"How are you feeling?" I asked Nora as I watched her slowly sit up. I brought her to my house last night, letting her sleep in my bed as I told Jace everything that happened. I thought it was best that she stayed with me for the night.

I was leaning against the doorway as she groaned, rubbing her temples. "Like I just got run over by a fucking truck."

I chuckled as I pointed to the Advil and water I placed on the bedside table for her when she would wake up. She quickly swallowed the pills and chased it down with water, almost chugging the whole bottle.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" I hesitantly asked as I watched her smile falter. She remembered.

She cleared her throat as she slowly swung her legs off my bed. Her eyes held a glint of uncertainty as she averted her eyes to look down at her fingers. "Not much, honestly. Just getting drunk, you know?"

"Nora..." I trailed off as I felt my heart clench in concern. I knew she was lying. I could see it in her eyes, it was the same look as yesterday.

"I'm fine, Dakota," she abruptly snapped as she put her tangled hair in a ponytail, using a hairband she found on my bedside table. She quickly got off the bed, avoiding my eyes as she walked past me.

"Where are you going?" I asked, following after her as she stumbled down the stairs.

"I need to go," she quickly got out before she was practically running to my front door. What the fuck?

"Jesus," I mumbled under my breath as I tried going after her. "Nora, what the hell are you doing?! You need to rest!"

She abruptly stopped and turned on her heel. Her eyes narrowed at me as she let out a humorless laugh. "I don't need your fucking help, Dakota. You treat me like I need to be watched 24/7. You didn't have to get me at the party yesterday, I was perfectly fine on my own."

I felt taken aback. After everything I just did for her, she only had this to say? Unbelievable. "Are you kidding? You were almost passed out drunk while a guy was trying to force himself onto you! You were fucking terrified, Nora. I couldn't let him do that to you."

"I'm not like you!" She screamed, her voice hoarse as she slowly took one step back. I felt my lip begin to tremble as I took it under my teeth, trying not to show her how much she was hurting me. I did everything for her, and she didn't even appreciate it. She was blaming me.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I asked, my voice sharp as I glared at the girl I once called my best friend.

"I'm not a pussy. I know how to fight people off unlike you," she growled as her eyes turned a shade darker. My heart immediately dropped to the pit of my stomach. That was a low blow. "All you do is tell me about how your mom hits you. Fight back! Are you that stupid? All you had to do was fight back, even I know that! It was your goddamn fault that she kept hurting you because you never fought back, Dakota! God, if you gave me time, I would've been able to fight that guy off, but you just had to be the hero and come save the fucking day."

The breath was knocked out of me as her words replayed in my head. Fight back. All you had to do was fight back. It was your fault. My fists curled into themselves as red clouded my vision. She kept rambling, telling me how it was my fault that I kept getting beaten because I didn't fight back to my mother.

I couldn't take it anymore.

Without thinking, I strode towards Nora, not stopping until my arm winded back and connected with the side of her face. Her head whipped to the side as she stumbled back, the force of the hit making blood immediately trickle out of her nose. I felt my fist throb, but I couldn't focus on the pain because of the adrenaline that coursed through my veins.

"Get the fuck out," I snarled, my voice sharp as my hands shook at my sides. I watched her wide eyes glare at me before she whimpered in pain. She raised one of her hands to caress her now swollen jaw as blood trickled onto her lips.

"I bet your dad would be so fucking proud of you," she hissed sarcastically as a sinister smirk tugged at her lips. She didn't give me a chance to answer as she shook her head. She narrowed her eyes at me one last time before she stormed out of our house, slamming the door as hard as she possibly could.

"Hey, Dakota?" Jace asked as he walked down the stairs. I was still staring at the door, in shock as my back faced Jace. He wasn't able to see my face. "You alright? Was that Nora? Oh, I also called Karson and asked him to come over so we could watch that movie we were talking about the last time we all hung out. You remember that, right?"

I didn't answer as a small tear slipped out. I felt my hands shake at my sides as I gently raised the one I punched Nora with. My knuckles were busted as blood slowly trickled out of the open wound. My fingers and knuckles were turning a purple color from how hard I punched her. It hurts to move my fingers.

"Jesus, Dakota," Jace breathed as I heard his footsteps run down the rest of the stairs. He quickly walked in front of me as I watched his eyes scan every inch of my face. "What happened?"

"Nora," I seethed as I grit my teeth. I couldn't stop shaking. I was either in shock or absolutely furious. I couldn't tell.

"What?!" Jace asked, his voice raising as his eyes scanned my red face before they flickered to my busted knuckles.

"She said some things about mom," I said through gritted teeth as I tried to calm down. I could feel my heart beat loudly in my ribcage as I finally met my little brother's eyes.

Before Jace could say anything, I heard someone fumble with the doorknob outside our front door. I slightly glanced over Jace's shoulder as I watched the door slowly open. Karson's head peeked through until his gaze met mine.

"I told him the door was unlocked and that he could just let himself in," Jace mumbled to me before turning his body around to see Karson.

I numbly nodded my head as Karson fully stepped into our house before slowly closing the door behind his figure. I watched his eyebrows furrow in confusion when his eyes scanned my tear stained face. His eyes trailed down, until they lingered on my clenched fist.

His eyes immediately shot up to mine, shining with a glint of rage as he strode towards us. He walked by Jace until he was face to face with me. He gently grabbed my injured hand and held it as if it was a fragile piece of glass. "What the fuck happened, Dakota?"

"Nora made me mad, so I punched her," I grunted, my voice blunt as I blankly stared at the two boys that now faced me. I really couldn't shake away the words Nora threw at me. How could she say those things?

"Jesus, princess," he mumbled as a small frown crawled its way onto his face. He clenched his jaw as he gently wiped a trail of blood that began to stream down the back of my hand. "What did she say?"

"Yesterday, she was drunk at a party and ended up calling me. In the background, there were a few guys trying to force themselves onto her," I grounded my teeth together as I remembered the events from last night. "I knew I couldn't stand there and do nothing, because I didn't want someone to take advantage of her in a drunk state, so I went to the party to get her out of there."

"You went to the fucking party alone?!" Karson grunted as his emerald eyes grew a shade darker.

"Shut up and let me finish," I mumbled as I glared at him. My hands were still shaking as I felt Karson grab both of them to help calm me down. "Anyways, I get there and some guy is touching her while she's drunk as shit, so I pull him off. She ends up crying on the floor, so I take the time to kick him in the balls a few times. Then, I took her to my house because she already looked fucking traumatized and I didn't want her to be alone. Knowing from experience, I didn't want to be alone, so I figured I would give her some company to help her."

I watched Karson's nostrils flare in frustration as his jaw went rigid. You could tell he was trying to hold back from lashing out as I told the story. "Keep going."

"Morning comes around and she's pissed for no reason. She said that I shouldn't have helped her, she would've fought him off herself, oh, and we can't forget when she said it was my fault my mother beat me," I let out a humorless laugh as my heart clenched in pain. Saying it out loud hurt me even more.

"She fucking said that?!" Jace roared from beside Karson. I held a finger to my lips, telling him to keep it down so he wouldn't wake up the five year old that was sleeping upstairs. He just shook his head in response.

"Yes," I grunted. "I punched her after she said that shit, because I was just so angry. And after I punched her, she said 'I bet your dad would be so proud of you.' and then I told her to get out. The end."

"That bitch," Karson snarled as he let go of my hands to run his fingers through his hair. He tightly gripped his hair as he shook his head to himself. "I'm so fucking sorry, Dakota. Don't you even dare think for one second that what she said was true. She doesn't know what the fuck she's talking about. You did everything you could to stop your mother, so please don't listen to her."

I only nodded my head as my heart began to hammer in my chest. "I did everything for her. Why? Why would she say those things?"

Karson gingerly grabbed both of my hands as a look of sadness flashed across his emerald eyes. "She's insecure. I don't know what made her say those things, but please, don't stay around someone who treats you like shit. She used your secret against you, and that's insanely fucked up."

I shrugged my shoulders as my hands continued shaking. Why was I still in shock? "It's fine."

"Absolutely not," Karson snarled, his voice sharp as he briefly glanced at my little brother. Jace narrowed his eyes at me in rage, annoyed because of what I just said. "Please don't try to reason with what she said. I know I've said some fucked up things, but after you told her something you've never told anyone before and she throws it back in your face? It's unbelievably fucked up."

"It seems like everyone I trust somehow turns against me," I sighed, my voice merely above a whisper as my eyes flickered to stare at my shoes. "What am I doing wrong?"

"You're doing nothing wrong, Dakota. You're too good for everyone," My brother reassured as he looked distraught.

"Baby, look at me," Karson whispered, his voice light as it made my heart pound in my chest. "Unfortunately, most of the time, bad things happen to good people. It's so fucked up that the best people go through the most traumatizing shit. You are powerful, Dakota. Don't let anyone tell you different. If they are too insecure and jealous of you, fuck them. You don't need people like that in your life. You deserve so much more."

For the first time today, I felt a smile make its way onto my face. I believed what he said. For some reason, I trusted Karson more than anyone else. He's my equal.

I slipped my hands out of his hold and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him against my body. He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist as I stood on my tippy toes to reach above his neck. Both of his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist as I heard him breath a sigh of relief. I was going to be okay.

"Don't let her words get to you, okay?" Karson mumbled into my hair. I pulled back with a small smile on my face as I stared into his mesmerizing green eyes. I nodded my head in response as I glanced at my little brother.

"If you two are going to kiss, I'm leaving," he bluntly said as his eyes traveled back and forth, between Karson and I.

I rolled my eyes, slightly shaking my head as I pulled away from Karson. We were only inches apart and I could still feel his warmth radiating off of him. Not to mention, his musky cologne smelled absolutely amazing.

"I love you, little brother," I grinned as I ruffled his hair. He swatted my hand away as his eyes shot daggers towards my face.

"Fuck off," he grumbled as his eyes flickered to my bruised knuckles.

"I know, I know," I rolled my eyes in a dismissive manner as I held up my injured hand. "I'll just wrap it and it'll be good as new."

I heard Jace scoff before the door abruptly shot open. My head immediately whipped to the side to see who was coming into our house. Please don't be Jason.

"Daddy's here!" I heard a loud voice yell as his words echoed off the walls.

My body slumped in relief when I stared at Colton and Braxton in the doorway. Colton glared at his best friend, shaking his head in disappointment before he brushed past Braxton.

I glanced at my little brother who was awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "Oops. I forgot I also invited them."

"How convenient," I grumbled as Colton walked over to us. Coltons eyebrows pinched together in confusion when they flickered down to my knuckles. My breathing increased as nerves began to course through my veins.

"Dakota?" Colton innocently asked as his eyes moved up to meet my gaze.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to tell me what happened?" He curiously asked as he raised one of his eyebrows at me.

My body flinched when Braxton roughly closed the door behind him before running over to us. His footsteps pounded against the floor until he reached us, standing next to Colton as he leaned his hand on his shoulder for support.

Colton gave him a disgusted look before roughly swatting his hand away. I snorted when I watched Braxton's face contort with betrayal. He quickly got over it when his eyes met my bruised knuckles. Great.

"Pretty girl..." Braxton trailed off as he glanced at me with uncertainty swimming in his eyes.

"You know what?" I abruptly said as both of the boys eyebrows shot up. I was making a rash decision, but I wanted them to know. I wanted them to know about everything. My mom, Jason, and even taking care of my siblings. They deserve to know.

"Oh God," Braxton whispered in horror. "I'm scared."

"I'm going to start from the beginning," I announced as my eyes traveled between the four boys in front of me.

"What do you mean?" Colton asked as he briefly glanced at my little brother.

"Dakota," Jace warned, his voice faltering a bit when he figured out what I was going to do. They deserved answers. They knew shit was going on in my life, but they didn't know entirely what was happening.

"I'm going to tell you two everything that's been going on in the past few years. I'm starting from the very beginning. I'm going to tell you why I was walking around the park with bruises, who Jason is to me, and why my mother got arrested," I admitted in one long breath. I could feel my heart pound in my chest, but I was finally ready to open up to them. I needed myself to let go and let them help me. I needed to do something for myself.

I watched as Colton's eyes lit up with curiosity as Braxton gasped. Both of their eyes held looks of concern because they knew this story wasn't going to be pretty. They knew what I was about to tell would answer all of their questions. I was ready.

"I'm ready when you are, pretty girl," Braxton reassured me as I gave him a small smile in return. "Take your time."

~•~•~

"I'm going to kill her," Braxton grunted as he paced around the living room. It was about thirty minutes later, and we were all sitting in my living room. Well, except for Braxton because he was furious.

Karson sat next to me the entire time, holding my hand for reassurance when some topics were more difficult to speak up about. Karson knew almost everything, but some stories were new to him. Every person in this room was livid except for Jace and I, because we lived through it.

I told them how my mother got thrown into a world filled with drugs and alcohol as it completely destroyed her. I told them how she abused my siblings and I. I told them about Jason and all the shit he's done to me. I told them that I had to step up and take care of my siblings as I provided shelter and food for them. I told them everything.

Colton looked uneasy when I got to the abuse part, because he went through something similar back home. I eventually told him that Karson told me about him and Braxton's childhood. His eyes filled with recognition and hope when he realized that he now had someone he could talk to.

I constantly reassured him, telling him that we were going to get through this together and we would eventually be okay. I knew how much pain he went through and he understood how much pain I went through. If anyone understood me the most, it was Colton.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Dak," Colton whispered as he sat on the other couch placed next to the one Karson, Jace, and I were sitting on. I gave him a reassuring smile as my eyes followed Braxton who was still pacing around the room.

"I'm sorry too," I frowned as my gaze briefly flickered to Karson's hand that held mine in his lap. I also told Braxton and Colton about Nora, letting them know how my knuckles got busted. They insisted on stopping me mid story to help clean my knuckles, so now, instead of Karson holding a bruised hand, he was holding a clean hand that was wrapped securely in a bandage.

"If I ever see Jason, oh man, he won't be able to see what's coming at him," Braxton growled as he clenched his fists at his sides. They knew that Jason was Karson's from the beginning. "I'm going to kill that motherfucker."

My eyes widened in surprise when I heard those words fall from his mouth. I hated seeing him angry. "Braxton, I promise I'm okay now."

His head abruptly shot up as he connected his intense gaze with mine. He slowly made his way over to me as he totally ignored what I said. "You are the strongest person I know. Jesus Christ, Dakota. After everything you've been through and you still put everyone's needs in front of yours? You are fucking amazing, pretty girl. But please, be selfish for once. You need a break after everything. I can't believe you and your siblings had to go through that alone."

I felt tears well up in the corner of my eyes at his sweet words. I felt Karson hum in agreement as he gently rubbed his thumb against the bandage in comfort.

Before I could get another word out, Braxton turned to Jace. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Jace. You three are too pure for this world."

Jace snorted as he lightly shook his head. A small smile was displayed on my little brother's face as he thanked Braxton. I watched as Colton also said something to Jace, but I couldn't quite hear what he was saying to him.

After a few moments, I cleared my throat to try and get their attention. Colton and Jace immediately stopped talking as they looked at me. Braxton finally stopped pacing around the room, but his fists were still clenched at his sides and his jaw was locked.

"I wanted to ask you guys something," I hesitantly told them as my eyes traveled between each boy. What did I do to deserve such amazing people?

"Anything," Karson whispered beside me as I felt his fingers brush against my collarbone to move a few strands of hair away. I slightly shivered at his gentle touch as I felt my cheeks heat up.