"Stop!" I yelled. "Why won't you-stop!" I was suffocating but it didn't stop him.
And he refused to stop. His hands trailed up and down my sides, but I can't stop him. Then suddenly he grips my shoulders and shook me.
"Rebecca" he screamed mockingly.
"Rebecca! Rebecca! Rebecca!" he said again and again.
Finally my eyes shoot open, I'm no longer trapped in what was once my living nightmare. Nathan propped up behind me, stared at me with those worried blue orbs, mixed with horror and sweat.
At first he frowned, his face softening up whilst carefully swiping his thumb under either of my eyes. "You were crying in your sleep..."
My eyes shut for a moment, my eyelashes sweeping across his tender touch before opening when the warmth of his thumb has been drawn back. My throat was sore, my eyes felt puffy and I'm sure I looked like one hell of a mess. I'm thankful the room is dark to conceal most of my insecurities at this point.
There'd been something I hadn't told anyone. Only Lucas who was the one to know minimal details from one occasion, but not the others.
One word. One name. One person... one destroyer.
Sam.
I'd done my best to forget that night, the one where he took it too far. When I'd said no. To this day, I don't know why I didn't fight harder to stop Haley from seeing him. But she was as corrupt as he is. I couldn't stop either of them. I only prayed he didn't do to her, what he did to me.
"Do you want to talk about?" Nathan said softly.
I merely shook my head. "It was just a bad dream, that's all. I-I don't remember what happened anyway... you know when you forget dreams..."
"Maybe that's for the best," he said carefully. His lips press gently to my forehead. I clench my eyes tighter, embracing the touch that is his, wanting, desirable and inviting. I feel my body again ease against the kiss. Thankful I'm safe with him.
The Next Day.
Haley reached out to let us know Sam decided to throw a mid year party. Some kind of end of financial year sale party, abusing all sales to get insane amounts of alcohol and as always some pointless excuse to have a party...
We rocked up to what was apparently Sam's house. I hadn't spoken to him properly, it'd been long enough to learn to not give a shit what he was doing, or how he got the things he did. I wanted nothing to do with his future, when I wanted to remain in the past.
Myself and Nathan, whom reluctantly agreed to come, after Haley's constant nagging, entered through a very naked looking house, no trace of furniture, just several boxes in different rooms by the looks of it, as we pass through. It was bare, open and far too much alcohol... which to some wasn't a bad thing.
"Oh my god, you made it!" Haley cheers, her breath making my toes curl. Her arms rip me into a hug, tearing me from Nathan, who's hand was still entwined with mine.
"Well you practically begged us to come," I mumbled into her shoulder.
"Yea... so what... hey, have you heard from Chris?" she asked.
"Uh, no, I haven't?" I replied.
"Why do you care?" Nathan adds curiously.
Haley's mouth gapes open, until I tap the bottom of her cup that she happily pulls up to her mouth, inhaling it's contents. "Mhm, delicious... I need another, follow me."
"Why did she ask about him?" Nathan turns the question on to me. I merely shrug. "Is there something you're hiding from me?"
"Now why would I do that?" I'm a terrible liar, but it's her shit storm, not mine to talk about with others, even if he isn't a part of the 'others' group, it wasn't my fight or place to speak up on. Not yet anyway.
Nathan was on team Brooke and if he knew Haley could come between her happiness, he wouldn't stand for it. And for that, I loved him.
"I have my ways of finding out you know..." he whispers daringly close to my ear.
"And I'm sure you do," I say back to challenge him.
Neither of us budge, only by the spillage of Haley swinging two full fists of alcohol in our faces do we step apart to take the cups from her.
"What were you guys talking about?" She asks before taking a large gulp of her drink.
"Chris, what about him?" Nathan asked again, not giving it up.
"I'm... performing with him tonight," she said a-matter-factually. "We've been working late recently on some new music..." her doe eyes peer over the top of her red cup, concealing the twitch in the corner of her mouth from the happiness of saying his name, but the bitterness of the kiss she laid upon Chris.
"Right, so where is he then?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying... where is he!" Haley is far too drunk already and it's barely 7pm. I don't know how she expects to last the remainder of the night, if she keeps drinking the way she is.
Off in the corner of the room, I spot a familiar face in the crowd.
Sam.
He's laughing, surrounded by a group of women and two guys. He's probably making up some fake story to try to impress people he'll never see again in his life.
That's when he spots us, thanks to Haley's obnoxious vocal warm-ups that she decided is appropriate to show Nathan, who too joined in with her.
"For the love of... can you two stop..." I try to encourage them to take a sip of their drinks, its' the only way I'd shut them up. And I'm not about to throw my sister at a random to kiss them, because Sam would hate that... wait.
"Excuse me..." I nudge my hip into a guy walking past, who spills his drink down the front of Haley's top. At first she's too slow to register what happens until the poor soul tries to use the edge of his t-shirt to dab at the growing wet patch on her front.
I sense Sam's frustration, his eyes narrowing, whilst trying to keep his conversation going.
"Oh no... Haley..." I say loudly, Nathan's looking at me and I try to ignore him for the moment. "Hey, why don't you guys go to the kitchen, maybe there's some paper towel..."
"Yeah.. yeah you're right, oh my gosh- I can't perform looking like this..." Haley and her new follower take off to the kitchen.
"Uh... what just happened?" Nathan chuckles.
"Sam was watching... I thought it'd be funny for some guy to try to look like he's feeling her up... she's known for it..." I shrug. I love her, but she's known for different reasons back home.. and here was a fresh start, but some old habits never disappear.
I'd been too distracted to notice Sam was making his way over.
"Oh crap.. speak of the devil... hello satan..."
"Are we back to name calling are we?" Sam replies with a smirk. "I thought we were passed that..." his hand stretches out and goes to tickle my side and queue the flashback nightmare. I flinch and shriek at his touch.
Nathan immediately elbows his way between and creates a human barrir between us.
"Yo... I'm just playing around, no need to get all killer on me..." Sam waves his hands up defenisvely... "We've been through this shit before."
"Then you should know not what to do when I'm around, or not around, for that matter." In a flash, Nathans snatches Sam's wrist in his large hand twisting it behind his back, "Never.. touch her again."
"Big man putting on a show... ha. I can see why you're her type." Sam snickers back and stumbles forward when Nathan forces him away. "She's always liked us show men... she thrives off attention, don't you Bek?" He asks.
"No, you've got it wrong. I like when my boyfriend is proud to show off by saying what we are. Not by hiding it. That's the difference." I decide to go around Nathan, Sam wouldn't scare me anymore. I'd stood up to him before, a few times and now wasn't about to be a step back but one forward.
"Stay away from my sister. You're old news..."
"She's the one who invited you here, because I let her."
"And tonight is the night we all say goodbye to you, asshole..." I snarl in his face.
"We'll see about that... I make the call when it's the end of the show..." he nudges past me, and I keep Nathan back from going after him.