She hated them. They loved her with everything in them. The universe truly has a sick way of telling you it's there, doesn't it? From being kidnapped to being abused, that was all Arabella saw in life. It was all she ever knew. They tell you to keep fighting but sometimes you realize... you were just a child. Now she's built herself up using her pain as the next step to her strength. She's learnt how to strive forward even as her past haunts her mind crawling up her back every passing second. That is until the first 7 people who only ever brought her pain find their way back into her life. She has no way to let go of her past when they come right back to her. The world showed her no mercy in it's ways so why should she. ~~~ I let out a small sigh wanting more of this. I wanted to be held like this whenever I felt broken. Feel the way he puts me back together in his arms. It ate at my heart and I could have sworn I felt a feathery kiss on my head. It was as if he could hear my thoughts and was kissing them away for me. Slowly he lets one hand go, the other staying around me as he brings my chin up to him gently wiping my last tears as more fill my eyes. He sees this and his eyes look... crumbled. If you feel this way then why can't you choose me, Dominic. I shake my head from his hands wishing to step back but he pulls me back to him a pain filled groan leaving him. "Just one more minute. Please." His body shook and I brought him closer, feeling our pain become one. Our hurricanes of minds pull away even for the smallest time letting us stand together as one in each other's embrace. He was it for me. But I wasn't his.

Rydell is trying to get by. Suffering from panic attacks takes a tole on her life, but she's getting through it as best she can. She's a computer science major at Daxton U, and is about to be the co-creator of a video game to help kids with behavioral disabilities. She is busy, determined, and there's no time for distraction. Scott is loved by everyone, except maybe his parents. Captain of Daxton U's hockey team, and a shoe-in for the big leagues, he knows exactly what he wants, and he won't let anything get in the way of that. So when he fails Spanish and is facing the possibility of being a seat warmer for the season, he finds a solution- Rydell Rivens. trigger warnings: mentions of sexual abuse, and anxiety