the window.

"I'm finally going to kill you, Kate." She shoved me one last time and I tumbled out of the window. "I win." She mouthed as I began to fall.

I fell so slowly. It's almost as if the concrete patio below didn't exist. I didn't scream, I didn't cry. I just couldn't get that song out of my head.

"You told me you loved me, so why did you go?"

Then I heard my body hit the ground and everything instantly went black.

I screamed. I started sobbing and held my face in my hands.

Cameron woke up with a jump. He ran his hands through his hair. "My God, Kate, you scared me!"

I got up off of the couch and stepped over Cameron's legs as I ran towards the kitchen. I made it to the sink before I doubled over and threw up all of the food I had eaten that day. My chest heaved with sobs.

I grabbed as many paper towels as I could rip off of the roll before collapsing to the floor. I tried to wipe everything off of my face, the puke, the tears, and the snot. It was no use it was just smearing everywhere.

Cameron crouched down in front of me. He took the paper towels from my shaking hands and began wiping my face with a cool damp cloth. "It'll be all right." He said calmly, attempting to reassure me. "Hannah can't get you."

I nodded and brushed my hair back with my hand. I took a few deep breaths and stood up.

Cameron wrapped his arms around me and held me for a few minutes. I felt his heart beat thump against my chest. I knew that my nightmares scared him. He only wanted for me to feel ok in my own mind.

He kissed me lightly on my head. "Go get cleaned up, I'll take care of the sink."

I held his hand and gave it a light squeeze as I turned to walk away. Sometimes I felt like I did more harm than good living with Cameron, but the truth is we need each other.

Besides, without him, who's going to wipe my face when I wake up from a nightmare sobbing again?

I stood in the shower, letting the warm water run down my body. I breathed in the sweet tropical scent of my shampoo as I washed all of the puke and snot out of my hair.

Finally I turned the knob and the water shut off. I stepped out onto our bath mat and wrapped myself in the plush towel I had set on the toilet lid before I had gotten in.

I stood there, hair dripping on the floor, trying to remember to breathe in and out, in and out. I tried to think calming thoughts, anything besides the last year. That was hard. It felt like I had no life other than the past year.

Finally dressed, I crawled into bed next to Cameron. I pulled the comforter up over us and tried to relax.

He draped his arm over my side and laid his hand on my stomach. I felt his warm breath on my neck as he planted kisses on my neck up to my ear.

"Don't forget, I love you." He whispered.