Reviews:

TyrannosaurousRoss - I know we already discussed this in pm, but I just wanted to thank you again for supporting this story. Hope you continue to enjoy reading this! :)

Amanda - Which part of it did you think was cute? If you're talking about the thing with Tim, I wasn't going for cute, but I'm glad you liked it all the same.

AN - I'm just gonna go ahead and warn you that there is prescription drug abuse and implied sex in this chapter. Nothing too graphic, but I thought I needed to mention it just in case. Anyway, please enjoy reading and leave me a review if you'd like to. I love hearing your opinions. Thanks!

Mr. Ellis cut off his lecture abruptly, turning to stare at me once he heard my soft voice. He frowned then strode forward into the rows of desks. I couldn't see him after a few steps because of the doorframe, but I heard an obnoxious tapping sound followed by the teacher's voice.

"Wake up, Mr. Mathews," he said as the tapping became the hard smack of wood against wood. I guessed it was a ruler that he was hitting the desk with, though I didn't have the courage to step into the room to confirm my suspicions. "Your sister has asked to see you in the hallway. Come on, get up."

My brother groaned and I worried that he wouldn't come out. Maybe he was mad at me. Maybe he never wanted to talk to me again. He knew I'd betrayed his trust, that I'd done things our dad would've killed me for. I wondered if Two-Bit would protect me again. Or, since it was his anger this time, would he be the one to harm me? But I shook my head before I could finish the thought. My brother loved me. He'd never...

I took a deep breath, shuffled back from the doorway. His footsteps pounded against the floor, sounding increasingly urgent as he got closer to where I stood. He paused just outside of the classroom and stared at me for too long before he shut the door.

When he turned to face me, I could see dark shadows beneath his eyes. Almost bruise-like. I silently hoped he'd just been punched. But I couldn't deny the truth we both knew. How he'd stayed awake all night, waiting for me to come home. How he'd paced the living room and called every person I'd ever talked to, begging to know if they'd seen me. I'm surprised Mom hadn't contacted the police. Maybe he'd kept my absence a secret from her. That must've been what happened. Otherwise... I shook my head unconsciously, willing the thought away.

Couldn't bear to look at him, his tired and disappointed eyes. My gaze fell to the floor, intently studying each little detail of it. Then I noticed my shins, black and blue with bruises, and I remembered why I'd needed to talk to him. That girl... Her threats... I looked up, opened my mouth to speak with all the strength I had. But he interrupted me.

"Where were you?" His voice was low, an element of danger in it. Kinda scared me cause I'd never heard him talk like that before. For the first time, he had absolute authority over me. How could I lie when he was like this? Intimidating, angry, in control.

"I-I... Two-Bit, please don't be mad... I went to Buck's," I admitted, my face blushing from the shame. Briefly, I entertained the idea that I could leave out the part about going home with Tim, but I knew I couldn't pull it off.

My brother crossed his arms, a single eyebrow raised.

"Then... Well, I saw Shepard there and he...he took me back to his place..." I felt those heated tears rolling down my cheeks and I hated them. Nothing went wrong last night, I'd just slept over there. I didn't have to be so ashamed. Two-Bit didn't have the right to make me feel bad. I stood up a little taller and met his eyes defiantly. "We didn't do nothin' so you just keep your nose outta my business. Got it?"

"No, I don't got it," he said, trying to keep his voice level. "I told you to leave guys like that alone. Cause he's gonna hurt ya and then I'm gonna have to use my switch for somethin' other than showin' off."

"Tim ain't all bad," I replied as the embarrassed flush turned to one of anger. "Least he listens to what I gotta say. That's more than you! Everythin's a joke whenever I try. But he was a real gentleman and he didn't make fun or nothin'. He made me feel better."

When I noticed Two-Bit's expression, I put an end to my rant. It wasn't fair to him. Not his fault he couldn't listen cause I never talked to him about this kind of thing. I doubt he even knew I felt that way. Seeing his saddened features, I wanted to apologize, but there was nothing coming out of my mouth. And I couldn't take back what I'd already said.

Took a deep breath so I didn't feel so bad, continued in a softer tone. "I was gonna talk. I was gonna open up to ya. But I'll go to Pony instead from now on. Guess I'll be less of a burden that way." I took off running down the hall.

Don't know if he bothered following me. I heard his voice calling out, but I couldn't bring myself to turn and catch a glimpse of him chasing. No pounding footsteps, though. Asshole wasn't even trying to help... Well, I didn't need him anyway. I had Pony. Except he was in class. And Mr. Jones didn't tolerate interruptions. Ever. The last kid to distract his students went missing - seriously, he just vanished. That's what people said. Not sure if I believed them, but I'd rather be cautious than dead.

So I honestly had no clue where I was going. I walked right out the front door of the school, no intention of going back to my place. Mom would've been pissed if she knew I was ditching my classes for the rest of the day. Sure, I'd have to go home eventually, but I wanted to enjoy those final moments of freedom before I was grounded for the rest of my life.

In the end, I wound up standing on the front steps of a vaguely familiar house. I didn't recognize it right away, which was dumb on my part cause I never would've knocked if I'd remembered this place. Too late, though. There was movement on the inside, drawing deliberately closer to the door. I froze in place, sensing the creaking floorboards more than I heard them.

He opened the door, looked down at me, frowning deeply. I tried to remain in control of my emotions as I was beginning to realize what a mistake I'd made. My hands wormed their way into my pockets, my back bowed slightly. But I met his eyes without glancing away for the minute that it took for him to think of a clever enough greeting.

"What're ya doin' back here?" he demanded, looking as if he might slam the door in my face. "Thought I told ya I don't wanna see you no more."

"Didn't know where else to go," I mumbled. "Two-Bit's real mad... Doubt he wanna talk to me right now." Then a thought crossed my mind. I'd been trying to explain to my brother that I was in danger from the Girl, but he wouldn't hear me out. Tim would, though, right? He'd listened last night...

He wasn't saying anything. And that's when I got uncomfortable. I noticed that I'd been looking beyond him, over his shoulder. When I tried to meet his eyes again, I found his attention had strayed downward. I followed his gaze to my shins, to the dark purple bruises I'd gotten from the benches that had flung themselves at me as I'd run by.

"Who kicked you?"

Before I could say a word in response, Tim grabbed my wrist and yanked me inside. The contact hurt. He was too strong for my delicate bones - I almost cried out. But I bit back the pain, trying to focus on what was happening. His hands moved to my shoulders and pushed me backward. I fell onto the couch, lay in a daze for a moment.

I tried to stand, but he forced me back down again. My tongue stumbled over some garbled words, an attempt to figure out this whole situation. He didn't understand, though. How could I have expected him to when the mutterings didn't even make sense to me? The feeling was strange, a sense of being both unfocused and light-headed. I wondered if seeing Tim again was the cause of it.

Somehow, I pulled myself together enough to realize that he was talking to me. He shoved a pill bottle into my hand, telling me to take a couple. I refused at first, but he insisted. They'd take all the pain away, physical and emotional. He promised. Still, I was hesitant. Then I felt the burning in my shins. Adrenaline must've kept it at bay while I was running. Now that I was calming down, the pain hit me full force. I took three pills in rapid succession.

He gave me a slight smirk then downed a couple tablets himself. Quickly, he returned the bottle to his medicine cabinet. In a moment, he'd rejoined me on the couch. We talked for a while, curled up together with a light blanket draped over our bodies. I started telling him about the Girl, explaining where my bruises had come from and why I was so jumpy lately. He just laughed, told me I was acting real weird.

Not too long after taking the pills, the pain in my legs disappeared. But I also felt strange. Strange, yet good. Oh... Really good... Holy shit. There was this heat all around me, burning, searing. I was lost in a desert. I bathed in the golden oasis waters. I turned to Tim, hoping to see that he was feeling the same way. His eyes were a bit blurry, but he looked relatively okay, unaffected.

That thought didn't bother me for long, though. Cause the two of us were so close together and that made the heat I was feeling more intense. I was caught between wanting to cool off and needing the temperature to keep rising. It made me remember what I'd wanted to do this morning. Seduce him. Give him my body to use as he pleased. I felt much more determined to do that now than I did eight hours ago.

"Tim." My voice was a breathy whisper against his ear. I pressed my body into his shoulder a little harder as I spoke, silently begging for him to respond physically. "Show me your room."

He leaned away from me, glaring in my general direction. But I refused to be put off. My fingers caressed his cheek, pushed on his chin so that he faced me. Something strange surfaced in his eyes as his stone grey gaze met mine. Guilt. I was surprised I recognized it so quickly, considering my mind set at the time. Despite a moment of clarity, I was still left to wonder why he would be feeling like that.

Didn't really care, though. I just wanted him so badly, wanted to be loved - touched - by him. Even calloused hands could be gentle, sensuous, soft. Some girl in my English class had said that once. Whether she was right or not... Well, I didn't mind either way. As long as his hands were on me.

The desire burned in my stomach, a small pinprick of firelight rather than an inferno, but I imagined that it would work itself up to that point. I wondered what such an intense need would feel like. Keeping that thought in the back of my mind, I continued on with Tim.

I pressed a tender kiss onto the corner of his mouth. He made no response, just sat there and stared. Annoyance buzzed in my head or, actually, it made the preexisting buzz grow stronger, better. My light kisses trailed up his cheek and jaw stopping at his ear. Took the earlobe between my teeth and nibbled till I felt his body give up an involuntary shiver. Triumph swelled in my chest cause I knew I was getting to him.

"C'mon," I whispered as I let his earlobe out of my mouth. My hand - which had been cupping his cheek - slipped down to his thigh, rubbing the jeans fabric in small circular patterns. "Show me. Just a little peek."

For long moments, I kept up the rubbing, watching his face twist in a confusing mixture of restraint and lust. Still didn't get what made him so conflicted, but I couldn't force myself to care. My fingers glided up his leg slowly and I instantly noticed how his gaze latched onto the movement. I pulled my hand away.

Carefully, I crawled into his lap, straddling his thighs. I rested my hands on his shoulders then leaned in, kissing his neck, licking at his Adam's apple. He exhaled softly, almost in resignation, and grabbed me around my waist. I smiled against his skin. The heat between us intensified even as I scooted back towards his knees. I imagined I saw disappointment in his eyes, pretended he wanted me the same way I wanted him.

My gaze strayed down his face, chest, stomach, resting below the waistband of his jeans. A blush crept into my cheeks and I sat for altogether too long before I got up the courage to touch him. One stroke, following the same path as the zipper. A second one. Then he grabbed my wrist, prevented a third.

"You're really askin' for it, sweetheart," he said, smirking devilishly. Even in my current condition, I could taste the poison, sense the beginnings of a snake's choking embrace. "Sure this is what ya want? Cause once I start, I ain't stoppin'."

"I'm sure."

He picked me up, set my feet down on the floor, letting me lean on him. Truthfully, it was hard to stand. I was so light-headed... But I forced myself to stay optimistic. The things I knew without a doubt played repeatedly in my mind like a broken record. I was with Tim, we were both high on painkillers, we were going upstairs to have sex. The Girl was watching us from the window.

Mind hazy, I just ignored her. She was only a hallucination. I managed to glance back at her once more, though, as if I was weighing my options - what to believe. Before any real answers came to mind, Tim forcibly yanked my stumbling body into his bedroom. Slammed the door, secured the lock.

xxxxxx

I woke up around dinnertime, naked and alone in Tim's bed. The painkillers had worn off. I knew that from the soreness in my legs which flared up even before I'd begun to move. Residual pleasure ghosted along my nerves, though, so I figured the leftover euphoria would get me through the rest of my stay at Shepard's and my inevitable walk home.

Sighing, I forced myself out from under the covers, beginning a long scavenger hunt for my clothes. My crumpled up shirt lay by the door, my jeans at the foot of the bed. The bra I'd worn was on the night-table, along with an unopened condom wrapper and a framed Shepard family portrait. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't find my panties, so I simply had to pull on my jeans without them. Needless to say, I was extremely uncomfortable.

My legs screamed in protest as I walked down the staircase. They burned unbearably, but I didn't bother complaining. I knew Tim wouldn't want to hear it. Figured I had to be quiet and just slip out unnoticed. Then I'd go home and tell Two-Bit...well, I planned on telling him something - a lie to cover where I'd actually been. Didn't need him finding out about what I'd done.

I pulled on my shoes, grabbed my bag which had been left by the door. Got mostly down the driveway before his voice stopped me.

"Don't think you can just come back here and I'll fuck ya. Got it? We ain't doin' this again."

"Sure thing..." I mumbled then ran for home. I'd known I was gonna be used if I kept on acting like that. So what right did I have to complain? Tim was just taking what'd been freely offered to him. We'd had fun, but it was over. I needed to move on from this, find myself a better man to love.

I was halfway to my house when I noticed the girl standing on the sidewalk in front of me. She had this crooked little smile on her lips as she watched me approach. Her voice echoed in the stagnant air like a phantom's shadow. Barely existent, a dream.

"You're using him... Isn't fun gettin' played with, ya know... Now you must understand why I have to kill you."