Eric lay with her, his mind spinning off for a moment as they sat in silence, his hand running up and down her back. What would it be like to be married to Kai? He knew a lot of high school couples broke up either before, during, or after college, never making it to marriage. But...they had clicked so easily, and so far, even during something so traumatic, they had been there for each other, and so far nothing had been big enough to shake them apart.

Would that same sort of bond grow stronger? Would it last if they got married? After he apologized, she took his face in her hands and reassured him that kissing her had not been a mistake, and he couldn't help but smile at her. He kind of felt like crying, but he didn't want to start anything again. She told him teasingly that she wasn't sorry about dealing with he and his messes, and he grinned back at her. He agreed with the fact that he wasn't sure if he wanted to go next year, even if he did go by her side again.

What if something similar happened?

"Next year we should just chill at your house or something." he said. He giggled at her playful pout and comment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lisa Adair opened the door, and Eric placed a gentle hand on Kailey's back, starting to grow a little nervous. He gave a small smile to Lisa and ushered Kailey in before he followed suit. "Something did, yes." he answered honestly, sticking his hands in his pockets. Lisa ushered them to the game room, and grabbed Michael on her way.

They all sat down, and Eric began to tell the story of what happened. He noticed Kai's eyes watering up again, so he forced himself to look away from her and mostly direct his speech at Michael so he wouldn't start crying again. Lisa reacted the way any good mother should, and hugged her daughter. She told her that she would help her get ready for bed, and told Michael to see Eric out. She thanked him, and he nodded, a tear escaping out of his blue eye and running smoothly down his cheek.

Kailey got up and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and he hugged her back, feeling like he was going to start into a real good cry here soon. She told him goodnight, and he nodded, scared to speak for fear of the water works being unleashed. He felt so ashamed that he'd let this happen. "Goodnight," he choked out in a whisper. He sniffed and watched her and her mother leave the room.

Once they were gone, Michael started in with the scolding, accusing, questioning. Just as Eric had feared he would. Despite everything, he still wasn't close with Kai's father, and still had a deep set fear of men around that age. So much so that he'd flinched at Michael's hand waving, expecting a harsh slap or punch to the face. Her father apologized, but it still didn't really dim the anxiety and fear of him.

"I'm so sorry," he said for at least the third time, yet another tear sliding down his face. "She got voted for prom queen, and...I don't know. There's always a dance between and king and queen, and it was just a dance. I didn't think anything would happen, I didn't think he'd be so bold as to try anything in front of everyone." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I watched for a bit but then I just didn't. Some other girl came up to me, someone who's always making fun of me, spreading rumors, and just trying to get between my friendship with Kailey. She distracted me for a bit, but when I looked back over Daniel already had Kai in his grasp." He swallowed.

"So I went over and tore him away. I feel awful, really. I never should have looked away, and I know a lot of the blame is on me." he said. He knew Michael would never understand. "I'm sorry for everything, but thanks for at least listening." He stood up, looking Michael in the eye. "I decided against asking your daughter to be my girlfriend tonight." he informed him. "With everything that happened, I don't feel it's right. She needs time, and I don't think it's good of me to pressure her into a relationship. However I will be here as her friend to help her through it until things get better." He took Michael's hand and shook it firmly, then told him goodnight.

He walked out the door and stepped into his car, mentally preparing himself for the beatings he was sure to get once his father discovered the news.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days passed, the weekend going by slowly. Eric's father had heard what happened through the school, and to Eric's absolute shock, he hadn't been at all angry at Eric. He'd just warned him of the dangers that women posed to a man, how easily one could be seduced, and warned Eric of the consequences he would recieve if he ever crossed that line.

Spring Break was starting on Monday, so there would be no school for a week. But Eric still was nowhere near calm or comfortable enough to just let Daniel get away home free with what he'd done. He knew the school doors would be open for the students who wanted to keep up weight lifting, which Eric did, and he knew Daniel well enough to know that he would be doing weights over break as well.

He didn't make himself get up early and go just for the sake of enacting revenge on Daniel, but that was a key part in it. He got there early, one of the first guys to arrive. When Daniel came Eric ignored him for most of the session, other than the occassional stealing glance. Daniel did the same with Eric, and his demeanor was odd, as if he knew what Eric was thinking and expecting a good hit to the face.

Eric, throughout the session, debated hard on whether he should do anything or not. After all, it had been at least three days since the incident, and from here on out he would be keeping a very close eye on the two of them. It wasn't like he was going to change his ways anyway.

He was almost to the point of just dropping the entire thing, his mind struggling to find a way to be the man and try and forgive. But as they walked out of the building, Eric overheard the voices speaking behind him, and anger sparked.

"Bro how far did you get?"

"Not as far as I would have liked, ya know?" Daniel replied. "Can you imagine being the first guy?"

"How many firsts you got up your sleeve?" Eric whirled around, grabbing Daniel by the collar fiercely. The two guys that were with him stood for a moment not knowing what to do, saw the fierce look of anger in Eric's eyes, and promptly left without another word.

"Listen here you piece of shit," Eric spat, once again unable to control the words flying out of his mouth. He knew it was wrong, and he knew he would feel immensly guilty about it later, but he was heated right now, and he was not going to let this guy walk away free of bruising after what he had done. "I told you once, and I'm here to tell you again. Leave your hands off of her! If I ever catch you near her again I will-"

"Do what, Eric?" Daniel challenged. "Come on, dude, seriously. Chill out! You know you want to ba-" Eric shoved him harshly up against the side of the school building, the bricks scraping against Daniel's back.

"Don't call me that!" he yelled. "I'm not your dude, I'm not your bro, I'm not your friend! You are a sick, perverted bastard! I'm not going to just stand by and let you talk about her like that."

"Eric, chill man!" Daniel said, his brown eyes starting to widen in actual fear now. He hadn't really been scared before. Eric was the quiet kid! But he was showing a few colors that may prove the rumors true.

As soon as the words left Daniel's lips, Eric raised his fist and punched him across the jaw. Daniel slid down the wall and felt the blow of Eric's knee against his stomach, then smack into his nose. Eric stood over him for a moment, then regrabbed his collar and heaved him up off the ground.

"Don't ever mess with her again." he hissed before dropping him and walking away.

Needless to say....he got grounded.

His phone was taken away, so he was unable to text Kai, he wasn't allowed to leave the house for any reason other than to take Gunner out to the bathroom, and he had limited time in his room.

After a couple days of this, things really got boring. But he had his books, he had his sketchbooks, and so that's what he did. But one late evening, the front door opened and everything shattered. David walked in...with a strange woman by his side. David had been gone almost the entire day, and the look on his face suggessted that he'd completely forgotten about Eric's grounding and the fact that his son would be home.

The smell of booze was strong coming off both of them, and Eric stood slowly up, emotions running through his mind. Who was this woman? Why was he with her? Did he not even care any more about Eric's mother? Was he just drowning away his pain in booze and other sleazy women?

"Dad?" Eric questioned slowly.

"Go to your room," David said, pointing at the staircase. The woman next to him was liqoured up, giggling drunkenly and hanging over David.

"No, Dad, what...who is this? Why are you doing this?"

"Go!" David yelled. Eric was smacked with so many different emotions that he couldn't handle it. Tears began to leak out.

"How could you do this to her?" he asked, speaking about his mother. "To me?! How long have you been doing this?!"

"She's dead Eric!" David screamed, shoving the other woman off of him. "Stop living in the past! She's dead! She's gone!" He marched closer to his son, backing him up against the wall. "I'm allowed to live my life how I want! Get over it." He hissed. "Now GO!!" Eric stood for a moment, gazing defiantly into his father's face. Before he could move, he was knocked harshly to the floor and then kicked in the gut.

"Get outta here!" David screamed, obviously not fully aware of what he was doing or who he was talking to. The stress of everything within the past week was getting to him, and now this piled on top of it...tears flooded down his face as he scrambled to get up off the floor, blood leaking out of his mouth. He pushed himself to his feet and walked up the stairs to his room, coughing and gagging the entire way.

With no phone, he had no way of contacting the one person who would surely make him feel better. The one person he could talk to about anything.

After a moment of intense coughing and spitting up blood, he made the choice to leave.

He opened the front door and bolted outside, his father already gone into the bedroom. It was dark, and thunder rumbled overhead. He moved as fast as he could down the streets, limping his way to Kailey's house. She would be in bed, her parents would be asleep. Thunder clapped again, louder this time, and a few drops of rain began to fall and hit his shoulders.

He found his way in the dark around to her bedroom window, and tapped lightly on the glass, hoping to wake her but not her parents. After a moment of nothing, and he tapped again, more frantic. The rain started to fall harder now, and his emotions were just working up and up.

KAILEY WAKE UP!!

He screamed inside his mind, hoping she'd be able to hear him.

Please wake up! I need you...

She had been considering contacting a different friend, but they were sure to want to talk about prom. Who they went with, what they did, what they wore etc. She wasn't interested in that, and she didn't want to talk about her relationship with Eric like that. She took it too seriously. For only a few seconds had she considered that he was mad at her or some other feeling that would make him not reply. Eric might not tell her why he was upset, but she was sure that he would tell her if he was and not hide away like this.

Eric had said that he loved her, so she knew he wouldn't be this small and petty. The one thing she might worry about is he heard some horrible rumor. If that had happened, eventually he would message her or she would see him at school. She realized that it probably had something to do with his dad. She had been worried about Eric. She was scared his father had done something to him, and she wasn't sure how she could go check on him. He hadn't answered his phone in days, and she hadn't been able to see him at school, because it was spring break.

She had wanted to tell him about how Harper was moving in nearby on her street. She was scared that Harper would take the opportunity to come over and be mean to Kai. She was scared that her mother would learn that she goes to the same school, and tell Kai to go over and help Kai move stuff and unpack, which would be handing Harper a little gift. She hadn't gotten to see Eric since prom, so she hadn't goten to ask Eric if he had planned to ask her to be his girlfriend.

Her mother hadn't asked anything about them not being together or being together, so she wasn't sure. She had gone to bed about her normal time, so she fell asleep before the rain started falling. She was lightly asleep, because she had only recently fallen asleep. She was surprised to be hearing tapping on her glass. She woke up a little wondering if there was a tree tapping at her window. It was sometimes a little scary when she was down on the ground floor.

When she was younger, she had been glad to have it on the ground floor, because she was scared that she wouldn't be able to get out of the house by herself if there was a fire. Now however, especially after Daniel, she was scared of someone breaking in. She was fully awakened, as she heard someone yelling her name. She was confused half asleep and groggy. She repeated the last thing that the voice said. He needed her. She realized that it was Eric after a while, and she had to think about where he was. She reminded herself that he had said that he needed her. Where was he? Was she going to have to sneak out of her bedroom?

She scrambled for her closet to get slightly more dressed. She had her exercise pajama shorts on, and she decided that she could use that. A t-shirt was a t-shirt, so she grabbed her bra and put it on, and headed toward the window. She lifted the blind and barely stopped herself from screaming, when she saw a man there. She woke up a little more and reasoning spilled into her brain. It was Eric, and she stood there a moment trying to get control of herself.

She realized that it was raining outside, and she opened the window. He better need her, because he woke up in the middle of the night. She also didn't like having to sneak him into her room. At least it was unexpected, but it also meant that she couldn't turn him away. She sighed wondering if she would be able to tell her parents. She was breaking one of their major rules. She wasn’t allowed to have boys in her room. She knew that she wasn’t supposed to get in trouble if she told them, but she felt like there had to be some kind of consequences, because it wasn’t like she planned on regretting it and never doing it again.

She unlocked the window and let him in. "Eric! You're soaked," she whispered at him, "Wait here. I'm going to get you a towel." She hurried to her bathroom to get him a towel. “What’s happened?” she asked him, as she handed him the towel. She was still bewildered and confused. “I knew something must have happened. I’ve been worried. You haven’t replied in days.” She realized that sounded a bit clingy. She was glad that he had come here. If he was in trouble, she wanted to be able to help him. She was glad that he felt safe enough to come to her.

She wondered how clearly he had seen her have a heart attack. She had felt her heart leap into her throat. After studying him she realized that there was blood. "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?" she asked, wondering how he had managed to make it this far in that condition. She wondered if she would be able to find him some dry clothes. She had told him that he could come here. While she thought there was a small chance of him coming to her house, at the same time she had thought it would be more of an empty gesture that she would daydream about, yet here he was.

Eric waited outside for a decent amount of time, the rain falling down harder now than before, and he wondered if she'd heard him at all. He was starting to have a panic attack, unsure of where to go. He was scared to go home, and if Kai was asleep..

He was starting to begin considering just having to sleep in the park somewhere, when the blinds opened and he saw Kai's face in the window. Because of the rain, and the water running down the glass, he couldn't see her very well, but he could make out a little bit of her shocked and frightened facial expression. It finally dawned on her who he was, and she opened the window to let him come in.

She helped pull him in as silently as she could, exclaiming in an astonished whisper that he was soaked. He stood in front of the window as she hurried to the bathroom, the breeze from the air conditioner causing him to start to shiver. She returned with a bath towel, and he gently took it from her hands, his own shaking slightly because of the cold and his anxiety.

She asked him what happened, and began explaining that she'd texted him and he hadn't replied in days. He felt bad for that, but he hadn't known. His phone had been taken from him. He was still too overwhelmed to really give her an answer or explanation, and he ruffled the towel through his hair, trying to dry it out as best as he could. He ran the towel over his t-shirt, because it was more wet than his shorts were. He just wouldn't be able to sit down for a little while until he was more dry. That, or if she could manage to grab one of her father's outfits for him.

During this she must have seen the blood still dripping a little from his nose and oozing from his lips, because she asked if he was okay and if he needed a doctor. He swallowed and let out a trembling breath, clasping the towel close to his chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't text you back, I-" he cut himself off, his stress and worry causing even more fear. He was trembling so bad that it was visible, and he had to close his eyes for a minute to try and right his mind. "I got into trouble because I broke Daniel's nose, and Dad too away my phone. He's been going out and drinking a lot and...and some nights he doesn't come home." He tried to explain, but his words were just tumbling out in a mess, his brain not functioning the way it should.

"I've gotten used to it, I didn't know what he was doing, it's none of my business. But tonight...tonight he came home with someone else. A woman, a woman I don't know and never have seen." His voice wavered, on the verge of cracking. "They were both drunk, and I know exactly what their plans were. How...how can he do this?!" He knew it had been four years since his mother's death, his father had the complete right to date again, but Eric was still struggling to cope with the fact that she was gone, especially since David was hardly ever trying to be a real father anyways.

He still felt empty and alone, and more often than not it still felt as if she had only died a couple of weeks ago. It still felt so recent to him. "How can he bring just some random woman home and...and expect to be happy?!" This time his voice actually broke, and he could feel his legs begin to go weak. "How can he do this to my mom, how can he do this to me?" He took a breath, biting back the tears threatening to escape again. He started to explain the cause of his bleeding, and his words tumbled out so fast it was hard to catch all of them, his voice slightly higher than normal due to the anxiety and stress that had been building up over the last few days.

"I asked him what he was doing, and who she was and he flipped out because he's drunk, and he hit me and punched me and told me to leave so..." he swallowed, this time tears actually leaking out of his eyes and running down his face. "So I left. I came to you because you're the only person left in this world who I feel like I can trust, I miss you so much Kailey." His voice gave out on her name, and all the emotions that he'd been holding back and building up over the years since his mother's death, over the course of the last few days, every single one of them suddenly just broke free, and he slid to the floor, his back against the wall, and he broke into sobbing. He was really trying to keep his voice and volume down, he didn't want her to get in trouble.

He dropped the towel into his lap and dropped his head into his hands, his back and chest heaving with his sobs. "I'm so sorry, I didn't want to wake you, I don't want to get you in trouble, but...I just..." He trailed off again, losing the words that he'd wanted to say. He hadn't cried this hard in a long time, and he found that now more than ever...he really really just wanted his mother back.

However, she had a feeling that that wasn't important. She couldn't imagine either of her parents doing that. She was pretty sure that Eric's mother had died sometime during middleschool, and she was a little surprised how upset he was that Mr. Godfrey had gone out with someone else. It didn't sound like he was a Christian, so what did he expect? It had been long enough where most people would expect him to move on.

She moved forward to take one of his hands in hers. Hopefully, physcial contact wouldn't be a bad thing. She wondered if Mr. Godfrey had been doing this for a while or this was his first time. It seemed it was at least his first time bringing a woman home. She wondered if Mr. Godrey didn't expect to be happy. Only unhappy men drowned their sorrows in alchohol. She had no idea if Mr. Godfrey did it completely willingly or if he was just drunk. Normally, she would have interjected some sorries, but he seemed to need to keep going.

Her hand gently rubbed his fingers repetitively. Patterns were often comforting. She realized how alone he felt, and she almost began crying. Why couldn't his father try? Why couldn't his sister care? She barely held back her tears. She had no answers for him. She began to rifle through all the things that her parents did. Quoting bible verses at a time like this probably wouldn't be comforting. When you felt that your heart was being wrenched out, and all you could do was cry out why, it didn't miraculously make the pain go away like some people seemed to expect.

It was a very slow remedy. Maybe they would be more comforting llater, but not in the middle of breaking down. She was beginning to get worried that he was becoming too loud. She wasn't sure how to quiet him or muffle the sounds before it reached her parents room. Perhaps the thunder would cover the sound. She was a little surprised and nervous at the trust he was placing in her. If she was the only one he could trust, she couldn't hurt him. She knew it was inevitable.

Everyone did something to even their dearest friends. If she hurt him, he wouldn't have anyone to recover with. It felt like a large responsibility. His hand slipped out of her grasp as he slid to the floor sobbing, and her heart broke for him. The last time one of them had been sobbing, and she now had some idea how he must have felt. Quickly, she headed for the tissues on her nightstand and pulled the trashcan within throwing distance. She wasn't sure what else she would need, but she didn't want to leave him for too long.

If her parents came now, she doubted that she would get in serious trouble, because of the state that Eric was in. However, she was pretty sure that she wouldn't get by without consequences. She sat on the ground beside him and realized how hard it was to really hug someone from this position, when they were larger than you. She embraced him and unconsiously rocked herself gently, while rubbing his back with one had. "I'm sorry Eric," she whispered. She wanted to ask if there was anything she could do, but she was scared that he would say there wasn't and she would feel useless.

She was always scared that Eric would get seriously hurt, because of his father would lose his temper or control because he was drunk. It was a relief to have Eric here, and she sent up a prayer of thankfulness for his relative safety and wellbeing. Even though physical injuries were normally easier to heal than emotional ones. "It's okay that you are here," she told him. "Don't worry about it." She hugged him closer, and she began to get wetter. For a long while she stayed like that with him.

She wanted to return what he had said, and say that she had missed him, but it didn't seem like the right moment. She wanted to get him dried off and possibly in some dry clothing, but she wasn't sure if he was up for that. She began praying for him and wisdom to know how to handle everything. "Is that all you needed to say? I can't help you with all of that, but I want to try to make you feel better than being soaked," she told him. She thought that things might be a little better in the morning.

She wasn't sure how long Eric should stay though. She continued to have at least one arm wrapped around him. She had her tissue and gently wiped his face. "I'm going to get some dry clothes for you if you don't mind wearing my dad's clothes." She headed to the laundrey room and fetched a loose t-shirt and shorts. She wondered if she should try to find Eric pants instead of shorts. She brought them back to him. "Go to the bathroom and change," she gave him a little smile, "I want to let you on the furniture."

She felt odd leaving him for any reason. He hadn't left her, when she was crying, but she thought this would help make him feel better. This made her problems petty. When he was dressed in dry clothes, she made sure his wet things were spread out to dry. She let him sit on her bed, and she held him. She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to beat up Daniel. It wasn't worth getting in trouble, but she doubted this was one of the worst problems. She had a feeling that he hadn't liked seeing him with another woman. She didn't feel like she could or should ask any questions. It was too soon. "Can I do anything for you?"

Eric really hadn't even noticed when she grabbed his hands, his emotions so strong and high that he was basically numb to all feeling. This particular incident alone...really wasn't all that bad. He normally wouldn't be reacting this way to what had just taken place back at home. But after what had happened at prom, the stress of going through that and constantly beating himself up for not being able to stop it from happening, how guilty he felt for having not seen what was going on, for breaking such an important promise to her father...that added and mixed with four years of anxiety and bottled up emotions that he spoke to no one about...it all just snapped upon seeing that woman, and reality had really taken that chance to smack him across the face. Hard.

His mother was gone, really gone, she was never coming back. He couldn't do anything about it.

As he sat on the ground, she sat down next to him and tried wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He knew he needed to calm down and quiet down a bit, so he did. She whispered a sorry, and he just shook his head, unable to say anything more right now. She told him that it was okay that he was here. For a long moment she sat with him there against the wall, and when he got calmed down a little, tears still running out of his eyes, but no longer trying to catch air, he grabbed some of the tissues that she had provided. She wiped his face as well, and he gave her a small smile and tried to laugh a little.

"Thank you. I feel like the world's biggest baby." She asked him if that was all he needed to say. No, of course it wasn't. He wanted to talk more about it, but he didn't know if his body could handle slipping into another emotion wriddled crying. So he just...nodded his head yes, signaling that it was. She wiped his face again as a few last tears escaped, and she said she was going to get some dry clothes for him. He nodded, and sat up against the wall patiently for her to return.

When she came back, he pushed himself to his feet, his entire body feeling weak after such a breakdown, and took the clothes from her arms. She told him to go change in the bathroom, and gave him a smile as she said she wanted to let him on the furniture. He returned her small smile. "Okay," Was all he could manage to whisper. He headed to the bathroom and started to pull his wet shirt over his head, exposing part of the massive tattoo scene on his back briefly before he fully entered the bathroom. He shut the door as quietly as possible, and the wet shirt flopped into his hands. He glanced up and looked into the mirror, feeling like crying again.

That tattoo was gorgeous, something stunning and beautiful that he'd gotten in commemoration of his mother, the mother wolf touching noses with her pup surrounded in a heart-shaped border of roses. He stared at it for a minute, sending up a silent prayer to God, and thanking Him for the time he did have with his mother here on earth.

He got changed into the dry clothes Kailey had given him, and walked out, carrying his wet ones. She set them to dry, and offered to let him sit on her bed. He took up the offer, and she wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace, and he placed one arm loosely around her. They sat in silence for a moment, and his thoughts continued to spiral, creating a mental image of the scene that had taken place just before this.

How the woman looked, acted, smelled. How horrible his father still must be feeling to think that it was okay to just...drown his sorrow away in alcohol and sex. He was never a great father to his children, but he had been a good husband to Eric's mother. He had cared for her deeply, and when Eric was too young to remember, she had gotten the news that she had cancer. When David was given the news, he didn't stop loving her, but he did....fade away a little. As if he was already beginning to lose hope.

Once it finally did take her life, he faded away almost completely, and he was left to deal with that sorrow and his children's sorrows too. As a man who never really participated too much in raising the kids, he was overwhelmed and basically gave up. His drinking intensified, and the abuse began. Summer had left as soon as the opportunity arose, and never once has she looked back.

Kailey asked if she could do anything, and he reached up, grabbing one of her hands that was still wrapped around him. He rested his head on hers. "Just be here." he whispered. He knew there was more he wanted to say, more he wanted to speak about, but he wanted just a moment of peace, or at least a moment to catch up with her and talk about her instead of focusing fully on his feelings.

After a moment he whispered, "Have you been doing okay?"

She watched him as he headed toward the bathroom. Now that she had nothing to do, but wait for him, she felt a little uncomfortable and antsy. She wanted to pace, but she didn't want to be noisy. He started to take off his shirt on his way to the bathroom, and she was glad that his back was turned to her. She had never seen that work of art on his back, but she only got a flash of it before he entered the bathroom. She wondered if it would be weird if she asked him if she could look at it.

If she did do that, she would do it at a later time. Even though she knew that guys could go without shirts on and it wasn't looked down upon too much, she still felt awkward thinking about asking him if she could gawk at his back. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it had been a very detailed tatoo. She didn't know how to help him. He had said to be there for him, and that's all he had done for her and it had helped. He was visualizing what had happened so well, that she was beginning to get a mental picture of what had happened.

She began to rub his back again, "Okay." She was going to be here for him, because she didn't know what else she could do. "Are you hungry or thirsty?" she asked him. She could grab him a snack. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go into all of the details of how she was. He was the one who had come here through the rain and began crying, so she felt a little weird concentrating on herself all of a sudden. It made her feel a little selfish. Besides she wondered if Eric was just asking to be polite.

For the first three days or so after prom, she had been a little anxious and depressed. She hadn't wanted to do anything, and she spent a lot of time laying on her bed thinking. Now she was still a little anxious and emotional, but she had to work not to think about prom. Whenever she thought about it, the feelings of helplessnes and fear began to well up inside of her, and she didn't want to feel that again and again. She decided not to tell him all about that. While it was just as negative, she thought it would be better to mention Harper.

She sighed, "I've been doing okay. Sometimes I start thinking about prom night, but I am getting better." She still wasn't sure if she would be able to face Daniel at school. She wasn't sure if it was better or worse that Eric had beaten him. "Harper is moving in down the street. I keep on hoping my mom doesn't send me down there to help unpack," she gave a little smile to Eric. It wasn't very funny having Harper nearby, but it was something they could joke about unlike prom night.

"My parents haven't let me go over to people's houses. They have especially forbidden any friend's house with older brothers which cuts out a lot of them. Friends are allowed to come over, but they are keeping me on a tight leash. I haven't really minded," she told him. It had given her time to recover and try to function like a normal human being. For the first day out of prom night she would randomly start crying. Often she would try to cheer herself up and think about herself and Eric, but it led her to wonder if he had been going to ask her to be his girlfriend. Since she didn't have that answer, she felt a bit tormented. It was a little marred by the fact that they had almost lost control. "Is it okay that I am asking what the tatoo on your back is? I didn't know you had one," she inquired.

He sat in silence for a bit as she rubbed his back, the motion relaxing the tension in his muscles, and dowsing the emotional flames that were still trying to surge and roar out of him. He shook his head as she asked if he was hungry or thirsty. "No." he answered quietly. He wasn't hungry, he wasn't thirsty. He was highly stressed and very, very tired. He still felt bad for coming in and waking her up, but he didn't know what would have happened if he'd stayed at the house any longer.

He didn't want her to feel burdened or selfish with the fact that he'd asked about her, he just wanted to get some of the focus off of him. He had been very curious and worried about her over the past several days, and he did want to catch up on things. Besides, he didn't think his body could handle another emotional meltdown quiet yet. He listened to her speak, and he felt a bit of annoyance and frustration spark in his heart upon hearing that Harper was in the middle of moving in down the street. She gave him a little smile, and he tried to return it, even though he really didn't feel like it.

"Well that's a bit disappointing, isn't it?" he said, the frustration with the situation lacing his voice just slightly. "I hope she stays on her side of the fence and minds her own business." She explained to him how strict her parents were being, and to be honest, he was kind of relieved at that fact. He agreed with the idea of her having friends over instead of going to someone else's house, it was safer that way. But that was a bit dampered by the realization that it he'd been so easily snuck in. What if Daniel or someone else pulled the same thing, and she let them in thinking it was Eric? And even if she didn't...that window wouldn't be hard to break.

He started to worry about that just thinking about it, and absent mindedly tightened his arm around her. "At least they're keeping you safe." he said quietly to her. "They're doing the smart thing." He glanced over at her window, and thunder rumbled overhead again, the rain thudding peacefully against the roof and hitting the glass on the window. She suddenly asked him what the tattoo on his back was, and he raised his brows, a bit surprised. How had she known about it? When would she have seen it?

Then it hit him that he'd started to pull off his shirt before entering the bathroom, and she'd probably seen it briefly then. "Oh, yeah. Um...I went with my dad to get it when I turned seventeen several months back. It represents my mom and I. A mother wolf and her pup with roses. It was her favorite flower." He kind of glanced sideways at her, a little embarassed to tell her for some reason. Perhaps because the guys made fun of him in the locker room for it. For having a 'girl tattoo,' and that he was a 'momma's boy.' Which, he'd admit, he had been. Still was. He loved his mother dearly, always had, always will.

Just talking about it made him tear up again, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of his forearm, not wanting to start crying again. But he just...needed to talk. He needed someone to listen. "She died the summer before my freshman year," he said quietly. "I know it's been almost four years, I know I shouldn't keep holding onto her, but...it doesn't feel like it's been four years. It still feels like she just died. I walk around the house, and I don't see her. I can't hear her laughing, I don't get any hugs from her anymore, I can't feel her heartbeat. I don't hear her singing softly to the baby inside of her." A tear slowly escaped. "I can't come home from school and sit down and tell her about my day, I can't go to her for advice. I can't tell her I love her anymore and see her smile. I can't tell her about you." He looked at her, and even through his tears and wavering voice he was able to smile and let out a breath as a sort of laugh, bumping her with his shoulder lightly.

"She would have loved you." He looked down at his hands, which were now both placed in his lap. "She would want to take you aside and talk to you for hours. Go have a day with you, a girls day in town." He chuckled, trying to remember the good things and what he had, rather than what he'd lost. But it was hard to do. Because everything he had with her was now gone.

He looked over at Kai, and pulled himself together again, wiping away his tears. "I just...I miss her so much. I know Dad does too, but why...why does he have to be doing stuff like this? It doesn't make him happy, it just makes him more miserable. He's only hurting himself and me. He's hurting us. I know it's been awhile since Mom died, but when I saw that other woman....when I saw the type of woman she was and that he was satisfied just having that kind of woman for one night...it made me so mad." He shook his head. "I don't even know how long he's been doing this, either. Who knows how many women like that have been in our house without me knowing about it? They aren't what he needs, they aren't what he really wants. And...it makes me mad because he's always telling me off! He always tells me that women will make me a man whore, but look at what he's doing! He's a hypocrite." he whispered. "He has all this time on his hands, and he doesn't use it to spend time with me and try to bond with me. No, he uses it to go drink his life away and party with women he doesn't even know."

Eric tilted his head back and closed his eyes, his emotions continuing to drain him. "It's like he doesn't even care." he whispered, adjusting his position to face Kai a little more. "He doesn't care about me. He just wants me to grow up and get out. No wonder Summer left and never wants to come back. She has nothing here for her. Nothing." He looked at her and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I really am I just...I just need someone to talk to." He felt horrible for waking her up and dragging her into his mess of a home life and emotions, when all she probably wanted to do was get some sleep.

"If you want me to leave, I will."

She wouldn't be able to go on her morning runs by herself. She nodded her head agreeing with him. She noted him thinking about Daniel trying to break into her room, and she froze a little. Did he think that was a real possiblity to? While she hadn't believedt hat Daniel would do something like that in front of an audience, he had. She didn't think he would sneak over to her house in the middle of the night, but was that a real concern. Her eyes widened a little, "I'm sorry. I was mind reading. You really think someone would try to break into my room?"

She normally kept the blinds down, so how could they know which window was hers? She curled a little closer to him, because his arm tightened around her. She disliked making it about her, when it had been Eric coming over here and having the breakdown, but she had hoped that her worries were ridiculous, and she needed to talk about it. She thought it was a little harsh to try to pen her up at home like this, because they couldn't do that forever. However, she didn't want to go out, so there was no point in wasting energy arguing about it.

She wished Eric had offered to let her see the tatoo, because she had decided that she shouldn't ask him. It had appeared to cover his skin, so she was sure that it had been fairly expensive. It also seemed to have lots of detail. She gave him a smile, because she thought the tatoo was sweet. He rubbed his arm across her eyes, and she waited for more tears. "I'm sorry Eric. I wish I could help with that," she whispered softly. She considered reading a book about that stages of grief. Perhaps she would find a way to help him.

She smiled again, as he mentioned her meeting Eric's mother. She hoped that his mother would like her. Eric's whole life would be much better, if she were still around. She wasn't sure how Eric would have turned out or if she would have met him though. That would have been fun, but it wouldn't ever happen, and Kai wouldn't ever really know her. "That sounds fun," she smiled at him. "It's okay to miss her," she reminded him. "It's okay to cry and grieve," she added.

She shrugged trying to search her mind for why drink and sex would make somebody feel better, "Perhaps it gives him temporary relief. It's like a drug, and it work less and less each time he does it." She had heard of dad's who didn't care what happened once their wife died. She felt her heart hurt for him. "What do you think he wants?" she asked Eric. Mr. Godfrey was so admanant about Eric becoming a manwhore, that she hadn't really expected this of him. She hid a shudder at the thought of that many woman coming through.

"I guess at this point, he purposefully does this," she sighed. She had wondered if he did it because he was drunk, and he wasn't able to think. If it had been happening for a while, she doubted that he didn't mean to do it. She took one of his hands and rubbed it. It was awful that his own father didn't try to talk to his son. "Do you think you could reach out to your sister Summer?" she asked. It might be good if he had at least one family member he could talk to. They didn't have to be close. He just needed someone else who he could talk to.

"It was easy to see why Summer had left, but you're still here. Why doesn't she contact you?" he asked. She could feel his emotions draining. He seemed sleepy also. It's okay," she gave him a small smile. "I told you that I'd be here for you to talk to." She shook her head a little vehemently, "Where would you go? I don't want you to go home, because it doesn't sound safe. You've already woken me up, so if you have another friend, you might as well stay here. It's wet outside, and it's not safe there either." She looked at him a little calmer now. "I think you should stay here for the night. We can stay up all night or we can go to sleep."

She felt a little awkward about that. It was one thing to sleep in the same room as Eric, but should she let him sleep in her bed? She couldn't let him sleep on the floor though, because it just didn't feel right. She froze in the middle of her considerations as she heard the door creaking open. She had a miniature panic attack right then and there. Her heart made one extra large loud thump, before it halted for a moment. It was her cat Polly walking in. She heaved a sigh, and hurried over to pick her up. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked, knowing that petting animals could be very calming.

She couldn't keep her cats off the bed. Her parents had given up. Sometimes Kai liked that, and sometimes it was only annoying, when she wanted to lay down and sleep. She moved back into her position beside him. "Can I tell you a few things? I'm a little scared to go back to school. You know those catcalls sometimes in the hall. Now the thoughts of it scares me. I'm afraid of what people will say and do. I'm scared of seeing Daniel again," she shuddered and curled up her knees.

She was getting sleepy, and it felt like the majority of what they had said they had said. She wanted to lay down, but she didn't want to stop hugging Eric or make him feel like he was intruding. "I was also wondering about something. My mother mentioned you being my boyfriend, when I told her about the kisses. Why would she say something like that?" She manuvered herself so that he would have to look at some part of her. She was tempted to move in closer, but she didn't want to pressure him. Besides, she knew it wasn't fair to have him put up with her fears, and she should be keeping her distance, since they were in her bedroom alone.

She quickly apologized and said that she'd been mind reading as he thought about the possibility of a break in. While normally it would probably make him upset, he didn't much care if she looked into his mind or not. He wasn't hiding much, and he didn't plan on hiding anything bad from her. Sure, it was a bit invasive, but it was an ability she possessed that sometimes was hard to control. If she looked into his mind she wouldn't find a whole lot other than his whirlwind of depressing emotions and anxiety wridden thoughts.

"It's okay," he said quietly. "I don't know. I don't think anyone would, but...it still worries me a little." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He felt her curl a little closer to him, and he gave her a subtle smile. At least she wasn't acting too nervous around him. She apologized again, this time for not being able to really help with any of what he was going through. "It's okay," he said again. "It's not up to you to fix my problems, and stuff like this....you just can't fix." He looked down. "But at least you can listen." She tried to give some input on his father and why he did what he did, and he nodded, agreeing.

She took one of his hands in hers, and he gave her another sideways glance with a shy smile.

"Do you think you could reach out to your sister Summer?" she asked. He didn't answer for a moment as he thought about it. "It was easy to see why Summer had left, but you're still here. Why doesn't she contact you?" He turned his head to look at her, having fallen silent.

"I do reach out to her sometimes." he said quietly. "She doesn't answer very often." He shrugged. "I'm sure she's busy with her own things and her husband. I don't want to drag her down or bring her back into the life she felt the need to run away from." He was never extremely close with Summer, either, but they had at least been able to talk, and they had some fun times together when he was very young.

She told him that it was okay that he was here, and told him that she thought he should stay the night. His eyes widened a little, and he opened his mouth to speak, before shutting it and not saying anything. He wasn't sure how great of a plan that was. She wasn't supposed to have boys in her room in general, and now with all the restrictions from her parents...this was a bit dangerous, wasn't it? Was she really willing to disobey her parents for him?

So many questions and hesitations were spiraling around in his brain, but the more he thought about it...she was right. Where else would he go? He thought of poor Gunner, sitting alone in his kennel without Eric there, but he couldn't exactly go and get him.

"You really think I should?" he asked after a moment of debate. He really, really didn't want to get her in trouble, and he didn't want her parents to see him as just another guy trying to get into her pants. Just after the words left his mouth the sound of the door creaking open made them both freeze. His heart thumped and then instantly dropped straight down into the depths of his stomach, and he expected to turn around and find her mother or father standing there.

But to his complete relief, it was just Polly. Kai let out a relieved sigh and got off the bed, walking over to pick the cat up. She carried the chunky tabby over to the bed and sat back down, asking Eric if he wanted to hold her. He couldn't help but smile, and he nodded slowly, taking the cat gently from her arms.

He'd pet her cats before, but never in his life had he actually held one. It was so different than a dog, and he found himself being way extra careful about it, and the thought of how goofy he must look was enough to make him giggle quietly. He pet the cat softly for a few moments, before Kai asked if she could tell him something. Her voice was giving off that certain vibe, that sound, and he knew that it probably wasn't something good.

He nodded quietly, not sure if he was prepared for what she was going to say.

"I'm a little scared to go back to school. You know those catcalls sometimes in the hall. Now the thoughts of it scares me. I'm afraid of what people will say and do. I'm scared of seeing Daniel again," she said. Eric looked at her for a moment, then back down at Polly as he thought.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about Daniel anymore." he said after a bit. "Especially not if I'm around when you see him." He thought back to the bloody mess Daniel's face had been. "No one's going to hurt you, not if I have any say in it." He truly meant that, too. He wasn't going to let anything else like that happen to her ever again, not as long as he was with her. He leaned over and rested his head on top of hers for a minute, before she spoke again, telling him about how her mother had reacted and what she'd said that night of prom.

His eyes widened and he pulled back from her a bit, the motion disturbing Polly and making the cat jump onto the floor with a soft thump. He looked at her for a moment in shock. Had Michael not told Lisa what Eric had said? Or had her mother said all this before Michael got the chance to?

After a moment, he sighed a little. "Well," he started, not expecting this conversation to be brought up. "I was actually planning on asking you to be my girlfriend after prom." he explained, starting to get a little nervous. Would she be mad at him? "I had talked to your parents about it, and after some consideration they gave me permission to ask you. But then everything with Daniel happened and...I don't know, I just...didn't think it was right to do that." He swallowed, looking at the bed for a second before looking back up at her. "I didn't want to add the pressure of a new relationship on top of whatever stress you were already going through. So...I told your dad after I brought you home that...I'll be here as your friend to help you through everything." He shrugged a little. "I still really like you, and...maybe someday we can be more. I still want to be more. But, I didn't know how you would feel about that, and I didn't want to put any added pressure on your shoulders."

It was then that he realized that he'd taken her hand in his while he'd been talking without really knowing he'd done so. He glanced down, saw that, and looked back up at her with an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry." he whispered, feeling like an idiot. "I'm not helping clear things up at all, am I?" He kind of giggled a little, but he found himself not wanting to take his hand away. He could see that she was tired, and he was emotionally drained as well, his eyes wanting to close and sleep knocking at his door.

Thunder crashed, this time louder than before, and Polly leaped up onto the bed. Eric jumped, having forgotten the cat was even in here, and let out a breath. He gave Kailey a sideways glance, and a smile, feeling a lot better now than before despite his tiredness. He still wasn't sure if he should stay or not, but the pouring rain, lightning, and thunder was enough to convince him to stay inside.

He was willing to sleep on the floor, even though it would be uncomfortable. He didn't want Kai to feel uncomfortable, and it was her bed anyway.