Vince's POV

I pried her lips off me and wiped her coconut flavored gloss off my lips. She looked at me with a smug look on her face. I blew up at her.

"What. The. Fuck. Was. THAT? I tell you I don't want you then you KISS ME!" The crowd gasped and she paled considerably.

"But I-I-"she stammers. "We're freaking MEANT TO BE! Don't you get that?" she screeches.

"I'm sorry that you think that we're supposed to be this HS fairy tale but the thing is: I DON'T WANT YOU! And I never will. Now, excuse me while I find the girl I was supposed to be here with!" I say.

Ashley turns to me with a look of pure satanic quality. "Oh you mean your smart little whore? She doesn't want you, just looking for the popular boy to skyrocket her to our level. She's probably fucking somebody else right now."

"Listen to me. I don't care about what you have to say about her. You're just jealous I want her and not you. Even if she didn't love me the way I love her, YES I SAID LOVE HER, I'd never go to you."

I turn away from Ashley A and run to my friends. I ask hurriedly "Where's Gretchen?"

Spin looks at me with shock and then a huge grin lights her face. "You LOVE GRETCHEN? YES! But she's not here...she never came to the dance."

I sigh. "Yes I do and I need to tell her that before I fuck up any more than I already have! And she did come. She was sitting at a table by herself during the crowning."

Teej stands up and says "Then we'll look for her. Girls, look in the bathrooms and locker rooms. Gus and Mikey, look in her comfort zones: library, science lab, computer room. Me and Vince will look outside." All our friends nodded in agreement and rushed off to search.

I ran outside to the parking lot, hoping to find Gretchen, knowing that it was time to get my head out of my ass and tell her how I felt.

Gretchen's POV

I was lying in the back of Lawson's car, disoriented and in pain. I tasted blood in my mouth. Lawson was on top of me, pawing at my dress and trying to rip it off my body.

He whispers in my ear. "Yeah, you're mine now bitch. I'll be the only one to get this, slut. You thought you were better than me? I get whatever I want, whenever I want it."

Tears are running down my face because this deranged lunatic was about to take away something so precious from me. I started to scream. "HELP! HELP! Somebody help me!"

Lawson just looked at me and laughed. "Pathetic! You think someone's gonna save you. Keep screaming bitch because soon you'll be screaming my fucking name." He brings his knee between my legs forcing them apart and rips the delicate fabric of my panties off my body.

"Damn, girl I never knew you had an ass like this. I can't wait to have a piece." He whispers to me.

I started to beg. "Please don't this. Please!" I hear the unmistakable sound of a zipper being dragged down and knew this was it.

Suddenly, the weight of Lawson's body on mine was ripped away. I felt my acute stress response start to kick in, ready to flee at this opportunity. I looked out of the car and saw Vince holding Lawson by the neck, fist pummeling into his face. T.J. ran up to him and whispered in his ear. Vince nodded and gave one last look to Lawson. "You disgusting piece of shit! Trying to rape MY GIRL! I SHOULD KILL YOU!" T.J grabs a barely conscious Lawson by the collar and has his cell pressed to his ear, talking to 911.

I'm crying profusely now and my body is shaking from the attack. Vince carefully takes me from the car and holds me in his arms. He strokes my hair gently and kisses the top of my head. "Shh, don't cry, baby. You're safe now. I got you, baby. I'll never let anything happen to you."

I hear sirens approaching the school parking lot and see students pouring out of the gym to see what the commotion was about. All I was focused on was how safe I felt in Vince's arms.

I saw my friends rush towards me. "Gretch, are you ok? When I didn't see you at the dance, we were worried. Why didn't you come to us? And what just happened?" Spin says worriedly.

I try and take a breath. "L-L-Laws-s-on t-tried to...H-he t-tried to f-force me" I broke down in tears and began hyperventilating.

Vince held me tighter and stroked my cheek that was beginning to swell. He murmurs into my ear. "It's okay, baby. Breathe with me. C'mon breathe with me."

The police stop in front of us along with several school officials. An officer asks "What happened here?"

Vince looks up and answers "I was looking in the parking lot for Gretchen. Then I heard someone screaming for help. It sounded like her so I ran towards the sound. Then I saw that piece of shit Lawson on top of her with his pants unzipped and I saw her, bleeding and crying. So I threw him off of her and we started fighting but I got him down."

The gang gasps. Spin runs over to Lawson and slaps him across the face. "You fucking piece of shit! I'm gonna KILL HIM!" Lawson groaned in pain. Theresa looked sick to her stomach and Gus and Mikey were livid. Spin was ready to attack again but Gus pulled her away from him.

A female officer approached me and asked "Are you okay, sweetie? Are you in any pain?"

I nodded and she told Vince to direct me towards the ambulance. Not once did Vince let me out of his arms. When I got to the ambulance, he placed me on the stretcher and let go of me. I felt empty at the loss of contact.

The paramedic smiled with compassion and said "Don't worry; your boyfriend will be back soon. Where were you hurt?"

"He backhanded me across the face, slammed my head into the brick wall of the building and punched me forcefully in the stomach. He didn't get a chance to do the damage he intended." I said emptily.

The paramedic looks at me sadly and says "We're going to take you to the hospital for a bit to get you patched up. Who do you want to come with you?"

Each of my friends exclaims "ME!" in unison. I'm such an idiot. I thought my friends didn't need me or care about me. But they were worried and want to be there for me. I deserve them and they deserve me.

The paramedic laughs and says "You have some pretty amazing friends but only one can come in the ambulance with you."

They all look to one another until Vince steps forward and says "You all know it's going to be me. Meet us at the hospital guys."

I look at him, confused. "But what about your date?"

"Do I look like I care about my date? That was over before it began. I was looking for you. You're my best friend, babe. MY GIRL. She's not important and never will be." He says with fervor.

I smile for the first time that night. Vince makes me feel safe and makes me forget what almost happened tonight. He's my knight in shining armor, always ready to defend me and have my back. I'm secured into the back of the ambulance and Vince climbs in after me. I see him smiling down at me and hold my hand securely in his before I'm dragged into the darkness.