"Why do I have to be involved in this? I already have too much shit going on," I sneered. Our bodies were still merely inches away from each other.

"If he finds me down here, you're fucked too," he hissed. Straight to the point, huh.

The air left my lungs as I tried to ignore the achy feeling coming from the pit of my stomach. My eyes were saucer wide as my eyebrows furrowed together. "Excuse me?"

"My father will destroy anything I care about just to get back at me for leaving him. To him, it looks like we are friends, so that means it won't end very well for you if he finds me," he simply stated with a shrug of his shoulders. I felt anger coursing through my veins as he blankly stared at me.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I growled as my eyes darted to the door. "And you need my help? For what?!"

"I just-"

"Dak?" I heard a small voice ask. I jerked my head to my right and saw the door slightly ajar. Olivia's small head poked through as she squinted her eyes. She yawned, opening the door wider as she rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes.

I averted my gaze to look at Karson one last time. I went on my tippy toes to reach his towering height. I put my good hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat fast as he sucked in a breath. I brought my mouth to his ear as I slowly dragged my hand down his chest. I stopped right above his abs, teasing him as I dropped my hand. "I'm not helping you, Ryder. Go fuck yourself."

He scoffed, causing me to smirk as I turned on my heel to walk towards his bedroom door. I carefully picked Olivia up and placed her on my hip. She rested her head on top of my shoulder.

"I'm sleepy," she yawned into my shoulder.

"I know, gorgeous," I whispered as I carried her with one arm. I kept my throbbing hand at my side so I wouldn't cause any more pain. We walked down the stairs, slowly placing one foot in front of the other so I wouldn't trip.

We reached the last step as I turned my head to look for the boys. I made my way to the dining table, but I couldn't find them. I turned around, gripping Olivia tighter as I walked towards the living room. There I found Braxton and Colton laying on the couch with their feet resting comfortably on the coffee table. Jace was sitting on the carpet, leaning up against the couch as they all held a gaming controller.

"You fucker!" Braxton yelled as he threw his controller aggressively onto the couch. He almost hit Colton, causing him to quickly move his body to get away from the controller thrown at him. Colton mumbled a few profanities under his breath as he glared at a raging Braxton.

Braxton just rolled his eyes before his gaze found mine. A smile immediately crawled onto his face. "Pretty girl!"

I smiled as I walked over to them, plopping myself down in between Colton and Braxton. Olivia was still cradled in my arms as she snuggled further into my shoulder. Braxton gently ran his fingers through her hair as I fought back a smile that threatened to break out. He was so sweet.

"What did Karson want?" Colton cautiously asked as he threw a piece of popcorn into his mouth. He chased it down with a bottle of water.

"Something about how I'm fucked if his father comes into town, blah, blah, blah," I rolled my eyes as I let my body sink further into the couch.

I felt Coltons body stiffen beside me as he let out a nervous chuckle. "He told you, huh?"

"I guess he did," I huffed, stealing some of their popcorn as I carefully placed my injured hand in the bowl of popcorn. I made sure my stitches didn't touch the popcorn, only my fingertips.

"Pretty girl!" Braxton yelped from beside me, trying to get my attention. My body slightly jumped as his loud voice echoed throughout the room. I slowly turned my head to look at Blondie who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Yes?"

"You know that history project we had to do?" He asked as I hummed in response. "I fucking finished it!"

"What?!" I gaped at him. "When?"

"Well, when you went home after Karson and Colton were fighting," he continued as I heard a scoff coming from Colton. "I went to my room so I didn't have to deal with both of their cranky asses and ended up finishing it! It's amazing how much you can get done when you don't procrastinate. Who would've thought?"

I stared at him, my shoulders feeling light as I felt a huge amount of weight being lifted off of them. One less thing I had to worry about.

"I love you, Blondie," I barked a laugh. I lightly shook my head, smiling, as I thanked him. "I wish I helped you though."

He just shook his head. "No, no, I'm glad I finished it because this is the first assignment I've actually completed this year. For the first time, I actually feel really accomplished."

I blinked at him as Colton chuckled from beside me. "We've been in school for almost two months."

"What can I say? I'm a lazy son of a bitch," Braxton shrugged his shoulders as he devoured some popcorn. He sucked on his fingers to get the butter out from underneath his nails as I scrunched my nose in disgust.

"You're fucking nasty," I fake gagged as I stared at him. He continued to lick his fingers, then proceeded to wipe his wet fingers on Olivia's shirt.

I barked a laugh as Olivia's head lifted off my shoulder. She blinked groggily as she stared at me in confusion. I just shook my head and told her to lay back down. I glanced down at Jace who was staring at Braxton with a look of disgust swimming through his eyes. I just glared at Blondie who was laughing so hard that his whole body was shaking.

"Pig," Colton muttered under his breath, causing me to break out into a fit of laughter again.

My hand randomly began to throb again, the achy feeling unfortunately returning. I excused myself, placing Olivia on Colton's lap as I narrowed my eyes at Braxton. He just chuckled before digging into the buttered popcorn once more.

I walked into the dining room where I remembered Colton leaving a bottle of Advil on the table. My eyes searched around the room before it landed on a small medicine bottle. I unscrewed the cap as I poured two into my hand. I swallowed it dry, the pain increasing as I waited too long to swallow the medicine.

I cleared my throat before I abruptly felt a rough hand on my waist, causing me to squeal in fright. The person's hand covered my mouth, causing my heart rate to speed up. I mumbled into the person's hand, but it was inaudible as the words just bounced back into my mouth.

I was turned around by the person's hand as they lightly pushed me up against the wall. My gaze traveled up to reach striking emerald eyes. I narrowed my eyes as I grit my teeth. The person released his hand from my mouth as a sly smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Karson was breathing heavily as he incased my head with both of his hands resting against the wall behind me.

He stared down at me, his body towering over my average height. His hair was messy as his biceps tensed beside me. We held eye contact as my gaze dropped down to his lips for a split second. I bit my lip as I met his gaze. He held a dark expression as he watched my teeth chew on my bottom lip.

One hand let go of the wall and slowly traveled down to grip my chin. He smoothly grasped my chin as he slowly pulled my head up. He ran his thumb along my lower lip as we maintained eye contact. I felt my cheeks burn as my pulse started racing.

He dragged my lower lip down with his thumb as he leaned in closer. He looked at my lips once more, almost closing the gap between us. Why was I letting this happen?

He almost grazed my lips before he abruptly turned his head to say something in my ear. I released the breath I didn't know I was holding as my heart continued to beat loudly in my chest.

"Now princess," he seductively whispered as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Look how much a simple touch has affected you. You're cheeks are quite red now, aren't they?"

I gulped as I rested my hands against his chest. I lightly lifted up his shirt as I trailed my fingers along his abs. He sucked in a breath as his eyes viciously darkened. "Oh Ryder, you've got it all wrong," I told him as I continued to trace his abs. His breath came out shaky. "I think we both know who has more of an effect on the other. Just look at how much my touch has affected you."

I felt the adrenaline course through my veins as I dropped my hand from under his shirt. I smirked at him to hide the fact that I was freaking out on the inside. I pushed on his chest, causing his arms to fall to his sides. I stepped away from him, my cheeks still hot. I placed a small smirk on my face as I glanced up at him. "Look who's flustered now, babe."

I playfully winked at him before I turned on my heel and walked back to the living room. I felt my breathing slow down as the smirk I put on my face dropped. My head began to spin as I thought about what the fuck just happened. I knew what was going to happen. Would I have stopped him?

I shook my head, a little shaken up as I reached the living room. I placed a fake smile on my lips before I walked in front of them. Braxton raised one of his eyebrows as he stared at my face. "Your cheeks are a little rosy, pretty girl."

I gulped. "I'm just a little hot."

"Sure," Braxton dragged the word out as he looked at me suspiciously. Jace smirked as he held back a laugh.

I carefully sat down in between them once more as I watched Colton play with Olivia's hair. She was sound asleep as her small snores filled the room.

I heard loud footsteps and I felt my body stiffen when I watched Karson enter the living room. He held a cocky smirk as he briefly glanced at me. I averted my gaze as I felt my face heat up once more. He darkly chuckled at my reaction before plopping down next to Braxton.

"Move over you fatass," Braxton grumbled as he elbowed Karson in the side. Karson put him in a head lock as he continuously rubbed his knuckles on top of his head. "You're messing up my hair you fucker!"

Braxton roughly pushed Karson off as he punched his arm. He blew his hair away from his face as he held a permanent scowl the rest of the time. I just stared at the tv in front of me as I rested my throbbing palm in my lap. I was afraid they could hear how loud my heart was beating so I tried taking deep breaths to calm down.

Why did Karsons touch leave me so hot? Why was I so nervous around him?

I let my head rest on Braxton's shoulders as my thoughts overwhelmed me. I felt the medicine kick in, causing me to feel drowsy. I let myself close my eyes, not realizing how tired I actually was. The adrenaline completely drained out of me so I finally let my body get some sleep it so desperately needed.

~•~•~

"Don't wake her up you ass," I heard Braxton hiss from in front of me. I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to shut out his annoying voice. The voice sounded far away yet close at the same time.

"Shut up," I mumbled into the couch cushions. I dug my face further in as I tried to fall back asleep. My injured hand felt numb as I tried moving it around. I huffed.

Someone lightly grabbed my arm as they pulled me up into a sitting position. I still had my eyes closed as I moaned in annoyance. I raised my good hand and rubbed the tiredness out of my eyes. I squinted my eyes as I stared at Karson in front of me. I glanced around to see Braxton and Colton laying on the floor next to each other as they stared at the screen above them. Braxton turned his head around to give me a sweet smile as I raised my eyebrows in return. He just huffed before turning back around. Oh?

"What time is it?" I asked, my voice sounding hoarse and scratchy. I felt Olivia's head resting in my lap as I narrowed my eyes at her blonde hair below me. How did we get into this position?

"10:30pm," Karson shortly said as he sat down next to me. I could hear the couch scream for help as his ass indented the cushions. I realized Jace was laying next to Colton and Braxton as they yelled at the tv. Braxton dramatically threw his hands up in the air when one of the characters pushed the other off the side of the building. What the fuck are they watching?

"Fuck," I cursed as I rubbed my forehead in frustration. Where were we going to sleep tonight? I bit my lip as I thought of a way to ask them if we could stay the night.

"Stop biting your lip, princess," Karson growled as he stared at the lip I held down with my teeth. I ignored his comment, yawning as I turned to face him. I raised one of my eyebrows as I felt a small smirk pull at my lips.

"Fuck off," I hissed, the smirk falling off my face as I blankly stared at him. I turned to look at my hand and sighed. This is going to be a bitch to heal.

I no longer felt lightheaded, only tired because of the medicine. If Karson didn't know how to do stitches, I didn't even want to imagine where I would be now. I shivered as the thought of my hand pouring out blood came to mine.

"When are you going home?" Karson blankly asked. He stared at my injured hand with his jaw clenched.

"See, about that..." I awkwardly chuckled as I slightly scratched the back of my head. I gave him an innocent smile, showing off my white teeth. He just raised his brows in suspense. "Do you think we could stay for the night? We don't really have anywhere to go."

"You can't go home?" Karson asked suspiciously. I looked down as a frown sketched onto my face. We couldn't go to the one place that's supposed to make us feel safe. Isn't that sad?

"Yes of course y'all can stay the night!" I shot my head up as I stared at Braxton with a huge smile on his face. "You can stay for as long as you guys would like."

I felt a lump form in the back of my throat as I smiled, feeling grateful for how caring he was. I gently moved Olivia's head from off my lap and placed her on the couch next to us so she could continue to rest. I don't understand how she's able to sleep through them yelling.

After I placed Olivia down, I turned around and jumped on Braxton, causing his reflexes to think fast as his arms quickly grabbed a hold of me. I hugged him as tight as I could, wrapping my arms around his neck as his arms crawled around my waist.

"Thank you," I mumbled into his shirt as I took a step back. He ruffled my hair before lightly pushing me back onto the couch. I squealed when my body connected with the couch below me. I almost fell on Karson's body, but thankfully he scooted over a few more inches.

Braxton sat back down on the floor as the three boys continued to stare at the screen above them. They were now playing some video game that was fucking loud. They continued to scream at the tv as I let my body sink further into the couch once more.

"Pst, princess," Karson whispered from beside me, poking at my sides. I groaned as I turned my head to look at him. I swatted his hand away, glaring at his painfully good looking face.

"What do you want?"

"Why can't you go home?" He pushed, not letting it go.

I stared at him, huffing as I looked straight ahead. "It's complicated."

"You've said that every time we've asked about something. You said that when we asked why you couldn't go to the doctor. Why can't you really go home?" He hissed. I wore a blank expression as he waited for me to answer.

"Rough home life," I bluntly said as I picked at my fingernails. I glared at him. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He shrugged his shoulders before pointing at my stitched up palm. "Someone did that to you at home, didn't they?"

My body stiffened as I felt panic crawl through my insides. A line of sweat broke out on my forehead as my mouth went dry. "No."

"It doesn't make any fucking sense," he grunted. "You've gotten hurt quite a lot and now you can't go home? Doesn't that sound a little suspicious?"

My breathing increased as my hands began to shake. Shut up. "Why are you so fucking nosy? Piss off."

"I'm just saying," he shrugged his shoulders again. "Something is going on."

"Nothing is going on so fuck off," I glared at him as his eyes grew a shade darker. He smirked as he crossed his arms over the other.

"Whatever you say, princess."

I huffed as I roughly got off the couch. I tapped on Braxton's shoulder, causing him to raise his head to look at me. "Yes, pretty girl?"

I heard Karson scoff from behind me, but I ignored him. "Is there any specific room I should sleep in?"

"Not really," he began as he got off of the floor. "There are two guest bedrooms so you can just take one of them."

I nodded my head, thanking him as he pointed to my siblings. "They can stay in the other one."

"Thank you so much again for letting us stay the night," I frowned, feeling like a burden as we just barged in on them tonight.

He waved his hand in a dismissive way. "Like I said, you can stay anytime. I'm just glad y'all are safe from the people who hurt you."

I grit my teeth as a fake smile etched its way onto my face. "Well, I'm going to go to bed."

"Ok, pretty girl. The guest bedrooms are upstairs and if you continue down that hallway, they will both be on your right. They are next to each other so you can pick whichever one you want. Karson and Colton's room is across from the guest bedrooms while mine is a little further down the hall. If you need anything, you can always come and find me. I promise I won't be doing anything too bad," he playfully winked as I slightly chuckled.

"Thank you," I smiled at Braxton, placing my hands behind my back before I crouched down next to Jace. I roughly poked his side causing his body to flinch in defense. "Take Olivia upstairs when you go to bed."

He looked at me with wide eyes before he lightly rubbed his side. "Fine."

I narrowed my eyes at him as he rolled his eyes, giving his whole attention back to their video game. I smiled, looking at the people that filled this living room before I made my way up the stairs. My heart felt heavy as I took short steps to find the guest bedrooms.

I picked the closest one to me and immediately turned on the light. A sudden yawn came from the back of my throat as I turned on a lamp sitting on the nightstand. The smell of pine surrounded me as I took a deep breath, inhaling the strong scent. The walls were a light blue color and it had all the common items a bedroom usually had. A dresser, closet, bed and a nightstand table. It had a few floral paintings scattered around the room to fill the empty wall space.

I turned off the overhead light and immediately crawled into bed. I rested my head against the pillow as my body curled into itself. I sighed as I brought my injured hand up to my eyes. Disgusting.

I studied my hand before hiding it under the covers. I raised my other hand to feel around my jaw, slightly hissing in pain when I touched a tender part. I knew there was a bruise on my jaw, but I didn't care that they could see it. They've already seen me bleed out not even 4 hours ago.

I closed my eyes, biting the inside of my cheek as I kept myself from breaking down. Karson is already onto me. He is already one step closer to finding out what really goes on at home. He can't know.