Run to You

15

I feel terrible. Scott is so stressed out, and it's all my fault. If I had never come back, he wouldn't have all these worries. I stare at his perfectly chiselled face, ignoring the movie we're watching completely. He looks tired. Scott almost never looks tired. This is my fault.

Scott looks down and meets my gaze, smiling warmly at me. I force a smile, but he sees right through it, narrowing his eyes. Instead of saying something to him, I lean up and kiss his soft, pale pink lips. Our lips move in sync, molding perfectly together. His arms hold my back, cradling me as if I'm made of glass. It makes me feel wanted. I reach up, running a hand through Scott's blond hair.

"You're so fucking perfect," he whispers. "I could just hold you forever. My beautiful angel." Tears start to well up in my eyes, but I blink them away. I've cried enough over the past few days, and I'm determined to stop being such a crybaby.

"I'm so glad I came back to you," I tell him. His gaze hardens a little.

"Even though it's the reason you were assaulted at a bar?" I frown. "Seriously, Mitchy. Whatever happened in there really freaked you out. Please tell me what happened." I stare at Scott, heart pounding. I can't tell him. Alex will kill me. Maybe I'll tell him someday, but as long as Alex is still around, I don't think I can. "Mitch?" I jerk my attention back to Scott.

"I-I can't."

"Why not?"

"He'll kill me," I whimper quietly. Scott narrows his eyes angrily.

"Who?" I shake my head, eyes squeezed shut. "Baby, who was it? I swear to God, if it was Travis-"

"It wasn't," I cut him off. "It was someone I thought I could trust," I add, more to myself than him. I stare blankly past him, my eyes glazing over as I let my thoughts wander back to Alex.

"Was it one of our friends?" Scott tenses up. I refocus on him, and the pure fury burning in his eyes makes me shrink away from him. I avoid eye contact, not wanting to admit it but also unwilling to lie about it. "Who the fuck was it?"

"I'm not going to tell you who it is," I tell him quietly, my voice steadier than I expected. "But... what happened was h-he led me into the bathroom because I trusted him." I take a deep breath. "And then he grabbed my neck and pinned me against the wall. I-I couldn't breathe. And then he said such horrible things, and he wouldn't let go." So much for not being a crybaby anymore. Tears are streaming down my face, and my breaths are coming in short, shallow gasps.

"Hey. Baby, you're okay. Nobody's going to hurt you. I won't let that happen." He starts to wrap his arms around me, but I jerk away from him, bringing my knees up to my chest and burying my face in my hands.

"Please don't touch me," I whisper. He sighs.

"Okay, Sweetheart. I won't. I'm sorry."

---

That night, I lay awake long after Scott falls asleep. I feel terrible about how much I'm stressing him out. If I had never come back, he would be happy. He could find a boyfriend that brings him joy. He could go through his life without worrying about me.

Alex was right. He's gonna get tired of me soon. He'll get tired of taking care of me when I'm upset. He'll get tired of having to constantly wonder if I'm getting into trouble. He'll get tired of having the threat of Travis looming over him like a storm cloud.

Sighing, I roll over, pondering what I should do. Then the option I've been trying to push to the back of my mind hits me, and dread pools in the pit of my stomach. I know what I have to do.