I'm Talking in circles.
I'm lying they know it.
Why won't this just stop go away

Is it over yet?
Can I open my eyes?
Is this as hard as it gets?
Is this what it feels like to really cry?

Rain was slapping the roof of Taylor's apartment as she slowly stirred the next day. She could almost smell the rain as she kept her eyes closed and snuggled further under the covers; she could certainly hear it. It's amazing how slowly reality creeps back to you when you're subconscious is so much more suitable. She had had a dream that she was just laying there, in Chad's arms, all night. His firm muscles had enclosed her to his perfect chest. They had just lay there, talking, whispering, laughing. He had moved her hair out of the way and tucked it behind her ears as he listened and interjected and made her laugh. She could hear his laugh echoing in her thoughts. It was so deep and throaty and…sexy. She loved it, the air of confidence that swam through the undertone of the sound. She could smell his musky cologne, reminding her of a desert after a thunderstorm. Through the rest of the dreamless night she had sworn she was sleeping in his arms. As she rubbed her arms she could still feel where his hands had been, holding her. She felt safe then, like just the faint remnence of a dream-like presence of him was enough to shield her. She sighed, her eyes fluttering before opening and taking in the morning. The room was still dim, dark enough to go back to sleep, letting the rain lull her into unconscious, but a couple years of morning practice had coerced her into early bird syndrome. There were no windows in her quaint bedroom, but her door was open, cascading morning light from outside, welcoming her to the day.

She sat up, scratching her hair which had turned into a very attractive mane. Her cardinal tank stop with an S on it was wrinkled and twisted in every direction and her spandex had ridden up in the night. She reached her arms up and extended them as far as she could, stretching her tired muscles. With a groan she swung her legs around so they dangled off the side of her bed. She pointed her toes down, stretching those too, letting the joints crack and stretch like the rest of her. She noted that Gabriella would have pointed out (amused) that her feet didn't touch the ground when she did so. It wasn't her fault that her six foot four dad had decided to marry a woman that was four foot nine and Taylor, a dainty five feet, was the end result.

She let her mind wander to last night, wrapping her head around the whole situation. The movies, the woman in front of her, the awkward almost kisses that she seemed to keep getting herself into. She remembered the way that Chad had acted, made her laugh…the way he smelled. She shivered slightly at the memory. She also thought about the scary movie she had gotten herself into, and how she didn't even watch it thanks to Troy and Gabriella. Troy and Gabriella…

Troy and Gabriella. She had to know how the night went. She had gone to bed before Gabriella came home last night. She hopped off her oversized king bed, raised a couple feet off the floor, wobbling the first few tired steps before catching her stride. She made her way slowly across the small apartment, dragging her fingertips along the wall of the small hallway leading into her best friend's room until she reached the door.

"Hey, G?" she said, knocking softly. No answer. Just the ringing you get in your ears from silence surrounding you.

"Gabriella?" she said a little louder, cracking the door open. Still hearing nothing, she opened it all the way. Gabriella's bed was made just like it had been the morning before. Each pillow perfectly placed next to each other. Each wrinkle pushed away, leaving a smooth satin surface on her comforter. She let her eyes scan the rest of the room. Her dresser drawers were closed, immaculately placed beauty products were on display on top. Her closet door was not open, revealing her wardrobe, so she obviously wasn't getting dressed for the day. She cocked her head to the side, listening for Gabriella in the kitchen, maybe she had missed her on her way by. Nope, silence. She tip toed out of the room, walking across back to her side of the apartment. The bathroom door was also open, and when she investigated; everything in place as she had left it. She hadn't come home. Worried, Taylor turned and walked quickly back to her room. What if something had happened? She began to pace, horrid images hatching themselves in her brain. She wrung her hands together as she traced her small room several times. It had probably been raining all night, the roads were wet, it was cold, maybe some ice had been on them. Newspaper clippings of a young Stanford honor student killed on the icy roads on Paradise Ln. She had tried to call her best friend for help but she wouldn't pick up, she was too busy sleeping while her friend was busy bleeding to death. She died with her phone in her hand, thumb on the speed dial key 8. Oh gosh, she pulled her phone off the charger when the thought hit her like she had walked right into it.

She had driven back to Troy's apartment last night. And from the looks of things, they had been having a really good time last night. What if she had stayed there? What if things had continued on like that for the rest of the evening?…the rest of the night…and into the early morning. What if Gabriella Montez…had sexual intercourse!?

The realization sent Taylor into a whole new frenzy of emotion. First relief at the fact that her best friend most likely had survived the night not only safe, but getting it on. Next, Taylor was giddy and jumping up and down as she pressed the seven key on her phone and started calling Gabriella. It took a few rings but finally the groggy girl picked up her phone.

"Hel-lo?" she stuttered, yawning loudly over the receiver.

"Gabriella Montez, spending the night in Troy Bolton's room doing the nasty!" she couldn't help herself…honestly. A filter was just not something Taylor McKessie was born with.

If Taylor could have seen Gabriella, she would be blushing. She had never thought of herself as the kind of girl who would wake up to be wrapped up, no clothing, in some boy's sheets. That just wasn't her. It wasn't something she thought would happen outside of the movies. But here she was, warm and snug, and totally in love. She couldn't even be embarrassed by her actions last night and the fact that it was total PDA and probably a little gross to the surrounding audience. She was however, not surprised that her best friend had picked up on it. Although she couldn't help but giggle at the thought of the small panic attack she must have had when she first realized she hadn't come home last night. Light and airy feeling, she couldn't help but jokingly answer, "Troy's room?" feigning surprise, "What are you talking about? I slept in Chad's bed."

Taylor pulled her ear away as Gabriella laughed at her own joke, "Ha ha very funny, I take it he isn't in the room."

Gabriella sighed lightly, looking out towards the door frame, she wished he was in bed, holding her right now, "No, I remember him saying something about coffee, but I fell back asleep." She played with a corner of the sheet and she tucked her phone in between her ear and her shoulder.

"You do realize you are going to come home and tell me all about it, I can smell the sex on you from here," Taylor was beaming, she couldn't wait to be filled in on every detail. Gabriella owed her that. She always told every part of her sexcapades.

"I'll be home in about an hour, swear." She answered, glancing at the alarm clock to see the time.

"I'm counting the minutes you slut."

Gabriella glanced up when she heard the sound of shuffling steps coming into the room. Her heart jumped out of her chest with excitement, "He's coming back, goodbye." She hung up the phone and set it down just as Troy was walking into the room, two cups of coffee in hand.

"Were you just on the phone?" he asked as he set them down on the night stand, moving back onto the bed, on top of Gabriella and kissing her neck lightly.

"Yes," she giggled, "It was just Taylor."

He continued to kiss her neck, moving down ever so slightly as he rubbed her shoulders gently. She closed her eyes, enjoying his touch as he said between kisses, "I bet she was worried when you didn't come home last night."

She threaded her fingers in his messy hair, "She is a smart girl, she figured it out."

He mumbled something she didn't quite understand, but she didn't care. All she noticed now was the fact that he was sliding the bed sheet down and kissing further down to her chest.

"Mmm," she whispered soothingly, "Troy…"

"Hmm?" he asked, lingering there for a few moments before moving his mouth now back up to her jaw. She giggled and cupped his face gently in her hands, moving her lips to his and kissing him, "I love you." She whispered, her lips resting against his soft ones.

He smiled, kissing her quickly before flipping her over, so she lay resting on top of him. He kissed her more fully that time, "I love you, too Gabriella. You're so incredible. And beautiful. And spectacular," he continued on with the romantic adjectives as he kissed down her neck again and she laughed, trying to roll away from him. His fingers gripped her waist and held her there and she soon gave in, leaning her head down and kissing him again. This time, they didn't stop.

After the phone line went dead, Taylor laughed and closed her phone, walking back out to her living room and setting her phone down on the coffee table. Finally her little Gabriella was no longer a virgin. She should have expected it after the way they were all over each other last night.

Practically skipping, she made her way to the linen closet, grabbed a towel, and then went back into her room. She rummaged through the drawers for some clothes. She found dark skinny jeans, a Nike dry fit STANFORD GYMNASTICS white t shirt, and a loose black vest. She smiled to herself, chic, yet casual.

She heard three sharp knocks from her door and lulled over to it. It was Cody; she had almost forgotten she was going to breakfast with him today.

She opened the door, "Good morning," she said politely.

To anyone that didn't know him, he would look alarming. His muscles were the size of Taylors thighs, which, considering her muscles from gymnastics, hers weren't all that small. His shoulders were incredibly broad, something that had attracted him to Taylor. She loved broad shoulders, it gave her something to cling to while… she pushed that out of her mind, blaming Gabriella for the gutter.

His body, however, looked slightly awkward when his waist seemed to pinch him around the middle. His hair was a sandy blonde, but his eyes in contrast were dark, and Taylor noted that in comparison to Chad's deep, thoughtful eyes, his looked dead and empty. His face which had so much potential to be gorgeous, were upset by those eyes and the way his face looked awkward when he smiled. Taylor had never examined him more than she had in those few seconds and she found herself wondering what she had seen in him.

"Morning, "he mumbled back, giving her a kiss which she didn't return as he walked in. He didn't seem to notice. He also didn't seem to notice that she was just in her pajamas. Was he always this unobservant? She found herself unable to remember. She walked over to him; he was making his way to her couch.

"Hey, Cody, I'm just going to—"

He leaned in and kissed her. They had kissed many times, obviously, and Taylor had always found it enjoyable, even sensual. But now, it felt all wrong. His lips were forcing it, going to hard for just a morning kiss. She felt his tongue on her lips and she pulled herself away, pushing against his chest, raking in oxygen as she tried to finish her sentence.

"Like I was saying—"

"I missed you," he interrupted again. That was weird. He never said things like that.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"I missed you, we haven't done anything in a while, I missed it."

At first Taylor was taken aback, flattered. Her lips pulled up into a smile as she thought maybe he had potential, he had missed spending time with her, he had been looking forward to this simple breakfast/study date. But when the back of his hand went slowly sliding down her arm and his other hand tried to bring her towards his chest again, she had realized her hadn't meant that he missed just "hanging out" like she had thought.

She pulled away for the second time, "That's nice, but like I was saying, I have to take a quick shower, and then we can leave ok?" Before she could give him a chance to grab onto her again, she started walking, clothes in hand to the shower. It was hard not to let his immature and insincere remarks affect her. She felt so dirty whenever he said anything of that fashion. The worst part was that she let him say them. She felt so disgusted with herself. She walked quicker, clenching her fists tightly around her clothes. A lump started to rise in her throat, how could she just let herself be treated like that. She didn't deserve Chad; she was too weak to be with someone who held themselves up with such dignity. Letting Cody treat her that way was disrespecting herself and she didn't deserve someone like Chad in her life at all. Tears were almost spilling over her eye lids when she heard his voice behind her.

"Want company?" he asked

"Nope," she answered, her voice, angry, was staggering, "I've been taking showers by myself for a while now, around seventeen years, I don't need help anymore." And with that, she slammed the door behind her.

Cody fumed, his ego hurt. She couldn't just talk to him like that. No one could. His dark, dead eyes flashed in quick spurts around the room. It was just the two of them home. He knew what that meant, action. He gave himself a mental high five as he sat down on her couch. That was really the only reason he kept Taylor around anyway. She was a good fuck; excellent actually. He knew he could get it whenever he wanted. Taylor was his. Even when she really didn't seem to want to, he knew he could make her. He often did it for just that reason, to assure himself that he still had her, she was still his. He would definitely be getting some after her shower; she needed to know that she couldn't just talk to him like that. He contemplated just busting into the shower and doing it with her there. Sure she would be mad at first, put up a few complaints, but come on, who could deny that she didn't want it once they were doing it.

He seemed to like that idea; he stood up and began to walk towards the bathroom door. Her phone vibrated loudly from the wood coffee table. He glanced down, who was texting her this early? He retraced his steps, grabbing the phone from the table and flipping it open. The inbox read one unread message. He punched the button to go to it. It read:

From: Chad is a stud ; )

I had a lot of fun last night.

I think I have bruises from you

holding onto me so hard.

What. The. Fuck. He clutched the phone so hard he thought he might break the screen. Anger pulsed through him like it was in the thick of his blood. Who did she think she was? Fucking another guy behind his back; did she think he wouldn't find out? Did she think that she could play it like that? That bitch needed to be punished. And who was this ass hole? She was his. Not this douche bag's. He threw her phone against the wall, pieces flying everywhere. His dark eyes narrowed until he was peering through slits. His vision was blurred he was so drunk with his own rage. His hands clenched and unclenched, his veins bulging out of his biceps. So the dumb bitch thought she could just play him. Just use him. Well, he would show her. She would know who was in charge in this relationship. He would make sure she never forgot. His hands clenched into fists again. He started pacing, his anger not allowing him to stay still. He growled and glared at the bathroom door, his feet hitting the floor heavily as he pounded through her living room. He would let her know that she couldn't walk all over him, and then he would fuck her. She needed to remember who she belonged to. Him; only him.

He had been listening for it, so he turned right when he heard the door knob twitch. Out she walked. Strutting like she owned the world. She looked at him, not registering the danger in his eyes. Her mouth rounded to form words but not before he came charging at her.

"You dumb bitch, who the fuck do you think you are," he said calmly. Too calmly. His tone stopped her in her tracks, her eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Excuse me?" she asked, to anyone logical her voice would have come out squeaky and unassuming. But to him, so blinded by his own rage and self absorbance, only saw cocky attitude. Adrenaline flowed as he grew even angrier. So she was going to be a condescending little bitch about it? Fine, he would just hurt her more.

"You think you can just go around," he voice began to raise, he started to wave his hands around, more animated. She had never seen his eyes look so empty with hate, "fucking other guys behind my back? You think I wouldn't find out? You think you could just walk around having sex like the dumb slut you are with any guy, and not tell me?"

"Cody," she said, holding her hands out in surrender, "I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't know what I'm talking about? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M FUCKING TALKING ABOUT!? DO YOU THINK I'M A FUCKING IDIOT? I READ YOUR TEXT MESSAGES, I SAW WHAT YOU WERE SAYING TO THAT FUCKER!"

Her eyes widened in fear and utter confusion, "Cody, what texts? I never had sex with anyone else while we've been dating. I swear."

She started foreword, trying to show him that she was sincere. However, his body, looking ten times larger as he charged forward, eyes darting around dangerously, made her shrink back in fear.

"You lying piece of shit." He said quietly, but loud enough for it to pierce her ears. "You're lying, you're lying to my fucking face. And the worst part is, I should have known. I always knew you were just a dumb slut. I could tell by the way you just let me fuck you. The way I could have you where ever I wanted. You're so easy, so fucking easy I should have known all it would take was another guy to look your way for you to spread your legs."

It was her turn to get angry, her face was hot with humiliation. He couldn't just talk to her like that. She was better than this. She was better than this situation. She didn't deserved to get screamed at for something she didn't do. And even if she did, she didn't deserve to be screamed at like this. She was through letting him walk all over, she was through letting him use her. She was through with him. She stalked foreword, finger pointed at him, "Look here. I have never had sex with anyone while we were together. And how dare you fucking say those things about me. And you cannot just come into my place, say whatever the fuck you want to me like I am just some piece of trash you kick around. I am NOT just some dumb slut who you can fuck whenever. In fact, there will be no more FUCKING with you ever, because I never want to see you again. Get out."

He surprised her then. He had done a lot of things in their relationship. He had courted her, hurt her emotionally, disgusted her, made her hate herself, but he had never surprised her. He started to laugh. A low chuckle, patronizing. On the waves of his laughter rode something dangerous, something that made her neck hairs try to crawl down her back. He started coming towards her slowly. His hands reaching out, "You can't just break up with me, " he said softly, condescendingly, "You're mine."

The way he said that made her shiver, she was not his to take, to claim. Yet, as he kept coming forward he seemed convinced otherwise. "No, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, and we can just get on with this. I'll teach you not to go off and fuck someone else." He started to grab her. She pushed him away with all her strength. She wasn't weak, she could hold her own. He stumbled back a few steps, surprised that she interceded. "You stay away from me," she said, warning in her voice. She began to realize the situation, and how much trouble she could possibly be in.

It all happened so fast. Next thing she knew, the room was rushing back from her. Everything blurred away from her as her spine crashed against her wall. The shock of the push had her neck flying back. A loud dead sounding thud echoed through the room as her head flew back and connected, solid, with the old painted over brick. Her jaw snapped shut from the force of the blow, her teeth shaking in her mouth from the impact. She felt something heavy pressing against her mercilessly. Her vision blurred then from her head, black rings started to form along the room. Everything was out of focus. The black ring started to grow, coming closer into the center. The shadow of a face came into what view she had left around the black and her heart started pumping quickly with fear. She gave in, letting the shadow overtake the rest of her sight. She felt nothing then. It was calm, she could no longer feel the grip he had on her, the wrong way her body was being pressed against the wall. Her head wasn't pounding anymore. She felt calm, and she welcomed it. Anything was better than that blinding fear waiting for her on the surface.

The peacefulness ended all too soon. Adrenaline quickly shot through her veins, and it all started to come back. She tasted first. She tasted blood in her mouth. She didn't know why. She didn't think she had been hit. She then came conscious enough to realize it was from her head, pounding so incredibly hard she could taste the blood rushing to where she had hit it. That was when she realized she could feel. She could feel her head and that pain was enough to send her swimming back into darkness, but she could tell the adrenaline was starting to numb that. But she could still feel him. She felt his huge body pressed to tightly to hers. She thought that was why she couldn't breathe. She expanded her lungs to find that that wasn't the problem, the problem was his huge hand clasped around her neck. His fingers were pressing so hard against her flesh that she was sure there were going to be bruises. Her eyes fluttered then as her sight came back, but she couldn't have picked a worse sight to open her eyes to. She saw Cody's dark eyes staring into hers. His face was distorted with anger, aggression, and she had never feared for her safety more than now. She wondered how she was going to make it out of this. Her breath came out in short, scared spurts as she looked into the eyes of what only could be described as a monster. She wondered then what he would do to her; if she would be able to fight back. She mentally prepared herself to duck and run at first chance. His fingers, still laced around her neck, tightened ever so slightly, cutting off the last of her air.

"I'll show you, who you belong to. You will learn not to talk to me like that," His hands tightened even more, thinking back on what she had said to him. She tried to rake in air, but it just came out as empty gasps. Her throat caught the oxygen as soon as it reached it, denying her body what she needed. Panic started to set in, her heart rate increased, causing her blood to pump the oxygen faster. She knew it was only a matter of time before she suffocated. His finger prodded uncomfortably into her jaw, she would have made a sound if she could gather up enough air to. He kept speaking to her, his mouth forming words, but Taylor couldn't comprehend. Her brain wasn't working right. She then couldn't even hear him, his mouth was just moving blindly. Her eye lids were so heavy, she just wanted to close them, to sleep. Giving up seemed so easy. Besides, she couldn't do anything anyway, she was trapped. Her body was starting to tingle from not having any oxygen. But another part of her held on, held on so tight. She closed her eyes and the other half of her struggled to open them. When she did she was met, once again, by Cody's black eyes. She watched as his face grew even more dark, he raised his hand back, the palm facing away from her. He drew it back quickly, and she closed her eyes again, bracing herself for a blow that was sure to knock her out if she didn't pass out before. She knew how strong he was, if not by his appearance, then by the way he was holding her right now, pinned to the wall. Her vision started to fade again, spots this time instead of the black ring. She was relieved, hoping she would fade into the darkness before she would feel him hit her.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!"

The voice came from directly behind Cody. Taylor noted that it didn't fit the scene, but it didn't seem to matter. She was calm, the scene now totally black before her eyes. She wondered if he would let go of her neck after he hit her, or would he just kill her. She sensed that that would come soon anyway. It was peaceful, dark seemed nice after having a crazy boyfriend spit in your face and strangle you. She heard the sound of fist connecting with flesh, but it didn't make sense. Weren't you supposed to feel it before hear it hit you? She must really be on the edge. She scolded herself for complaining. Maybe the oxygen had stopped flowing and she couldn't feel anymore? Did that happen?

The yelling continued, but she was confused, why was Cody yelling? Why was he yelling at himself? Then a scream ensued the screaming; Taylor tried to figure out if it had come from her or not. Maybe she had screamed when he hit her, had he hit her? She couldn't tell, she was numb. She tried to open her eyes but her body didn't recognize the command, she tried to move her arms, but she was denied that movement as well. Her hearing was becoming sharper now, though she still couldn't comprehend what they were saying, or who was saying them.

"Dude, fuck off I didn't hit her."

"Leave before I call the cops."

"I didn't fucking hit her."

"I swear to God if I hear you ever touch her again I'll kill you."

A door slammed in the distance, Taylor recognized that. That was good, comprehension was a plus. She heard something drop down next to her, she realized then that she must not be being held by Cody anymore. She tried to assess the situation, but with the lack of senses it was hard. She was just there, listening to what was going on, but not conscious enough to move or feel. It was a strange out of body experience.

"Oh, gosh," came a voice next to her, a girls voice. "Troy…Troy I don't think she is awake. Oh God, Taylor…Taylor can you hear me? Open your eyes please. Troy what do we do?" The girls voice sounded panicked, and it seemed she was on the verge of hysterics. Taylor wanted to open her eyes and comfort her, but she couldn't find her hands.

"I—I don't know Gabby…shit."

Troy? Why was Troy here? She then realized her surroundings further, the voice she had heard yelling was Troy's. And the girl next to her was Gabriella. They had come in while Cody was holding her against the wall, they had stopped him. Relief washed over her as her eyes fluttered.

"Oh! Look, I think she is coming to," Gabriella's voice perked up significantly and Taylor felt her friends hands shaking her shoulders slightly, then grasping her hand.

Her eyes fluttered open, the bright light of the room making her blink a few times. In the first few seconds she began to asses her surroundings. She realized first that she was on the floor, splayed out in an awkward position. She then realized that she was breathing, and her hand went up to clutch her throat where Cody had just been grasping her. She must have slid down the wall when he let go of her. But why had he let go of her? She blinked four times before around more. She saw Troy first, since he was right above her, his eyes were hard with anger and for a second she saw Cody's eyes staring at her, it scared her all over again. She had to remind herself that it was Troy, he was there to help her. A weird noise seemed to be playing in the background. Something was wailing. It was so loud it was shaking her, and she wished whatever it was would stop.
"Tay, oh, Taylor it's ok, he is gone, it's alright." Taylor's eyes finally connected with Gabriella, who was leaning above her. She realized then that the wailing sound was coming from her, she was sobbing uncontrollably. It shook her rib cage with the force of her cries.

Troy crouched down next to Gabriella, "I think she is going into shock." He reached his hand, sliding it under her back and Taylor cringed away, covering her face to shield it from him. She was horrified, she didn't want to get hurt again. Why were they so close to her?

"Taylor, Taylor," he said firmly, she tried to take her hands away from her face but the tears were coming so hard she couldn't, "Taylor it's just me, Troy. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just going to help sit you up. She felt his hand on her back again and this time she didn't fight him. He sat her up, keeping his hand there to steady her until he felt confident she wouldn't fall back.

Her head pounded.

"What do we do?" Gabriella asked Troy as Taylor sat there, still bawling. She tried to get control of herself. She realized now that she was safe. She felt bad for cringing away from Troy, but she was just so relieved she couldn't help but cry. It was over, Cody was gone, replaced by Troy and Gabriella, and he wasn't going to hurt her today. He wasn't going to get to her. She was breathing again, she knew that by the way her lungs kept expanding to spill more tears out. She felt her neck, the skin around there felt tender, she knew it must look bad.

"I just don't know. I don't know whether or not I should call 911, I think she is just hysterical. I think she will be ok, but I'm worried about her head. I'm going to call Chad."

"N—no," Taylor protested, she didn't want Chad to see her like this. But it was too late, Troy was already walking into the other room to dial.

"Chad needs to be here, T," Gabriella said reassuringly. Taylor shook her head, but stopped when it hurt too bad.

"He would want to be here for you. Besides…we don't know if…Cody will come back," she seemed to be choosing her words carefully, as to not upset Taylor, "If he does, it would be best to have two of them here."

Fear overtook Taylor again, sending a new wave of tears down her cheeks. Gabriella apologized for saying that. And soon Troy was back in the room next to her also. She didn't know how long she cried, or really what she was crying for, but she let the tears fall until the front of her head pounded with a headache just as bad as the back. She cried until she was dehydrated and shuddering and too exhausted to panic anymore. Her friends were quiet for a while after she was. Troy was the first to talk.

"Look, Tay…we should really get you up and into your room or something. Can you stand?"

Taylor did a quick overview of herself. "I—I don't know," her voice came out hoarse, she coughed which made the back of her head pound harder. "Ow." She ran her hands through her hair to the back of her head. There was a decent sized bump on the back of her skull. "I have a bump on my head…and my throat is kind of raw…but I think I'm ok." She looked up, grimacing through the pain it caused, Troy looked worried still, troubled.

They both stared at Taylor for a long time, but Gabriella was the first to ask what they were both thinking, "Tay, what happened?"

Taylor began to open her mouth but Troy interrupted, "Before she starts talking we should probably get her off the ground, preferably into her bed. Taylor, can you stand?" Troy repeated, he was seriously concerned about her. He was so lucky that they came in at the right time, just in time to see him with his dirty hands around her neck about to hit her. He was angry just thinking about it. He knew there was something wrong about him when he met him. He didn't know a guy that could ever do that to a girl, especially someone as unassuming as Taylor. Knowing her, he knew she was feisty, but anyone else walking down the street would just see a petite young woman.

"Ya, almost positive I can stand," she replied. She took the hand he offered her and he pulled her up. She felt a little dizzy at first so she stood still for a second, gathering herself before slowly walking. She took a few steps, gathering confidence. She started to pick up the pace and suddenly the ceiling was getting farther and farther away. Expecting to hit the floor, arms caught her a few feet before. Troy dragged Taylor up, "How hard did you hit your head?" he asked, worry leaking from his lips.

"Not that hard," Taylor said, suddenly feeling dizzy again, remembering the way her head had smashed against the hard wall.

"I'll get you an ice pack," Troy said, "And I'll call Chad and see where he is," he rushed out of the room, already pressing 8 on his key pad to call his best friend.

Taylor sighed, "I wish he wouldn't."

"Don't be ridiculous, Taylor," Gabriella interjected, glaring; "You have no idea how it looked when we came in. You almost gave me a heart attack. And you didn't look good the first couple minutes you were just sitting there. You still don't look all that great. I'm sorry, If I had just been here this morning—"

"Shh, don't even put this on yourself, he is crazy. This was going to happen eventually."

Before Taylor could scold Gabriella anymore for feeling guilty about being happy with Troy, Troy himself came bustling into the room, ice pack in hand. He handed it to Taylor, and she placed it on the back of her head, trying not to cringe too much for her friends sake. She seemed to have failed when she saw the worried looks they exchanged with each other. Trying to keep the attention off of her, she turned to Troy, "Please tell me he is calm."

"He is probably driving one hundred to get here right now. He is a little freaked."

"Tay," Gabriella peeped, "Please tell us what happened."

Taylor sighed, "Well, I don't really know what came of it…" she trailed off, "but I'll tell you what I was around for."

She explained everything to them. From when she came out of the bathroom to what she vaguely remembered when she was pressed against the wall. She found that part was a bit fuzzy. Troy suggested it was probably because her body was in shock and she was running out of air; both probable explanations. She edited a little of what he said to her, a lot actually. She knew Gabriella realized this when she couldn't meet her eyes as she explained what he had yelled at her. She did, however, appreciate Gabriella's enthusiasm when she told the part where she told Cody to get the fuck out, it made her feel better too. She didn't feel totally helpless, she hadn't just crumpled with fear under him.

All three of them sat there, legs crossed; Taylor against her bed post, leaning with her hand holding the ice pack against her head, and Troy and Gabriella, sitting close together, hand in hand. They kept talking to her, asking her random questions, keeping her involved in the conversation. She assumed they thought she might have a concussion. She was pretty sure that wasn't the case. Her vision wasn't blurry anymore, the adrenaline had worn off and she felt sort of tired. Mostly, though, she was just scared. Scared at what had almost happened, what did happen, and what could happen. She kept going back to what Troy had said; he might come back. What if he did come back? What would she do? She started to get panicky, this wasn't good for her. She focused more on the conversation at hand, hoping that would help. She was sure though that the worst was over, she wasn't going to break down again.

She heard a loud thumping at the door and her heart rate shot up in panic thinking it was him. Troy was the voice of reason, "It's probably Chad." Nevertheless, he got up by himself and opened the door.

A few moments later, Chad walked in. Taylor looked up, his face was creased with worry as he got one look at her. His hand clenched in what she could only guess was anger, worry, and frustration. She sighed; she wished people would just settle down. His deep mysterious eyes look angelic in comparison to Cody's and they were staring straight into hers. She got the impression, once again, that he was trying to unravel her soul. Despite the situation, despite the anxiety she was feeling and her pounding head and sore neck, she couldn't help but smile when he looked at her. When he saw her smile his own emerged crookedly from his face, but his eyes still held the same apprehension they had moments before.

Gabriella got up quickly off the bed, gave Chad a quick hello, and walked out, giving Taylor and him some privacy. He walked over to the foot of the bed before Taylor managed to say, "I'm fine, really," she patted the bed for him to sit down on it. He did quickly, as if he had just been waiting for an invitation.

"Are you sure?" He asked, his body was in close proximity to hers, she liked it.

"Yes, I'm sure. Did Troy tell you everything?"

His eyes grew dark quickly, anger flashing in them, "Yes. I swear if I eve—"

She interrupted him, "I said I was fine."

He shook his head, "Taylor he could have—"

"Yes…but he didn't. So…"

"It doesn't matter his intentions were—"

"Chad." She said absolutely, "I am ok, I'm alive. Please stop worrying about me." She smiled and ran her hand softly down the side of his face. He caught her hand in his, turning his head slightly and kissing her palm with his soft lips. The feeling that ran from her hand to her heart was something she couldn't describe, only experience. He kept his hand with hers, locking their fingers together.

His smile reached his eyes now, but he still replied, "I can't help it."

Taylor couldn't help but sigh, "Well please try. It's bad enough that Gabriella is going to be sleeping in my room with one eye open for a week, and I'm pretty sure would be sleeping on the couch if I let him. I don't need you worrying about me too, I am fine. I swear."

A gentle smile curved around his features, complementing his already gorgeous face. Taylor wondered if he realized that he inhibited her ability to breathe when he looked at her like that. She bet he did. He did it on purpose.

"Taylor, you are something else. Troy and Gabs come in there and find you pinned to a wall," he struggled to get through the sentence calmly, "about to be—really hurt by—him," he practically spat the reference to Cody out, like he wanted it off his tongue as soon as possible, "and you are begging them not to be worried?" He moved closer to her, keep her hand in his, "Of course we are going to be worried," he ran his free hand down her face, tracing the curve of her jaw with his finger tips. She melted under his touch and tried desperately to keep her face and breathing composed. She failed, but he took it as her being scared by what had happened, not by what he was doing.

"It's ok, you know," he said giving her a stern look, "I won't let him near you. He won't hurt you again."

She smiled sadly; he was so handsome, so amazing. How had she ever even considered someone else? But he was wrong, he couldn't protect her. And if she was being honest with herself, that scared her. "You can't protect me 24/7, Chad, though I know you would like to. I am going to have to face him sometime."

He shook his head, frustrated with her response. His fingers absentmindedly threaded through her hair. He moved his mouth for form words as his fingers ran through her locks softly until his hand grazed over her bump. His whole body stiffened when he felt it. His face grew rigid and his jaw tight, his mouth forgot the words and remembered new ones.

"Did he do this to you?" he asked tensely. He leaned back, really examining her for the first time. His eyes took in the sight of her neck, something she hadn't seen, and they grew incredibly sad and angry. He traced a finger softly over what she could only guess were forming bruises.

She remained silent, a lump rising in her throat thinking back on what had happened; he didn't need a direct answer.

He shook his head slowly back and forth, "How could anyone…how could he…to you…what were you doing with this guy?" So many different emotions were running through his face it was hard to keep track of them all. But when he asked her what she was doing with him, he looked so disgusted, so incredibly revolted that she was the type of girl that would be with a guy like that. And when he asked it, she felt so ashamed; so appalled at herself. She suddenly felt dirty, and not good enough to be around Chad. The room got hot, and her face burned with humiliation. She tried so hard, so determined not to, but she couldn't help it; she started to cry.

Not just watery eyes, a single tear streaming down her cheek. No, Taylor started to bawl. She couldn't tell if it was because of everything. How Cody had talked to her, how she had let him walk all over her, the way he looked at her like she was his property; the way he had touched her, pushed her around and she couldn't do anything to stop it, or if it was just the way Chad was staring at her, so taken aback by her actions, probably thinking how she was so not the girl he thought she was, not the girl he wanted to be with. No matter the reason, tears poured out of her eyes like a shower, and she hid her face from him, covering it with her hands. She didn't want him to look at her.

"Oh, God," Chad said, panic in his voice. His stomach dropped, what did he do? He hadn't meant for her to react like that. Why were girls so emotional!? Maybe she was just realizing what had all happened, what she had gone through. Maybe it was what he said. He didn't know, he was so clueless, but he didn't like seeing her cry, it had to be one of the worst things he had ever seen. He reached out to touch her but recoiled, he wasn't sure if she was mad at him, if she wanted him to touch her.

"God, I'm so sorry," he almost pleaded, "Please, Taylor…please stop…dammit I'm sorry."

God, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and hold her, to kiss the tears away and make this whole morning just go away. But he was so scared to touch her, like she was going to bite him. He clenched his hands together so he wouldn't, she had been through a lot today, violated by someone; he didn't want to cross that line so soon after.

"No, no," she finally said, and part of him was relieved she was speaking, anything was better than the sound of her sobbing, "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I was with him," she was holding her hands out in disbelief of herself, "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so…so sorry. You must be so disgusted, " she chocked out the word, "God I'm such an idiot," her voice cracking as more tears started to run down her face, "I'm so disgusting. How could I have just let him walk all over me? And the things he said to me today…" she started to cry even harder, which made Chad so angry that she was crying because of something that guy had said to her. How could anyone have mistreated someone so incredibly beautiful inside and out, someone who seemed in this moment so fragile? "…he was right! I am just some disgusting good for nothing slut—"

"Stop it." Chad said, "Stop it right now." He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her ever so slightly, "Taylor, look at me." When she wouldn't uncover her face he took her hands in his and slowly pulled them away. "Taylor, listen to me, please. I don't care what he said to you, or what you did with him. I don't care, I don't care about any of it; you know why? Because I know you, and I can tell you right now I have never met a girl so good, so strong, even if she doesn't know it," he said smiling at her, her eyes finally meeting his, "and if he for one second thinks that you are any of those things that he said to you, then it is so obvious to me that he didn't take the five seconds it took me when you stood at the front door, after going psycho on four three other people that day, " he laughed at the memory, "to realize that you are so amazing, so incredible, and that I would be the stupidest man on earth to not somehow get you into my life." He leaned his face lower, making sure he was eye level with her, "Do you understand me? Don't ever for one second think those things about yourself, because I have never heard anything more ridiculous."

Her shoulders shook with her tears as she finally controlled herself. "Why are you being like this?" she asked, looking at him, "So…good…so nice. I don't really understand. You just met me."

She expected him to be offended, but he actually let out a small chuckle and smiled to himself, "I don't really know, to be honest. It surprises me too." He met her eyes then and laughed quietly once more. He reached out, almost timid, pausing before her touched her to give her time to recoil. When she didn't, he wiped her tears away with his fingers, "But please stop crying, and I meant every word of what I said."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, wiping the tears away as fast as she could, "It's just…this whole thing is so surreal right now and I'm trying not to freak out but sometimes I can't help it. And what if he does come back? What do I do? How could I have let this happen, you know? And what if…" she kept babbling, her nervous habit. Chad sat there patiently, listening with a look of concern. After a few moments though his mind was wondering how she was still thinking of words to say, hadn't she said everything? He smiled then, a look of amusement, "Taylor…Taylor…it's ok to be scared," he chuckled, "But don't worry, nothing is going to happen to you."

As much as she wanted to believe him, she felt vulnerable and scared; her hands shook with the memory.

"I'd love to believe you, Chad," she said closing her eyes and running her hands over her face, rubbing her tired eyes, "but you can't guarantee me that. You can't be here forever just watching me."

He smiled then, and she wondered why. His smile was so unbelievable. It was like you just wanted to be happy with him.

"Well I know that, but I will be here tonight."

"What?" Taylor asked, confused.

"Troy and I already talked about it. There is no way we are leaving you girls here alone tonight. We would bring you to our place, but we want you guys to be…comfortable. So we are staying here in case he comes back," Chad's voice turned dark at the end of the sentence and Taylor found her heart beating faster just thinking of the chance that he could. He seemed to read the stress in her eyes but thought of it as a different reason, "I know things are…different between us and it's…not weird…or awkward…just…ya. But don't worry, I'm sleeping on the couch."

Taylor laughed a little, "That's not what I'm worried about."

He studied her face, searching for the answer before concluding, "You can't be worried that something will happen to you with us here?"

Taylor grimaced at the thought, "I—I just don't know. I really" her voice shook, "don't want him to come in here…and…if something happened to you or Troy—"

"Taylor don't be ridiculous. What do you take us for," he puffed out his chest slightly. "He may be big, but I'm faster and…I'm pretty sure I could take him alone if I was mad enough…which I have reason to be. But with me and Troy…it's easy. Don't even worry about it."

She tried to show how relieved she was, but he didn't buy it. Chad sighed, offered her his hand. She took it and instantly felt better, like her just being in contact with him was enough to keep her safe forever. She was still confused about the whole sleep over situation. She hadn't had a sleep over since sophomore year…and never with a guy. I mean guys had slept over but…you get it. This was going to be weird…right?

She walked out hand in hand with Chad into the living room. Gabriella was curled up on the couch giggling. Taylor looked up to see Troy, a pillow in one hand and a teddy bear in the other. He was grinning up to his ears as he said, "Ready for our slumber partyyyyyyyy!!!??? We're going to play board games, and watch musicals, and have pillow fights in our underwear!"

Yep…definitely going to be weird.