As always, thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! Just a heads up, we're a little more than halfway through. I don't think I'll be going past 20 chapters, but we'll see. I'm letting it take me as far as it wants to go

.::.

.::.

"You alright?" Neither of us had moved for the last minute, and I was still trying to catch my breath. My face was on fire, and so was my chest.

She nodded, surprisingly calm. It took her only a moment to collect herself before she laid the gun down gently on the island counter.

"C'mere." I inched up to her. "Lemme look." I clutched her chin between my fingers and examined her swollen, blood-stained lip. "You ok?"

"I'm fine." She nodded. "It's you that...you look awful."

"Well, shit. Thanks a lot."

"Are you alright?"

I nodded, tasting the copper on my tongue. "That guys a real fuckin' asshole."

"Tell me something I don't know." She disengaged herself from my grasp and bent down to peak in the cabinet underneath the sink, where she pulled out a broom and dust-pan seconds later.

Immediately, she began sweeping up the mess. I knelt down to help her, careful not to cut my fingers on the glass. "What were you doin' with a guy like that?"

She glanced up at me and frowned shortly before returning to the task at hand. "He wasn't always like that. He was really sweet when I first met him."

"He ever hit you like that before?"

She nodded. "Only when he was drunk."

"Ain't no excuse. Ya know that, right?"

"I do now. It took me a while to realize it. Then I found out he was foolin' around with one of my friends." She stopped and looked back up at me. Our eyes met. I love her eyes.

"How fucked up is it that I didn't even get the chance to break up with him? He cheated and then decided to leave. I wanted to be the one."

"Don't worry 'bout it. He obviously regrets it. Ya don't need that kinda shit in yer life."

She nodded her head before sweeping up the last little bit of mess, and then stood to her feet to toss it in the trashcan. "You know," she leaned into the counter, facing me as I stood to my feet. "That's why I always wanted you to tell me what was going on. I felt like I could relate..."

I was unsure of what to say. I tossed a few small shards of glass into the trashcan and stared down at my feet for a second before I looked back up at her. "Yeah, well now you know."

.::.

An hour later, it was dark outside. We found ourselves on the couch in the living room, watching a movie and smoking a late-night bowl. She was cuddled up next to me, so close I could easily smell a light flower scent coming from her long, dark hair. I inhaled deeply for a split second before I took another hit from the bowl.

"Hey, so, there's a Petty concert comin' up in a few weeks." I coughed shortly. "Ya wanna go?"

"I can't. It's too risky. We could be seen."

"So we can just pretend that we ran into each other. Ain't that big a deal." I shrugged it off to sound convincing.

She opened her mouth to speak, but remained quiet for a moment before finally saying, "How about this-" she sat up and faced me. "You pass this class, I'll go."

I hung my head back. "Ain't no way. I'm too behind."

"You're not." She shook her head in disagreement. Two more tests before the big one. If you can make at least two Bs, and score a decent grade on the exam, you'll be just fine."

"Ain't even that. I done missed too many days."

Again, she shook her head. "I've handled that. According to the book, you've only missed 8. But you better not miss anymore. I could get in a lot of trouble."

"Ya don't need to be doin' that."

"I want you to pass. If you put the effort into studying, I'll help you out."

"You riskin' yer career to help me out. Ain't worth it."

"Yes." She nodded her head and lifted a hand up, running her fingers through my hair. "You are." We stayed like that for a moment. It felt good to be touched. Somethin' I never thought I'd say in my life, but she knew how to do it jus right.

"Besides," she cleared her throat, ending the moment. "There's a very low risk of me getting caught. I'm not worried."

Still, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. There was too much at stake.