Hello everyone :) I hope you've all been well and had a good start to the summer. I'm sorry that I don't update as often as some people but that should change soon. I have finished school for the year so I have tons of time to write :D I'll try to put a new piece up every two weeks or so (might not be a chapter in this but something else). This chapter took a while to get started but I wrote most of it in one sitting. Sorry if there are lots of mistakes... I really hope there aren't. Anyways, enjoy and please review it :)

Chapter 10

Caine stayed with her for an hour. He stayed by her side, holding her hand, and sweeping his fingers through her hair. She had fallen asleep and her breathing went all the way down into her gut. She was so beautiful when she slept; More than she was when she was awake, Caine thought to himself. Her eyes would flutter once in a while and her chin would lift up, then settle. Her face was so unnaturally free of judgment and bitterness she looked like a different person. There were small black smudges under her eyes, but most of her make-up had been wiped away. A tea-tree oil face wipe had done the job and was now rumpled on her bedside table.

Caine had carried her out of the crowded party room and up to the third floor where Diana's room was located. The entire way up Diana had cried. Not sobs, but it wasn't the occasional tear either. Diana had the composure of a broken doll. When they had gotten back to her dorm, Caine had sat her on the bed and rummaged though the bathroom until he had found something that could wipe off the black lines that had been traced down her cheeks. He had found the wipes and gone over to Diana to clean her face. She was in exactly the same position as he had left her. Tears still falling, arms at her sides, staring at the door. Caine knelt down and wrapped the wipe around his pointer finger and stared to dab her cheeks. It took him a second to realize that he actually had to rub to get the make-up off. He adjusted the wipe into a small ball and clumsily started to sweep it across her cheekbone. Diana closed her eyes and let him gently drag the wet wipe down her eyelid to remove her eyeliner. It took him three and a half minutes to remove all the make-up he could with his minimal amount of practice.

"Caine?" Her voice cracked the silence and made Caine jump a little. He was worried that he had hurt her or brushed against and inappropriate spot or something along those lines.

"Yes Diana," he said looking her in the eyes.

"Hold me."

He was quiet for a second, not wanting to sound too desperate. Or too happy. "Okay." Caine answered and stood up. He tried not to be awkward but he couldn't help it. She was sitting on her bed and he didn't know if she wanted him to just sit with his arm around her or if her wanted to stand up and hug him there or lie down with him. So he had to ask. "Diana... How?"

She should have laughed. Diana would've laughed at how pathetic he had sounded. At how utterly inexperienced he was with this sort of thing. But she didn't. She stared forward for a second then looked up at him. A miniscule smile played on her lips. An echo of Diana. She turned to her left and looked at the mattress. "Sit here." He did. "Lift me onto your lap so my legs hang off of your legs." He did. ""Put your arms around my waist." He did. "Rest me head on your chest." He did. "Stroke my hair." He did. "Don't tell me you love me."

'"Diana..."

"Don't. Don't ever. Don't do that to me."

"I won't."

"Ever?"

He hesitated. He didn't want to lie. He never wanted to lie to her. Because he loved her. He did. With absolutely everything. "Never."

Diana pressed her face into his white shirt and sobbed.

Now she was asleep and he was still with her and apparently he hadn't gotten all of her make-up off because there was a large black stain on his shirt where Diana's face had been. And suddenly he couldn't handle it. He had to.

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."

"Why do you always tighten up when you see Dylan Jonie?" Caine asked Diana in the hallway. It was two weeks after the assault and Diana hadn't told anybody.

"I don't."

"Yes. Yes you do," said Caine.

"Stop pushing it," Diana said through gritted teeth.

"I'm not pushing it!" Caine said loudly. "Pushing what? You always act so freaking mysterious and guarded. I have no idea what you're taking about most of the time!"

Diana stopped dead in the hallway as Caine took two more steps before turning back to face her. "I said stop it." Her face was red and her voice had turned into a rumble. People walked around them, like a current, not paying any attention to the two kids.

"Stop what?" Caine knew he was pushing something. Something she kept hidden for a reason but he was so tired of all of her bullshit. Her hidden problems that were so internalized and deep that she couldn't possibly let another human being in to try and help her out.

"Hey Di. I thought that was you. Who's your friend?" A hand had slithered onto Diana's hip and it's middle finger was drawing little circles.

From where he was standing, Caine could see that Diana had stopped moving. Blinking, breathing, everything. It was like she thought that if she stayed still enough he would just go away. From the way he was grasping her hip, Caine doubted that was true.

Dylan had sneaked up behind her after seeing her eyes dart away from him in the hallway. Now he was pressed up against her side and forcing her to lean up against him.

"Caine Soren." Dylan walked forward, dragging Diana with him, as she tripped over her feet. He stretched out him hand to shake Caine's and he obliged. Caine plastered on a smile and made small talk because he had the idea that if you asked people stupid, meaningless questions, that they would go away. "So, how do you know Diana?"

"Oh, we go way back," he tugged on her hip again, jolting her. "Don't we Di?" Diana didn't move. She was looking forward, past Caine. At something behind him. Caine glanced back. About seven meters behind him was a door leading outside. She was looking at the closest way out.

"My, someone isn't feeling very talkative today, are we?" Another tug. Harder this time. More violent than playful. "Aren't we."

His stern tone seemed to pull Diana out of her trance, or whatever it was. She blinked and looked up at him with an almost scared look. "Oh, sorry." She faked a smile. It was convincing enough, but it stopped at her eyes. They were still trembling. She looked back down. "I guess I'm just not feel that great."

"It's fine 'Di'," Caine said walking forward and reaching his hand out. "You wanna keep walking?"

Diana looked up at him and the smile was gone. Caine saw for just a second how broken she looked. Her pupils were huge and her lip was trembling ever so slightly. There was a flood of relief on her face as she started to move forward to him, but an arm stopped her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going? I want to have a little chat. You know, a little catch up session. Di and I haven't had one in, what's it now, a few weeks?" He waited a second then brought his head closer to her's. He whispered just quietly enough that he thought Caine couldn't hear. "I asked you a question."

Caine did hear.

Diana closed her eyes and said quietly, "Two weeks, Dylan. It's been two weeks since we last... chatted."

Dylan retreated and smiled a sickly sweet grin that reminded Caine of cough syrup. Sticky and sweet and fake. "That's what I thought. Comon' Di, let's finish that walk together."

Caine tried to interject but the two had already turned around. He could see Diana trying to get her own footing and turn herself back to face Caine. She wanted to get away. Dylan's arm moved from her hip to her waist and clamped on it hard with his hand. It was clear that he didn't intend for her to go anywhere. Diana spun her neck back and looked at Caine. Her mouth was slightly open and he eyes had a layer of water in them, not quite spill over yet.

Caine stood frozen, watching this scene play out in front of him but not being able to do anything. Another tug made Diana's head whip around.

Diana hadn't wanted to cause a scene in the hallway so once they had left Caine behind and walked into the fresh air Diana started to run. She got only three steps before Dylan had somehow brought a foot in front of hers and made her fall out onto the path. Hands first into the gravel. "Did you really think that I'd let you get away? How do you think that this is all different than the first time?" She had started to crawl away, pulling herself along with her hands. A heavy foot pushed onto her back and held her on the ground. Diana's hands still reached out in front of her. She dug her nails into the ground and used all of her strength to inch forward. Her meager attempts just made Dylan laugh.

He lifted his foot up for a second and Diana scrambled to get footing but as simply just not fast enough. His hands grabbed her arms, just below her shoulders, and pressed them harshly into her core. Diana had never been weak, but the fear had drained any muscle out of her and she couldn't move an inch. Dylan picked her up, facing away from him, completely off the ground. Her toes just toughed the gravel if she hyper extended her legs as far as they could go. Her legs started flailing and kicking in every direction hoping that she would made contact but they didn't.

Diana hadn't noticed the wall in front of her, coming closer at a rapid speed. She noticed it when her face was slammed into it. Dylan had walked her into a wall then let her go so she fell to her feet but he grabbed her before she could crumble further. He pressed up against her painfully and made her dig further into the wall. "Did you miss me?" he whispered right into her ear. It was when she heard his voice so close her that she remembered that she had a voice as well. Just as she opened her mouth to scream, his hand reached around her face and muted the sound.

He began to push her into the wall harder with his hips and the hand that was not on her mouth made it's way up to her breast. He painfully grabbed her and Diana started fighting back again. Harder, with more strength. He removed both hands for a second and spun her around to face him. He cut off her scream again by crashing his lips on hers. Diana struggled against him but he took it as an invitation to push harder.

Somewhere, in the midst of this, Diana's mind cleared and she was able to think. She waited until his lower lip was completely in her mouth, then closed her teeth on it. Hard. She felt him screech and then she felt her teeth touching again.

Dylan pushed off of her and backhanded her face. Full wind up and everything. At the contact Diana's mouth opened and The blood from his lower lip sprayed everywhere. Down her face, on the ground, some on Dylan's clothes. Diana's knees buckled and she fell into a crouched position. Her mind was going at one hundred miles thinking of her next move. All compassion was gone and her only train of thought was how much pain she could cause this one person.

Dylan was still standing and his hand was over his lips. Through his fingers, lines of red liquid dripped down to the gravel. "Bitch," she heard him say. Of course it was muted by the blood in his mouth.

Diana reached both arms out in a flash and linked her fingers behind one of Dylan's legs. With everything she had, she pulled.

His leg came flying forward and the rest of him followed. He landed painfully and his head smacked the ground after with a gut wrenching sound. Diana was on her feet in a second and began toe punting his sides. With every kick, Dylan's body convulsed until her rolled onto his side. He brought his legs up to his stomach and his arms cradled his head. Somehow her foot managed to still attack his gut.

"Diana, STOP!"

Diana turned and saw Caine in the door way staring. She looked down at the mess of a boy at her feet. And she wasn't sorry at all.

"Diana," Cain repeated and walked over to her. He lay his hand on her shoulder as if he was trying to calm a vicious animal.

"Dylan?" She kicked him once more. "You ever come near me again, and I will fuck you up. Don't test me." Diana wiped her thumb against her chin, removing Dylan's blood from her face. She looked back at Caine, then started walking. Caine waited for a second then followed. As he walked quickly to catch up he saw Diana spit on the grass.

"Diana?"

"I think I'm going to throw up," Diana said and wandered off the path. Caine followed a few paces behind her, honestly, because he was afraid of her. When she knelt down onto her knees, then fell to all fours, Caine caught up to her.

Diana's hair had fallen loosely down in front of her face and in the movies, the hero always held the sick persons hair back. Caine knew full well that he was not the hero right now, Diana was. He had let Dylan walk away with her and Diana had saved herself. But he could still try and help. He brought his hands around her neck and pulled back her soft, brown locks.

Seeing someone be sick is not a fun experience.

"I'm done," whispered Diana. She wiped her mouth wit the back of her hand and tried to stand up. Caine had to hook his arms under hers and hoist her up. It wasn't very hard because she wasn't very heavy.

They walked back to her room together in silence; his hand around her waist for support and her arm slung over his shoulders. When they arrived at her door Caine asked the question that had been nagging him for the walk. "What did he do Diana? What the hell did he do?"

Diana's hand stopped on the door knob. She took a deep breath. She hadn't planned on ever telling anybody but now Caine knew that there was something and he would keep bugging her if she didn't give him something. She breathed again. "Diana, I just want to help..."

"I know," Diana whispered and opened the door. Diana took a step inside then turned to look at him. "And I really wish you could."

The door shut in his face and through the wood he could hear her crying.

"I love you, I love you, I love you."

There was a knock on the door that scared Caine. He jumped a foot. Diana stirred but did not wake up. Caine stood up and walked over to the door, opening it a crack to see Drake standing.

"She's asleep." Drake tried to look past him but Caine made himself bigger so Drake had no chance of getting even a glimpse of Diana. Drake smirked.

"Fine, whatever."

"What are you here for Drake?"

Drake smiled again. Not a smirk. His shark grin. The one that had a way of making everything seem darker around him. "We're ready."

P.S.- I will be entering the EvilOk contest so look forward to that :) It;s my first writing contest and I really want to do well so I would love it if some of you would support me :)Have a great day