Not all who wonder are lost

by Grey Wolf 22

Male Beca, Eventual Bechloe. Brett Mitchell and his sister Stacie just want to go to school and be happy. The world has alternative plans for them. Popular girl Aubrey catches wind of their secret, not to mention when ex-girlfriend Chloe turns up at school. Better than summary? I hope. Trigger Warning:Abuse

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters nor do I have the rights to the franchise. All rights go to Universal Studios. Any Copyright infringement was not intentional, if required then send me a message and the story will be deleted. Sorry for any inconveniences.

This is a rewrite and continuation from Abipfc123's story "Not all who wonder are lost". It took a major detour from their story. Sorry about that. This was originally called High school before I took it down for a complete rewrite. Let me know what you think. I'm not that enjoying it, personally too fast for me but lost inspiration too prolong it.

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1.

A lone female creeps through a doorway, ignoring the countless signs saying to 'stay away' or 'keep out', as her silent steps continue her sight locked onto a mass in a bed that is too small for the boy's height. The even rise and fall of the blankets is the only indicator that he was asleep. A small smirk graced her features, the thoughts of all the pranks set against her were replaying in her head.

As well as how to get back at him.

The female silently continued her way towards the bed, each step was followed by a slight pause to ensure that the boy remained in his peaceful slumber before she took the next step. After five steps she reached the bottom of the bed. Her smirk solidified as she threw herself onto the boy. The soft grunt was barely heard from underneath the pile of blankets.

"Come on, Brett, it's seven already. You need to get up." The girl shouts into the boy's ear earning a groan in response. She repeated the action until she received a response in return.

Brett found the extra weight on his back the moment that she landed but decided to remain motionless, even when she started to speak. Until the right moment. Once the words were repeated Brett bucked the small of his back up - forcing the girl off of him and to the bottom of the bed. She turned around to face him when he started to laugh, his chuckle was filled with sleep but he didn't care. Brett emerged from his cocoon and stalked towards the bathroom.

"You need to work on your technique there Stace." His words were spoken through a yawn causing the girl to giggle at the response.

"You needed to get up. At the rate you were going we would've been late. You know how Warren would react if we were late for the first day back." Stacie's upbeat attitude was dimmed to a near seriousness.

Brett turned around to see Stacie play with her chestnut hair. She's nervous. The boy took a deep breath to put away the guilt for making her react this way and spoke. "I know Stace, I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again."

Stacie stared at Brett's eyes and saw only sincerity in his emerald orbs and half-heartedly smiled. Her nerves were eased but did not disappear, they never did anymore. Brett turned back towards the bathroom and started to brush his teeth when Stacie talked once more.

"I love you, B." All her honesty and love-filled the words. Stacie ran to Brett, pulling him into a bear hug.

Brett froze as she hugged him before he reciprocated the motion. His mouth still held the toothbrush but his arms lovingly rubbed his sister's back. He knew she needed this and he couldn't help but allow her the moment and to mutter the words right back at her.

Stacie was the first to pull back from the embrace. As she gazed at her brother's face she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. Toothpaste covered Brett's mouth and a slight smear on his cheek. She didn't know how but he would always find a way to get his mouth covered. Brett noticed the look on her face and turned towards the mirror, not once removing the toothbrush from his mouth, only to come face to face with the cause of her smile. He couldn't help the smile that graced his lips - causing more toothpaste to drip down his chin. His hand tried to stop the froth from falling but some leaked through his fingers. At least she was happy, even if it was just for a moment. Brett turned around only to find the room empty.

Brett brushed his teeth, showered, and got dressed in twenty minutes (new record). Each job was done with as much stealth as he could muster. But then his steps were met with a slight creak sending Brett's nerves on edge. The occasional breaks to ease the noises were becoming more frequent when he reached the stairs, he feared the noise that would be accentuated in the silence when he descended them. The third stair will make the loudest creak. His only hope would be to skip the stair in general, he knew that he would always have to keep to the left-hand side and to aim for the joint between each step. His sock bound feet inched their way closer to their possible undoing as he slowly made his way down the stairs. Brett couldn't hear anything over his heartbeat, each step took a lifetime to pass.

The thirteen steps took Brett twenty torturous minutes to complete. As Brett made his way to the last step he was greeted with the joyful scent of toast. His mouth watered (border-line drooled) every time he took a step closer to the source. His cautiousness was thrown slightly to the curb with each motion he took. He expertly danced his way across the hallway, avoiding each mapped out, squeaky floorboard. Left, right, leap and crawl. His footsteps muffled by his plain white socks to a strangled thud. Reaching the kitchen Brett was greeted by Stacie sitting cross-legged on a stool at the counter - toast in hand - and a thoughtful look on her face. Brett made his way around the island to snatch the toast from her, snapping the girl out of her meditative thoughts in the process. Her thoughts of yelling at her brother were trapped inside when her eyes landed on Brett's shoulder.

Faded but still there.

Brett followed Stacie's frozen look to his shoulder, his thoughts were sad but he plastered a forgiving smile on his face while pulling his fellow brunette in for a gentle embrace. The hug was short but managed to contain enough shared pain to force them into borderline tears. Neither regretted it.

Once all the toast was eaten and a glass of water was drunk, the siblings rinsed, dried and put away the dishes before making their way out of the house. The duo walked passed the car without a second look and started on their two-mile trek. Fortunately for them, the sun was shining enough that they didn't feel as alone as they usually would. The journey was filled with beautifully dull sights; the rising sun no longer lightened their day, the wooded area felt only like a jail cell, and the park filled with cheerful kids only filled them with envy. They saw no point in joining them in happiness, they only enjoyed the walk due to their freedom within it. They didn't have to be meek nor did they have to happy, they could just be themselves. They could just be the Mitchell siblings. All they wanted, all they needed was each other.

The world be damned.

The hour-long journey was abruptly ended with the recognisable tune of a car horn. The horn sent chills up Brett's back as he knew it meant his greatest fan was here. Aubrey Posen. His only saving grace was his reputation, her naturally stuck up attitude made her a stereotype. She was the head cheerleader, academic genius and wealthy. Of course, it didn't mean that she was stuck up, she just so happen to have all that and be a completely passive-aggressive bitch. Her blonde hair, athletic build and designer brands allowed her to get away with it. The topless comfortable sped pass the pair with both of them half-expecting to see a trail of fire in the cars wake from the amount of smoke coming off of the wheels. Neither said a word and carried on towards the school doors.

It is said that the start of the school year is never fun no matter who you are. What they don't tell you is that it does matter who you are, if you are the athletes and the queen bees then life gets better but if you are at the bottom of the food chain it will either stay the same or get worse. No-one wanted to be at the bottom, the only reassuring aspect of it is that the nerds gain big businesses, the drama geeks become famous actors, even the 'weirdos' in the year get the opportunity to become specialists in a certain field. Brett was happy that this was his sisters calling, not only was she smart, she was beautiful and had a naturally athletic quality to her. He, unfortunately, spent the first two years of high school being the strange quiet kid. Rendering him the go-to target for all bullying, it didn't matter that he became an athlete. After all, it was an out of school club so his boxing didn't matter that much to them.

The Mitchell siblings made their way down the corridor ignoring all the heads turning their way. Brett assumed it was because of Stacie but even some of the girls had their jaws on the floor. His five foot nine frame made him tall for his age but he didn't care. It made him threatening to anyone who tried to hurt his sister. Brett saw the obvious stares at his torso but paid no mind to them, he wore a baseball tee, despite it being a tight-fitting shirt, he still loved it. The constant looks got to Brett slowly, his nervousness became evident as he put a hand through his now styled and trimmed short hair, sweeping it back exposing the emerald green of his gaze.

Stacie was confident, she knew she was beautiful, but she saw Brett's uneasiness and wrapped her arm around his shoulders in a playful manner but she could still feel the slight stiffen in his posture at the contact. The task itself was not that difficult at her height of five foot five but it still was a stretch to make it seem like a natural movement. She saw most of the boys (and some girls) looking at her, she was put on edge at the constant looks and only gave a polite smile in return. Her steely gaze remained focused as her mind didn't permit her to look at the girls that were openly leering at her - no matter how much she wanted to. She knew the repercussions of those actions. She continued her parade down the corridor, her skirt bellowing with the movements and her steel toe cap boots were surprising silent upon the masked concrete floor below.

Just look away.

Brett walked his sister to her locker before making his way towards his own. He only ever grabbed one class worth of books at a time allowing him to ease the pressure on his shoulders. His locker was always the go-to location for graffiti, at first, he tried to keep it respectable but he gave up after the tenth day and soon it collected words of motivation such as 'nerd', 'dick' or his personal favourite 'waste of space' he was sort of proud that his bullies knew not to put swearing on his locker. Due to the school's freedom of expression rule as long as Brett said that he wrote it they couldn't do anything about it. He knew he should do something about it but school bullies were the least of his problems and this allowed him to remember his place in the world. Protecting Stacie. He knew if he told someone she would be caught in the crosshair and he didn't want that for her. His locker time was cut short as the bell's ring screeched its way through the corridor making him pull out a neon green notebook before making his way to History.

The class was the same as it always was. The desks were in pairs and had five rows with three columns. How original. Brett never understood why. They never actually had more than twenty pupils in the class at one time. The usual groups were separated from the 'lesser' population. The social higher-ups all sat along the window side not paying attention to the teacher, not that Mr Farson cared as long as they didn't call him Mr Fartson he was fine with them. Then you got the stereotypical smart kids at the front - glasses and all. Brett was lucky enough to get his normal seat at the back of the class that permitted him to isolate himself from his peers which he was thankful for. Brett internally laughed at the class he had because he knew that he would only ever be accepted if he pretended to be something he was not. Normal.

No matter how much he tried.

The class was, luckily, only fifty minutes long which was good because he had already learned about Alexander the Great in his own time making the work easy. His next class had two disappointing features to it: One, it was Biology and Two, it was a double period. Brett internally, and maybe externally (if all the weird looks were an indication), groaned at the thought but none-the-less took out his folder and wandered his way to the top floor. The pupils in the class were fine. They didn't bother him and he didn't bother them. Perks of having all scientific or sociological subjects (apart from Woodwork, that was only there to get a required practical subject qualification.) his only classmates were the other bullied victims. None of the 'populars' dared to take Biology as Ms Harris was notoriously strict.

Brett's countless prayers for the class to end were answered with the echoing screech of the bells. All the pupils filed out the classroom at near inhuman speeds as soon as they were dismissed. The break was quick and pointless so were his next two classes of Woodwork and Physics with their mandatory introduction periods. Don't do this, don't do that, don't be unsupervised. Annual reminders were boring.

Lunch came sooner than Brett was expecting but he wasn't complaining. He scanned the prison-esque room for a glimpse of a space. Of course, the only available table was next to the conveniently placed bins in the shadow smothered corner. He wasn't surprised to find a head of pastel pink already sitting there. The clear indicator of Jesse Swanson - resident optimist. Brett made his way over to the table not even passing a glance at the mile-long dinner line and sat down with all his weight. The table was only eight small seats long which only left any comfortable room for three people either side and were the default granite grey, despite being made from a plastic covered board, it didn't help with the prison feel of the room at all, the only difference was that they had wheels allowing pupils to join theirs up with friends. Jesse looked up with a smile on his face seeing his... friend?

Brett and Jesse were both friendly with each other but were never actually friends. Their relationship was complicated. They were a tier higher than acquaintances but not quite to a friend level. Even with the occasional awkward explanation, they could always rely on each other if the time came for it.

Brett started the small talk as a distraction from The Aubrey Posen's infamous glare. If it weren't for his built up immunity, Brett felt like he would turn into a diamond under the pressure. The brunette's attention was brought back to Jesse as the boy's arms flailed in an attempt to express the seriousness of his dog's bowtie obsession. Brett had to admit that the story matched Jesse's appearance nicely. The boy wore a Londoner style tweed smart coat with a plain white knitted t-shirt underneath, traditional boot cut blue jeans paired with construction boots that held enough charm in them to be considered stylish. His entire get-up was a cross between a high-end British teenager and a stereotypical rebellious sixteen-year-old. The clashing of styles only worked together with his confidence and his partially curled, medium length, dyed pink hair - even when his naturally blonde roots were showing - especially when in a lazy bun. His soft features were welcoming in the world that they occupied. Only making Brett feel the need to protect him from everything remotely bad even more. Despite knowing it wouldn't be possible.

Stacie glanced towards her brother's table and couldn't suppress her smile at seeing him happy. Even if it was for a brief moment. Her attention was redirected by the snapping of fingers in front of her face. Causing her to jump slightly. Her ocean-blue eyes were frozen by the slight sneer upon Aubrey's face.

"Why are you even looking there? If you want to sit with your loser of a brother then go ahead." The soft and almost sincere tone of her voice silenced the table. Some looked at her in shock, others in curiosity, even a few had smug smiles across their poorly hidden faces. Stacie didn't need to be told twice, she slipped a bag strap across one shoulder before saying a quick, and sincere, thank you to Aubrey and strutted towards her brother.

The table watched as Stacie left before turning their attention to the blonde. With an exasperated sigh, she mumbled a "What?"

The twins looked between each other before the skinnier of the two spoke up. "I thought you hated her brother, why would you send her to sit with him?"

"Because as much of a freak he is, he's her family. She should enjoy the time she can spend with him." With that she walked out the cafeteria, leaving her half-eaten lunch on the table. The others shrugged and continued to talk boisterously amongst the others.

Last period crept closer, Brett became more agitated as one of his least favourite classes was next. He made his way towards the classroom and sat down at the back as he usually did not pay attention to anyone until the teacher interrupted the class with an announcement. A red-head walked into the room with a smile that Brett couldn't help but copy for a moment before transforming it into a smirk. The red-head introduced herself to the class before walking towards the only empty seat... right next to Brett.

She flashed the brunette a smaller smile before she sat down. "Nice to see you again, Brett."

"Hey, Chloe, I didn't know you would be going here." Confusion laced his voice but it remained a tint of happiness.

"I didn't either but my dad got a promotion so my family moved here a week ago, but you would've known that had you answered any of my texts I sent over the last two weeks"

Oh...

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2.

Brett had to drag himself to the school after his and Chloe's conversation. Nothing had cheered him up but Stacie, not even Jesse with his endless cat stories. Stacie had always known what to say, plus she never brought up the red-head which was a bonus. All she knew was Brett was heartbroken and that fact alone hurt her. She had only ever seen him like this during the summer. She just didn't know what... yet. She was determined.

Chloe hasn't seen Brett (outside of class) since their talk, which was both worrying and reassuring for Brett. He didn't want to have to fake happiness for her more than necessary. Chloe had started to talk to him during class which ultimately gave him a getaway; studying. It was something no-one could get him into trouble for and sometimes he would even get respect for his 'dedication'. Anything to hide his feelings.

But the bubble wasn't meant to last long though. Despite his best efforts Brett still walking into Chloe at almost every turn in the school. This time though, this was different. Instead of walking in passing, Brett turned the corner and came face to face with his nightmare scenario. Chloe kissing Tom. Brett couldn't move. He was frozen to the spot. He was in hell, stuck to watch the one he loves kiss another man for all eternity. No matter how much he willed himself to move, his legs betrayed him, shackling him to the floor. The only key was Chloe's piercing blue eyes. Unfortunately for him, the keys stared right at him, freeing him from his trance and allowing him to flee, running.

Brett wouldn't stop, not because of the stares, the whispers, and, much more importantly, not because of the red-head shouting his name. He only stopped when he came in contact with the frozen air outside, calming his nerves.

Brett slumped into the main steps, head in his hands, attempting to shake the images from his mind. He was too enthralled in his internal struggle to hear the door re-open. Nor sense the presence of another beside him.

"You okay?" Stacie's calm voice was a welcome distraction. Once the shock wore off.

"Uh... Yeah. What are you doing out here?" Brett's faux nonchalance wasn't as convincing with the wobbling mid-way through the sentence. His emotions were evident.

"Making sure you don't do anything stupid. So, are you finally going to tell me what's wrong or do I need to get Tex for you to talk to?" The last part got a half-hearted chuckle from the boy.

Tex was their cat. An Egyptian Mau. He was fat and grumpy but still gave some of the best hugs Brett had ever got. Of course, Warren didn't know about him. No-one did except them, them and Chloe. After all, they wouldn't have been able to rescue him without her. The last thought brought a slight frown onto Brett's face.

"No, there's no need to get Tex, besides you know how grumpy he gets in the morning."

"Reminds me of someone I know." Stacie couldn't help the cheeky grin that found its way onto her face. Even if it earned her a smack on her arm. It was worth it.

"Not funny" The slight spasm of his shoulders told Stacie otherwise, only making her laugh with his denial. It earned another light smack on the arm.

"I saw Chloe kiss Tom." Brett's voice was hollow, emotionless, barely above a dull whisper.

Stacie saw the hurt in Brett's eyes. Her heart compelled her arms to wrap around him in a side hug. Rubbing his arm reassuringly as he let tears fall silently when leaning into his sister's side as she spoke soothing words to him. It was a numb half hour before the bell woke them from their bubble. Brett quickly tried to brush his tears away with the calloused pad of his hand, looking away from Stacie to preserve what little remained of his pride. She still knows.

They stood up once the warning bell went off, Brett awkwardly remained still until Stacie wrapped him up for one last squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. The gesture was simple but the meaning was everything to him.

He wasn't alone.

Brett wandered aimlessly through the halls, once again. He couldn't face going to chemistry after what happened. He knew it wasn't Chloe's fault, but he was angry. He wanted to be the person to walk down the corridors with an arm wrapped around her, not Tom. But life isn't that easy. Life never is.

In Brett's opinion, the end of the day took too long to appear. The few meaningless hours felt like years. Of course, it was aided by his persistent timekeeping. 2 hours… 1 hour 45… I hour 40… 50 minutes… 10,9,7,3,2 and 1. Brett needed to move quickly, not wanting to see the red-head until necessary, finding himself at his locker and out the school in under five minutes. Brett smiled to himself, chuffed, before starting his journey home. His thoughts consumed him enough to distract from the noisiness of his peers. You could hide an elephant and no-one would know. Not creative but the image managed to get a smile.

After a couple of minutes he to notice the presence behind him. It was common, it was the end of the day after all. It wasn't a busy path but it was populated enough. It's just school kids. School kids, that might be bad. They don't like me. He quickened his pace slightly. But the other person also had picked up their pace. The stalker kept his pace for a few minutes until Brett came to a halt, turning around to confront them he sees red. Chloe.

"Why did you run?" Somehow, she's genuinely confused. Does she not run when followed?

"Well, there was a person following me out of school. I thought I would play it safe." Brett replied, ignoring the obvious event she meant.

"Funny. I was talking about this morning." Still the same Chloe as before.

Brett sighed "Because you were kissing him. It doesn't look good if the ex watches the other kiss. So I did what I thought was right." He tried to rationalise his actions and hoped that she would believe his lame excuses. He didn't mention the heartache he felt watching it. The fear of knowing she was unavailable again. That she moved on so quickl-

"Didn't see you in Chemistry either." Brett looks into her eyes and sees a tinge of pain. His instincts swarm him to tell the truth. To confess that he wanted her back. He just needs to confess. Explain everything.

"Wasn't feeling well." Dammit, pride.

Chloe looked at Brett sceptically but, none-the-less decided to leave it at that. He wanted to play that game, why should she deny him that. "Okay, hope you feel better," and with that, the red-head ran to Aubrey, who Brett finally noticed was standing nearby. Of course, she's glaring. Brett sent an uneasy smile, unaware of the lingering eyes behind him.

Somewhere along the walk, Stacie caught up to him. They walked side-by-side in comfortable silence. They stopped at the end of their garden, both taking deep, calming, breaths. Nerves shot through them as they realised the front door was unlocked. He never arrives home before them. Not for good reasons anyway. They gave each other nervous looks as they cautiously entered the house. Both walking around quietly, searching for any echoing sounds. They searched together until they approached the living room. Both halted as they came face-to-face with a murderous smile.

Father.

---

3.

"How'd it go, Chlo?" Aubrey voiced before pulling out of the hug. Her voice terse as her eyes follow the Mitchell's exit. As Aubrey walks towards the driver's side door, she reveals Tom standing behind them. His arms crossed and a frown on his face. Jealously seared into his skin.

"We talked." Chloe's nonchalant attitude about the exchange caused Tom's annoyance to be more pronounced. Aubrey worried, Chloe didn't do relaxed, she only did happy and exuberant or on the rare occupant, upset. But that, fortunately, doesn't happen often.

"What did that thing do now?" Aubrey refused to say the boy's name. Not after the tears she had to clean up from his ghosting. She swears Chloe could've drowned from them.

Chloe gives her a look. "Be nice. I was actually the one who talked to him." The red-head releases a shy smile. She knows the blonde's reaction won't be good, never mind Tom's.

"You did what! Chloe, you know how I feel about you guys together" Tom finally included himself into their conversation and earned an agreeing nod from the blonde. This wasn't good if they actually agreed. Chloe sighed. These conversations were becoming repetitive.

"I was asking him about school. He was honest with me earlier so I thought I would return the favour. What's the big deal anyway, it's not like I am going to go out with him again." This time it was Aubrey turn to speak again.

"I'm not afraid about you going out with him, I'm afraid he will hurt you again. You spent days crying into my shoulder I can't just watch him do that to you again."

"Well, that's not going to happen. He knows about me and Tom. He was happy for us by the way." Her tone implied that this was common knowledge. It isn't.

"He was?" The duo parroted.

"Yes, I don't understand why that is so shocking. He was a nice guy before...so why wouldn't he be now?"

"Because he ignored you, Chlo. He tossed you to the curb every chance you gave him. He broke your heart." Tom's frustration made every word come out more as a growl than the gentle reminder he meant them as. It wasn't until he took a step towards her that she snapped. She doesn't need the lecture right now.

"You don't think I know that! But you weren't there! You didn't see his eyes when I came to visit him. They were filled with fear and pain. I may not know why but I know he wants the best for me. If you have a problem with that talk to Bree about it." Chloe walked away leaving her friends standing in shock. Fighting the urge to apologise to them and the burning confusion on whether or not she just broke up with Tom. She wasn't an aggressive person, but they weren't there. They didn't see it.

Hours passed before the red-head picked up her phone to call her best friend. The phone ringed and with each passing ring, her hope of the blonde picking up plummeted. By the fifth ring, her hope was completely gone, as she was about to hang up a voice came through her phone.

"Aubrey Posen speaking" In her usual professional tone when she answers phone calls. She realised that the blonde must not have checked the caller ID.

"Hey Bree, can we talk." the guilt seeping into her meek voice.

"I'm not sure, are you going to yell again?" Aubrey knew that she wouldn't but her pride kept her from forgiving her friend, not without teasing her slightly.

"I'm sorry, I really am. You know how I get when people talk badly about my friends."

"I know. I just worry about what he will do to you. You can't deny that he doesn't have the best track record."

"I know but I think that there is something he is hiding. I don't know why but he isn't the guy I knew in the Summer." This peeked the blonde's interest, ever since she had held Chloe in her arms she remained more focused on the brunette's actions and had noticed them being...off. She remained quiet, wanting to have proof before confronting anyone.

"Look I won't stop you but that doesn't mean I like the guy. To me, he is the man who broke your heart. I have to go, I have a psychology test soon."

"Thank you, Bree...for not giving up on me just yet" Chloe's voice remained quiet.

"I will always be there for you Chlo. Speaking of being there, have you spoke to Tom yet? He was pretty hurt by the outburst earlier." Chloe closed her eyes as she remembered the hurt look on his face when she left.

"No, not yet. I am just scared that we will be over. I don't want that."

Aubrey sighs "Are you sure? You lashed out at him over your ex-boyfriend." the extra emphasis not masking her distaste on full display.

Chloe thought about her friend's words, uncertain about what the truth was. "Bye Bree. Love you." With that she hung up her phone.

The phone remained in her hand as she stares at the highlighted name. Tom. Taking a deep breath, the red-head pushes the call button and waits anxiously as the rings continue until a message comes through as the call is rejected.

Tom: Sorry, can't talk right now. Football practice. See you tomorrow?

Chloe smiled. He wasn't mad at her or at least didn't appear to be.

Chloe: Yeah, totes. Sorry about earlier.

It wasn't long until another text appeared.

Tom: I'm sorry as well. I was being a jerk about it.

Tom: Sorry coach says it's time for me to go. Bye C.

With that Chloe threw her phone at the end of her bed and lay down. The events of the day repeated themselves in her head. She knew she had many conversations tomorrow. The red-head remained still imagining every possibility of what would happen the next day. One thing was certain though, she needed to talk to Brett.

The next day came and Chloe remained eagle-eyed trying to catch a glimpse of Brett. Every time she saw him though he would always manage to walk past her, the only time he didn't leave was in class, but he remained concentrated on his studying.

The week dragged on and she grew more annoyed, she had been avoiding Tom, for the most part, claiming she was busy, he understood, giving her space. He started to spend more time practising, Win-Win. Right?

---

4.

Chloe remained hopeful throughout the day that she could see Brett again, after all, they did have the same last class. Her mood dropped as she sat alone in Chemistry, her head turning every few minutes to only be met with an empty chair. The teacher's voice became a muffled horn as her thoughts were filled with possible locations where the brunette could hide. The bell rang and her heart felt lost with the feeling of his disappearance being her fault.

The red-head quickly walked to her locker, placing her books in and taking her jacket out, She closes the locker door and jumps when she sees Aubrey leaning next to it smiling. They fall into step as they make their way out of the school. Their continuous small talk and jokes come to a standstill just as Chloe stops walking. Aubrey stops and follows her friend's line of sight finding none other than Brett Mitchell. The blonde's once bright smile falters at the sight but Chloe starts to walk towards the boy. She can see the hidden pain and fear behind his forced nonchalant expression.

Aubrey watched the emotions displayed and contort on the duo's faces. From happiness to confusion to sadness then finally relief. When Chloe started to run her way she instinctively blamed Brett, who knows what he could've said to force her to run away but she wasn't going to let anything happen again. Instantly, she sent a glare his way. When she turned to walk away a hand flew up and grabbed her wrist, turning around she saw Chloe standing still, watching intently as the boy walked away, the blonde noticed the way his face showed pain before relaxing when he turns to walk away. She doubted Chloe had.

Once Brett was out of sight she started to walk away, pulling Chloe along with her. Despite Aubrey's wish to confront the red-head about what happened she let it slide, letting them walk in a comfortable silence. Both of them lost in their shared thoughts. All of Brett's avoidance on the situation, the fear hidden in his expression whenever Chloe was involved, and his insistence on hiding from the spotlight. All of Aubrey's thoughts went to something hidden, something bad, something dangerous. Chloe, on the other hand, was merely confused. Their walk soon ended when they reached the redhead's house, they said their goodbyes, both their minds plagued by the same brunette.

The next day Chloe woke up extra early (6 a.m.) hoping to find her ex before the school day started. She put in her earphones, she started to dance and bounce around the room as she got ready for the day ahead. When she was done she sent a text to Aubrey, knowing that the blonde's body clock always made her wake up at half six. It wasn't long before the red-head got a text back.

A: Morning, I thought you got up at 7:30 at the earliest?

C: Yeah well I was hoping if you could perhaps give me a lift to school early today?

A: My, my does The Chloe Beale have a man on the side?

C: Just one? I am upset that you would think I could only have one side man. But I was actually hoping to catch Brett before class.

A: So I was right. You do have someone on the side.

C: No, I want to make sure he's okay. Something was off with him yesterday.

L: Yeah, he's a jerk. Oh, wait, that's every day.

C: Seriously? Will you at least try to be nice to him? For me? *Pouts*

A: Fine, but I still get to hate him behind closed doors.

C: Fine.

A: Great, I'll be there in 10.

True to her word Aubrey pulled up exactly 10 minutes later. Chloe took the front seat, leaning over to hug her friend before they took off towards school. For the first few minutes the only sound was the radio. Chloe looked over to the blonde and started to smile before she started to hum gaining some of the blonde's attention. The humming turned into full-on singing and soon enough they couldn't help themselves and started a karaoke concert. The ride to school flew pass as if the songs contained the power to speed them up.

They walked through the front doors only to be met with a desolate hallway. Chloe was half-expecting to see tumbleweed to cross her sight. They went from her locker to Aubrey's before being ambushed by another blonde.

"Hey, Aubrey."

"What Luke?" The blonde's lip quirked slightly at the boy, despite her attempts while in the redhead's presence. Chloe noticed this and excused herself from the group, knowing her friend would want space.

"Well now that she's gone, why don't we take this somewhere more...private?" Luke whispered right next to Aubrey's ear, making the blonde shiver and nod.

Luke pulled her into the boy's toilet, respecting the blonde's wishes of being a secret. The blonde quickly pulled him into a heated kiss and moved them into the furthest stall, giggling.

Chloe wandered the halls looking aimlessly for Brett. It wasn't long until she saw the brunette walk in school. His head was down and looked somewhat scared. She watched him as he looked around paranoid. Locking eyes with the boy, Chloe made her way towards him, not noticing the increasing expression of fear on his face

"You feeling better, Brett?" Chloe's innocent question sparked fear in the brunette, she couldn't know, no-one knew. His confusion was obvious on his face causing Chloe to clarify. "You know because you weren't feeling well yesterday" Her voice was slow and almost mocking as if she were talking to a 9-year-old.

"Oh..uh...Yeah, must have been one of those 24 hours things" Brett nervously scratched the back of his neck ignoring the intense pain radiating through his body. They fall into an awkward silence until it is interrupted by Tom's arrival, he wraps an arm around Chloe. "Hey Tom"

Chloe looked up to see the boyish grin belonging to none other than Tom. The footballer reacted the only way he knew how and went to kiss his girl only to have her refuse his action as her gaze went to the floor.

Their meaningless conversation went on with Tom possessively blocking Brett from talking by persistently hounding Chloe with questions. She saw Brett attempt to walk away before she begged him not to leave with her eyes. Seeing the sorrow in the boy's eyes when he looked at the couple added to her guilt while building Tom's satisfaction. He eventually pulled Chloe away for some last-minute practice. The boy prevented Brett from getting close to her by encasing her in his grasp but not before giving Brett a 'friendly' punch in the guy's side. Chloe saw the pain in her friend's eyes but didn't, couldn't, say anything before being dragged away.

When they reached the football field the red-head saw nothing, no teams, no teachers, no practice. She turned her head to Tom who had a grin that was a mixture of smug and sheepish. She slapped his arm playfully but couldn't help the hurt feeling inside. She was pushed up against the wall being kissed. Chloe lost herself and started to kiss back as the images of Brett remained in her head. When her brain caught up to her body she instantly pushed Tom away and started to walk away.

"C? I thought we were having fun" He didn't need to shout his words, the hallway carried them towards his target.

"You lied to me, Tom. I don't like being lied to." Not after Brett anyway.

"Come on, I thought you would've liked the surprise," He whined, not liking that she was upset with him enough to cut short their make-out session.

"A surprise is something nice or a good gesture not being taken away from your friends and just to be pushed against a wall for a kiss."

"Okay. Well how about I give you a proper surprise then? We can spend time together at the weekend. What do you say?" Tom genuinely wanted her to say yes. He couldn't let anyone else have her, he wouldn't let them.

Chloe smiled at the gesture and ran towards him pulling him in for a soft kiss on the cheek. She gave no answer in hopes to make him call her later, and it allowed her time to think about everything. The red-head then turned away leaving Tom standing there, grinning lightly at the thought of having a day out with her.

---

5.

When the couple finally left, Brett ran to the nearest toilet, locking himself into the first cubicle. He couldn't breathe, Brett grasped at his shirt. Begging it to loosen. To rip even. Anything. Something. Come on. Brett drags his shirt over his head, falling backwards on the toilet. He remains motionless as his back hits the tiles. The cool tiles soothing his sudden rage. She had moved on. Of course she had, he left her. He's the one who hurt her. He's the one to betray her. He's- The sound of the door opening got his attention. He stared intently at the cubical door, hoping for x-ray vision as he calmed his ragged breaths. It didn't help that the clacking of boot heels got closer to his stall. They were female. In the men's room. Chloe. Panic surged through him as his body froze. He couldn't think of any good explanation if he was seen. Looking down at himself he grimaced, being caught with bruises was hard to explain. (Boxing can only cover so much).

"You okay?" Stacie's soothing voice instantly put his worries to rest.

"I will be." It was the best he could do. His voice shaky but believable. Brett unlocked the door and allowed Stacie into the cubicle before locking the door again. He's safe.

"Let me check" He only nodded. "You're lucky, no more damage was done." Stacie hugged her brother in what was becoming quickly a daily tradition between them.

"You know it will take more than a punch to take me down." He tried to make light of the situation. If the look on Stacie's face was any indication he failed. "Sorry, I will be more careful next time. Nothing will happen to me here, you know that." Too many witnesses.

"I know, it's what happens after that worries me. News travels fast around here." Tears started to form in her eyes at that thought. Reassurance. She needs this.

"Come here." Brett opened his arms as wide as he could without grimacing which Stacie hesitantly took. Not wanting to push him further than he needs to be.

They sat there for five minutes before they finally broke up their hug. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid like that again" her voice pleading. She can't see him hurt anymore.

"I didn't think talking to Tom was that stupid"

"You and I both know that you knew what I was talking about" Brett sighed, thinking about his next words carefully before replying. Now wasn't the time.

"I promise I won't do anything stupid." Stacie smiled but he held his hand up stopping her mini-celebration "But if it stops anything from happening to you then I will make those stupid decisions, okay?"

Stacie was hesitant but saw nothing in his steely gaze that told her that she could win the argument, all she saw was sadness. "Fine, but I get to say I told you so when that happens." With a shake of the hand, they both made their way out of the toilet stall and towards their lockers.

Audrey and Luke stood in shock as to what they had heard. Their bodies pressed together in the last cubical. Neither moved until the final bell rang.

---

6.

The days continued almost as normal, Chloe would still try to talk with Brett and Tom would always somehow wind up joining somewhere along the lines and drag Chloe away, the only thing different was Aubrey. The blonde would always stare at him, that didn't change, but now her gaze was almost judging. Analysing. Brett couldn't tell what but he knew whatever it was he wouldn't like it.

Brett spent almost every day avoiding the blonde only for his plans to fail. She was, somehow, always one step ahead of him as if she had eyes throughout the school. His suspicions only grew as he saw her and another blonde, (Liam… Lyall? Luke!) huddled in a whispered discussion, the only thing Brett managed to make out was his name and that was only because Luke managed to shout it out, gaining a few stares in their direction.

After a week of Aubrey's suspicious behaviour, Brett finally had enough of it. His rib still hurt but that wasn't going to stop him confronting the blondes. Brett waited near the now designated discussion spot hoping to finally find out what was so fascinating about him. Brett didn't have to wait for that long before his targets were spotted arguing louder than before.

"We have to do something! You heard what she said, he's hurt and you want to what? Wait for him to go to someone?" Luke's voice was somewhat authoritative but also filled with concern towards the blonde rather than the brunette. Despite the rather regular occurrence of these conversations he still new that she needed someone to bounce ideas off of.

"No! I just want us to get all the facts before we go to someone. He can't just walk around hurt without anyone knowing." Trust Aubrey to take the logical route. "That's not possible."

"He's a boxer Aubrey, people would be more suspicious if he wasn't injured. We have to tell someone or at least just confront him about it." Luke had had enough of talking about Brett. Honestly, he only wanted what was best for Aubrey now, sure at first he cared for Brett and his safety but nothing had happened and he was fed up of trying to find something out of the nothing that they had. He had lost his relationship with Aubrey to her obsession and the only reason he was even trying to suggest ideas to the girl was so she could see the strangeness in her actions but nothing was getting through to her and that scared him most.

"What are we going to say to him? 'Hi Brett, sorry to interrupt but are you by any chance injured?' No! It wouldn't work like you said he would just blame the boxing but if that were the case he wouldn't try so hard to hide it. I think something happened to him." Brett had never heard Aubrey's voice so small as she talked about him. He didn't know why she cared, she hasn't done anything nice to him during the last 2 years of being in the same school as each other. sure they were nice to each other at the beginning but it wasn't enough for this reaction. She was the HBIC and he was just… Brett. No-one at the school really cared about him, just his sister… and maybe Jesse.

"You don't have to worry about me you know." Brett's voice broke the argument as their heads snapped towards him. Their eyes wide, one set in panic, the other in shame. Brett continued to walk towards the pair. His posture hiding the tensed muscles of his shoulders. "Nothing happened to me. Although I don't know why you would think something did." His voice was sturdy despite the waves of nerves inside. His heart bursting from the effort of pushing ice through his nervous system. His ears drummed and palms were sticky.

Luke glance over to Aubrey, seeing her now determined features he turned to Brett and apologised for the misunderstanding and walking off. He and Brett never met before that day so he had no reason to stay. Aubrey, however, stayed. Her face was marred with confusion, too many thoughts to remain on one emotion. She couldn't understand why she didn't believe him, Brett had always been known to be honest so why didn't she believe him now. Why did she care so much? She hates him. Hated him.

Aubrey looks at him. Really looks at him. She notices the tightness around his eyes, seen enough footballers hide an injury to continue 'scoring'. "If everything is alright Mitchell, then why have you been hiding that your in pain?"

"I'm not hiding any pain," Brett responded too quickly. Too practised. Red flag.

Aubrey loosens her expressions, slipping an, admittedly, too forced smile on. She walked closer to the brunette before pulling him into a tight hug. His "subtle" steps backwards don't deter her. She purposely places an arm higher than she would with someone his height, hitting his rib. The reaction is delayed, he tenses before it kicks in. Whether from fear or pain Aubrey is uncertain. The pain is enough to force him to grunt and drop to the floor while trying to conceal the scream edging its way up his throat.

Brett's felt pain before, real pain, but he's certain she rebroke it. She had to, there's no other way it hurts this bad. It's expected, she's her and he's no-one, of course she'd take advantage. He glances up, expecting to see a malicious glint in the blonde's expression.

Aubrey looked down at him with worried eyes. No sick enjoyment upon her face, at worst the glimpse of morbid curiosity was a little bit too apparent. A small smirk became her face's defining characteristic. She knew she was right. Brett's head hung back down. Shame overwhelmed his being. She bent down to help ease Brett into a sitting position before she joined him as he tried to recover. No breath left to argue her.

"If you're not in pain then what was that?" Aubrey's voice was small and caring. The tint of desperation was somehow comforting. She wasn't a pod person.

"I...I can't t-tell you" Brett replied between jagged breaths. His arms absent-mindedly massaging his ribs, attempting to fan the flames residing there.

"Why can't you tell me? I want to help you, Brett." Brett remained silent not trusting his words, he wanted so badly just to tell her, to have someone else looking out for him as well. Even if it was Aubrey. He didn't want to be alone anymore. Didn't want to hurt every moment of everyday. But he couldn't. Couldn't burden someone with the knowledge. Could he? Seeing Brett to invested in his inner conflict, Aubrey took the opportunity to lift his shirt slightly. She was met with a large purple mark stretching across his side, like an octopus stuck to his side, it's tentacles spanning 6 inches. It's colour faded from the typical deep purple into a more pukish yellow looked jarring against his ivory skin. She couldn't contain her gasp as her hand reached for her mouth to trap it.

The gasp snapped Brett back into reality like an explosion. He turned to see Aubrey's eyes fixed downwards. A single tear murking her vision. Manicured hands framing ruby lips. His stomach dropped down a canyon, he's seen that look before, all too often. Brett numbly looked towards his shirt, seeing his shirt was lifted, he instinctively pulled his shirt down. Brett refused to make eye-contact, not that she was trying to find his attention, still fixated on the same spot. It wasn't until he rose to walk away did she move, catching his wrist gently.

"Who did this to you, Brett?" Her voice quiet. Innocent.

Brett hesitated. "No-one, you need to leave it alone pretend nothing happened." His voice insistent. She needs to stop. They might not like each other but one can only stay quiet for so long.

"Pretend nothing happened? How do you expect me to do that? Just tell me who it was or at least tell me why. Why won't you tell me? Why you can't tell me? Why did they do this to you?" Aubrey was begging for anything, something that would help her find out the truth. She needs to have it make sense. It's a puzzle she can't solve. It's frustrating.

"I can't tell you. Please, you have to leave it alone, anything you do to try and help will only make things worse. I have a few more months until the end of the year then I'm taking Stacie and we are leaving this town and going somewhere far away. Please, just let me have the next couple of months. Please." Hearing the pleading tone Aubrey fought against herself not to give into it but the final please was enough to tip her over the edge.

"If I agree to that you will have to promise me something as well." Aubrey received an instant 'anything' from Brett, Aubrey continued "You have to tell me when this happens again. I won't be able to forgive myself if this happened and you were hurt even worse, okay?" Brett nodded and offered Aubrey a hand who gladly took it. Her eyes didn't leave his, they were holding an unusual level of care in them. It was freaky.

They started to walk into the school when Brett stopped, Aubrey looked back to Brett as he started to talk again "You can't tell anyone, you know that right?" Aubrey looked at the boy and finally saw the shell he had become. His voice calm but his eyes held a haunted vulnerability that terrified even her. She may not like him for Chloe but no-one should have eyes like those.

Aubrey walked up to Brett and looked directly into his eyes. She spoke quietly and assuredly. "I promise not to tell anyone unless the situation demands it." Brett was about to argue with her but she spoke up before he could "If you wind up in the hospital because of this, I will not hesitate to confess about the injuries, not when they will clearly see what happened to you." Brett looked into Aubrey's eyes and found truth and honesty, her green eyes oddly reminding him of Tex, he knew she meant every word she spoke.

Brett held his hand out for Aubrey to shake, she took it without any reluctance and instantly wrapped an arm around the brunette's shoulder. The slight wince in his face made her let go as if she was burned. He smiled cynically before they started to walk into the school. The moment they were inside they were met with silence. The room was filled with confused stares from everyone, as they knew that Brett and Aubrey hated each other. Chloe lit up seeing the two of them together and ran up to them wrapping them into a hug before letting them go and heading back to the table she came from unaware to the concerned look Aubrey threw Brett's way. He simply shook his head and went to sit with Stacie leaving Aubrey to go sit next to the red-head. She remained silent, thinking over the deal she had just made and whether or not she could keep it. Once last look at Brett and she decided she would try. She was a Posen after all.

Both Brett and Aubrey sat thinking about what the future held for them both. Brett was fearful that the secret was out and Aubrey afraid for what it would do to the red-head if it were ever revealed. They both knew that their talk was not done yet neither wanted to be the first one to bring it up. They held a truce. They may not like it but it's better than an alternative. At least they had each other.

---

7.

Awkward. That was the only way to describe the new 'friendship' between Aubrey and Brett. A whole week has passed since their conversation but neither has brought it up, as Chloe remained around them at all times, they were both nervous about what would be discussed. Aubrey had finally had enough and waited for Brett after school As soon as Brett stepped out he was pulled off to the side, Stacie following not too far after. Aubrey finally stopped and looked to Brett, who looked at her expectantly, but she couldn't speak. She didn't know where to start. How does one start this, last time was an accident.

"Why did you drag my brother here?" Stacie finally broke the almost awkward silence causing Aubrey to finally notice her presence. Must be bad if she's like this. She's always put together.

"Oh...I wanted to talk about our conversation last week." Aubrey tried to be vague in case Stacie didn't know about it. Did Stacie even know about this? What if Aubrey made this worse than before.

"It's okay, I know you guys had a little chat. I am a bit surprised that you would want to help him though." To say Stacie was sceptical was an understatement. She couldn't trust anyone, the closest a person came to be trusted was Jesse, never mind someone who was as judgemental as Aubrey. Sure they were friends, but that was social hierarchy. Does she actually care? Sure there's Chloe but the rest are minions, friends by status not choice.

"Right"

"So what did you want to know?" Brett finally joined into the possible argument that would happen between them. His face paler than before. Going to throw up. Just stay quiet. Can't make things worse.

"How long has...this been going on for?" Aubrey couldn't bring herself to say the word. She feared his answer.

"22 months" Aubrey choked on her own spit, she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. Even Stacie looked at him, had it been that long already? Thinking back it all made sense, the disappearances, the occasional limp...the boxing. The boxing?

"Why would you box though? Surely it hurts every time you play." That wouldn't make sense. Why put yourself through that. Why, that word seems to appear more often now.

Brett laughed at that. "I box because of this. A kid with bruises gets attention but a boxer with bruises, no-one bats an eyelid at that. Think about it, have you ever actually seen me play? I claim boxing and everyone believes it." Both Aubrey and Stacie remained silent. Afterall it does make sense, unfortunately. They stayed silent until Aubrey whispered a simple "Who?"

"I can't tell you that Aubrey. I don't want any harm to happen to you, to Stacie or anyone else that comes along. I'm sorry, I know how hard it must be for you to keep this a secret." Aubrey scoffed at the last part while appreciating the fact that Brett cared for her safety despite everything she put him through.

"Hard for me? I'm not the one who is covered in bruises!" Aubrey snapped and instantly stopped herself at continuing her sentence seeing the scared faces on both the brunettes' faces. She turned her rapidly side to side looking for anyone who overheard. No-one. "Sorry, I shouldn't have shouted." Brett looked at Stacie then back to Aubrey before pulling the blonde in for a hug. It was tense. Neither comfortable but both needing it. Thank you.

"Why? Why do they do this to you?" Aubrey's stoic voice broke. Everything became too much, the pain, the lies… the fear. She can't believe they have so much of it. Too much.

"Because they blame me. They want me to suffer the way that they do." That caused tears to appear on all of their faces. Vague enough to hide with.

"I'm not going to let them hurt you, not if I can help it." Brett smiled sadly at Aubrey, knowing that she would try but ultimately fail. I know you'll try. I'm sorry.

"I know you will but there are things that even The Aubrey Posen can't fix. You have let me deal with it." Aubrey chuckled slightly at the dramatic way Brett spoke her name.

"But I want to help you, Brett." He pulled her into a hug as Stacie hugs her from the back.

"You are helping Aubrey. Just by being here you are helping." They finally release Aubrey and say their goodbyes before walking away leaving Aubrey standing alone.

Aubrey snaps out of her daze and runs after the duo stopping them in their tracks and pulls out her phone handing it to Brett. Brett puts his phone number in before handing it to Stacie who immediately hands it to Aubrey claiming her number was already in there. They all hug before going there own way. Goodbye.

---

8.

Regardless of her hopes to help Brett, Aubrey knew that she wouldn't be able to do much without knowing whom she was protecting them from. She hated it. She hated all of it. She hated being powerless to help her… friends(?). But she knew that she and Brett weren't really friends, they were something different. Whatever it was she wasn't going to let their relationship end. If she was being honest she saw the relationship Brett had with Stacie and she wanted to get to know him. Stacie adored him. There must be something more than just being because they were siblings. Even Chloe vouched for him. She loved knowing that she could help and she knew it all started with finding out who it was that was hurting her friends. She just didn't know how...yet.

Chloe was beyond happy. Tom was being more of a boyfriend than an owner, her best friend finally liked Brett and she was throwing a party. She couldn't be more excited about it. The only thing that was annoying her was Aubrey. She knew that the blonde had a crush on Brett but she wasn't really doing anything about it. She caught the blonde looking at Brett with a look that wasn't a glare. But she denied it. The most that Chloe had seen Aubrey do was talk to him after school that day but Stacie was there so it couldn't be anything special. Although there was a hug. Aubrey doesn't hug. Chloe only got her first hug after a year of friendship.

As they reached Chloe's house on their way home the car slowed to a stop. "Hey Aubs, I need to ask you something."

Aubrey frowned slightly; Chloe was never nervous. "Sure, what is it?"

Chloe hesitated she wanted so bad to ask Aubrey what she felt for Brett, but something deep down prevented her from doing anything in that regard, fearing the answer. The silence continued before Chloe realised, she had yet to respond.

"I was wondering if you could help me throw a party?" She was lying, well not lying, she did need help with the party, but it wasn't what she wanted to ask.

"Of course! You know you didn't need to ask me that right. I mean what friend would I be if I didn't?"

"Great because I have no clue who to invite."

They continued to talk about the minute details as they walked through the house and into Chloe's room. The stereotypical girl bedroom surrounded them. From the pink walls to the bed covered in stuffed bears. It was as if a nine-year-old had designed it but it somehow suited the red-head. The girls sat on the bed with Chloe leaning on her scrapyard of bears.

They remained like that planning most of the party out. Then they were down to the guests. Aubrey knew that Tom would be a no brainer, much to her disgust. Next was the cheerleading squad so that was 13 (including substitutes) and the football team so that was another 11. They were then down to the last handful of invites. Then the last two.

"So who else do you want there?"

"The Mitchells" Aubrey choked on air. She did not expect Chloe to want to invite her own ex-boyfriend to the party. Yes, they were closer but with Tom at the party it was a death sentence.

"Seriously? Do you think that is such a good idea? I mean inviting your ex to a party with your current boyfriend?" Aubrey didn't want to admit it but she wanted them there. Hopefully, she could get some more information, or at the very least get Brett away from his abuser for a while.

"I thought you guys were friends." Chloe's head tilted in confusion.

"We are, but I thought this was a celebration and won't inviting him there just bring back some unwanted memories?"

"I told you this before, I am over him. He's all yours if you want?" Chloe hated herself for saying that, she didn't mean to give Aubrey permission to go after him.

"Ha, yeah right. No way am I going out with that hobbit." Chloe was relieved and frustrated by the answer.

"Good because that would be awkward. Anyway, you're going to be the one calling them about the party." With that Chloe left the room excusing herself to get some water.

Aubrey pulled out her phone and started her many attempts to contact both Brett and Stacie. All she got was voicemail. The more she called the more antsy she got, it hadn't even been a day yet, she couldn't have broken her promise already. Where were they? Every teenager had their phone glued to them.

Chloe returned to see Aubrey pacing. Aubrey voiced her frustrations with the constant streams of 'Come on, come on' and the occasional 'Pick up your damn phone' Chloe only stood there and watched as Aubrey became the definition of insanity. With a final exasperated shout, Aubrey hangs up the phone and turns to see a slightly amused look on Chloe's face.

"No answer?" In a tone that could only be described as playful. Aubrey shoots Chloe a look that says 'Really, you're going to go there' but Chloe only giggles as she reaches for her phone to see if she could get a reply.

After about twenty failed attempts, Chloe threw in the towel for either of the Mitchell's answering their phone.

Chloe turned to meet Aubrey's eyes, both pairs of eyes were filled with confusion but Aubrey's were laced with fear, Chloe didn't know why but she gained a feeling that Aubrey knew more than she letting on. Growing curious the red-head decided to do the one thing that she knew would get a straight answer from her. She decided she would go to Brett's house.

Grabbing her keys, Aubrey left to check on the siblings. Aubrey didn't like arguing but knew she had no choice, it was either create an excuse or risk Chloe finding out the one thing that she promised Brett not to let her do. A moment later she stood in front of the Mitchell residence. Knocking, Aubrey hopped from foot to foot until the door opened revealing a surprised Stacie bearing a cut on her forehead. Instant theories appear in her head about how it happened.

"Aubrey?" Stacie shouts in confusion.

"Oh My Gosh! Stacie what happened to your head?" Aubrey reaches for Stacie's cut and inspects the well cleaned cut.

"Aubrey, I'm fine I just fell down the stairs that's all." Stacie didn't like lying to her friends but technically it wasn't lying, right?

Aubrey was about to talk to Stacie when Brett stiffly made his way down the stairs in a long-sleeved top and sweatpants. Stacie was relieved that he had heard her otherwise they were in for another awkward and painful conversation.

"Hey, Aubrey wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Oh, yeah, Chloe sent me over here to invite you guys to a party next Saturday. I tried texting you guys but it went to voicemail. I was worried and I didn't think you wanted Chloe over just in case." Aubrey spoke slowly looking between both Stacie and Brett expecting to receive an explanation for them not answering but instead Brett gave Aubrey a hug. Don't look in the house.

"Thank you, Aubrey." The hug was too tight but she didn't complain. He trusted her, that was enough for now.

"I made a promise, didn't I" The tone was light but there was a lilt in her voice that conveyed sincerity.

Brett stepped away from the hug and sent her a sincere and thankful smile. Before saying that they would need to check with their dad first. It took everything in both Brett's and Stacie's power not to do anything disrespectful when mentioning Warren. Brett looked at Stacie before turning to Aubrey.

"Want to go out somewhere?" This surprised the females, but they quickly got over it and accepted. Brett and Stacie went upstairs to change while Aubrey remained downstairs cuddling Tex. His purring soothing her fried nerves.

Once far enough away from hearing distance, Stacie turned to Brett. "What the hell Brett. You could barely get out of bed this morning now you want to go out for the day. Why?"

"Think about it, Stacie. What is more suspicious, someone who has a bruised rib being sore while walking around or someone whom she knows is being hurt refusing to see her and shoving her out the front door?" Stacie remained silent, she didn't know what to say, We could politely kick her out, they both contained their own risks. She reluctantly goes to get changed before meeting Brett and Aubrey downstairs.

"Want Chloe to come with us?" Brett asked hoping any suspicion of injuries were out of the picture by acting innocent.

"Sure, let me ask her." Aubrey went outside phoning Chloe, leaving Stacie and Brett alone.

"Do you think this will work?" It has to. "Why are we lying to Aubrey though? I mean she wants to help us right? She would tell the cops"

"Because who would believe three kids over a well-respected member of the community and a teacher recognised for being nice and fair to all pupils?" With that Aubrey walked in with a smile on her face. The siblings immediately put on a fake smile, something they have grown used to doing.

Only a few more months to go…

---

9.

Stacie volunteered to knock on Chloe's door allowing Aubrey to ask her questions before Chloe was with them. As soon as Stacie left the car Aubrey turned to face the brunette with s stern stare. Her pulse racing but determination won out. She had to play this smart.

"What happened to Stacie. I couldn't help but notice the cut." Aubrey decided to play dumb hoping for some deviation in their stories.

"Oh, she fell down the stairs." Brett's voice managed to hide his hesitation enough for Aubrey to reluctantly leave the situation alone. She didn't believe it was the whole story. They would tell her if they had to.

"What about you?" Aubrey felt lucky knowing he couldn't create such a simple excuse "I doubt that you both fell down the stairs." That got Brett's attention, he knew he couldn't use the same excuse or say a half-truth without raising more attention to himself.

Brett tried to lightly chuckle hoping to through Aubrey off slightly "No, no I whacked it off the corner of the radiator when I was asleep, bad way to wake up." Brett sighed internally with relief with his lie.

The duo was so lost in their thoughts that they both jumped when the door to the car opened. Stacie took the back seat, while Chloe sat in the front next to the blonde unaware of the conversation. Aubrey started the car listening to Chloe talk animatedly, guessing what they are going to do. Stacie opened the back window in a faint attempt to air the tension out the car.

Chloe continues her rambling until she turns and finally sees Brett, her heart jumps knowing he is trying to repair their friendship, her heart soon sinks seeing the brunette's cheek. Her hand instinctively reaches for it but Brett flinches away from her not wanting her to see him hurt. Aubrey's eyes narrow slightly at the action.

Chloe got the hint and pulled her arm back before asking "How'd you get that?"

Brett froze trying to remember what he said to Aubrey moments ago but his mind went blank, he could see all the eyes on him. "It was nothing just a little accident. You know how clumsy I can be." The answer worked for Chloe enough that she dropped it and went on to talk to Stacie. Brett noticed Aubrey's disbelieving eyes and knew he said the wrong thing. Why didn't I say the same thing before. Now I look suspicious.

The rest of the ride was filled with Chloe's conversation with everyone about anything. Aubrey parked the car in an underground carpark which Chloe knew connected them to the mall (neither Brett or Stacie knew this) and they all made their way into the building. Once the doors were open their senses were greeted by the mouth-watering smell of multiple food places making the siblings eyes grow wide, they haven't seen that much food in a while. Both their stomachs growled at the thought.

Now was the first time in months that they willingly were going out to eat. They hadn't realised that they were staring until Aubrey came and wrapped her arm around Brett in a comforting action, understanding that this may be a new experience for him, while Chloe hugged Stacie. Too excited to keep to herself. They made their way towards a Chinese restaurant after a long debate between the blonde and the red-head that was only decided by a flip of a coin.

They sat around the table and ordered their food while making idle chit chat for much of the wait. Once the food arrived both Brett and Stacie drooled at the sight of a real full plate of food, something they had only seen when making their father dinner (or school lunches – which don't count as food). Aubrey watched as the siblings dug into their meal as if it was going to be taken away from them and realised just how much was going on in their lives. Chloe, on the other hand, laughed at the sight, food covered Brett and Stacie's faces, they both looked up at each other and laughed at the other's appearance. Play of discomfort.

Once the food was eaten, Aubrey excused herself from the table leaving the rest to continue enjoying themselves. Aubrey made her way to the front paying area and waited for her turn. Aubrey snuck her way back to the table making it look as though she was just in the bathroom.

As the conversation dies down the waiter comes along with 2 take out boxes filled and handed it to Aubrey who smiled and curtly nodded back to him before he left the table. The rest of the group stared at Aubrey who simply shrugged and walked out of the restaurant ignoring the looks from her companions. The rest of the group look at each other expecting an answer before they go to pay but get declined saying a previous customer paid for them. The girls were confused but decided not to question the generosity of a stranger before running out to catch up with Aubrey, who stood leaning against the railing on her phone. She looks up and smiles before walking with them around the shops.

The day continued with Stacie and Chloe running from shop to shop, oohing and aahing everything in sight. While Brett and Aubrey hung back a bit watching the scene in front of them, happy. Brett would remain with his smile each time he saw Chloe looking at him, the guilt slowly dissipating seeing the grin she would send his way. Aubrey remained silent liking the fact Brett's smile was genuine and not another fake.

Soon the day came to an end and Chloe had bought at least four bags worth of items (to which Brett carried, despite the pain he felt in doing so, shifting them to his uninjured side). Stacie had only half a bag, wanting to keep as much money as she could. Aubrey had the two containers of food while Brett remained with nothing allowing Stacie to enjoy herself instead.

When they stopped at Chloe's house, both she and Stacie went to bring her bags inside leaving Brett and Aubrey in the car. Brett turned to Aubrey.

"It was you wasn't it?" his curiosity showed itself in his voice.

"What was me?"

"Paying for the food." Brett received only a small nod causing him to smile knowing he truly had a friend. "Thank you but you didn't have to do that."

Aubrey smiled with admiration to Brett "And you don't have to pretend to be okay. I know that you and Stacie haven't eaten a good meal for a while. I saw it on your faces when the food came along." Brett looked down ashamed of that being both true and Aubrey noticing.

Noticing Brett's mood change Aubrey decided to add something she knew he needed to hear. "Don't worry I will neither tell nor ask...right now anyway but the food I got extra is for you and Stacie." Aubrey smiled at the boy but couldn't help feeling bad for both him and Stacie. Brett looked up at the blonde with tears in his eyes that broke Aubrey's heart even more.

"Thank you" that was all Brett could say before Aubrey pulled him into a hug, crushing his shoulder, causing Brett to hiss. Aubrey pulled back and saw the pain on Brett's face. Before Aubrey could get a word out Stacie came back to the car preventing her to get a word out not knowing if Stacie was aware of his new injury as she was aware her arms weren't near the injured rib.

The ride to the Mitchell house was in an uncomfortable silence for both Brett and Aubrey, Stacie was conscious of the silence but not the tension between the others, they refused to talk to each other and instead became concentrated on other things.

The closer to 'home' they got the more scared the siblings got not knowing what mood Warren was in. Aubrey grew aware of the added fear in the car but thought it was her imagination. Soon they were in front of the nightmarish building and Stacie looked to Brett for reassurance before stepping out the car at the small smile sent her way. Brett thanked Aubrey and was stepping out of the car when his name called his attention to the blonde who handed him the food boxes earning another thank you in return.

Aubrey waited for her friends to make their way into the house. As she waited she noticed that Stacie had reached for Brett's hand before he walked in first almost stealthily. Growing more observant she saw the fearful look on Stacie's face as she walked in behind the brunette. Her heart raced to know that something was wrong. She made her way out the car, with one of her old emergency coats in hand, making her way towards the house slowly not knowing what would be awaiting her.

The closer she got the more distinguishable the muffled shouts got. What sounded like the rambling of a drunkard and the submissive sounds of her friends compelled Aubrey to knock on the door three times. As she waited for an answer she heard a scream and a loud thud coming from within the house. Just as she was about to make a move and barge into the building the door flies open. She is met with the piercing (and angered) grey gaze of a drunken version of her English teacher, Mr Mitchell.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT BITCH!" Mr Mitchell's voice echoed through Aubrey's entire body.

---

10.

Aubrey remained frozen, taking in the sight in front of her. The unkept greying brown hair, the pair of bloodshot eyes but the most eye-catching was the bottle of whisky held tightly in his grasp. Aubrey looked past the man quickly hoping to get even a glimpse that her friends were okay but she was only met with an empty hallway and a noticeably locked door that sent a chill through her blood. Mr Mitchell's patience was next to none when in his drunken state. This often caused the majority of his 'disputes' with his children.

"I SAID WHAT DO YOU WANT?" His voice filled with annoyance and rage caused Aubrey's instincts to switch into flight mode but her pride prevented her from moving away, unwilling to be pushed around by anyone. Aubrey took a silent deep breath trying to calm her nerves before answering.

"Sorry for the disturbance sir, but I was wondering if Stacie was here?" Aubrey automatically chose not to mention Brett's name scared her hunch was correct. She hoped she hadn't gotten Stacie into trouble for her next lie.

"No, sorry, they went out with their friends and haven't returned. May I ask why you need my daughter?" Mr Mitchell sobered considerably not wanting to be caught drunk nevermind angry. After all, he did have a reputation to maintain.

Aubrey held up the coat she had snagged from her car for Mr Mitchell to see. "Stacie left her jacket and I just wanted to return it to her, sir." She hoped that the Mitchell patriarch didn't see through her lie. She maintained eye contact trying to block the man from seeing the truth.

Mr Mitchell ripped the coat from Aubrey's hand before half thanking her. Aubrey gave a curt nod to Mr Mitchell before the door slammed shut and more shouting is heard coming from inside of the house. Guilt overcame the blonde as she stood on the outside of the building trying to process everything that she saw. Her mind kept running to the door, what was behind it? Did she want to know? But more importantly, what did he do to her friends?

Aubrey stumbled back to her car, her hands shaking. The shouting increased but she couldn't bring herself to go back to the door even with everything inside her telling her to do something, anything. Sitting in the car she rested her hands on the steering wheel ready to drive but hoping to see just a glimpse of either of her friends before she leaves.

Twenty minutes pass and no sign of anyone in the house, no shouting, no crying, the only indicator that anyone was home was the dimmed light coming from what Aubrey assumed was the living room. Growing more nervous the blonde grabs her phone and quickly dials Brett, each ring fills her with more and more dread until she is met with the automated voicemail message. Hanging up she tries for Stacie with it only needing to ring twice before the girl picks up.

"Bree?" The lost sound of her voice brings tears to Aubrey's eyes.

"Stace? Stacie, are you okay?" Sniffles and a groan can be heard faintly

"Why? Why did you come back?" Stacie's voice was hollow almost non-existent, breaking Aubrey's heart, even more, to know that she had caused it.

"I...I heard shouting. I...I...I thought I could help."

Aubrey could hear the phone shuffling on the other end of the phone.

"Aubrey, can you get us a place to stay tonight?" Brett's voice was unnervingly calm.

"Oh...um. Yeah, you can stay with me if you want. I'm still outside if you can get to me." Sighs of what she thought was relief could be heard.

"Give us ten minutes." Before Aubrey could say anything the line died.

Aubrey waited outside the house, obsessively checking her phone for any sign of complications. The front door to the house opened revealing the silhouettes of her friends, her heart broke even more just by seeing the shadows she could see the pain etched into their movements or lack thereof in Brett's case. Aubrey rushed to Brett's side, hooking his arm over her shoulder, walking him to the car. Aubrey opened the car with her one free arm and delicately placed the brunette across the backseat. Aubrey opened the passenger side for Stacie before making her way to the driver's side for herself.

The drive was filled with the heavy breathing coming from Brett. Any attempt Aubrey made to talk was shot down or ignored by Stacie. Half an hour felt like an eternity when sitting in a car filled with hate and guilt but Aubrey knew she had to do this, she had to right the wrong she created.

When they arrived at Aubrey's house Stacie silently left the car and opened the passenger seat pulling Brett slowly out allowing him to plant his feet on the ground before standing upright. Aubrey unlocked the door to the house before returning to help Brett inside. The house was silent, almost abandoned, allowing them safe passage to take themselves up the stairs to the blonde's room. The lights remained turned off and the rooms were only illuminated by the soft glow from the moonlight streaming through the windows, not enough to make the extent of the injuries clear to Aubrey's eyes.

Once they were in Aubrey's room, Stacie switched on the lights revealing the immaculate room, bookshelves filled completely with an assortment of classic literature, neatly made bedsheets coating the queen sized bed, the elegant white walls reflecting Aubrey's pure intentions, and the small bay window with padded seats and a selection of random looking patterns (the only thing to seem random and unorganised) that worked well together. Aubrey pulled Brett along to the bay window pushing the pillows off allowing Brett to lay flat against the window.

Taking a step back Aubrey's hand went over her mouth to muffle the sound of her gasp by Brett's appearance. The brunette was covered head to toe with patches of swelling, bruises and cuts. His face seemed the least affected but even that had a black eye, a cut above his right eyebrow and a busted lip. Aubrey snaps back into reality when Stacie starts calling her name and asking for a med kit. The blonde runs into the nearest bathroom and starts searching for the first aid kit as Stacie attempts to take Brett's shirt off to gain easier access to the wounds.

Aubrey returns soon after to see a crying Stacie and a barely conscious Brett, her anger rises at the thought of this happening again. She hated everyone, she hated Mr Mitchell for hurting them, she hated herself for sending them in there, she even hated them for not telling her who it was. But she knew that she shouldn't be, she knew she was being outrageous, she knew she had to be there for them, now more than ever. She walked over and crouched beside the siblings placing the first aid kit on the seat beside Brett and started to patch him up. The lacerations were stitched, ribs were bandaged and cuts were given band aids. An hour and almost half of the med kit later Brett was patched up, Stacie not once letting go of his hand not even when she fell asleep from the pure exhaustion.

Stay with me. Please. I can't lose you too.

Aubrey didn't ask them to move, she didn't want them to move, she didn't want to cause them more pain. Instead, she grabbed a throw cover from her bed and covered the duo and let them stay in their slumber. She cleared up the mountains of blood-soaked cotton balls, wipes and other supplies.

Aubrey kissed both of her friends on the forehead before crawling into her bed. She fell asleep thinking of all the ways she could help them but no matter what someone would always get hurt in every thought she had. She didn't know what the future had in store but she did know that whatever happens, she will be there for them. That was a promise she would not break.

---

11.

Brett woke up with a jolt. the memories of the night before replayed in his head. His movements forced the pain across his body to make itself known, his ribs forced his breathing to become ragged, cuts made his muscles unimaginably sore to move and the beating to his face caused his head to feel as if it were being ripped apart. His shortness of breath alerted Stacie enough for her to wake up, her hand automatically going delicately to his chest as she tries to calm him down with reassuring phrases when they made eye contact all that remained in Brett's eyes was pure pain. I'm sorry. Stacie couldn't help but blame herself for her brother's torment. Staring into Stacie's eyes somehow managed to calm Brett down enough to ease his breathing.

Looking around Brett could only see unfamiliar surroundings, everything was beautiful, elegant even. His confusion was cleared when he saw a certain blonde carrying a tray filled with everything he ever fought for. Right. Last night. Food, medication and the proof of someone caring for them. He smiled as he was given some drugs for the pain, his smile fell when he saw the reaction Stacie had with Aubrey. The side eye and obvious ignoring from Stacie about everything concerning Aubrey.

"What's going on?" His voice was like sandpaper to their ears. Aubrey hands Brett a glass of water to soothe his throat.

"How are you feeling?" Aubrey knew it was a stupid question but she wanted to distract him from the question.

"Exactly how you would expect. Now tell me, what is going on between the two of you?" His voice despite the scratchiness still held his natural authoritativeness inside it.

"Nothing," They both said at the same time. Oh really? Brett only sends a questioning glare between them hoping to make one of them break.

"I'm sorry Brett. It's my fault you're like this" Aubrey's voice was filled with sympathy and guilt.

"Why is this your fault?" Brett remained confused and was hoping to gain even the slightest explanation.

"Because she stuck her nose in something that wasn't her business" Aubrey looked down, not denying Stacie's words. Low blow.

Brett grabbed Aubrey's hand making her look at him "It wasn't your fault," Both Aubrey and Stacie was about to protest but Brett started to speak before they could "It wasn't your fault because you didn't do this. There is only one person to blame and we know who that is."

Warren. "I'm still sorry." Aubrey looks down. Guilt edging further onto her face.

"I know you are but you shouldn't be. The moment we blame ourselves we give them the power." Brett was wrapped up into a hug by both girls, neither one of them forgiving themselves but didn't want to make Brett worry about them anymore. Shit, this hurts more than I thought it would.

Aubrey pulled away grabbing the tray of food from where she placed it on her bed while Stacie sat Brett up right. "Thought you might be hungry" Brett turned to Stacie with uncertainty in his eyes. We can't afford this. Stacie shrugs and starts to eat some of the full English breakfast with Brett following not long after. The whole breakfast took a half hour to consume in the silence. No-one was wanting to break the silence, enjoying the peace that was brought with it.

The silence grew too much for Aubrey, she could feel the questions pouring from her head trying to find their own answers. "So, your dad?" Everyone cringed at the bluntness of the question.

"Yeah" Brett's voice was the smallest she had ever heard it be.

Aubrey pulled Brett into yet another hug. "Thank you" was all Aubrey was able to whisper in his ear. Thank you.

"You can stay here for as long as you need." Her voiced revealed that the offer was not from a place of pity which relieved the siblings.

"Thank you." Brett decided to change the subject not sure if she was comfortable discussing.

"Yeah well, it gets lonely here," Aubrey said with a shrug.

"No, Aubrey, I mean thank you. For everything. Especially for getting out of the house yesterday. Both times," Aubrey nodded curtly before asking Brett if she could check his wounds.

Aubrey checked thoroughly each cut, her eyes constantly landing on the lash marks on his shoulder, covering them up with fresh up with fresh gauze and bandages. Looking back up she could see Brett had once again fallen asleep with Stacie humming and stroking his hair. She couldn't blame him for falling asleep if anything she was impressed he stayed awake for as long as he did with all the painkillers she gave him.

"I'm sorry Aubrey, for blaming you. You didn't do anything that hurt us." Stacie looked up and saw tears rolling down Aubrey's cheek. Aubrey placed her hand on Stacie's cheek wiping away the cluster of tears that rolled down.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Aubrey pulled Stacie into a bone-breaking hug but they didn't mind.

"I couldn't stop him. I couldn't stop him from hurting my own brother, Bree. What kind of sister can't even do that?" Guilt was the only thing evident in her voice.

"The one that cares enough to try." Brett's voice broke their hug. They turned to see a smirking Brett who's eyes remained closed.

"I'm sorry Brett, I'm so sorry" Her mantra begins to become the only thing to be heard.

"I know you are but you didn't do anything" Brett tried to comfort her as her body shakes from the tears.

"Exactly I didn't do anything. You protect me every chance you get and when it is my turn to do that, I can't."

"Come here," Brett lifted his arm up allowing Stacie to hug into him. "you didn't do this. You tried and I appreciate that more than anything. I love you, Stace, nothing will change that." Brett places a small kiss onto Stacie's head.

"I love you too Brett."

Brett looks up to see Aubrey smiling sadly at the duo. Brett lifts his other hand for Aubrey to take, he squeezes it and mouths 'Thank you' she nods and takes the tray down so that she doesn't interrupt their moment any further. Brett holds Stacie tighter and plays with her hair allowing her to know that he's here.

Aubrey returns to see Stacie asleep still cuddling into Brett while Brett still strokes her hair subconsciously, looking off into space, deep in thought. She grabs the throw cover that fell to the floor at some point throughout the night and covered them once again. Brett curtly nods. Aubrey stays put uncertain of what she should do until Brett pats the seat beside him inviting her over.

"So, tell me about this party that's happening."

Brett and Aubrey fall into an easy conversation but both of them ignoring the obvious question. All they knew was that no matter what, they had each other through all that was yet to come.

We're safe here.

---

Thank you for reading. Please leave a review, I know the story's bad.