Free There Is No Light in Darkness by Claire Contreras

bed with the blankets and tossed his pillow on the floor. “Gonna sleep on the floor.”
    “Why?” I asked in a whisper.
    “Because you won’t let me sleep in your bed, and I need to make sure you’re okay,” he said, taking a deep breath.
    “I already told you that I am,” I replied with sheer annoyance.
    His sad green eyes searched my face for a couple of seconds.
    “Maybe I’m the one that’s not okay. I’m staying here. Just deal with it and go to sleep,” he said angrily as he lay down.
    “Why?” I asked equally as angry. I hated having extra people in my room. I learned to deal with Becky when she stayed over, but that was it. Besides, he didn’t even lock the door. Ugh.
    “Because if I go to my room, then I won’t sleep at all. I’ll be too busy thinking about you,” he huffed.
    “Why don’t you sleep in Becky’s bed?” I asked a little nicer.
    “Because. Just go to sleep.”
    “Just sleep in Becky’s bed,” I repeated. “She won’t mind!”
    He groaned. “Blake, just shut up and go to sleep.”
    I shuffled out of my blankets and stood over him with my arms crossed. He looked up at me with a raised eyebrow and a devilish smirk.
    “Are you really going to stay here the whole night?” I asked.
    “Yes!” he shouted as he dragged his hand through his hair and plopped down on his pillow.
    I walked over to the door and locked it before walking back to where he was. I snatched up his blankets and threw them on Becky’s bed before I climbed back into my own.
    “You’re such a fucking pain in the ass, Blake,” he spat irritably as he got up to get his blankets and lay back down on the floor.
    “I just think you’d be more comfortable on a mattress,” I said quietly.
    “Yeah—maybe I would be—but maybe I’d rather be closer to you,” he replied grumpily.
    I was thankful the room was dark and he couldn’t see my shocked smile from where he was lying. I’d never tell him, but Cole made me feel safe.
    Justin didn’t go back to school the following week. Because of his broken arm, he was replaced by Cole as starting quarterback. I inwardly smiled at all of this, thinking that my friend karma was a real bitch and she got Justin good.
    The guys made me swear that I would tell them if Justin ever spoke to me again. He did speak to me again—he apologized for what he almost did to me. I couldn’t even look him in the eyes as he spoke. For a while, the only male eyes I looked into were Greg’s, Aubry’s, and Cole’s. I trusted them. I loved them. And that scared me more than almost getting raped ever could.
     
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    Present
     
     
     
    Aubry skipped out on his date and comforted me with ice cream. He watched Home Alone with me before he made me watch the Cubs game. He insisted on sleeping on the floor next to my bed. When I woke up, I called Russell and asked him to come over. The first thing I need to do is break up with him. I hate doing this but knowing that I’ve been watched my entire life—and that those around me could be in potential danger—freaks me out. I know that I’m stuck with Cole, Becky, Greg, and Aubry, so I don’t even try to isolate myself from them. Russell has nothing to do with this, though. Besides, as nice as he is, our relationship is going nowhere fast. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about—
    “Hey, beautiful,” Russell says interrupting my thoughts before giving me a sweet kiss on the lips.
    “Hey, Russ, do you want some tea?”
    I hate tea, but Russell loves it, so I bought a kettle shortly after we started dating.
    “Sure. How are you feeling today?” he asks as he runs the back of his hand down my face softly.
    “Fine, I guess,” I reply with a shrug.
    We sit on the barstools around my kitchen island, and I can feel his eyes on me as he sips his tea. I’m chipping my nail polish, trying to figure out how to start this conversation. My previous breakups were easy. Boyfriends start getting