Sweet Caroline

#21 This night needs to be over

Trigger warning! There's (sexual) assault in this chapter. Be warned.

"Danny, let go." I'm trying to stay calm, but when he jerks me to him, I hardly recognize the look on his face. This is not the Danny I know. "You're hurting me."

"Good," he grunts. His other hand grabs my throat and squeezes tight, making me gasp for air. "That's what you like, isn't it? Pain? That's what you were missing, right?"

"Danny," I croak, trying to pull his hands off of me. Black spots are starting to appear in my vision and it is getting difficult to breathe. "Please..."

His lips curl up into a cruel smile. "Already begging for more? This is what gets you off, huh?"

"No," I try to say, but I'm having a hard time getting words out.

His grip loosens a little, which allows me to suck in some fresh air and scratch at him, trying to get him to let me go. Behind us, I hear someone calling out, but I can't focus on what they're saying.

"I'll give you what you want," Danny hisses, bringing his face closer.

Before I can do or say anything, my head hits something hard enough for my vision to go black for a second. Shouts fill my airs, but none of them are my own. I feel like I've gone numb, although I can feel warm liquid trickle down my face, so I must be bleeding. Danny's hands are removed from my body and I slump down the wall, ending up in an uncomfortable position on the sidewalk. I know I must be cold and in pain, but I can't feel any of it.

"Fucking hell, I think she's gonna faint," I hear an unfamiliar voice say. "Stay with me, girl!"

"Caroline," I manage to say, grabbing whoever is trying to hoist me to my feet.

"Stay with me, Caroline," the male voice says, holding me up against the wall. When my eyes manage to focus on him, I see that it's a guy about my age with a worried look on his face, brown eyes squinting at me. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"

I take a deep breath and slowly, the feeling returns to my body. Which sounds like a good thing, but considering the fact that the side of my face is bleeding and my throat is probably bruised, it hurts like a motherfucker and I almost wish I could back to the numbness. It's not as bad as I thought, though. I realize that I can stand, and the guy lets go of me, still staying close.

Blinking, I look around him to see Danny, who is being held down by two other guys. He's not fighting them. He just lays there on the sidewalk as the two guys keep a firm grip on them. At that point, a black car pulls up – Danny's uber.

"He needs to go home," I say, sounding a lot firmer than I thought I would. "He's drunk. He's not in his right mind. Get him in the car."

"In the car?" The guy next to me repeats, looking at me in shock. "Are you fucking kidding me? This scumbag just assaulted you! We should call the police!"

"No, no, no." I'm not sure what I want or what to do, but I know that I don't want Danny to get arrested. "Just... get him in the car. I just... my friends are inside."

"I'll get them for you." The guy is already turning around before he seems to realize that he has no idea who my friends are. "Come on," he says, putting an arm around me. He tells his friends to not let Danny get up and they nod, even though Danny is still face-down on the pavement and not trying to fight them. "You know him?"

"Yes, he's my ex."

The guy whistles. "Wow. Okay. He's a douche bag, you know that, right?"

"I want my friends." I really don't want to talk about Danny with some random guy. The side of my head hurts like hell and my breathing is still a little ragged.