How He Saved Her

Chapter One

Aurora

The day my sister left for college is the day I finally realized how much pain she was in. How much she endured. How much she had to fight the will to live.

It is also coincidentally the day I also got to experience what she had previously. Of course, I had experienced a small part of it, but from that day everything multiplied faster than germs.

I love my sister, and I love that she is now safe, but it does make me sad knowing she is never coming back; leaving me here with a monster I'd have to fend off by myself.

I roll off to my side as I count the amount of steps being taken downstairs. Only 10 more and he will be gone. My thoughts are preoccupied with awaiting for the steps when my phone timer rings letting me know I have five more minutes before I'd have to go to school. Heaving a sigh, I get out of bed and do my routine as quietly as I can. After 4 minutes later, and hushed breaths, I make my way downstairs, being careful to not make any sound.

Closing my eyes, I make a beeline for the door, and a small smile plays on my face as I feel the doorknob on my palm. The smile is replaced with a groan when a hand claws at my hair and pulls me backward so abruptly I almost fall. I look back to meet a pair of piercing green eyes and curse myself. He is dressed in a button down and well pressed slacks.

"I didn't-"

"Shut up", he says his voice booming and within a second his hand is met with my cheek. I blink away the tears threatening on the back of my eye, I won't let him have the satisfaction of seeing me weak. Instead, I meet the eyes of the person who gave me the exact same pair and tell myself only 140 more days. I got this, I can do this.

"You forgot to make me breakfast today", he shouts at me and I back away to the door. He laughs at the sight of my fear,"Just leave."

Don't have to be told twice!

I turn around slowly and open the doorknob. I make it out of the house but not before his hand grazes my butt. I bite my lips against the disgust but keep walking off the porch and to a place where I can get a little bit of freedom.

♡•♡♡•♡•♡•

I sprained my ankle trying to get out of the last classroom in hope to get a head start and make it home before he did. It would give me a good fifteen minutes to make him a late lunch and then head upstairs to hide in the one room where I have safety. But upon rushing out of my last class, I walked too hurriedly and managed to step the wrong way. I had hissed in pain as I stepped off to the side to avoid being trampled.

After a few deep breaths, I had gathered the courage to start walking again. Only when I did my legs buckled in an almost embarrassed way before I sighed and turned to the closest room to me, which was fortunately the nurses room.

"What do we have here?"Her voice scared me as I placed a hand on my heart and stumbled to a nearby chair.

"My ankle", I had wheezed pointing at it and she gave me a sympathetic look. It made me duck my head and instead focus on my breathing. She walked further into her office and came back with a ice pack which she handed to me.

"Just a sprained right?", she asked and I nodded. I put the ice pack on my swollen ankle and hissed in pain.

"Probably not best to walk with it", she said softly, making me look up at her wide brown eyes that cast her oval face together.

"That's my only plan", I whisper, trying not to sound too desperate. "God, it's hot", I add when I realized my breathing had yet to slow.

"You should wait an hour or so. Go wait outside, I heard there's a small practice going on that could distract you", she says making her way to me and placing a hand on my shoulder. I stand up and her hand goes under my arm when I almost fall back down again. She smiles kindly and leads me out of the office and toward the back of the school. When I get there, I try to have her drop me off but she insists on walking me to the bleachers.

"Thank you", I say my voice sounding more sincere than I was going for. She only smiles and says,"I'll see you later, Aurora."

"Bye", my voice is a whisper as she has already started walking off. Sure enough, there is a basketball game going on, but my mind drifts to the semi-good book on my phone and I grab for it. After getting through a few chapters, I hear someone shuffling from behind me.

My throat closed up and my heart starts beating fast. I was the only one here, so the sudden movement made my fists ball up. When I look back, the guy puts his hands up in surrender and stays there. I blink a few times and make out the small smile on his face. My eyes follow his messy wavy hair and hazel thin eyes with eyelashes that make me envy him. His long straight nose fits his face perfectly if not helping him. His cheekbones are hollow, carving out the shape.

"Hi", I blink again realizing he is speaking. I look around and don't find anyone there so I turn back to him and attempt a small smile, which turns up to be more of a grimace. My heart is still beating fast at the uncertainty of this exchange. Furthermore, a guy had never come up to me to talk, which I appreciated.

I didn't appreciate the way his eyes twinkled in a little happiness and the way his lips were always lifted up. "My name is Oliver", he says and my mind flashes to the conversations people have around the school. His name is a big thing in this school as basketball is the biggest sport around here. I haven't seen him this close up until now though and I find that maybe girls were not extragratting on his looks.

"What's your name", he asks softly when I don't respond to his introduction. I open my mouth to answer but my name is stuck in my throat. How long has it been since I've said my own name? My mind flashes to the way my father said my name this morning, how his lips curled up in a disgusted look.

"Aurora", I say despite my heart going 80 miles an hour in my chest. He throws one of legs around and it lands on my row of the stadium. My heart beat picks up and I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck rising. Why is he moving closer to me?

He looks up at me with a widened eye after he has settled down next to me. I look beside me to see my phone extending out to his face. He puts his hands up,"I in the air in front of him again and says,"Sorry, your voice is just so soft, I couldn't hear."

I retract my phone and bring my hands together in my lap. I look down at my hands and say my name again even though the memories of it being shouted at me runs through my head.

I hear a hum and move my head up to meet his eye. "That's a pretty name."

To be shouted in disgust.

I turn away from his gaze and instead focus on the beat up shoes I'm wearing, I should get new ones before people start thinking poorly about me. The white of the shoe has turned into a mess of gray and brown from all the walking I've done since last year. I pick at my nails and look up at him.

"Are you waiting for something?", I ask trying to raise my voice but to no avail. It comes up more of a whisper and I curse myself for not being stronger. His face contorts in confusion before it relaxes in understanding of what I just asked.

"I just", he stops, runs a hand through his hair and runs a tongue over his bottom lip. "I told the guys that you were my girlfriend."