We've Got a Big Mess on Our Hands

William stood stock-still as the words I spoke sunk in. The fine bone structure of his face never twitched or moved an inch as he quickly turned to Brendon beside me.

“Give us a few minutes Bren, I need to talk to her alone,” As soon as the words left his mouth I began to panic. Would he do what Alex had said he’d do? Why had I been so stupid as to telling William when I’d only known him for four weeks as well as only knowing Brendon for two weeks? Sure, at first it had felt like a huge weight had been relieved from my shoulders but now, no, now I was terrified as I watched Brendon stand and leave the bedroom with sad eyes. Did he know something was going to happen?

It was quiet for a while as William just stared at the floor, his body seeming to be set in stone until he finally looked up at me. His eyes burned with that familiar emotion that I was used to seeing in Alex’s eyes; anger. Without saying anything he pulled me up and into his arms and crushed me against his chest. My eyes widened and his hands rubbed circles into the thin material of my top.

“Please don’t hurt me William,” I choked out the whispered words with tears in my eyes. Almost immediately William pulled back and his brown eyes widened in horror as they searched my face.

“No, no! I wouldn’t ever hurt you! I was just hugging you, I didn’t mean to scare you-” He watched as I subconsciously dropped back down to the bed and moved further up the duvet until my back hit the head board. Alex’s words of warning wouldn’t stop ringing in my mind.

“You’re angry,” I whispered and brought my knees up to my chest defensively.

“Not at you. I’m angry at what that bastard has been doing and getting away with for the past... God knows how long!” William exclaimed seeming desperate for me to understand as he made to come towards me. The small whimper I emitted caused him to retreat though and look at me worriedly.

I was confused, was I supposed to trust William not to hurt me? Alex’s words were like poison running through my veins and infecting every single nerve in my body.

“Do you want me to leave?” He asked me in a more gentle tone this time. I nodded my head and he left me alone in his bedroom as I stared at the wall ahead of me. Eventually I pulled my battered and cracked phone out of my pocket and rang the person I could always count on.

“Well, if it isn’t Miss ‘I’m staying with Mr Sexy Ass’,” Beki playfully greeted causing me to smile weakly.

“Hey Beks. I’m lonely, tell me what’s happening in your life,” I said softly and immediately Beki understood that I was having one of those moments where I shut my own life off from everything.

“Okay. Well my life in America has been good so far,” I laid back on the bed and put the phone onto speaker before I closed my eyes and let her words sink in as if we were back home.

“The family I’m staying with are nice. They have a two year old daughter who is adorable. The high school is kind of crap but I made a couple of friends and they’ve stuck by me and helped me with anything I need. They’re called Quinn, Joey, Alice, Edward and Sammy – and in typical me fashion, Quinn is gorgeous. Seriously, he’s just been so kind to me since I arrived and he immediately adopted me into his group and everything. He reminds me of the kind of person that would most likely join our group… and he’s as strange as Bert which is always good in my books.”