The staccato beats of the music surrounded us as we danced together. Jace’s body fit mine perfectly. It drove me mad. I should've been mad at him for touching me, yet I was enjoying the moment. Most likely it was due to the liquor.

We continued to dance for what felt like forever and as his body began to get closer to mine, I felt my heartbeat skyrocket.     

I tried to calm my racing nerves as I felt the room starting to spin around me. It was all so overwhelming: the music, the drinks, Jace.

Suddenly I felt him grab my hip with hunger written in his eyes. He moaned softly, bowing his head as he exhaled and ran his hands over my silver dress. His breath warmed my full lips, as he looked me straight in the eye.

We were so close and yet so far away. Suddenly, he froze and then frowned before backing away. "I'll be right back." He gently let go of me and walked away leaving me alone on the dance floor.

I stood there breathing heavily, my body wet with sweat. The relentless pounding of my heart was so loud it deafened me. I had no idea what I was feeling but I knew that it was a new experience for me.

Exhaling, I walked off the dance floor, pushing myself past the group of heaving bodies that surrounded me.

Finally, I freed myself, walking over to the table unsteadily as I felt the effects of all of the drinks from earlier. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions: anger, hurt, pain – I was confused.

Suddenly, a husky voice broke my reverie.

"Avery, wait." I heard Jace behind me. He went to reach for my arm, but I shook it off. I couldn’t let him get close to me anymore. It was too much.

"Let go, please," My slurred voice shook with emotion.

He ignored my plea, turning me around before placing his hands on my shoulders and looking me in the eye. "What's wrong?"

I exhaled slowly and ran my hand over my face. "I don't know. I just don’t feel good. I'm just going to walk home." I grabbed my clutch bag from the table and started for the door, but Jace stopped me in my tracks.

"Are you kidding me? I'm going home too then," he said sternly. "You don't have to leave all by yourself. I made you come so we'll leave when you're ready."

I sighed in defeat before watching as he waved over at his friends, signaling that he was leaving with me.

Emma and a busty red head rolled their eyes and continued dancing while Matt and Reece looked disappointed.

Jace turned to me. "I have a friend leaving right now. He'll give us a ride."

He placed his hand on my lower back and walked me outside and over to his friends car. The cool air flooded my lungs as I stepped over the gravel and into the safety of the car.

It took us about ten minutes to get back to his place and the journey passed by quickly as I listened to Jace converse with his friend.    

When we arrived home, I thanked Jace for the drinks and went to my room without another word. I undressed quickly before crawling into my soft bed and enveloping myself in the quilts. It had been a crazy night. A whirlwind of thoughts sped through my mind like a tornado, my parents, my apartment, my past. I just needed to find a level of peace within myself but trying to find it was proving to be just as hard as I had imagined.

I turned off my bedside lamp and let the darkness consume me just as it always had.

Chapter 4

I could smell the booze on his foul breath as he leaned over me and pounded his fist into the wall just inches above my head. "Get your ass out of bed and go to school." He grinded his teeth and his eyes twitched as he stared down at me.

I cringed and gripped the fleece blanket tightly trying to find some comfort. I was confused. It was midnight. Why was he telling me to go to school? If I argued with him then there would be a chance that my world would end tonight. "But-"

He wrapped his burly fingers through my thin hair and yanked my head to the left. "Don't you even think about talking back to me," he spat. “Get your ass up now." He yanked my hair even harder causing me to fall out of bed and land on the cruddy floor. My hand landed in a pile of dirty clothing, soiled with spilt booze. It was most likely, Jack Daniels. It was my father’s choice of poison.

"Henry," My mother said, through hiccups. "It's only midnight." She leaned back against the wall and started laughing. Her laugh sounded oddly diabolic and it sent shivers through my body. Why wasn't she trying to help me?

I woke up gripping the blanket on my bed so tightly that it almost ripped. The sweat dripped down my face and left a salty taste on my swollen lips, reminding me that it was just a nightmare.

The nightmares had gotten so bad that I sometimes woke up with my whole face puffy and swollen. I couldn’t seem to fight the tears. I was too weak. No matter how hard I tried.

I forced my legs to work as I jumped out of bed and quietly ran down the hall and into the bathroom. I tiredly switched on the light and stared into the brightly lit mirror, my clear reflection showing every bit of the lost girl that I’d become. The pain in my eyes, were very distinct as the tears continued to flow down my face and soak my shirt. I hated the way my parents still got to me. It didn't matter how far away I was. It still hurts.

I turned on the cold water, hands shaking, as I splashed a handful of water on my face. The frigidness of the water gave me the chills that ran all the way through my whole body, waking me up completely.

Afterwards, I made my way through the house in search of Jace, not sure, if I really even wanted to find him.

“Hello.” I poked my head into the living room, down the hall, and into the kitchen. The house was empty. Where could he have taken off to? I ended up back inside the kitchen, quickly noticing a note firmly stuck to the fridge. I yanked it off, reading it with curious eyes.

I didn’t want to wake you. I left ten dollars on the counter for a cab.  Meet me at the diner by ten o’clock. I'm sure that you will love your new job.

-Jace

The note fell out of my hand landing like a feather on my bare foot. The words left me speechless. This man didn’t owe me anything, yet he was willing to provide me with a place to stay and a job. It was more than anyone else had ever done for me, yet I’d done nothing to earn it.

I plopped down on a kitchen chair and slowly rubbed circles on the side of my head. It helped me to calm down most of the time, although, I wasn't so sure it was going to help me much this time.

My hands shook at just the thought of waiting tables. I had no experience and the feeling left me empty. I didn’t want to mess everything up and end up jobless and homeless once again. I couldn't make Jace look bad and at his own diner.