Hello everyone,

First of all, sorry for the delay. It's vacation time for me and I've been enjoying the nice weather we have had this far. Have to enjoy it while I have vacation, right? Anyways, thank you all very much for your lovely reviews.

Somebody asked me to start using "I" instead of "You". I know a lot of people don't really like this style of writing but it suits me so I hope you will continue to read nonetheless. I am not going to change it. That would be weird to do now after 27 chapters. And I like writing this way so, bear with me?

This chapter is shorter but really intense.

I just couldn't write anything else after it anymore.

Enjoy.

How did this happen?

Chapter 28

You startle awake by yelling coming from downstairs. You quickly grab your spinning head and glance at your alarm clock. Great, you dozed off and slept…forty minutes. Your head is pounding like crazy as you stand up before making your way downstairs. You rub your temples, trying to relieve the tension.

It doesn't work.

You sigh and walk into the living room.

"Then who's going to do all the work around here? Who's going to wash your clothes or make your food?"

Your father huffs. "If you can call that cooking."

"Like you can do it better.I sure would like to see you try!"

"I WORK!"

"You sure that's all you do?"

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing, just that you've been on business trips and in meetings a lot lately."

"Shut up, woman. You don't know what you are talking about! I'm trying to bring money on the table!"

"No need to get so mad, Russel. Or have I hit a nerve? Is it getting warm beneath your feet, Russel?"

"Dad, NO!" You jump forward to grab his arm but he rips it loose easily.

"Stay out of this, Quinn!" he yells as he forcefully grabs your wrist and twists it to push you away. The bracelet you were wearing being ripped off in the process. You don't give up though. You don't think you actually feel the pain in this moment. You jump in front of him again and push his chest.

"Just leave." You shout in despair. "Leave us alone." Your father glances at you and backs off.

"Whatever, I'm going out."

"You are not leaving again, Russel!" You mother quickly yells, her eyes looking crazier each second. "You stay right there, mister!"

You're relieved that your father doesn't listen. "Don't bother waiting up for me." He walks away and leaves. The door rattling on it's hinges when he slams it shut.

You take a deep breath and find that it's difficult to do so. Your chest feels tightened and you feel like you are slowly choking. You glance at your now crying mother and quickly run to your room.

By the time your reach it you are slightly panicked because you can't seem to take any breathes. You run to your bathroom and pull at your shirt, trying to clear your neck. It doesn't really help all that much.

You go into your bathroom and turn on the cold water. You put your hands under it and splash water into your face. It's refreshing and slowly it gets better. You keep splashing until you are finally able to take a welcomed deep breath. You slide down to the floor until you feel like it's all better.

Never before has this happened. You sit there and just stare to your wall. You're tired, you have a headache and feel your sanity slowly slipping away. Your hand stays on the top of your shirt, clearing your neck to you don't feel like it's choking you.

Once you calm down and feel slightly better again, you go back downstairs. You pick up your fallen and now broken bracelet, glance at your now drinking mother and walk away as well.

You grab your keys, get in your car and drive straight to Rachel's house. You waste no time and run towards her door, quickly ringing the doorbell.

You can't wait to fall into her arm.

"Who is it?" Rachel's whispered voice comes from the other side of the door.

You frown 'cause of it. Why is she… Oh no. "It's me."

"Quinn?" you hear her unlocking the door. "What are you doi-…" Rachel stops talking as soon as she sees you. "Oh my god, are you okay?"

You ignore her question. "When did Jesse start bothering you again?!" you demand to know.

"He didn't...-"

"Don't lie to me, Rachel!" Her actions earlier speak otherwise. "You promised to tell me, dammit!" Why did she keep this from you?

"I was going to tell you…It started today…I saw him driving by a couple of times earlier." Rachel softly tells you. "Just relax."

"Relax? Relax?!" You yell. You don't even know what that word means anymore. "How can I relax when this creep keeps stalking you!" your fists clench together near your sides.

"Please keep your voice down." Rachel pleads, looking behind her. "My dads are downstairs."

"Tell me, Rachel. How can I relax when I know you're not safe?" You repeat. You feel the tightness in your chest rapidly returning. You try to ignore it though and try to take deeper breathes instead. "How can I relax when you're not safe? How can I relax when my parents keep fighting? How can I relax when he keeps hurting her." You gasp for words, the trouble to breathe taking over.

"Quinn, stop it!" She says, closing the door.

"Why does he keep hurting us, Rachel? Why does he keep hurting me?" You grab the top of your shirt again, hands trembling as you do so. "Why don't they ever stop fighting? I'm so tired of all of this."

Rachel rushes forwards and tries to touch you. You keep your distance though. "I'm so mad, Rachel. They make me so mad." Your hands clench around the wooden fence on her porch, gripping it tightly. "Don't come near me." You say as Rachel once again tries to close the distance. You feel so out of control, you don't know what you are capable of doing. And why is it so damn hard to breathe?

"Please, come upstairs with me."

"I can't…I… d-…don't want to hurt you." You gasp out.

"You would never hurt me, Quinn." Rachel quickly replies. "Please."

"You don't know that. I … I'm not feeling myself right now. I…"you can't finish the sentence. You…You just want to take of your shirt so you can breathe again, you feel like it's strangling you.

Rachel closes the gap and puts her hands over your clenched ones. "Let go, hun. You're going to hurt your hands." She says, prying them loose.

"D-…don't…" you weakly say.

"You came to me for a reason, hunni." Rachel tells you. You finally are able to look and focus on her face.

"They fought…and…I…I can't breathe, Rachel."

Rachel doesn't waste another moment and pulls you inside, quickly leading you into her room, without another word. She closes her door and locks it. "Try to relax, honey. Try to breathe." Rachel soothingly tells you.

It doesn't work.

Nothing works.

You can't complete the simple task of breathing.

"I can't…, t…this shirt is suffocating me." You're sure you are about to rip it from trying to clear it from your neck.

"Hold on." Rachel says, quickly running to her window, closing the drapes. "Honey, you're having a panic attack. Just breathe, in and out…, in and out."

You try to do so and are frightened even more when it still doesn't work. "I can't."

"Take of your shirt, honey."

You quickly do as she tells you and take of the tight garment. "Better?" Rachel asks you.

You try to take a couple of deep breathes. It's…-

"Rachel, sweetie, is everything okay?" Rachel's father suddenly yells.

You shoot a worried look to her door but Rachel doesn't seem faced by it. The sound isn't coming from right outside her door though. You think her father is still down the stairs. "Yes daddy, everything is fine."

"I thought I heard yelling."

"Sorry daddy, I'll explain later." Rachel yells back.

You panic again.

Explain?!

"I'll lie." Rachel whispers to you.

"Okay, pumpkin."

"Breathe." Rachel tells you again.

The conversation with her dad sure didn't do you any good. When it doesn't quite get better you put your attention on your bra. It feels tighter around you with every breathe you try to take. You pull at the underside of it, pulling it up so your chest can move better.

It works, only if it's a little bit. Rachel's eyes follow your hand. "Better?" she asks you again.

"Not quite." You say breathing in deeply, your hand still pulling at your bra. You don't know when you started crying but you feel Rachel wipe away your tears. "A little."

"Relax, Quinn. Just breathe." Rachel tells you. "Just trust me, okay?" she asks looking back into your eyes.

You nod and gasp. You don't know how long you will be able to keep this up. Your head starts to tingle. Your hands feel like they are going numb.

Rachel's eyes never leave yours as she reaches behind you to unclasp your bra. The garment falls in between you. Rachel firmly places one hand flat on your back while her other hand comes to rest almost over your heart, her fingers resting between your breasts.

"Now, look into my eyes and breathe with me. Breathe…breathe…breathe…" Rachel's hand rises between your breasts as your chest expands. "Good, just keep breathing, nice and easy." She says, still looking into your eyes. She breathes with you as if to show you how to do it.

"In and out, in and out." She says. "Good."

It's slowly working, you're slowly able to breathe better again. "I…I…need to lie down."

"Of course." Rachel tells you. She pulls a blanket from a chair next to her and wraps it around you before leading you to her bed.

"Stay with me." You say as you lie down and continue to try to breathe.

"Always."

TBC

Writing this kinda took my own breath away a little.

I know I'm slowly breaking, Quinn.

It pains me to do it actually.

Reviews are my friends.