There's No Way

Never Again

I spent most of my day wandering around Shawn's house trying to distract myself from my own nervous energy. I knew that filing a police report was the right thing to do, not to mention the only way I would ever be able to return to work without having a full-blown panic attack. I knew that this was something I needed to do, but I was terrified to do it.

Around 3:00, I had grown tired of the Jeopardy reruns I had been watching and clicked the TV off. My eyes wandered over to a large bookshelf in the corner of the living room. I curiously stood up from the big, comfy couch and made my way over to the wooden shelf. I smiled as I examined Shawn's collection of books. A few classic fiction novels, a few romantic poetry collections, a self-help book or two, and the entire Harry Potter series. I found myself growing jealous of his personal library, this boy had some good taste.

I couldn't help but study the way he made his house into a home. Sure, some might call it snooping, but I was having a nice time memorizing the way he kept his things organized, or examining the selection of family photos he had on display. It was like putting together a puzzle of who he is as a person, and the more I got to know him – the more my heart would flutter at the mere thought of him.

[Shawn's POV]

I glanced over to Camila's empty desk and my heart ached. I had sent her a few texts throughout the day to check up on her, but my mind ran wild with the image of her nearly naked body collapsed on the floor, struggling for breath through broken sobs. I didn't even realize that I was clenching my fists until my knuckles started to burn. I glanced at the clock on my computer screen and let out a large sigh of relief. 5:00 – finally I could get home. Just as I started to pack up my things, a gruff voice interrupted me.

"Hey Mendes!"

I immediately recognize the voice as belonging to Lucas, the dumbass who sits in the cubicle across from me. I turn my head toward him, waiting to hear whatever it was he wanted to say.

"Any idea where Cabello is today? I was really hoping to see her again." He smirked. I scoffed at him, the memory of their little flirt-fest returning to the front of my brain. Deciding that he was the last thing she needed right now, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

"I hate to break it to you - but I don't think she's interested in you, dude." I quipped at Lucas. He laughed and shook his head before walking over to me, looking me straight in the eyes in some sad attempt to intimidate me.

"I don't know man..." he chuckled as he shook his head and looked down at the floor. He brought his eyes back up to mine before finishing his sentence.

"She seemed pretty into me when I had her bent over her desk last night."

Lucas. It was Lucas.

Suddenly my stomach dropped and it felt like my heart was in my throat. I glanced around the office, noticing that the rest of the employees had already cleared out for the day. Lucas turned to walk away, but I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back to me, my other hand gripping the collar of his cheap polo shirt. It was obvious that he was terrified, but trying to play it cool.

"Don't you ever touch her again," I growled out through gritted teeth. He chuckled again, clearly unaware of the fact that I knew what he had actually done.

"It takes two to tango, buddy. If you're gonna be mad at me, you better be mad at her too..." Before he could say any more, my fist was connecting with his face. He brought his hand up to his jaw in an attempt to soothe the pain and looked up at me, shocked and angry.

"Call it what it is, Lucas. You raped her. Don't act like she gave it up willingly, don't say she was all over you. You tortured that poor girl." I practically spat the words at him. His look of shock and anger started to morph into a look of shock and fear.

"A-and how would you know that?" He questioned, clearly shaken up by the fact that I was confronting him.

"Because I saw the whole thing. I'm the one who drove her home last night, why do you think her car is still in the parking lot?" I questioned. Sure, it might've been a partial lie. I didn't actually see anything happen, but I saw enough to know that something did happen and that was more than enough for me.

"Sh-shit, um, o-okay..." He muttered. His tough-guy demeanor was quickly fading so I decided to push him just a little more, hoping to completely break him.

"In fact, I'm actually just getting ready to leave so I can take her to the police station to file a report." I stated matter-of-factly.

"Listen dude, what do you want from me? Do you want money? J-just tell me what you want and you've got it, but please don't let her file that fucking police report," he said, shaking. I stood there silently for a moment, contemplating my next move.

"I want you to never step foot in this building ever again. As of this moment, your employment here is over. You can send an email of resignation if you'd like, but you will not be returning here tomorrow morning or any other day. Got it?" I demanded. He frantically nodded his head as I let go of his collar. He grabbed a few personal items from his desk before heading towards the door.

"Hey Lucas, one more thing..." I added just as he was about to walk through the door. He turned and looked at me, terrified.

"Don't ever hurt another girl like that ever again. Okay?" He took a deep breath and nodded again before exiting the office door for a final time. I looked down at my bloody knuckles from where my fist met his face and immediately tears started to fill my eyes. I've never been a fighter, but knowing how he'd hurt the one girl I care about most sent me over the edge. The pain he felt from my jab was nothing compared to the pain that Camila was feeling because of him and I knew that. I held back my tears as I gathered my things and headed home to Camila.