Dangerous [A BAD BOY ROMANCE]

11

I lay in my bed and let the large hoodie and sweatpants that I've put on engulf me in their warmth. It's been about seven hours since Gray left me here alone at my house, making it about 11 PM, and despite the weight of sleep deprivation that I can feel tugging at my eyes, there's no way I'll be able to fall asleep tonight. Today I've been hit, bullied, and on top of that, I kissed Gray. As much as I hate to admit it, the bullying I've received from Luca and Whitney are the least of my concerns compared to the situation between Gray and me. It's useless to deny the fact that I like him, but I would never want to hurt Maddie.

I push further into my pillows and pull my comforter around myself. I haven't been able to get warm since Gray's disappearance, and the pit in my stomach has only become deeper as the bruises on the surface of it have become more painful. The pain doesn't affect me much, but I can't ignore the throbbing sensation that arises every couple of seconds as I lay staring at my ceiling. I watch the blades of my ceiling fan drift around in the air, and by some miracle, my eyes flutter shut.

I wake up to the sound of a creaking door, my bedroom door, swinging open, and groggily search for the switch to turn on my lamp.

"Hey." The voice is clearly Gray's.

"Hey." I can hear the sleepiness in my voice. "What time is i-" I turn on the lamp and immediately am at a loss for words when I see the purpling bruise engulfing Gray's cheek. 

"It's not a big deal Teagan."

"What happened?" My voice sounds more alert now, but small nonetheless.

"I beat the shit out of those guys and Luca. One managed to hit me but it's not bad." 

"You didn't have to do that." Gray sits down on the bed next to me. 

"Yes, I did. Those guys have always been assholes and nobody does shit about it, and when I saw what they did to you..." His whole body tenses. "I couldn't just let them get away with it anymore." I nod, but can't find the right words to say to him. 

"Well, I'm sorry that you got hurt defending me."

"I'm not. Look at what they did to you T, and because of me." He reaches out to touch my thigh but I move away.

"We can't." I try to retaliate.

"Why not?" Gray reaches toward me again, and even though I know full and well that it's wrong, I don't stop him this time. He places a hand on my thigh and moves closer to me, pushing the strands of hair that have fallen out of the bird's nest of a bun on my head out of my face. I move a bit to face him and wince at the shooting pain that erupts throughout my abdomen.

"Shit," I mutter. The concerned look that I know all too well enters Grayson's eyes as he stares intently at me.

"Can I see it?" He asks cautiously. I nod and sit back a bit as he lifts up my hoodie and then my t-shirt, exposing the gnarly bruises along my stomach. I can see the grimace on his face as clear as day. "Fuck Teagan these are bad."

"I'll be okay."

"I know." Gray grabs both sides of my waist and turns me over easily, further analyzing the damage. I pull away from his grasp, immediately feeling disappointment at the loss of it.

"Look, Gray, I really appreciate everything you've done for me, but you and I both know that we can't do this."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He stands up off my bed and looks at me. I can sense the small amount of anger at the back of his voice.

"That means that you know Maddie likes you, and she's my friend. I can't do that to her, and I've only known you for two weeks." I tell him, although I know this isn't the only reason I'm shutting Gray out. I'm scared. Scared of what will happen if I get too close to him and if he figures out the real story behind my living situation.

"You've only known Maddie for two weeks too. What's the difference?" He tries to reason with me. The stoic look that Gray wears ninety percent of the time takes over his face, his walls slowly building up as he realizes the situation.

"It's just different Gray. This will be better for both of us." He rolls his eyes and runs a hand through his hair. 

"Whatever Teagan," I cringe at the way he says my name. It's like he's spitting it out. It's like he wishes he never had to say it. "Don't come running to me next time you can't stand up for yourself." He throws at me harshly. I try my best to keep myself together as he walks out of my bedroom and front door, but as soon as I hear the front door slam, tears flow down my cheeks. I'm not usually much of a crier, and I'm definitely not the type to cry over a boy, but there's something about the connection I'd built with Gray that felt necessary. I lay back down and let out a sigh, wiping some stray tears onto the sleeve of my hoodie while preparing myself for a sleepless night because of Grayson Williams.