"-can't believe I forgot my hairspray. What the-" I hear a voice ask, confused. Zack is still hitting me, oblivious to the intruder, and I turn my head as the person shouts, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

I've never seen such anger on someone's face, and I call out to him. He just looks at me for a moment, his expression furious and shocked. We stare into each other's eyes for an immeasurable amount of time. His eyes move across my face, which I'm guessing is swollen under the blood. I'd wager that there is a black eye blooming.

"James!" I exclaim. "Please help!" Zack nails me in the side of the face before twisting around. As he takes in the sight of James standing there, his frame shaking with fury, he suddenly picks me off of the ground and throws me across the room.

"Get out of here," Zack snarls to James. "This isn't any of your damn business." He rushes toward me and starts kicking me in the side of the head, making it pound even more so.

James seems to break from his trance as he shouts, "You son of a bitch!" and charges at him, fists already clenched. He yanks Zack back by his shirt and spins him around, hauling back and punching him in the jaw.

Zack drops like lead, and I begin to pull myself to a sitting position.

But then the heap of teenage boy on the floor makes a sound, and, to my amazement, gets off of the floor. He doesn't even glance at James, but turns to me and begins kicking wildly. I scream when I hear something in my chest crack, and pull myself along the floor. Out of the corner of my eye I see James grabbing him again, slamming him to the floor and pinning his arms above his head. Little red dots form in my line of vision, and I collapse.

James knees my former love in the stomach, eliciting a cry of pain from the boy under him.

"You think-" James begins, pausing to slam his head to the floor, "-that you can just hurt her? You think that I won't kill you for it, you worthless son of a-" He is cut off when Zack flips them over. For being so small, Zack is actually pretty strong, which is not a good thing in the current situation. I think that I have never seen James act so violently.

"STOP!" I scream at him as he hits James in the stomach, my voice shrill. Tears sprout once again. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

I find the strength in myself to stand, and dash over to them. I seize the collar of his striped polo and pull him backwards with my undamaged arm. His eyes widen in surprise, and he grabs wildly at me. He takes hold of one of my belt loops, and I lose my balance, toppling over with him. He gets on top of me and starts hitting me again, but his resolve is fading. His blows are slow and weakening, even though they still hurt like a mother. I pull back my arm and with all of my strength punch him in the chest.

"Oof!" he exclaims, and his eyes get dark. "You'll pay for that." He draws back his fist and punches me for the final time.

Stars explode in my vision, and it's all I can do to stay conscious. I see James out of the corner of my eye, coming up behind Zack. I begin sobbing again, not just in pain, but in shame at what my life has become. I am a weak, worthless person, and I want nothing more than to be isolated forever from the world.

James lands a fist on Zack's neck, and it's a wonder that he didn't break his neck. He begins dragging the insane, abusive bastard out by his collar. Zack tries to break free, but the fight has nearly gone out of him. He looks into my eyes and mutters sleepily, "I'm sorry."

I don't say anything; I just hug my knees to my chest and cry.

I hear the door close and shut, more yelling, and then James saying, "If I ever see you again, you filthy scumbag, I'll make you sorry that you were ever born. And if you ever go near her again…well, you can figure it out by yourself." There are scrambling feet, whimpers, and suddenly the door opens.

James stands there and looks at me in silence. For a moment, the whole world is still, and a silent communication passes between the two of us.

"Katie," his voice breaks on the second syllable. I draw in a deep breath that squeals, and wail. It's the most heartbroken sound I've ever heard spill from my lips. "Katie?"

I hesitate for a moment, then ask coldly, "What?"

He walks over to me. "How long has this been going on?" He kneels down and strokes my arm softly.

I don't answer him.

"How long has-"

We are interrupted by the sounds of laughter outside of the apartment. I hear Carlos call out, and Jo's answering giggle. They were supposed to come back later, I think desperately. Why now?

I wince when the door opens. I count to ten under my breath, trying to calm myself down.

I look up again, and see them all staring at me. Kendall, Jo, Carlos, Logan, Haile. All of them, looking at me with shock apparent on their faces. Haile drops her drink, and the Styrofoam explodes when it hits the ground, spilling what looks like Mountain Dew all over the floor. Her face scrunches up, and I know that she knows.

Kendall finally speaks. His face is beginning to get angry, and he rushes over to me. "Katie, what happened?" he asks urgently. He glares at James, who is right beside me. "You didn't do this, did you? Because I swear-"

"Kendall," I say softly.

They both turn their heads toward me. Kendall looks as if he frantically desires to know what's going on.

"Kendall," I say again, sniffing and holding up a hand to wipe a tear from my face. James reaches the moisture before I do, swiping a thumb gently my cheek. I show him that I am grateful with my eyes, and he nods. "Kendall, James didn't do it." I take a deep breath. "Zack did."

His face freezes, and he stands, turning towards the door.

"I'm gonna kill him," he says, in such an emotionless voice that it sends cold chills up my aching spine.

"Kendall-" I begin to stand as I say this, reaching an arm out to steady myself. I grab his arm, but he jerks it out of my grasp. "Kendall." Again, no reaction. "KENDALL!" He spins suddenly.

"What, Katie?" he asks. "Do you want me to just pretend that he didn't beat you up? You're my baby sister, damn it! He needs to pay!"

"No, stop!" I say. "Just come back here for a second-"

He turns and rounds on me. "How long has this been going on? Huh, Katie? How long? Is this the first time?" When I don't answer, he grabs my arm, and I cry out, flinching from the contact. I put my hands over my head and cower. I have no idea what caused this sudden reaction, but he hands on my arm stirred a deep fear inside me.

He steps forward and swallows, his face remorseful. "Katie, I'm sorry, I just-"

"A-A-A month and a half," I choke. "Maybe longer, I'm not sure."

I see Jo begin crying, putting her hands over her face. She sobs once, a ragged hitching of breath that I can barely hear. Logan swallows loudly, looking at the ceiling, his lips twitching, and a tear rolls down Haile's face as she puts her arm around his waist. Carlos stares at me, his eyes widening in disbelief and horror.

"You mean- you mean we were right?" he asks, and Kendall shoots him a look.

"What do you mean by that?"

Carlos looks down. "Logan and I…we asked her…but I swear we didn't know!" As Carlos finishes his exclamation, he puts his face in his hands and starts to cry. I am shocked; I have never, ever seen Carlos or Logan cry, and both of them tearing up on the same night is almost too much.

I walk over to Carlos and shush him gently, pulling his face up. "You couldn't have known," I tell him softly. He nods his head slowly and tearfully, looking like a child. I pull him into a hug, and see that Kendall is now crying, too. The last time I saw him really bawl was at our father's funeral, after he was in a car accident. But that was ten years ago; I can barely remember seeing my brother weep. Jo goes to console him.

And so everyone is like that for the longest time, just standing there crying, looking at my bloody, bruised face.

After an infinite amount of time, I get up and walk to my room, slamming the door behind myself. I hear someone follow behind me as I walk into my bathroom.

The reflection staring back from the mirror can't possibly me. One of my eyes is swollen nearly shut and purple, and I touch it lightly, new tears forming. My bottom lip is busted, and the blood from it blends with the blood from my nostrils. My cheeks are swollen as well, and there is a small scratch that I think must've come from his pinky ring. I put a hand on the side of my face, my eyes widening.

The person behind me puts a hand on my shoulder and envelops me in a tight hug, shushing me as I begin to shake with sobs.

"It's okay," Jo says to me, brushing my hair out of my eyes. "It's okay." I settle my face on her shoulder, and she holds me as I cry for my family, my friends, and myself for being in this awful situation.

After Jo leaves, I put on music and just lie on my bed, thinking. I try to find something depressing, and I almost chuckle when I realize how similar it is to the night of the scandal. But the laugh dies in my throat before it can even begin.

Jason Walker begins singing "Down", and I close my eyes.

...

Unbeknownst to Katie, less than thirty feet away, James is in the exact same position, hands behind his head and eyes closed. He hears Katie's music, and welcomes the sound; at least it's something besides hearing her miserable cries, which break his heart every time they reach his ears. He himself has been thinking this entire time, ever since she stalked into her bedroom, with Jo following. He's been questioning every single moment that's happened in the last few months, from the night of Katie's confessing her love for him to the present moment. James has no idea what conclusion he's come to; he's just as confused as when this all started.

Then, something odd happens: at the exact same time, though separated by two thin walls and the living room, they both think of each other, and a tear cascades down the sides of their faces, falling to the bedspread below.

So about the last part...I thought it was a bit corny, but my older sister (who reads it before you guys ever even know about it being updated) said it was cute, and now that I think about it, it was the perfect way to end this chapter.