How He Saved Her

Chapter Four

Aurora

The next day, I want to skip school. My dad hadn't been home when I came home yesterday, so I had made his late lunch and ran upstairs. After locking my door, I lay in bed trying to get a piece of mind. Being with Oliver is scary but I want to be there though. Oliver is the nicest guy I ever met but it does scare me that he could get abusive any second. That's why I'm not comfortable around him.

When I get comfortable with him, will he start viewing me differently?

While I'm lost in my thoughts, a loud bang on my bedroom door pulls me out of it. I let out a shaky breath and sat up in bed waiting for him to leave me alone.

"Do you think you can get a guy to scare me off?", he says and I notice the slurring of his words and know that he is drunk. When did he have the time to drink? He goes on,"A big guy in a big car, well I don't fear him."

I let him continue his tangent until he gets to the last part. "The next time I see him around here, he is going to get a peice of mind. I mean why would he even want to date you, the only thing you have going for you is your prettiness but other than that, you're nothing."

I feel my emotions move from mad to a little hurt but I shake my head. Oliver said he chose me, so I should trust him.

"Get out here", he barks out loud suddenly and I get off the bed and hold my breath when I open the door. He barged into my room and the first thing he does is make a hasty motion at grabbing me. He grabs my waist, hard and possessive, and pulls me flesh to him. I hold my gag in and he gropes my waist tighter as I try to shimmy out.

His lips meet my bare neck and I feel bile raising up my throat. "Does he treat you like I do?", he whispers against my neck and I try to tune him out.

"Let go", I say instead, which he ignores. I ball up my fists and gathering as much courage as I can and punch him. It hits sloppy on his jaw but it is enough for him to push off me. He looks up at me with a smirk and pushes me so hard, I go a few feet back. He starts to smile right before I use that to my leverage and close my door. In record time, I have locked all my locks and have fallen on the floor, with my hands helplessly to my side.

My waist hurts and there is a stinging on my neck where he tried to do whatever he did. I stay like that for so long I had fallen asleep. That's how I woke up the next morning, on the floor with my body aching. I didn't want to move, didn't want to leave the safety of my room.

But even then, I carried myself to my bathroom and did my routine before slipping into his jersey. It is sleeveless and so big it slips past my thigh. I pinch at the fabric and at my skin before I shake my head violently. I can't do this, so I go into my closet and pick out another hoodie and put that on. I throw the Jersey on top and slip into a pair for black jeans. I decide to put my hair up but when I gather my hair up, I notice the marks on my neck.

Tears threatened to come out as I cursed at him a million times. I put my hair down and use concelar to cover the mark as best as I can. What if Oliver sees this, would he think I was betraying him? I know it's fake but your girlfriend walking around with another guys mark has to be something. After a while, it dawns on me that that is what he wanted all along.

I throw on some other products on my face and rush downstairs to make him his signature omelete. I finish within ten minutes and grab my backpack leaving early before he can wake up. I walk passed my neighborhood but then stop for a breath. My sprain is healing but is still hurts so I press my back against a building. I close my eye to take a breath until a car honks to make me open my eyes.

"Rory?", the voice says and I look ahead at the deep green jeep with Oliver inside of it. I get on my feet and he brings the car closer to me so I walk toward it. "What are you doing here?", he says and I just shrug a shoulder and head to the passenger side seat. Instead of throwing my backpack on the floor, I placed it on my belly, needing more protection today. Everything hurts.

"Are you okay?", he asks me like he did yesterday and I nod looking out the window instead.

"Rory?", he tries again and I take a deep breath in and say,"Can we just get to school already?"

He must hear the desperation in my voice as he starts the car up again and drives down my street. He passes my house in a blur and starts heading to school. A hear a low hum and my stomach churns at the unwanted noise. But when I look at him, I watch him softly tapping the steering wheel and his lips softly humming. He catches me looking and meets my eye for a second which is all it takes me to turn my head back to the front of the car.

He doesn't say anything though only hums a little louder and soon enough we are in school. He parks in the space he did previously and we both get out of the car. He holds out a hand for my backpack and I hand it to him. I walk close to him with a hand hugging my body and when I look up at him to grab his shirtsleeve, I find that he doesn't have one. He is wearing a short sleeve which I try not to notice how his arm flexes as we walk.

"Oliver?", I say hoping I'm not too quiet and he looks down at me, his hair falling in his eyes.

I point to my shirtsleeve and it takes him a few second to understand before he pulls at his shirt, trying to stretch it out. It doesn't stretch much and I shake my head. I take a step closer to him and hope that it's enough to make it seem like we are dating. Once we get in, people are looking at us and I'm falling behind Oliver with my sprained leg and the fact that his legs are naturally long. He must be at least 6"3.

Oliver stops ahead of me and I walk toward him. He smiles down at me and holding in a breath, I find his hand by his side and slip my pinky finger in his. I take in a sharp breath at the contact, so soft and I try not to notice how warm I suddenly feel. He doesn't say anything but I can see the small smile on his lip and I look down at the floor embarrassed.

He doesn't retract his finger though and starts walking. I have to tighten my finger in his in order to not lose him and we get to my first hour shortly after. I retract my finger from his in record speed and he hands me my backpack.

"I'll see you at lunch?", he asks softly and I nod. He nods once at me and then walks backwards away from me. "I'll miss you", he shouts at me loud enough for the whole hallway to hear and my heart warms a bit.

♡•♡•♡♡•

I make it to the lunch table before the guys and settle in the space we did yesterday. I'm two chapters in when their laughter brings me out of my book and I look up to see four guys heading toward me. I spot Oliver smiling the hardest and know that he was the one who told the joke, the pride evident on his face. His eyes meet mine but his smile doesn't falter, instead it has his eyes twinkling a little.

"Hey babe", he shouts walking toward the table a little faster and the guys follow him with a small smirk on their lips.

"Hi", I say softly when he drops his backpack on the table.

"Come on, let's grab lunch", he says softly and I shake my head. I haven't been able to keep down food for so long I don't even want to try. He only holds out his pinky finger and not wanting to let him look dumb, I slip mine in his. I tighten the hold and try to make all the flashbacks of my father's hand on me disappear. I open my eyes to find him looking at me and the memories blur for a second.

The lunch line is short and Oliver makes me get a brownie and a piece of pizza. The pizza makes me want to hurl and the brownie isn't any better. I take a seat at my spot and Oliver follows. The backpack in between us helps so he is not touching me and when I look up at Austin I can see he has kept a distance between us.

I give him a little nod which he smiles at me for. I look back at Oliver who has started eating his food. I try to take a bite of the pizza but my stomach lurches at it and I drop it on my plate. Instead I pull out my phone and continue reading the book I started yesterday. I'm so invested in the main characters almost kissing that I don't see the piece of brownie in front of me. I turn to Oliver who is talking to his friend but his hand stays in front of my mouth. I hold in a breath and open my mouth to take the piece. I almost graze my lips with his finger and that makes me let out a shaky breath.

He glances at me then and gives me an encouraging nod. I have my eyes on his as I chew the food but it takes a second to swallow it. Instantly I need water and drop my eyes to grab for it. But I can't find it, did I not bring water?

"Here", his voice is barely above a whisper and he has his bottle in front of me. I'm about to reach for it before he places it to my mouth leaving me no choice but to tilt my jaw and take a sip.

"Oh s**t", a voice says making me move my mouth away from the bottle and toward the voice. "She has a hickey", the person in front of me says and I feel my heart beating faster.

"I uh", I stutter looking at Oliver but he only displays a fake smirk on his face and shrugs at the guys. The guys laugh and when I glance back at him, I find that he isn't looking at me anymore. Swallowing my hurt, I go back to my book but I can't as my mind is fizzled with the fact that he seems rather hurt. The bell rings and Oliver picks up my backpack but doesn't hold out his pinky finger. I do though but his eyes are on his friends so I put my hand back in my pocket. He starts walking toward my next class and I'm about to speak to him before he drops my backpack on my shoulder and leaves.

I frown not because I'm hurt but it seems that he is hurt.