Another chapter that includes sexual assault, I'll warn everyone when it begins and ends.

"Aiden?" I question.

"Hey Collins," he smirks back.

I look at him confused, I thought he hated me.

"I'll leave you guys alone for a minute, I'll just go to the bathroom," Luke cuts in awkwardly.

I ignore him and attempt to glare at Aiden as Luke walks away. Being drunk doesn't help the situation and I find myself laughing. Why do people glare if they're upset?

Aiden looks at me amused, but doesn't say anything.

"You did it again!!" I smile happily.

"Did what?" Aiden asks curiously.

"Saved me from falling. Remember you also did it earlier today when you were really mean!!" I smile.

Why the hell was I smiling? He was mean.

The smile falls off my face and I look at him again, pulling myself from his grasp; "you were so mean!! Go away," I say, remembering earlier.

"Come on Collins." Aiden rolls his eyes following me.

"Only my friends are allowed to call me by my last name," I sulk.

"I'm the only one who calls you by your last name." Aiden states, rolling his eyes.

Oh shit, he's right.

"Yeah well you're not my friend anymore remember," I reply after a minute, still sulking.

"At least wait with me until Luke gets back," Aiden requests. I look in his eyes and see sincerity, and that's the only reason I agree. I sit on the brick fence and Aiden sits beside me.

"Aiden?" I question after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah?" Aiden replies.

"Why were you so mean? You didn't have to be." I ask.

"I don't know, it was the only way that made sure you stayed away from me." Aiden responds hesitantly after an obvious internal debate.

"Why do you want me to stay away from you so much?" I ask.

Aiden sighs; "I wanted you to stay away from me to protect you. I'm bad." Before I can say anything he continues, chucking sarcastically; "you won't even remember this tommorow."

"And now?" I question.

Before Aiden can respond Luke makes an appearance. Aiden looks at me one last time before walking away and Luke sits in his once occupied spot.

"Emilia?" Luke asks softly.

I shake my thoughts away from Aiden and look at him, the large amount of alcohol in my system making me even more confused.

"I'm your best friend right? You tell me everything?" Luke asks.

"Of course," I reply on instinct, not realizing it was most likely a lie.

"I just need to hear it one more time so I can move on," Luke says looking at me.

"Hear what?" I ask, the alcohol making me foggy.

"That you will never return the feelings I feel for you. Just tell me straight." Luke begs.

"I'm sorry Luke, it won't ever happen. I like Aiden." I admit sadly.

"I know." Luke sighs.

"You know?" I ask.

"Emilia, I don't know if you remember but I've been your best friend for a long time. Long before I admitted my feelings and they got in the way. I know you better than anyone, I knew you had feelings for him probably before you even did." Luke smiles a sincere smile that made my heart explode. 

"I love you Lukas." I smile, wrapping my arms around him.

"I love you too Emilia," Luke smiles in response and for the first time since he admitted his feelings for me, I felt like maybe he loved me just the way I loved him. As friends - no - as best friends.

We sit for a while hugging before Luke stands up; "I'm going to go find Dale and Charlie so he can get you girls home, wait here okay?"

I nod at him, starting to feel extremely tired, yet another side effect from the excessive amount of alcohol I had consumed in the past few hours.

Almost as soon as Luke leaves, a guy approaches me. I wonder if he had been waiting for Luke to leave.

"Hey babe, wanna give me a private show like you did for Black?" he asks smirking.

My heart pounds erratically and even the alcohol doesn't reduce how uncomfortable I was feeling.

"No thank you," I reply nervously.

"That's a shame," he smirks as he walks away.

A huge wave of relief washes over me when he walks away, but it's short-lived because not even 3 minutes later another boy I recognize from Luke's team runs over to me.

"Emily, come quick. It's Charlie, a guy tried to take advantage of her and she needs you." The boy pants. I don't know what it was that made me do it, but I instantly follow him up to one of the furthest rooms away from the party.

I should have recognized the dishonesty in his voice, maybe it was because I was still very drunk that I couldn't detect it, but as soon as he points to a room I run in looking for Charlie, only to hear the door close and see the same guy that asked me for a dance earlier smirking at me.

SEXUAL ASSAULT START

"Where's Charlie?" I ask stupidly, sobering up extensively at the situation I've found myself in too many times.

"With Taylor and your other friend probably." The creepy guy smirks.

My heart calms down a little knowing that Charlie was fine, but now I knew she was okay, I had other things to worry about.

"I'm just going to go," I say uncomfortably, attempting to make it to the door but not being surprised in the slightest when I'm unable to make it, and not because the alcohol made it extremely difficult to walk in these heels.

"So just out of curiosity, who's girl are you? There's Black, Taylor, Clarke and that other guy you're always with.

I don't say anything, my heart pounding nervously. I assume that Clarke was Ryan's last name but I wasn't entirely sure.

"ANSWER ME!!" he yells, making me jump.

"None of them." I whisper, but he hears and smirks.

"That's good, Black especially is not someone I want to cross for having a turn of his girl so it's good that you're not," he says calmly.

I try to back away from him but it doesn't work.

"I can see why though you'd have all those guys on ya, you're fucking sexy as. That little dance you gave Aiden, it did things to me." The guy says, I stay very quiet but still try to back away, soon enough my back hits the wall.

"If you won't dance for me willingly, I'll have to satisfy myself another way." creepy guy smirks, a cold and nasty smirk that terrifies me.

I try and make myself impossibly smaller but it doesn't work and eventually, the creepy guy begins kissing my neck forcefully. Tears well in my eyes as I try my hardest to push him away.

Why can't I be stronger?

He drags me to the bed and uses his body weight to keep me captive as he takes off his shirt and goes back to kissing my neck down to my collarbone.

"Stop!!!" I scream, tears falling freely out of my eyes. He doesn't stop an instead continues leaving disgusting, sloppy kisses on my body.

The guy slaps his hand over my mouth; "if you fight it, it will last longer and I'll make sure it's more painful, just enjoy it."

Tears continue to stream down my face and I lie still. The guy hovers over my body and I quickly knee him with all my might between his legs. He groans in pain as I attempt to make a run for it, but I don't get very far.

"Somebody help me!!!" I scream loudly, hating myself for being so weak.

"You bitch, just for that I'll make sure it's extra painful!!" The guys yells, grabbing me by my hair and forcefully pushing me up against another wall with my back facing him.

He kisses down the back of my neck and I feel my shirt being torn, leaving me in my strapless bra and skirt, he lifts up my skirt leaving me even more exposed. I continue sobbing but don't fight it any longer.

SEXUAL ASSAULT END

Suddenly the door is kicked open and the guy is pulled off of me. I fall to the ground like a rag doll without his weight forcing me against the wall. I curl up in a ball, sobbing, not knowing who just saved me.

"Aiden stop!! She needs you!!" I hear a familiar voice after loud footsteps.

I hear who I assume to be Aiden stop punching the guy and before I know it I'm pulled into strong arms that always make me feel safe, even when he tries to cut me off.

"Blake, get the others," Aiden demands, I quickly hear the footsteps retreating before the air is only filled with my sobs and Aiden and my breathing.

"Collins, look at me, you're safe, I've got you." Aiden soothes, running his hands through my hair that I was sure was a tangled mess.

"Aiden?" I question, through tears.

"I'm right here, you're okay," I look at the sincerity in his voice and another sob rakes through my body.

My sobs begin to quieten and all too soon I hear multiple running footsteps.

"Emily?" I hear Dale before he quickly comes and stands behind me, I hear sobs and instantly know it's Charlie. I pull away from Aiden and see a sobbing Charlie beside Dale. I wrap my arms around her, she reacts straight away and soon enough we were both crying on each others shoulders.

Our cries turn into hiccups and I look over Charlie's shoulder to see a distraught Luke.

"It's my fault," he says quietly to himself, but we all hear him.

"No Luke." I manage, still hanging onto Charlie for dear life.

"It is, I left you alone." He says with wide eyes, guilt drowning his beautiful features.

Charlie releases me and I once again fall to the ground without any support, Dale kneels in front of me and Luke doesn't move.

"Luke, it's not." I attempt, I didn't believe that it was Luke's fault in the slightest but I wasn't able to convince him the way I was feeling. I look around the room, hugging my knees. Toby looked almost as distraught as Luke, Charlie was still crying, Carter was hugging her, he also looked distraught. Blake looked shocked but Aiden looked worse. The guy was now on the ground, I could see his chest rising and falling but he wasn't moving which meant that Aiden had knocked him out.

"Em, we need to get you home," Dale whispers in my ear.

I nod weakly, and he pulls me up. I was now being held up solely by Dale.

Aiden takes off his signature leather jacket and passes it to Dale who helps me put it on to cover myself. I still had one at home so he must have had more than 1. I was pretty much showing the same amount of skin that I was before my shirt was torn but I felt so much more vulnerable, I was grateful for Aiden for registering this.

"We're going to go to the car, okay?" Dale says softly, holding my full weight and beginning to walk extremely slowly considering my limbs didn't want to work at all.

"Here," Aiden says quietly, walking over to Dale and scooping me up so he was carrying me bridle style. I don't complain and instead, snuggle into his chest which was warm with my tears. I knew that after this all wore off, he would go back to cutting me off and I wasn't ready to let go just yet.

The whole party parts for the group, probably wondering why their favorite bad boys were playing prince charming for a damsel in distress. I knew wild rumors would be spread after the whole party saw me half-naked in their favourite bad boy's jacket, but couldn't find it within myself to care just yet.

We make it to Dale's car, everyone continuing to part, Aiden goes to put me down but I grip his shirt. "I'll go home with Em," he says. Again I was grateful that he knew what I was trying to say without me having to say it.

Dale nodded and gets into the driver's side, Charlie in the front and Aiden beside me, still holding my weight even when sitting in the car.

The car ride is silent, leaving me to drown myself in my thoughts and eventually we get home. Aiden once again scoops me up and we head inside.

My parents had gone to sleep, telling me to call them to wake them if I needed them and I was glad. I didn't want to have to explain to mom and Robert why our neighbor was carrying me half naked to my room.

Dale and Charlie follow Aiden into my room and Aiden lies me on my bed.

"Aiden, will you stay with me?" I beg, hoping more than anything he agrees. He nods straight away and relief fills my bones.

"I'll get her ready for bed, Dale and I will sleep in the spare room," Charlie speaks, it was the first time since the incident that I had heard her voice and I'm reminded what made me go to the room in the first place. I smile at her, I was so glad she was okay.

Dale and Aiden leave the room without saying anything if Aiden wasn't here I knew that Dale would stay in the room and help but I knew he had to keep his cover, and he knew that I was in good hands with Charlie.

Charlie helps me put on my bed shorts and a shirt; "are you okay Em? She cries, once again hugging me.

I hug her back tightly, "I'm okay. I just want to sleep it off."

Charlie nods and releases me, "I'll get Aiden."

I nod in appreciation and she walks out, leaving me alone.

Twice. It's now happened twice.

No women should ever suffer at the hands of men, and I hated myself for being so weak during it.

Aiden enters, thankfully cutting me off from my self hating thoughts. He lies beside me in silence.

"I remember," I whisper, half hoping he doesn't hear me.

"Remember what?" He asks, looking at me.

"What you said earlier about cutting me off to protect me," I reply.

"I'm so sorry Collin's," Aiden whispers.

"Why?" I reply curiously.

"For all the things I said earlier, they weren't true. We were friends because I care about you, not because I wanted a hookup. I lied, our friendship means everything to me but I cut you off because I thought that was best for you," Aiden admits.

My heart beats loudly and quickly and I'm almost scared he can feel it.

"What happened tonight just proves that you aren't the reason bad things happen to me, you actually saved me tonight. The guy was hesitant to do anything because he was afraid of you. Being my friend actually protects me from creeps, cutting me off does nothing except hurt," I convince softly.

Aiden doesn't say anything.

"Don't cut me off again." I beg.

After a few minutes, Aiden sighs; "you're right, you attract the bad stuff anyway, and at least if we're friends we can keep an eye on you and make sure nothing like that happens again."

I smile but I know he can't see it, "does this mean the pool party is back on for everyone?"

Aiden chuckles; "guess so, I'll let everyone know now."

I smile and I feel Aiden grab his phone and text something, my phone beeps from my bedside table and I know that he has sent the message to the group chat. I hear a few more pings and I know that everyone is replying but I can't be bothered to check just yet.

"Go to sleep Collins, I'll be here when you wake up." Aiden says gently.

I smile to myself and rollover, closing my eyes and almost instantly falling asleep knowing that Aiden was right there.

________

AWWWWWWW

Crying.

Next chapter in Aiden's POV from the party.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

- Jade xx

The next chapter is well over 4000 words long so I'll be posting that next time, maybe earlier if I really feel the love...

This chapter was not easy to write, rape and sexual harassment is something that happens way to often. Did you know that over 80% of women are sexually harassed at least once in their life?

Anyways, get keen for the next chapter...it'll be nice to see Aiden's perspective on the party, don't you think?