Em was out of school the next day. And the day after that. After five days of absence Ben started to get worried, started to get freaked out. He was trying to make himself hate her for what she did to him. Trying to make himself forget about her.

That wasn't working all that well, and Rob and Jeff were the ones who tried of course to pull Ben back into reality. As much as they adored Em for beating up Dick, they didn't want to see their best guy in a ridiculous love-sick slump.

"Dude," Jeff said, slamming his gym locker and sitting down on the smooth wooden bench covered in pencil graffiti. "You gotta get over this. Maybe she caught a tropical disease or something."

Ben quirked an eyebrow at him. "That's not helping. Seriously."

Rob rolled his eyes. "You should just forget about her. I mean, she won't even admit that she kissed you. That's not cool."

"Rob, forget about Julia," he retorted.

"What the hell does that have to do with this?"

"You couldn't forget her, could you? Yeah, you're still dating her but come on. It's no different."

Rob gave a frustrated shrug. "Whatever you say man."

Jeff sighed. "As long as this doesn't affect your game, go ahead and chase after her."

During practice, Ben was about as useful as a sack of potatoes. They ended up sending him into the lockers because he was so out of it. Thank God it was a Friday so he could go home and work on homework. Maybe that'd be a real distraction.

By 9 PM that night he'd finished all his homework. By 10 PM he'd taken a bath and brushed his teeth. By midnight, he was out cold in his bed.

At 2:38 AM, he was woken up by his phone.

He'd always remember the time. The exact moment when his heart dropped like a lead weight from his chest.

At first he'd thought the text was nothing odd, nothing out of the ordinary. Just an odd text from Jeff or Rob or Julia or Jack or anyone but Em. But when her name popped up on the screen his heart stopped.

From Em:

help me. im on w. timber street. hurts.

Once his mind started working the conversation he'd had with Jeff flashed through his mind.

"Julia just sent me a text. She knows the signs, ever since Jess dated that bastard Andy. And you should've seen the look on her face when you pulled her away from that body pile. I thought she was gonna bolt right then and there..."

"What are you saying?"

"Well, if Jules thinks Mr. Andrews is beating her around, it can't hurt to ask her."

"...Jeff, if I ask her about anything like that she'll bite my head off. Especially if it's true."

"It's worth a shot."

In about ten seconds flat Ben had pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt, grabbing his keys and jogging out the door. The engine in his old beat up truck didn't seem to start up fast enough and everyone around him seemed to be moving at a snail's pace.

The problem was, Ben had no idea where the hell West Timber street was. After fifteen minutes of frantic driving he found it. Em was huddled under a tree, shaking like a leaf.

"Which house is yours?" Ben demanded angrily, slamming his car door and storming over to her. "I'M GONNA RIP HIS FUCKING LUNGS OUT."

Em stared at him with wide hazel eyes. Her face was covered in bruises and blood, both dried and still trickling from open wounds. Her nose was broken. One eye was almost swollen shut. Her ribs screamed in pain, and so did her right leg. It was getting harder to breathe. "H-h-hurts, Ben," she croaked out, voice weak. Weak and broken and God... This was Em. This was Em Andrews. This was Em. Em was supposed to be all energy and steely glare and fire and bite and now she was reduced to a shaking mess. A shaking, trembling...

Oh God, she's bleeding.

Oh fuck. Now he was breathing heavily, in a panic. She was bleeding, her face was covered in blood and bruises... She was curled up on herself and it was obvious by the way her leg twisted she was hurt badly. Her breathing was labored and oh God, she was obviously in pain. Rage turned to fear.

"Em, fuck, Em, are you okay?" he said worriedly. She needed a doctor. "I don't care if you hate me for this but I'm taking you to the hospital." He made his voice even out. Em needed someone calm right now.

Em whimpered as she was scooped up into his arms. Pain seared through her whole body. "Ben!" she nearly shrieked. His heart shattered.

"Sh, Em, I've got you." He set her down carefully in the passenger seat and closed the door, hopping back into the truck and skipping the seatbelt. He floored the gas and sped off. Fuck the speed limits. This was a matter of life and death.