I woke up at 6am, stretching out my muscles and sitting up in bed. I looked over at Lauren's bed and saw her sleeping peacefully, her brown hair splayed across the pillow as she breathed rhythmically. I grabbed some clothes from my suitcase and walked to the bathroom, changing out of my pyjamas and into my outfit for the day.

The sun had begun to rise and the light shone through the window, illuminating the dust that was floating through the room. I silently got up, not wanting to wake Lauren, and made my way outside to watch the sunrise. As I crept quietly past Lauren's bed, I noticed the unopened packet of ear plugs sitting untouched beside her bed where I had left them.

I sat on the tire swing like I had the day before, watching the sky turn from a deep blue to a beautiful hue of pink and orange. Instead of appreciating the beautiful sky, I found myself thinking of Lauren. Why was she being so kind to me, and if she had acted like this when I first moved to Stone Creek, could we have been friends?

"You really like sunrises, huh?" I heard Lauren say from behind me.

I jumped, losing my grip on the tire swing and almost falling off. Lauren rushed forwards, catching me around my waist to make sure I didn't fall. Her hands made contact with my bare skin under my singlet top, and they stayed there as I straightened myself up.

"Uh, thanks..." I said awkwardly, and she quickly snatched her hands away from my waist, turning around and hurrying back inside the cabin.

I waited until the sun had fully made its way into the sky before turning around and heading back inside, seeing Lauren sitting on my bed and going through my clothes, again!

"Can I help you?" I snapped at her, and she turned around, holding a pair of lace underwear in her hands.

"Scarlet the Harlot living up to her name," she grinned evilly, and I snatched the underwear out of her hands and stuffed them back into my bag.

"I'm not a fucking harlot, Lauren!" I growled, shoving her off my bed and sitting down, throwing my clothes back into my suitcase and zipping it up.

"Well, what you did was pretty slutty..." she said slowly, and I clenched my fists tightly.

I could feel the tears threatening to spill onto my cheeks, but I quickly forced them away. I was desperate not to let her get to me, not to react to her taunts, but with each passing day it was getting more and more difficult.

"I didn't do anything..." I whispered, knowing that if I spoke any louder my voice would crack.

"Don't lie, Scarlet. Emily saw you and Nick practically fucking at that party," she told me, and I just shook my head.

"I didn't want that..." I croaked out, and I couldn't stop the tear that fell down my cheek.

"What do you mean you didn't want it?" she asked me.

"I mean exactly what I said, Lauren. Are you stupid?" I said loudly, standing up from my bed and facing her. "He forced himself onto me, I told him I wasn't interested and he said he'd make me interested."

"I don't unde —" she began, but I cut her off.

"No, of course you wouldn't understand. You just saw another opportunity to ruin my life and you took it!" I all but screamed at her. "If Emily hadn't walked in on us, he would've raped me."

She didn't say another word, she just stood there staring at me, her jaw dropped and her eyes wide. I tried to calm myself, but it was near impossible. The memories of that night had come flooding back and I couldn't stop them, a tsunami of traumatic flashbacks entering my mind. My tears fell freely onto my cheeks and I was beyond the point of caring to wipe them away. I stood there sobbing, staring at her as she stared back at me.

"Call me a harlot all you want, Lauren...but I didn't want that. I never did," I eventually said, and I grabbed my breakfast off the dining table and walked out onto the outdoor patio, desperately hoping that she wouldn't follow me.

She didn't follow me, and I didn't see her until I decided to go back into the cabin. It was well past lunch time by then and as I walked back inside, I could see Lauren closing the fridge door.

"Uh...I put your lunch in the fridge so you can eat it later," she said nervously, and I just nodded at her before climbing into my bed and pulling the covers over my head.

Being put in this cabin with Lauren was one of the best and worst things that could've ever happened to me. On one hand, Lauren was being kinder to me than she had ever been in the time that I had known her, but on the other hand I was being forced to face demons that I had put to the back of my mind, hoping to never deal with them ever again.

"Scarlet?" I heard Lauren say, but I ignored her and pretended I was asleep.

"Scarlet..." she repeated, but I ignored her again.

"Scar?" she whispered, and I instantly pulled the covers back and looked at her.

"What? No Scarlet the Harlot anymore?" I spat at her, but I almost instantly regretted it when I saw the look on her face.

She looked wounded, like I had just taken her heart and crushed it in my small hands. Her eyes flickered down to the ground before meeting mine once again, and she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Don't bother apologising if you don't actually mean it. I don't want your pity, nor do I need it!" I said frustratingly, going to get up from my bed.

Her hand shot out and grabbed mine, holding it firmly, but not too tightly. Her hand was warm, and bigger than mine. Not too much bigger, but just enough that it could wrap around mind comfortingly and make me feel safe. Lauren...making me feel safe. What had the world come to?

"Scarlet. I am sorry. I didn't know..." she said softly.

"Yeah, well...your apology is a bit too late," I said, and I slowly pried my hand out of her own.

I got out of bed and walked to the fridge, taking the plate of food out and putting it in the microwave.

"Thank you for saving my lunch," I said simply, but she didn't reply, instead ruffling through her suitcase before walking into the bathroom.

I sat and ate my lunch alone and in silence, Lauren still in the bathroom doing whatever it was that she was doing. She eventually emerged, walking out of the bathroom wearing significantly less clothing than when she entered. She had changed into a black bikini top and board shorts, her tan and toned stomach on show for me to admire. And admire was exactly what I did.

A hint of a six pack was peaking through her golden skin, and her lack of clothing meant that I could see the curves that her body possessed. She didn't have overly large breasts, but they suited her body perfectly. They were probably a C cup, maybe a D, and I could see her hardened nipples beneath the thin black material.

I quickly tore my eyes away from her chest and stared at my now empty plate, hoping to god that she hadn't noticed me practically drooling over her body.

"I'm going in the spa. You can join me, um... if you want," she said awkwardly, but I just shook my head.

"No, thanks," I said quietly, and she hovered awkwardly before nodding and walking out the back door.

I used the time alone in the cabin to have a shower. I decided to hang my clothing all around the bathroom, hoping that the hot steam would smoothen out the wrinkles that my terrible packing had caused. I grabbed my towel and walked into the bathroom, stripping down and climbing into the shower. I sighed loudly as the hot water poured onto my skin, relaxing my muscles and calming me instantly.

I lathered my hair with cherry scented shampoo and conditioner, and covered my entire body in vanilla shower gel. I grabbed my razor and shaved my entire body, taking extra care on my upper leg as to not nick my healing wounds.

After stepping out of the shower I decided that I could let my cuts air dry. They were healing nicely and I didn't want to cover them while they were still damp. I dried my hair messily and threw it up into a messy bun, then wrapping the small towel around my body. I shuffled through my clothes, realising that I had forgotten to bring a bra and underwear into the bathroom with me. I groaned loudly, unlocking the bathroom door to grab them from my suitcase.

As soon as I swung the door open I saw Lauren standing at the back door, drying herself off from the spa.

"Oh, shit. Sorry..." she said awkwardly, blushing as she saw me standing there on only a towel.

Her eyes lowered to my body, and I instantly felt self conscious as I felt her gaze looking me up and down. Her eyes then settled somewhere on my body, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping instantly. I wanted to ask what she was looking at, because my chest certainly didn't illicit such a drastic reaction.

"What the fuck is that?" she asked, her tone unreadable.

"Wha..." I asked confusedly, following her gaze down my body.

When I saw what she was looking at, my heart dropped to my stomach. I hadn't realised that the towel was too short, my scars completely on show. I desperately tried to pull the towel down, but it was no use. I let my shoulders drop, completely defeated, and began to think of an excuse to give her.

"Uh, it's just a scrape from a tree..." I lied, but she didn't believe me. I didn't blame her either, I was a terrible liar.

"Scarlet..." she said in a low voice, walking over to me in quick strides. "What are they?"

"I told you, I fell against a tree and —" I began, but she cut me off instantly.

"Don't fucking lie to me, James. What are they?" she growled, her eyes boring into mine so intensely that I had to look away.

"It's nothing..." I whispered.

"Why would you do that, Scarlet?" she asked angrily, and I almost laughed in her face.

"Why the fuck do you think, Lauren?" I spat at her, venom so thick in my voice that she stepped back from me.

Her face held a look of confusion for a few moments before the reality of the situation finally hit her. I could practically see her deflate, her face contorting into a look of pure sadness and hurt. Her eyes moved from my own, down to my torn up thigh and then back to my face. She looked absolutely horrified, and I felt sorry for her for a moment until I remembered that she was the reason for all of this.

"I never..." she trailed off, shaking her head.

"Well, you did," I said, my voice wavering with emotion.

I stepped past her and walked to my suitcase, grabbing my underwear and walking back to the bathroom. Lauren stayed rooted in the same spot the entire time, her head hanging low and her hair covering her face.

Once I had finished changing, I grabbed my clothes from the bathroom and walked out to my bed, folding my now de-creased clothes and placing them neatly in my bag. I didn't look over at Lauren, who had retreated to her bed. I tried desperately to ignore her presence but it became impossible when I heard her sniffle from across the room.

My head snapped upwards, looking over at Lauren. Her back was facing me as she was turned away, facing the wall of the cabin. I watched intently as her shoulders began to shake, and I heard her muffled sobs.

Before I could comprehend what I was doing, I was already walking towards her, my feet taking me there automatically. Once I reached her bed I lifted the covers, climbing in behind her and resting my arm on her waist. I felt her body tense up under my touch, but she didn't say anything.

"Don't cry..." I whispered, resting my head down on her pillow.

"I'm so s-sorry," she sobbed, rolling over and lying on her back, staring at the ceiling as tears poured down her cheeks.

I reached my hand forward, wiping a tear from her cheek. I didn't understand why I was acting this way, but it felt right.

"It's okay, just don't cry. Please," I said gently, and she turned towards me and buried her head in my chest, trying but failing to control her cries.

I don't remember when we fell asleep, but I do know that it was the best nights sleep I'd ever had. No bad memories, no nightmares, just Lauren, me and sleep.