I woke up from feeling the covers being removed from my body. Rubbing my hands against my eyes, I let out a small yawn. Now being fully awake, I turned to look at whoever it was that woke me from my sleep. Standing there with a grin was Ryleigh and she was still holding the covers in her arms. "Come on, get up." she said. I groaned and looked over at the clock that was on the night table beside the bed. It was only eight in the morning on a Saturday.

"What the hell Rye. It's eight o'clock, I should still be sleeping." She just shook her head, dropped the covers and walked towards the door. Before she left she stopped and looked at me once more. "If you don't get up, I'll just have to send up reinforcements." she smiled and walked off.

Reinforcements? Something is seriously wrong with her.

I laid back down on the bed and closed my eyes, trying to go back to sleep, though the light from the outside was too bright. I sighed and placed a pillow over my head. I couldn't really sleep though, I never could get back to sleep once I wake up. I just laid there, with my eyes closed thinking about what happened last night. It was a mistake to put my guard down. I should have never let him get close to me, I shouldn't have let him seen me cry. The worst part is, I opened up to him a little last night and that's what I regretted the most. Why did I have to make myself so vulnerable at that moment, and why did he have to care so much.

I've only known him for a couple of days and that's just because he spends most of his time here working on the project with Ryleigh. Usually I would chat with them a little and then say I was tired and just come to the room and think about everything, but never once did he come and check on me. Why was it that yesterday he decided to pass by? Why did he have such a weird effect on me? It's like whenever he's around I just want to go and hug him and spill everything to him, like I could trust him.

I shook my head and let out another sigh. I've been doing a lot of that lately, but I just couldn't understand how it was possible for Nick to make me feel so safe when I barely knew him. It took me a fairly long time to trust Ryleigh and even then I was still a bit hesitant.

"Reinforcements are here." the voice interrupted my little reverie.

I shot up from the bed and looked toward the door. There he was, standing in his usual manner; hands in his front pocket and leaning against the door frame. I frowned at the sight of him and he noticed. His eyebrows furrowed and he made his way over towards the bed. "Don't." I said softly. He looked at me with a confused face but I just shook my head.

"Don't get near me. Just leave me alone." my voice was still soft.

"What's wrong, Dani?" he continued to make his way towards me, stopping at the foot of the bed. I stared at the bed sheet, not wanting to look him in the eyes. I knew that if I did, then I would forget about the fact that I didn't want him near me.

"Just leave me alone." I said again, this time a little louder. He didn't move though. He stayed standing there, staring at me.

"Damnit, Dani! What the hell am I going to do with you?" he shouted. I cringed at how loud his voice was. It reminded me of when my dad would scream at me. That was when I heard what he had said. It was exactly the same thing my dad would tell me every time he was getting angry with me. In that instant, Nick reminded me so much of the person I feared.

"Just go!" I yelled back. I still couldn't look at him, I was too afraid that I may just see the image of my father. "Seriously Dani, I don't know what to do with you. One day you're all distant and then when I finally start getting close to you, you turn around and do this. Why can't you just let me in?"

I couldn't answer him, I didn't know how to put it into words. I wanted more than anything to let him in but I knew it would be wrong to do so. It was already bad that I had told him how long this has been going on. Not even Ryleigh knew that. If I let him in, it would mean that I fully trust him and that would only make me want to believe that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to stop all of this from happening. I couldn't let that happen. I knew all too well that whenever I get my hopes up, they just come crashing down. There was nothing anyone could do to stop this and it was partially my fault. I don't let anyone report him because no matter how abusive he is, I still need my father and he knows that.

"I-I just can't." I whispered so low I wasn't sure he heard me. When he moved closer to me to sit down next to me and wrapped his arms around me, I knew that he had. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent. He smelled like some very expensive cologne and it was very good.

No! Dani, you cannot let your guard down anymore. You need to get away from him now, you need to go home where there's no Nick, I thought. There may be no Nick, but there is my dad...

It was a risk I was going to have to take. Maybe he wasn't even home. It was a Saturday and he usually did work today, so I could have the house for a couple of hours before he would get home. I would worry about that when the time came, for now I just needed to get away from Nick. I moved away from him quickly and got up from the bed. Searching around the room, I began to gather my things while Nick sat on the bed, looking at me incredulously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going home." I said as I began walking out the door. Any second now he would come running out trying to stop me like I knew he would. 5,4,3,2,1...

"You're not leaving." he said as he blocked my way to the stairs. I scowled at him and pushed him aside. "Yes I am." He grabbed my stuff thinking that it would make me stop, but I simply let them fall out of my grasp. I didn't need to bring them now. I made my way down the stairs, past a confused Ryleigh and out the front door. Once I was out the door, I ran all the way to my house, not caring if I was still in my pj's.

Once I reached the front gate to my house I realized that my face was wet. God, why was I crying now? I had no idea but now-a-days I seem to cry about everything. I sighed, wiping away the tears and walked towards the door. My dad's car wasn't there and I sighed out of relief. Opening the door, I noticed that the house was a mess. He never even bothered to clean up anything from that night when we got into a fight. I guess I should start cleaning this up before dad gets home.

/

I was lying down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Cleaning up the mess had taken longer than I thought and once I was done with the living room, I had decided I might as well clean the rest of the house. Hopefully this would get him in a slightly better mood when he comes home. I was exhausted from all the cleaning that I all I wanted to do was go to sleep. I couldn't though. Even if I closed my eyes and tried, I still had that feeling of fear and guilt inside of me. Fear for my father and what he would do to me when he saw that I was finally home and guilt for Nick. I felt bad for snapping at him and running out like that but it was what I had to do.

Ryleigh has called my phone plenty of times and I'm pretty sure I've heard someone knock on the door a couple of times but I never bothered answering. I didn't want to talk to them, especially Nick. I just wanted some time alone to think. I needed some time to think. To think about everything that's been going on in my life so far. My mother leaving my dad and me, my dad turning into someone I barely recognize, the beatings and visits to the hospital, the countless of stories I've had to make up just to cover it up, Ryleigh...and Nick.

So many questions come up every time I think of him. Why does he care so much? I mean this has nothing to do with him yet he involved himself and no matter how much I tried to push him away, he doesn't budge. He was so stubborn and that just gets me angry. I heard my phone start to ring and again I ignored it. After a minute of endless ringing, there was a beep that told me that I had a new voice message. I wondered whether I should listen to it or not? Eh, what the heck. I'm sure it's the same as all the other one Ryleigh has left me.

I reached over for my phone at called my voicemail. I skipped the six other messages Ryleigh had left and went straight to the new one. Expecting to hear Ryleigh's voice saying that she was worried about me, I didn't pay much attention. Then I heard it. It wasn't Ryleigh's voice, it was Nick's.

"Dani? Hopefully you're hearing this and because if not I'm going to look like a fool waiting outside your house. Ryleigh is really worried and I told her I would pass by so please just open the door."

I stayed silent and didn't move from the bed. Was he serious? Is he really outside my house? No he couldn't be, he wouldn't be that stupid to come here. God, couldn't he just stay away like I told him to. Why does he have to be so damn stubborn! Oh I know, I just won't open the door. Yeah, I'll just wait for him to leave and then everything would be fine. But the question is, would he leave if I don't answer? As if on cue, my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen and saw I had a new text from an unknown number. I sighed, already knowing it was from Nick.

If you don't open I'll find another way inside. You know I will.

"Damnit Jonas!" I cursed and made my way down the stairs. I opened the door and he was standing there like he said he would. I stared at the floor, still not being able to look him in the eyes, "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok. Rye and I were really worried about you, especially since you left like that." his voice was soft like always. "Well I'm fine so you can leave!" I meant for my voice to come out harsh but it didn't really come out that way. I finally looked up at him, trying my best to give him a cold glare but as soon as I looked into his eyes it was like I forgot that I was supposed to be mad at him for coming here. Damn those stupid eyes.

"I'm not leaving until you agree to come back to Ryleigh's with me." he stated. I scoffed at him and was about to close the door when his hand stopped it. He walked inside the house and then closed the door. I stared at him incrediously. Was he really planning on staying here if I didn't go? "Nick what are you doing, get out." He stood his ground and shook his head. "Nope, if you're not coming with me then I'm staying."

"Are you crazy, you can't stay here! Nick if my dad comes and finds you here I'm dead." Oh. I probably shouldn't have said that. Now he's really not going to leave. Great, just great. I could see what my dad would do to me if he found Nick in here. I'd be in for a double beating! Think Dani, think! There has to be a way to get him to leave.

But I don't really want him to leave.

What the heck was I thinking? Of course I wanted him to leave, I need him to leave before daddy gets home. I stood there, in the main foyer, arguing with myself before Nick's voice broke my train of thought. "Dani, I promise I won't let him do anything to you.." Oh god why did he have to go and say that? Doesn't he know how much I want to believe that he'll be able to protect me, that he'll be able to help me? No he doesn't. I sighed to myself and shook my head at him. "Nick, you have to go." He walked closer to me but I pulled back. If I let him hold me again then that would be the end of the fight. I would forget about everything and worry about nothing because that's what happens when he holds me.

I was beginning to get angry. He just wouldn't listen and I wasn't about to put myself in any more trouble than I'm probably in. I wouldn't put him into any danger. My father wouldn't care who he was, he would most likely take out his fustrations on him aswell and I couldn't stand to even think about that. I needed to get him to leave and the only way I knew how was to scream and throw a fit. "DANMIT NICK!!" he looked at me with his eyes wide. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE. I DONT NEED YOUR HELP OR YOUR GOD DAMN PITY!" I opened the door for him and I refused to let the tears that were threatning to escape, fall.

He looked at me and those once wide eyes were full of sadness but it was only for a moment. He closed his eyes and shook his head and when he opened them again they were no longer sad, but angry. "Fine, but don't come to me when you end up in worse conditions then before!" his voice wasn't the usual soft, it was harsh and cold and completely different from the Nick he was just a few minutes ago. Without another word he walked out the door and I slammed it shut. I made my way towards the living room and slumped down on the couch where I let my tears flow freely.

I don't know how long I stayed on that couch crying, but it seemed like forever. It seemed like time had stopped, like all the noise in the room vanished but then I heard it. The front door opened and I could hear him place the keys on the corner table in the foyer. I could hear his footsteps as he walked closer and closer to the living room. My heart pace quickened and I stayed frozen on that couch as if I was a statue. Then I saw him and he saw me. A smirk appeared on his face, "Well, well look who's finally home."

Maybe I should have gone with Nick when I had the chance.