Description: When things get too much, Jessica knows who she can turn to.

Note: This is sort of, in a way, connected to Argument.

Jessica sighed. She and her parents had had another blazing row. They told her that she kept the wrong sort of company. That wasn't what was truly bothering her though; they had insisted that she marry Nate Roberts as soon as she was old enough. For some reason, they were under the impression that she was madly in love with him, after agreeing to go on a date with him. Then again, they didn't know...

Ever since her first date with Nate, Jessica had been secretly dating her best friend, Toby. They had to keep their feelings hidden because Jessica's parents didn't approve of him. She wasn't sure how they thought Nate could compare to Toby; he was arrogant, hot-tempered and spoilt. Still, she had to keep them happy.

She walked out the house, having received a text from Toby, asking her to help with the chemistry homework due the next day. She was slightly annoyed that he had left it until the last minute, but she was also relieved to get out of the house. She knew her parents meant well, but it felt like they didn't know her at all.

In no time, she reached the Tripp's house. Toby answered the door, an expression of panic on his face. Jessica would have found it comical, had she not been so worried about her future. He looked almost as relieved to see her as she was to see him.

"I'm actually glad you invited me over," she began, looking at the wall behind him. "If I had to hear my parents talking about how great Nate is again, I think I'd have gone insane!"

He grinned at her. "No doubt they'd think you were insane if they knew you were dating me," he pointed out. Her expression grew serious at those words. "Hey, come on," he said gently. "We don't have to think about that now. Besides we've got homework to do!"

She gave him a small smile as he handed her his textbook. Toby always seemed to know how to cheer her up. She didn't have to act around him at all; she was free to be herself, the way she could never be around Nate.

As she looked at the homework, her mind was filled with thoughts of being married to Nate. She could barely hear herself telling Toby how to answer the question. In fact, it wasn't until she heard his voice, filled with concern, calling her name, that she snapped back into reality.

"Jess-Jess, are you okay?"

She looked up at him, surprised. "Y-Yeah. Why?" He gave her an odd look, before leaning over and brushing his thumb over her cheek.

"You're crying," he informed her. She looked at him, stunned, before completely breaking down, unable to keep up the front. "What is it? Has Nate done something to you? I swear, if he's hurt you, I'll-"

"It's nothing to do with Nate," Jessica began to explain. "Well, it is, I suppose." She told him everything, about how her parents thought she and Nate were a match made in heaven and, as a result, had ordered that she marry him as soon as possible. "What am I going to do?" She burst out, sobbing desperately. "I can't marry Nate! I don't love him-I don't even like him!"

Toby pulled her into his arms. "If I could marry you right now, I would," he said, looking directly in her eyes. She gasped, realising he was serious. "Don't your parents even care what you think? Have they even asked you how you feel about all this?" She shook her head. "Oh, Jessica," he sighed, holding her to him as she sobbed. He didn't have a clue what to do. Unless...

"Your parents-they're at work, right?" He asked, and she nodded slowly, clearly not understanding where he was going with whatever plan he had. "Good. Now come on!" He raced out of the door before she could ask him what he was planning.

"What exactly are you-" she panted as she caught up to him, running towards her house. "Why are we here?" He pressed his finger against her lips, silencing her.

"I'm taking you home with me. You're moving in." As she started to protest, he continued, "Look, I don't care what everyone will say. All I care about is your happiness and safety. As long as I know you're safe, I don't care what happens to me. Around him, I don't know if you will be safe; people like him get violent when they don't get what they want. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life living in the past, thinking of what might have been. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life with someone who doesn't care about you, or love you. Not the way I do." Throughout the entirety of the speech, he had sounded genuine and almost...vulnerable.

She nodded; he was right. She couldn't stay with her parents when they were forcing her into a marriage she neither wanted or asked for. She loved them, but she couldn't stay. She had to go her own way, break away while she was still free. Together they packed as much of her things as they could possibly carry between them. It was lucky her parents always worked long hours because it would take an insanely huge amount of time and effort to get all the stuff back to Toby's house.

Later that day (at night)

Jessica laid on Toby's bed, his arms wrapped around her protectively. His parents, understandably enough, were surprised when they returned with, what appeared to be, all of Jessica's things. They were shocked when they learnt the reason behind it and told Jessica she was welcome to stay with them. At first, they had strongly protested against Jessica sleeping in Toby's room, but they eventually relented upon realising that Jessica couldn't sleep unless Toby was there.

"Thank you," Jessica yawned sleepily. Toby smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Anything for you."

She blushed slightly, ducking her head, a shy smile on her lips. "You know what you are, Toby?"

"Extremely handsome, absolutely incredible and the only person you'll ever love?" He guessed, a grin on his face, as he ran his fingers through her silky-soft hair, inhaling the scent of strawberry and rose flavoured shampoo.

"Well, yeah, I suppose," she said, pretending to deliberate the issue. "But what you are is my escape. I don't have to pretend around you." He cut her off by kissing her sweetly, proving her point.

"And that's why I love you."