"You're not honestly going out like that are you? Actually.. what makes you think you're even going out at this hour?"

James. I should have known he would say something. Personally, I don't think I look half bad. From what I saw in the mirror, I look pretty sexy if I may say so myself. Black dress, hair in loose waves, four inch heels, flawless makeup—I say I look fucking ready for some Ke$ha inspired times.
But James. Ever since Kendall and mom decided to go home to Minnesota for the summer, James has been prancing around claiming to be the "man of the house". Of course my mom didn't disagree because James's build and character does technically scream "MAN" the minute he enters a room.. But I won't get into that yet. I would have gone with Kendall and mom but I scored a summer job working under Gustavo's instruction at Rocque Records. Not the best way to spend my summer listening to Gustavo and Kelly argue about what image would go well for Big Time Rush's Fall Comeback, but I get to have a say in some of their decisions so I stick around. And the pay helps keep up with my growing shoe collection..

I would say I have changed from being the scheming little sister to a more sophisticated, business ready young woman. Okay so the "sophisticated young woman" bit came from my mom but it sounds better than "little sister" right? Trust me, I can still take a creep down with a single drop kick and beat the boys at an intense game of poker but I now prefer to look fabulous while doing it. If you can't kill with brains then you might as well kill with looks is what I say.

So tonight is my friend's sweet 16 and she's going all out with a huge party at a rented out hall; DJ and open bar all night, too. It's Hollywood, what else can you expect from a party? My 16th birthday was spent with the guys and my mom at the PalmWoods pool, so I intend to go all out with this party. I told my mom about it and she agreed as long as I get home at a decent time and don't lose control; she's not stupid. She knows what goes on in Hollywood considering that she raised 4 teenage boys here for the past 5 years.

But James..

"What do you mean "at this hour""? It's not even 10 PM. And I think I look perfect tonight, thank you very much," I replied. It sounded a little stuck up, but come on, I'm a 16 year old girl; nothing can stop me right now.

"That dress is a little too short, Katie. Where are you even going?"

I notice Logan and Carlos put down the game controls and turn the TV off, looking a little out of place in the suddenly tense living room. James is on his feet by the couch and I'm slowly trying to edge my way toward the front door. Why does my room have to be right in front of the TV? This whole confrontation could have been avoided..

I look up at James. "Not that it's any of your information, but I'm going to Kelsie's sweet 16 tonight. I already told my MOTHER about it and she's perfectly fine with it. And considering the girls you've been going after since you turned 18, I'd say this dress is completely prudish." At this point I was mad. He was NOT my father. I mean sure he's looking out for me but I'm not a ditzy whore who doesn't know her limitations. I am more responsible for my body and mind than any other teenage girl in this stupid resort. I would appreciate his concern if he started treating me a little more equally rather than as if I'm still 11 and don't know what parts of the male anatomy look like.

Shit. He looks furious now. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the girls he's "dated".

"Even mentioning those girls gives me enough of a reason to stop you from going out tonight. I know Hollywood parties and I know Kelsie Oak. You should NOT be seen at those parties, especially at your age. You know what people will say."

"No, James, apparently I don't. Are they gonna call me a whore because it's the kind of party where you picked up yours? I'm sorry, I honestly thought you knew me better than that."

Logan and Carlos are stirring in their seats and are slowly edging out of the living room to escape the oncoming war. I can't blame them; James and I have been at this since the start of the summer.

"Are you listening to yourself, Katie? You sound like a spoiled brat! I'm trying to look out for you here. If Kendall was here, he would back me up."

"Yeah well he's not here, James. And you have no authority over me right now. I AM going."

I storm towards the door, overwhelmed and emotional at this point. I'm one of those people who cry when extremely frustrated or angry and it was taking everything I had not to let a few tears slip in front of James. I have my hand on the door when I feel my right arm twist back behind me.

"You're. Not. Going," he whispered slowly, pushing his lips to my ear and pressing me against his chest.

Ooooooohhhhh my god. If that didn't sound as scary as it was meant to be, I would probably push myself against the door and beg him to tie me to his bed and keep me with him forever. This man is sexy; the exact definition of sex itself. But I'm too distracted by how out of line this comment is so I ignore my swooning side and pull myself out of his grasp.

"Don't. Ever. Touch. Me. Again." And just like that, with all the hatred I could muster up, I looked up at him one last time and stormed out of the apartment. From what I can recall as I make my way down the elevator, he looked like someone just slapped him in his "pretty face"; angry, shocked, and even a little hurt. But I push aside my guilt as I see the VIP limo waiting outside for me, ready to take me to the party of the year.

So this party is something I did not expect at all. It's not even in a hotel hall, first of all. She fucking rented out a club! And there are more people OVER the age of 18 than there are people my age. The other girls on my side are practically fainting at the prospect of "older men" and are fixing their dresses so their boobs are ready to fall out and adding an extra layer of lipgloss. Disgusting. I'm looking for Kelsie but I'm also just ready to head to the bar. Again, I know my limitations so starting off with a glass of Chardonnay is totally fine by me. I see Kelsie in the corner flirting with some guy who looks way too old to be hanging out with a 16 year old, but I figure let her be. It IS her birthday after all.

Alright, I am officially bored. I'm on my third glass of wine and I am starting to get a little sleepy. I don't even know where Kelsie is at this point; I lost track of her after the second glass. I could totally go for a shot right now but what kind of loser takes a shot alone? And some creep has been staring at me from across the bar for the past hour. Grow a pair, bro. Either talk to me or find something else to stare at.

"Hey."

I guess he opted for the "grow a pair" bit. About time.

"Hi." I just stared. If it took him an hour to muster up the courage to talk to me, he doesn't even get a smile. I'm gonna make this hard.

"You look lonely over here."

"Did you notice that an hour ago or do you just take long processing things in dark places?" Burn.

"Haha. And she bites too. I'm guessing you're here for Kelsie's birthday."

"So you are smart. And I'm guessing you're definitely too old to be hanging out with a 16 year old."

"I'm 17 actually. The name's Eric. I'm Kelsie's brother."

Well that was a bomb I wasn't prepared for. I guess the shock showed on my face because he just laughed.

"She doesn't mention me much, does she?"

"Not at all actually." Damn. That was a little harsh. I totally just killed the conversation.. and he was doing so well too. Boo.

"I'm not surprised. She's threatened by how sexy I am.. afraid that I'll steal her friends. But I can't help it if they're as cute as you."

I laughed. "Is that what you tell all the girls you pick up at bars?" I had a sudden flashback to what I said to James about him picking up his whores at places like this but Eric's laugh brought me back to reality. I couldn't see him too clearly in the dark club but I could tell he had nice eyes, clear and intense. I was hooked.

"Only if I can tell my charm is working." His smile is nice. "Can I buy you something besides wine? It looks really lonely." I practically jumped him at that moment.

"How about we get some shots?" It was his turn to look surprised. I decided to bring the ball to my court now. I wouldn't let him win so easily.

"Shots? You sure you can handle that?" I laughed.

"I'm more worried about you being able to handle them considering the look on your face. Kamikazes or tequila?" I almost fell out of my stool laughing by the way his mouth dropped open. I'm glad I know what I'm talking about or this would have been awkward.

"Uuhh..tequila. Yeah. Let's see how many you can handle."

5 shots in and I am done. We're dancing now and I am feeling good. I love dancing in the middle of the dance floor with everyone else pushed up against you but not really touching you. The music is a lot louder here, too, somehow. I don't know. All I can tell is that I am backed up against this guy, not really moving. We're just swaying, leaning on each other, hands everywhere. My eyes are barely open and I'm just feeling. Good. He whispered something in my ear but I'm so wasted and can't hear anything over the music that I just nod. I feel him grab my hand and lead me somewhere much quieter. It's definitely cooler out here and after that stuffy dance floor, I thank him by smiling up at him. His lips are on mine now and his hands are everywhere. Obviously I respond because I'm in that mood now. James can suck it.

Woah. Where did that come from? Why am I even thinking about James right now? Now I'm confused. But Eric feels so good against me that I'm distracted again. I'm backed up against a wall now I can tell. I really don't want this going any further than where his hand is now. I keep thinking about James and the look on his face if he finds out that I turned into a "back-alley girl". Shit. I push Eric off me a little.

"Maybe we should stop."

"Hmmm..but I know you're feeling so good. Why stop the fun now?" He had a point.

"I don't wanna do this here.. especially here." Alright.. not the most effective way to get him to back off but I can't think straight right now.

"Listen, I have my own place a few blocks from here. We could finish this up there."

"…" Say something! He definitely took my lack of response as a "yes" because now I'm being dragged along the back streets of the club to his "own place". Shit. Fuck. And crap. I glance at my phone and realize it's 3 in the morning. I was supposed to be home an hour ago. James is going to flip a shit. Ohmygod why won't he stay out of my head! This is stressing me out. I stop Eric in the middle of the street as we're crossing and tell him I really have to go.

"My brother's been texting me for the past two hours. I really need to get home."

"Do you want me to walk you? You don't look solid enough to stand by yourself, let alone walk." What a sweetheart.

"I'm fine. I really should go, though. I'll text you when I get home, how about that?"

"That sounds great. If you find a cab, get in it. Otherwise walk as fast as you can and avoid creeps."

"Yes, dad." I laughed. I am so not ready to go home by myself. Luckily, I realize that with all the walking we've done trying to get to Eric's place, I'm not too far from the PalmWoods. Just two more blocks. This is going to take forever. He put his number in my phone and now I'm off.

I hear footsteps behind me. Or next to me. I can't tell and I definitely don't want to look around. I never realized how creepy it would be walking around at 3 in the morning; completely isolated and dark, a horror movie in the making. I'm trying to think about happy things (my paycheck, my new shoes, James..) but the footsteps just won't let up.

"Hey.. hey sunshine."

Keep walking. Keep walking. Keep walking.

"It's pretty late.. what are you doing out here? All alone and dressed up like that."

Why is this walk taking so long? Am I going in the right direction.. I look up and see the PalmWoods sign glaring down at me but it definitely looks further than what I thought it was. Shit, fuck and crap again.

"Why don't I walk you home, huh? It could be dangerous out here."

Yeah, you're telling me.. creep.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

His hands are on me faster than I can kick him in the balls and run home. And now I'm backed up in another alleyway. What the fuck.

"It's rude not to talk to people when they're clearly addressing you. I need to teach you some manners."

Now I'm scared. This guy is definitely not playing games considering he just took out a KNIFE from his pocket. Is this his part time job or something? Wait for some lonely person to walk down the street at night before mugging them? He doesn't look like a robber, though. He looks kind of young. I can't make out the face but I can see that his hair is long and shaggy. If I wasn't ready to pee my pants, I'd say he smelled pretty good, too; clean but dirty.. like a man. I don't know what he's planning to do to me but all of a sudden his mouth is on mine and I am screaming into him like there's no tomorrow. He presses his hand into my side to shut me up and the sheer pain from his fingers pushing up my ribs leaves me gasping and ready to cry. He's looking at my face now, searching for something. I don't know what but I take this as my chance to get away. Running in 4 inch heels isn't the best idea and I don't get far before he grabs me and slams my face into the wall.

"Manners. I almost forgot." Since my dress is strapless he easily slides my hair to my left side and kisses my right shoulder. I feel the cold metal of the knife against my skin and I gasp. At this point I am so scared that even though I'm trying to scream, no sound is coming out. I realize I'm crying, too. The knife pierces my skin like a hot rod of fire and I'm sobbing uncontrollably. He holds me still, apparently trying to carve a design into my right shoulder. I scream but it seems no one can hear me because he chose a really nice spot to get his psycho carving on. I just want to run home and cuddle up with James at this point. Where is he? He should be saving me right now..

"James.."

"There. All done, princess. I don't know who this James kid is but I'm pretty sure you won't remember much after all those shots you took to tell him anything."

I felt him kiss the design he just carved into me and then walk off into wherever it is creeps go once they're done with their business. I feel myself crouching to the ground, my head resting on the brick wall in front of me taking short, rattled breaths trying to steady myself.

The PalmWoods lobby is way too bright for me at 3:30 in the morning. I sneak my way up to the apartment even though I know no one in their right mind is up at this hour. I open the door quietly, hoping that no one is still up waiting for me. But of course, there he is. Sitting on the couch, phone clutched tightly in his hand, staring at the door I just walked through.

James.

"James.."

I can tell he's winding up to lecture me about what time it is but he stops himself short by my appearance probably. Tear-stained face, fear in my eyes.. I probably look a mess. I stop him before he can say anything. He looks confused and slightly worried but I ignore it and walk towards my room making sure my hair is covering my right shoulder as much as possible. Once I reach my door, I stop and whisper into the semi-darkness, aware of the fact that he's watching my every move.

"You were right. I was in way over my head. I'm sorry.."

I feel the tears coming so I quickly walk into my room and close the door behind me, settling on the floor beside my bed, dress and heels still on, crying to myself and trying not to think about the blood sticking to my hair right now.