“Are you okay?” Troy asked Gabriella, once he’d planted her feet safely on the ground. The wind whipped at her hair and she shivered.

“Yeah, just a little cold.” She whispered.

“You didn’t bring a jacket?” He asked softly.

Gabriella shook his head and gave him an apologetic look.

“It’s alright,” he whispered, grabbing her and pulling her toward his truck. He helped her inside and ran around to the other side. He reached back behind the seat and pulled his Wildcat hoodie up. He handed it to her and turned the engine on, putting the heat on high.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, taking the hoodie and pulling it over her head. She shivered still as Troy reached over and buckled her seatbelt. “Um, can we get out of here?” She asked, in a hurry.

“Oh! Yeah, sorry…” Troy pulled out of the drive and sped off down the highway. Neither one of them looked back, only forward as they drove. They didn’t plan on going back any time soon and nor did they want to.

“Wh-where are w-we going?” Gabriella stuttered, pulling her knees up to her chest.

“Away,” Troy replied, staring ahead at the road. He looked at her, his expression stony, but it immediately softened when he saw her face. All he could see was the fear in her eyes. “A nice hotel in California. It’s by the beach. You would like it.”

And when she didn’t respond, he turned to face her. “Brie, come here.”

She slowly unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to the middle seat. The fear was still there and it didn’t seem to be going anywhere for a while. Once Gabriella reached him, he put one arm around her, playing with the curls of her hair with his hand. She bit her lip, holding back tears and he leaned down and kissed her forehead. When his lips hit her skin, she burst into tears.

“Aw… What did I do?” He asked, concerned.

She shook her head and continued to sob, burying her head into his shoulder. Her tears soaked the left side of his shirt, but he didn’t care. She sat on her knees, pressed into him and he rubbed her back and kissed her hair. “T-Troy… I’m sc-scared…” She whispered into his ear.

Troy pulled Gabriella closer to him. He didn’t even need to ask why she was scared. He knew the answer. “Don’t be. I’m here. He can’t get you. Baby, I’m never letting him touch you again.”

“I… I d-don’t wanna e-ever come b-back…” She hiccupped.

“I know, sweetheart. But we have to come back sooner or later.”

Her eyes widened. “N-No!”

“Oh, honey, he’ll be gone by then. I’ll make sure of it. I’ll make them put him in jail.”

“But w-what about y-you?” She whispered and she began to cry harder and harder. “I d-don’t… I don’t w-want y-your dad to h-hurt you e-either.”

Troy sighed and looked away. “Brie, there’s nothing we can do about that.”

“T-Troy,” she whimpered.

“I’m sorry.”

“W-why? W-why can’t w-we both b-be happy? Wh-why just m-me?” Gabriella asked, through sobs.

“Because my life dream is to make you happy, baby.”

She shook her head. “I’m n-not happy u-unless your h-happy.”

“But you have to understand…. I will be happy if you’re okay,” Troy told her.

“Tr-Troy, no--”

“Baby, just drop it.”

“Okay…” She said, so lightly that it was barely even a whisper. She kind of pulled away from her a little bit.

“Can you just please tell me one thing?”

She nodded weakly, going back to her original seat.

Troy looked hurt at that, but continued anyway. “Why didn’t you tell me before? When I told you about me?”

Gabriella’s lip quivered. “I d-didn’t think you’d un-understand… I th-thought you’d think I w-was… D-dirty…”

Troy didn’t say anything. He just stared ahead. When Gabriella looked up to see his face, she saw tears running down his own face and he rarely ever cried in front of her. “N-Never,” was all he choked out. It came out a hoarse, strangled whisper.

“I’m s-sorry…” She whimpered, burying her head into her knees. The smell of Troy filled her nostrils from the hoodie. She breathed in his scent. He smelled so good. It made her feel safe when he was surrounding her. She hoped he wasn’t mad. And yet, still, she cried into her knees.

“Baby, don’t… Don’t cry…” He whispered. “Please don’t.”

“W-wait, you n-never told m-me what h-happened when y-you went b-back to your house…”She pointed out quietly, sitting up, still clutching her knees to her chest.

“My dad wasn’t there,” he lied, looking ahead at the endless road.

“Don’t lie.” She said. She moved over near him again and pulled up the him of his shirt. She let out a whimper. “Tr-Troy.” There was a big purple bruise on the side, where Jack must’ve kicked him in the side. “It’s new,” she whispered, touching it softly with her finger tips.

Troy shivered. “No it’s not.”

“Troy, st-stop lying!” She cried out. “Wh-why do you keep lying to m-me?!”

“Because even when I tell the truth, you still get mad!” He yelled. “No matter what I do, no matter how much I do for you, you get mad at me?!”

Gabriella backed up. She moved away from him. As far away as she could get in this cramped truck. She hated it when he yelled. Yelling only reminded her of Edward. She shook her head, muttering words under her breath, rocking back and forth. She sniffed and clutched her knees even tighter against her chest, so her bones were boring into her. She pressed her head down and continued to say things quietly under her breath.

“Damn it!” He yelled, pounding on the steering wheel. “Why do I always fucking do this?! It’s stupid! I’m stupid! I hate myself. I hate myself for hurting you! Why do you love me?!”

Gabriella finally looked up at him, tears still streaking down her beautiful face. “Because you’re the only one. The only one who’s ever stayed with me, after knowing everything I’ve been through. You’re the only one.”

Troy pulled the truck over to the side of the road and stopped the engine. This time, he moved over to her and he wrapped his arms around her small form, pulling her onto his lap. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sooo sorry, baby girl. Don’t listen to me. I’m an idiot. I know I am. Please forgive me. I’m sorry.”

Gabriella buried her head into his chest and he stroked her hair.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated over and over again. And while he was holding her, he noticed something. She smelled like alcohol. It as the smell of Edward. He clenched his fists together and gritted his teeth together. Just the thought of Edward made the blood in his veins boil. He stopped saying he was sorry and stopped stroking her hair.

She looked up. “Are you mad at me?” She asked. He stared at her. He looked at her for the longest time. She was broken, scarred for a lifetime. If only he’d known, he could’ve put a stop to it sooner and she wouldn’t have had to suffer for any longer. He said nothing but gently removed her from his lap, not wanting to the least bit. He reached down and pull her duffle bag up onto the seat.

Gabriella shivered as he opened the bag. She wanted to reach her hand out to stop him but she didn’t. He held up a prescription bottle of pills. It was full. “Why haven’t you been taking these?” He asked angrily.

“How did you know about those?” She asked.

“Why?!” He demanded, a lot more angrier than before.

“I don’t need them, Troy. I told my mom that. She didn’t believe me. I’m not depressed!”

“Yes, you are. You need to start taking them again.”

“How did you know?” Gabriella asked, searching his face for answers.

“Just take the god damn pills,” he said, throwing the bottle at her.

“No! I’m-”

“Gabriella, take the fucking pills!”

“No! Why do I have to?!”

“Do you know how many people in the world who are depressed think they aren’t and stop taking their Anti-Depressants and kill themselves?! Because they really are depressed and they don’t want to admit it?! You can’t just stop taking them! The doctor has to wing you off of them!”

“Troy, p-please, I don’t need them!”

“Brie, please, take them. Please? For me?” He whispered softly. He kept his tone down. His eyes were filled with fresh tears again. “I don’t want you to die. You can’t die. Not now. You can’t leave me here.” He shook his head. “I need you. Bad, Brie.”

“Troy, I’m not g-going anywhere…” Gabriella said in a whisper. “Don’t cry… Please be strong for me. You have to be strong for me.”

Troy took a deep breath, breathing in and out slowly, regaining his composure.

“How did you know about them?”

Troy cleared his throat. “It’s not hard to tell, sweetie. I saw it in your eyes.”

She hiccupped and nodded. She opened the bottle of pills and took two out. Once she made sure Troy was watching her, she popped them into her mouth and swallowed hard. She bit her lip. “There. I took them.”

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I love you so much.” He pulled her back on his lap again and they sat like that for hours, enjoying each others presence.

A/N: Okay, guys, listen up! I know this chapter is very dramatic, but you have to understand what they’ve been through. If you’ve ever been abused or raped, you know what it feels like I’m sure. And they don’t have any idea what they’re going to do once they get where they’re going or anything… So you kind of really have to get in their perspective to understand why they’re yelling and screaming and crying so much. Especially since Gabriella’s on Anti-Depressants. So, please review! It means a lot! Thanks. 33