Chapter Five

Darius POV

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I walk into class, my eyes immediately looking for Rillan. I spot her bent over her backpack at her desk, trying to pull something out. I walk past her just as she's pulling something out and I kick it out of her hand. I bend down to grab what she dropped.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to kick you- wait these are pain meds.. why do you need pain meds?" I recognize the bottle.

She goes beet red and stutters a bit before blurting out, "Cramps!"

Her friend snickers beside her and she turns to glare at him, I hand the bottle back to her.

"Oh, my bad."

She takes the bottle, but something on her write catches my eyes. There peaking under her sleeve were dull red lines, my heart starts beating hard in my chest and I have to pull my eyes away before she notices me looking. I turn around and walk back to my desk, The head blonde bimbos sits on my lap and starts playing with my hair. But my eyes never leave hers until she turns back around.

Our teacher walks in breaking my concentration, she begins talking about the homework we were assigned the other night, about 20 minutes in to her going over answers a student walks in the class and goes up to the teacher. I zone out and look out the window until I hear her name called.

"Rillan you are being dismissed."

I look at the back of her head but she doesn't move, she looks lost in thought.

"Rillan." She snaps up.

"Oh- uh yes?" She stutters.

"You're being checked out."

I see her visible stiffen in her seat and she immediately looks over at her friend. His eyes are wide and he's looking directly at her.

"I'll just stay here, thank you."

The teacher gives her an annoyed look, "Rillan you don't have a choice, please go to the principles office."

Her friend stands up, "I'll make sure she gets down there, I have to speak to my dad anyway. Come on Illa we will go together."

She slowly gets up and grabs her backpack, I notice her movement seem a bit ridged. Almost like she's trying not to use her body too much. I watch her intensely, and when she turns to look behind her before she walks out, is when I realize how truly terrified she is. My whole body shuts down, All I'm seeing is that terrified look on her face before she walked out.

My whole body is screaming at me to follow her, but Lina's screeching voice snaps me out of my head.

"So are you going to Jarred's party this weekend?" She asks, running a hand down my chest.

"Lina, please remove yourself from Darius' lap." The teacher snaps at us.

She pouts and climbs off, sitting back down in her seat. I sigh in relief, this girl is fucking crazy. I should never have agreed to go out with her, she was just too easy.

I glance at the clock, the bell doesn't ring for a couple more minutes but I need to go now. I need to find her.

"Mrs. Garson can I be excused, I'm not feeling well." I raise my hand.

"I've heard that excuses more then once Mr. Iyvan." She responds not even glancing at me.

I roll my eyes and get up anyway, throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I walk straight out of the classroom. Not going to even try asking next time, thought I'd give it a try this time. I chuckle at myself, why the hell did I even care enough to do that?

I jog down to the office, hiding around the corner. I see a very classy women waiting at the counter. She's looking at her well manicured nails, seeming especially annoyed at the receptionist who keeps trying to start a conversation with her.

"That must be her mother.." I mutter..

I see Rillan walk out with the principle and her friend. Her head is down and the principle is talking to the mother, who all of a sudden perked up and looks like a completely different person then before. Rillan nods her head and they both start walking out. The bell rings and students start piling out into the hall, I step out from behind the corner and walk towards the. She turns her head and looks directly at me.

Shock written all over her face, but soon turns to fear. She gives me one last look before walking out. I run towards the doors and crash through them as she gets into the car, she looks at me before driving off. Something doesn't seem right.. something doesn't look right about this.

"Rillan will be fine."

I jump and look behind me, her friend is standing there with is arms crossed.

"Yeah, not like I care." I start walking back in when his next words stop me.

"You do care."

I look him in the eyes, "You don't know anything."

He gives me a sad look and shakes his head, "Darius, You've had your eyes on her since she bumped into you. But you need to understand she's not a normal girl. She's.. she's not.. Nevermind." He cuts off.

I step closer, "She's what?"

He hesitates, "That's not for me to tell you, If you want to know what's wrong with her, if you really want to help. Go to her house, her window has a tree right next to it, climb up there and wait for the screaming. When it gets quiet open her window and go in."

This guy is crazy, "Are you crazy? What are you talking about? Screaming?"

He hands me a bottle, I look at the label and its the same bottle of pain meds Rillan was taking earlier, "She hasn't been taking these for cramps, and she's going to need more of these tonight. I can't help her, but maybe you can."

He gives me a pleading look, which has me running down the steps of the school and hopping on my bike. I start it up and race towards her house, I park down the street and head to the side of her house like Her friend said, spotting the tree. I climb to the top and sit there waiting and listening. After what feels like forever I hear a crash and screaming, It took everything in me not to crash through her window right then and there.

Half an hour later it gets quiet and I slowly reach over and slide the window open. I immediately see Rillan laying on the ground, not moving. I hop in and rush to her side, she's unconscious and beaten badly.

"Rillan, come on. Wake up honey.. please wake up."

I grab her and slowly pick her up, her body completely limp in my arms, how am I supposed to get her out of here without her mom knowing. I notice her phone on the ground and I walk over to her bed and place her down gently. I bend down and pick up her phone, its unlocked. I click her call list and dial the first person at the top.

After a couple of rings someone picks up, "Rillan? Why are you calling me during school?"

"Who is this?"

The boy's tone changes completely, "This is Nicklaus, Why do you have my sisters phone?"

I sigh in relief, "My name is Darius, I'm with your sister right now, your mom picked her up early from scho-."

He cuts me off, "I'm leaving now, do not go anywhere."

The call ends and I look down at the phone, I look to her unconscious  body.

"Why does it seem like this happens all the time.."

I bend over her and slowly move her sweatshirt up, I suck in a breath when I see the deep purple and black bruises littered all over her ribs and stomach. My anger spikes and Look towards her bedroom door wanting to go down and beat her mother to a bloody pulp. I grab her hand and hold it against my chest, it's warm.

I slide my arms under her torso and legs and pull her against me, siting on the bed with her in my arms. For who knows how long, I sat there with her in my arms. A knock on her door as me jumping up quickly and placing her on the bed again. I slowly go up to the door and rest my ear against it.

"Darius? Are you in there?"

I recognized voice from earlier on the phone, I turn the knob and open the door wide enough for him to slip in and close it behind him locking it.

"Oh my god.. Honeybun." He rushes over to her and grabs her head with his hands.

"How long has she been unconscious?"

I think for a second, "About 15 minutes since I've been here."

He gets up and walks over to her bathroom and grabs a white box from under the sink, I watch him bring it over to her and open it up. It's filled to the brim with different packages of bandages and ointment, different bottles of medication that I don't even recognize.

Something clicks in my head, "This has happened more then once, how long has this been going on?!"

He flips around real quick and grabs the collar of my shirt, "Will you shut the hell up! Are you trying to let my parents know your here?!"

I shut my mouth and shake my head, He lets go and turns back around to tend to Rillan.

"You didn't answer my question."

He pauses, "How did you get in here?"

"The window, Her friend told me to climb the tree."

He turns around, "Nate told you to come here?"

I nod, "He told me that he couldn't help her but maybe I could."

"You can't help her, non of us can. We can't call the police because our parents donate large amounts of money to the surrounding police departments. They would never believe us over out 'beloved' parents."

"That fucking ridiculous! You can't possible think its okay for her to stay here?"

He sighs and continues bandaging up his sister, "Darius we don't have a choice, she's still only 17. I purposely failed my second semester last year so that I would be able to stay near her for a bit longer until she's 18 and can leave."

"Would your parents really make her come home if she left?"

He turns to look at me, "Do you really think parents who do this-" he points to his sister, "Would let her just leave?"

I clench my fists, "What if they couldn't find her? What if she came and lived with me?" I have a condo a couple miles away and her parents would never find it, its registered under my aunts name."

He thinks about it for a second, "I don't know Darius, I don't know who you are and I don't think I can just make Rillan do something against her will. She's a stubborn girl, if you want her to stay with you. You have to ask her yourself."

My anger bubbles but one look at her sleeping form has me simmering. I walk over to the window and look behind me at her injured face. Nick looks up curious.

"You leaving?"

I contemplate whether taking her now without her consent and dealing with the problems later, or leaving now and talking to her later when she's woken up. The selfish side of me screams to just pick her up and leave. And that's what convinces me, the over whelming feeling of protectiveness I feel. But when I go to pick her up she moves, her sleeve rolls up and I see the scars littering her arm. My gut clenches and I have to look away.

"She's not going to ask for help, ya know."

I turn around and climb out the window, sliding down the tree and hopping on my bike. I speed through the neighborhood and down the backroads leading up to West Point. A place I've been going to since I was a kid, somewhere I go when I have no where else to go. But as soon as I get there all I can think about is her.

"What is wrong with me.."