The Boy Next Door

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Calm down! It's me, Will!" he whisper-yelled.

"Oh." I said relaxing into his arms.

"What the hell happened? Why are you walking alone at 11 o'clock?" he asked looking into my eyes.

"Nothing. It was an accident. Why are you out here so late?" I asked trying to change the subject.

"I went outside to get some fresh air. My house reeks of paint." He said. "Come on, let's go to your house, so I can clean that up."

I let him take me to my room, and I showed him where the first aid kit was. After he finished cleaning my wounds, he just stared at me. I knew he was waiting for the real answer. I was actually happy that he didn't keep asking me for the answer. He just waited. I sighed; I knew I had to tell him.

"I was at Jace's, and he did this to me. He called me a whore, slut, and whatever name in the book you got." I said while trying to hold back my tears. I saw how Will's face turned from worried to furious in a matter of seconds.

"Is this the first time?" he asked calmly.

"No." I said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him.

"Tell me everything." He said through clenched teeth. He pushed me away a little so he could look into my eyes.

"It was great in the beginning, everything I wanted it to be. When he lost a football game, he started beating me. I was scared, and I didn't know what to do. It got worse each and every time. I always covered the bruises up, except the one you saw me with. I forgot to put make up on that day. Anyways, he hurt me today because he thought I was sleeping with you. That's why I forgot to tell you about him because I want to forget about him myself." I said bawling into his shoulder. I could tell he was pissed off, but he held me and stroked my hair.

"It'll be ok. I won't let him near you again. I will kill him if he touches you." He said the last part with venom, and I knew that he wasn't lying. I nodded and continued to cry into his shirt. He lifted me up and placed me on my bed. "Do you want me to stay with you?" he asked.

I nodded, and he laid next to me on my bed. He held me close the whole time. He kept telling me that Jace didn't deserve me, and that I didn't need him. I finally lost track of time and fell asleep in Will's arms.

I woke up with my head on Will's chest. He was already awake, looking at me.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you." He said sheepishly.

"That's ok. Wait, what about your parents?" I asked worriedly.

"They never go in my room. It's fine, calm down." He said while giving me a reassuring hug. "I'm going to get ready. Are you going to be ok?"

"Mhm." I said as I walked to my closet. "Hey Will, wait."

"Yeah." He asked by my door frame.

"Thanks for everything." I said as I hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course." He said as he walked out the door.

I got dressed in jean shorts and a tank top. I made sure to cover my fresh black eye and my cracked lip. Tay texted me that she was sick, so I didn't have to pick her up. I walked out the door, and I saw Will starting to walk to school. I rolled my eyes. There was no way he was walking five miles to get to Winterfield High School. I drove next to him in my Jeep.

"Get in the car." I told him.

"It's fine I can walk." He shrugged me off.

"Hell no! It's a five mile walk. You get your butt in this car right now." I said while laughing.

"Yes mother." He mumbled while laughing as well.

He hopped in the car, and we listened to the radio. It wasn't an awkward silence like the first time we met, it actually felt really nice.

"Will." I said with my eyes on the road.

"What's up?" he asked curiously.

"I seriously can't thank you enough, but I don't know if I should be around you." I said. It hurt me to say it, but I knew that it was true.

"Why not? If you're afraid he'll hurt you, I already told you I wouldn't let that happen." He said with pain in his eyes.

"I'm not afraid that he'll hurt me. It's inevitable, but I'm afraid that he's going to hurt you." I said while pulling into the school parking lot. I turned to look him in the eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I told you, I'm not letting him touch you, so that means I have to be by you." He said. "I don't care if I get hurt, I care that you do. I'm a guy and so is Jace. He should be hurting a guy, and not taking an advantage of a girl."

"Ok. But it'll kill me if you get hurt." I said while getting out of the car.

"Just relax. Everything will be fine." He said as he casually slung his arm around me.

It felt nice for someone to touch me and to know that he wouldn't hurt me later on. We walked up to my group of friends as I scanned the crowds for Jace. I didn't see him anywhere, so I did relax. I took Will to our classes, and the day went by smoothly. I didn't see Jace once today, so I was relieved.

At the end of the day, I took Will home. He said he would come to my house later once he helped with the house. Apparently there was still unpacking to be done, especially in his sister's room. I walked into my huge house, and I plopped down on the couch to watch TV. I was about to fall asleep when my phone started buzzing. I looked down to see a text from Jace.

I want to talk to you, come over now.