The Elites

Try

"Where is a flame, someone's bound
To get burned
But just because it burns, doesn't mean
You're gonna die"

"Try" – P!nk

It's Friday night and I'm hanging out with Hope, she invited me to sleepover since her brothers will all be out until late, and her parents aren't home right now. They're attending some event in New York, so they won't be home until Sunday.

Hope frowns as the doorbell rings. "Logan and Mason can't be home already" she states, they left half an hour ago, if they're home then the party they were going to must have sucked. 

"Do you want me to get it?" I ask, Hope shakes her head and chucks me the remote before walking out to answer the door.

I flick through the movies on Netflix, not sure what sort of movies Hope like. I think a chick flick would be safe, but what if she prefers action movies? Okay, I think I'm overthinking this, Hope will tell me if she doesn't want to watch what I pick.

Hope should be back by now, maybe Ashton or Hunter have come over. Hope and Hunter's little argument seems to actually have worked out well for them, they've been getting along really well this week. I head out to see what Hope is doing. I stand in a position where I can see Hope and the visitor, but they can't see me.

A dark-haired boy I don't recognize is at the front door, he looks to be two or three years older than us, I get the feeling he isn't a high school student. I don't step forward, I'm sure Hope knows who he is, you don't just go knocking on random people's doors.

"You look stunning, captivity must have done something right" the boy smirks, stepping towards Hope who pales and steps back, trying to get away from his boy. He must have done something terrible if Hope is this scared of him. "I know I have a restraining order but I couldn't resist coming to see you." Hope got a restraining order against someone?

"Rumor has it you turned into a little slut and had lots of meaningless hook-ups last year. I also heard from that pretty head cheerleader at your school that you basically have a girlfriend now" he smirks, of course Courtney thinks we're 'basically' dating. Courtney will believe anything she can use against Hope because she's obsessed with popularity.

"Stay away from me or I'll call the police" Hope threatens, in a quiet tone. What the hell has this boy done to her? I couldn't imagine anyone making someone this scared of them, has he hit her or something?

I was going to let Hope handle this situation, but it's clear she's unable to control this situation. I'm going to step in before this escalates. "Hey, Hope, who's this?" I ask casually, as if I haven't been listening into this conversation.

"I'm Reed" the boy tells me, sounding amicable. I don't trust him, something intense happened between him and Hope, and it's scared Hope to the point where she can't defend herself in front of him. Hope is very much capable of telling people to leave.

"Juliet" I say, glancing at Hope who is still staring at Reed, looking like he's got a gun to her head and is about to shoot her. She's terrified of him so it's up to me to get him out of here.

"Are you the lesbian Hope's with now?" Reed asks, smirking as he takes in the two of us. Has Courtney gotten up to more mischief? He didn't seem to know Courtney's name, but that doesn't mean she isn't involved.

"We're not dating. Now, I think you better leave, I might not be a police officer but I'm pretty sure that you can get thrown in jail if you don't follow your restraining order. Hope's house has cameras, so if you ever come near her again we'll be taking legal action" I say, surprised at myself for sounding so firm and confident. I guess I had no other choice than to be brave and deal with this.

A look of fury passes over Reed's face and he glares at Hope, as if this is all her fault. He must have been hoping to get Hope alone. Did he know that none of her siblings or either one of her parents would be home Friday night? If he is stalking her, then we need to take legal action right now and make sure he can never go near her again.

"You got lucky, Hope, but you won't always be so lucky" Reed growls before turning and storming away. Hope practically runs away but I stay at the door until I hear a car leaving. He better not come back, I will not hesitate to resort to violence.

"Hope?" I say, heading upstairs into Hope's room. Tears have formed in Hope's eyes and I can tell she's trying desperately to keep it together. Without hesitation, I pull her into my chest and wrap my arms tightly around her. "It's ok, you're safe now" I say. Hope starts full on crying and I hold her even tighter. I don't know what Reed did but I know it must have been bad if Hope is this worked up about it. Hasn't she been through enough without her past coming back to haunt her?

I need to know the full story, but it can wait until Hope has calmed down a little. She's not in any state to be telling me right now. I rub my hand up and down her back, attempting to try and soothe her. "I've got you" I tell her. I will never let anyone hurt her again.

*Author's Note* What do you think Reed did?