Come on.

Come to the window, Halo.

I was right outside her bedroom window, on the roof. There was a faint light coming from there so I figured she was still awake. It was a bit chilly out tonight. I stilled when the curtain moved, and I caught Halo peeked through it.

She was wearing a huge sweater with her PJs, her hair pulled up in a bun. She hugged herself as she looked at me through the window.

I tilted my head.

"Hey."

She shook her head, as though coming to her senses. With a blank face, she reached out a hand and opened the window to let me in.

I climbed inside, quickly scanning the room and seeing that the only light came from the moon lamp. I turned around and watched her take her time with closing the window. She had been pretty distant these past few days. Not that I could blame her.

Ruffling my hair, I reluctantly walked to the bed and sat on the edge.

"You sleepy?" I asked.

With her head down, she nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I stood up, suddenly feeling lost. "I should go then."

She didn't step back from the window, blocking me from leaving. She looked up at me, her eyes darting to the bed then back to mine – before avoiding them altogether.

"You should stay."

My jaw clenched. "Do you mean that?"

She bit her lip, before whispering, "I want you so stay, at least until I fall asleep."

"Okay."

I took off my shoes and positioned myself on the bed. She followed and settled herself in my arms, surprising me a little. We've been cuddling like this for the past several nights but even though she let me touch her, she didn't say much – didn't say anything at all.

It had been a few days since the incident. Being that it occurred in the city, there were no shitty rumors to get rid of in school. The only thing the people were concerned about was why I ditched the Friday night game midway. I said that I had a bad stomach ache. Not sure if they believed it. But then again, I couldn't give less fucks.

I reached out a hand and caressed Halo's. It slowly traveled to her wrist, pushing back the sleeve of her sweater so I could see the marks that were now an ugly purple. My fingers lightly touched it, causing for her to flinch.

I frowned, my nostrils flaring and my jaw clenching. I wanted to punch the fuck out of something. I wanted to barge into whatever kind of prison the bastard was in right now and make him regret what he did to my girl.

But Clyde refused to say what hell he sent Finn fucking McKinley to. He just assured me that the cocksucker wouldn't be able to come back in our lives. That did jack shit to my satisfaction. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to feel like the piece of shit he truly was.

"You want me to pay someone to kill him?" my brother had asked me. He was serious about it, too. I was so close to taking up his offer but I realized it would be too easy.

"No, death would be too kind."

"Then, what do you want me to do?"

I had to think hard about it. I wanted the motherfucker to experience the worst pain possible. Something that wouldn't lead to his death, but something he'd experience over and over until he wished he was fucking dead.

So I asked my brother to –

"How's school?"

My eyes found Halo's indifferent ones, bringing me back to the present. It was damn weird describing anything about her indifferent. It was nothing like her. She was expressive and cheerful and . . . full of life.

At least, she used to be.

I shook my head. "Lame."

"I feel like I missed a lot," she murmured, playing with my shirt.

"You only missed one day," I said lightly.

She didn't respond.

"When are you coming back?"

She shrugged. "Wednesday, or tomorrow."

I was quiet for a second. "Your Pops still hates me?"

Honestly, I couldn't blame him. He refused to talk to me at the hospital last Friday. He didn't even look at me. And when I went by their house last Saturday, he didn't let me in – nor did he yell at me. It was like I wasn't even worth his breath.

Halo's Grams, on the other hand, looked at me with sad eyes. If there was one look I hated more than pity, it was disappointment. The only one in her family who looked at me like the hero I wasn't was Meadow.

"He doesn't hate you," muttered Halo, without looking at me.

"Right," I nodded, humoring her. "He doesn't hate me. He just doesn't like the fact that you got hurt because you're dating me."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, about to admit out loud something that I've been thinking ever since I got that call from McKinley.

"It's my fault."

She shook her head against my chest. "It's not."

"But it is."

"No."

"If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have come after you."

She shook her head again.

"He knew how much you meant to me."

She sniffed. I kissed her hair, before pulling back and touching her wrist again.

Every time I see it, something inside of me breaks. She needs someone to blame. She can't continue keeping it all bottled up inside of her. It's not doing her any good.

"This happened because of me," I said quietly. "I caused this."

She let out a sob. I felt her body shake as she curled her body against mine.

"No matter what I do, you only end up getting hurt."

"You're trying to make me hate you," she concluded, in a shaky breath.

"Maybe."

She looked up at me. "Why?"

"So you don't hate yourself."

Something flashed in her eyes. Fear?

I knew her enough to figure out that she was blaming herself – for being weak, for not being able to fight back. That was why she was quiet and distant. She was eating herself up over this when she shouldn't be.

"Oz," she mumbled, closing her eyes and turning away.

I waited, already knowing what she was gonna say.

And I hated it – I hated what I was about to hear.

But I had to accept it.

For her.

"I need to find myself again," she finally said. "I'm so lost right now. I can't – I can't," she paused to wipe the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "I can't deal. I need to get my mind off from all that happened lately. I need something normal and consistent. I need time to myself, with my family . . . away from all the chaos."

I raised my head and stared at the ceiling, feeling the back of my eyes sting.

"Away from me."

"Yes."

Shutting my eyes closed, I let out a deep breath. I tried to ignore the pain in my chest. I tried to ignore the sudden ton of weight I felt on my body that it was hard to breathe.

But it was goddamn hard to ignore, especially when the only source of light in my life just closed its doors on me. A little melodramatic for my liking, but what the hell?

It is what the fuck it is.

If staying away was what she wanted, I'd give it to her.

Even if it would fucking kill me.

"I can't ask you to stay with me after what's happened," I said. "I don't have that right. So even though it scares the fuck outta me, I'm gonna let you decide if you still want to be with me."

Her grip on my shirt tightened.

"Hey, look at me," I murmured.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with tears. I softly wiped an escaped tear on her cheek with a thumb. For a moment, I was stuck on what to say. I was lost in those purple orbs again. Shaking my head, I willed myself to focus.

"You don't have to decide now," I told her.

She blinked, and I couldn't help but kiss the tip of her nose.

"No pressure."

She sniffed. So damn cute.

"Just know this," I began, looking straight in her eyes. "No one else will fucking have me." I placed a kiss on her forehead. "You own me, Halo."

She closed her eyes and sighed into me.

"You owned me that night you were drunk off your ass and slapped me. You owned me that day you caught me ditching class in the hallway. You owned me that moment our eyes met at the store."

I held her chin up, and she opened her eyes. I gazed into them, slipping a strand of hair behind her ear. I needed her to hear this. I needed her to know this.

"You own every part of my being, Halo."

Her lips quivered as tears rolled down her cheeks. I leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips, before staring at her face as if I was memorizing it. And I was. Who knew how long it would be before I got to see it up close again?

"Only you."

_____________

Saaaaad :(

What else do you think has been left unresolved (so I could include it in the last couple of chapters)? There's Connie and Alfie's thing, Frisco's recovery, Scout and Oz's frenemy status, Snow... Is there any more I'm forgetting? XD