Pieces

"Craig!" I screamed as he brought his hand back, once again bringing it forcibly down onto my friend Jeremy's face.

He turned to me, fire burning in his eyes, "You stay out of this, Violet," He snapped and I shut my mouth and silently watched as Jeremy fell in and out of consciousness. When he finally let up, he stood and wiped his hands clean on a towel. He tossed it aside, because the butler would come in to clean up anyways. He straightened his tie and turned to Andy, the head of his security team, "Please escort Jeremy downstairs to the Casino floor where he will find the remainder of his pack. Remind him that if he ever so much as looks at Violet again, the consequences will be much worse."

Andy nodded, muttering a 'yes sir' before grabbing Jeremy and lifting him up, dragging him out of the double doors leading out into the main hallway.

I was breathing heavily, heart pounding as I watched my prom date being dragged away as a bloodied mess, "W-Why did you do that?" I asked, voice barely above a whisper.

He walked over to me, roughly grasping my chin with his hand to make me look up to him, "You are mine, Violet, remember? I do not share. So when you go out with another man, I get very very upset," He stated.

"It's wasn't like that, Craig! It's only my senior homecoming. He's just my date!" I exclaimed and he quickly slapped me across the face, my head turning to the left from the hit.

"You wanted to be happy. I have given you everything. I'm sure you can sacrifice going to prom for everything you have here," He held his arms out, motioning to the beautiful penthouse I had been spending the majority of my time.

"I'm still a kid, Craig," I muttered, rubbing my cheek with my hand to try to soothe the pain.

"You are," He nodded, "And you have to learn to grow up and adapt if you want this lifestyle. You want the money, and the cars, and the dresses... this is the price you pay. Nothing in this world comes free, Violet," He placed a hand on my tender cheek softly, "Not even for a beautiful girl like you."

I started to sob. I don't know what compelled me to start sobbing in front of Craig. I was only proving his point of me still being a child. It was embarrassing, and I began to cry more for being so ashamed.

"Shut-up!" He screamed and pushed me down to the floor. He brought his foot back before I felt a sharp pain in my ribs from where his foot connected with me. I screamed in agony as the pain shot through every singly piece of my body, "Shut-up, Whore!" He yelled again and this time brought his hands down repeatedly on my stomach. The pain almost wanted to make me throw up and I saw my vision fading in and out of darkness.

With one last look up at him, I saw him pull the small butterfly knife he always kept in his pocket. He flicked it open with a glare, "You will eventually learn, Violet," He stated darkly.

I screamed as loud as I could. But no one on the streets of Las Vegas, the bustling city below me, would ever hear my cries.

-

Zack was shaking me when my eyes opened. I looked around frantically to see that the moon was still high in the sky, shining just outside my window. I looked up at him, and saw he had just rolled out of bed, "Are you okay?" He asked and I nodded silently, "I thought you were being murdered," He breathed out.

He looked deshelved and out of breath. He had to have woken up in a jolt before running down the hall to fetch me, probably thinking I was being attacked. He caught his breathing and sighed, looking at me sadly, "He can't get you here," He whispered. It was like he was too afraid to speak loudly, as if he would scare me.

Looking down I realized I was shaking. My entire body shaking with fear. I couldn't help but think I resembled a small dog shaking in the cold of winter. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, "I... I don't want him to hurt you," I confessed.

"He can't get to me," He smiled warmly, "He'd have to get through the rest of the band first," He assured me. His eyes were so comforting that I almost believed him. But then I remembered the information that Craig now knew. He knew I was here and he knew where all the guys lived. I didn't have the guts to tell Zack that he knew these things. I didn't want him to think it was my fault.

"You don't know Craig," I muttered softly and he looked at me sadly.

"Then maybe you can tell me about him," He stated bluntly, "Make me understand."

I shook my head, "I can't right now, Zack," I choked out and he nodded.

"You will, eventually. I'll have to know, Vi," He told me and I knew one day Zack would grow tired of my secrets, "C'mon," He whispered.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"My room. You slept fine last night when you were with me. Maybe you just need to feel someone next to you," He suggested and I recalled how peacefully I had slept when Zack's arms were around me.

"I don't-" I started but he was quick to cut me off.

"You're just going to start screaming again. Do not make me drag you out of this bed, Violet," He stated firmly and in a flash of a second I almost saw myself in him. All the times I had to drag him out of bed to get him dressed for the studio in the morning. Or the times I had to literally beat him into getting out of the house. This wasn't how this was supposed to work. I was supposed to be helping picking Zack up. Not the other way around.

He took my silence in before wrapping an arm around me and lifting me up. I didn't protest. His body was a welcoming change through the chill of the night. He was surprisingly warm and I couldn't help myself as I snuggled into his chest more.

He gripped me tighter before walking out of the room and down the hall to his room. He shut the door behind him with his foot and set me softly on the opposite side of the bed. The side that remained untouched.

I felt like a child as he pulled the covers up to my shoulder before crawling over me to get into his side of the bed. He got comfortable and I felt him breathe heavily. My body was tense as I tried to calm myself down, trying to coax me into falling asleep again. Then, with a little hesitation, Zack's arms reached out and wrapped around my mid-section, pulling me across the mattress until I was flush against him.

I relaxed, unable to help myself as I melted into his warmth and comfort. He buried his head in my shoulder and I could feel pieces of his hair tickling my neck, but I didn't protest. It was a wonderful feeling that I wouldn't trade for the world. Instead of remaining still, I turned over so I was facing him, and nuzzled my head into his chest. He didn't seem to mind, because he just held me tighter as I slowly stopped shaking and I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

-

"I don't care what it takes," I snapped, "I need four hundred more of that style in two weeks. We're paying you extra for this. There shouldn't be any excuses."

"Of course. We'll make sure it gets handled," The man I had been arguing with for the past twenty minutes finally came to his senses.

"Good. Now have a nice day," I huffed and hung up the phone, tossing it aside. I groaned, running a hand through my hair. Zack was due for three shows up North in two weeks, and we needed more merchandise to sell at the venue.

Selling at concerts gave us a large profit. Most of the younger fans don't have credit cards to buy online, or their parents won't let them. Selling at venues gives those kids a chance to buy what they want in cash. It also made Zack feel better about not having any other means of selling. He sometimes felt bad when he would get emails and tweets from kids complaining that their parents won't lend them their credit card to buy a shirt.

"Everything okay?" Zack asked, approaching me from behind. He had been in the kitchen taking note of all the food he had so we could go shopping later in the day. Amber wasn't much of a cook. Even though Zack surprisingly had excellent skills in a kitchen, but she always preferred to go out. So Zack never kept too much to cook with in his house. But that was going to change now that I was here. Not only did I not like to eat out often, but Zack didn't feel it was safe anyways if Craig was lurking about.

"Just arguing with some people, but we'll have what we need by the time Sacramento comes around," I assured him and he smiled. I had almost forgotten that we were leaving in a few days to Sacramento for another small show.

"I heard," He laughed, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Crash and burn," I shrugged and he cracked another smile.

Looking up at him I could see that his bright smile wasn't showing in his eyes. He was sad, and maybe confused. I sighed and patted the seat on the couch next to me and he silently took the spot, "What's wrong?" I questioned.

"Why do you assume something is wrong?" Zack questioned.

"I just know," I shrugged, "Did you know the saddest people in the world smile the brightest?" I asked.

"Did you know you have the brightest smile I've ever seen?" He questioned back and I stopped. I tore my eyes from the order forms in front of me and looked at him.

"We're not talking about me right now," I reminded him.

"Then what are we talking about?"

"What's bothering you," I stated and he sighed.

"I can never keep anything from you," He chuckled before becoming more serious again, "Amber called."

"Zack," I groaned. I specifically gave him instructions to not answer any of her phone calls until he knew he could handle it. I knew him all too well. He would hear her voice, become depressed again, and she would ask to come back to him and he would give in.

"I know," He sighed, "She called me like twenty times, though. So I finally answered, but I swear it was to tell her that I don't want her to call me anymore," He defended.

"Okay, so what happened?" I asked.

"She took a paternity test with the guy she thought was the father," He mumbled, "And it came back false."

I froze. This was not good. This definitely was not good. Sure, Amber slept with a lot of people. Anyone could be the father of about five other men besides Zack. But that didn't rule out that Zack could still be the father. As much as I wanted Zack to be happy about having a baby, I didn't want it to be with Amber. If Amber was pregnant with his kid, then he'd be stuck with her for the rest of his life. He'd never be happy, and that worried me.

"So now what?" I asked.

"I have to go in. She actually wants me to take the test," He told me and I nodded. The only way to be sure was if he took the test. He sighed and turned to me, "I... I don't want it to be mine," He mumbled, "Does that make me a bad person?"

"Does not wanting to have a child with the devil's incarnate make you a bad person?" I asked and he raised an eyebrow, "Because that's basically what you just asked me," I stated and he let a small smile grace his lips, "Listen, Zack," I turned to face him directly, "Not wanting a child with Amber doesn't make you a bad person. You're allowed to feel that way. It's the same as if a fan wanted to have a child with you, and you said no."

"I guess," He shrugged.

"Having this kid with her means that you're going to be stuck with her. Well," I shrugged, "For the most part."

"No, it does," He sighed, "If it's mine then I have to be there for my kid. I mean," He shook his head, "I'm not going to be one of those dads who just walks out on their kid just because he didn't want them. Wether I like it or not, I'll still have a responsibility."

I smiled at him proudly. Zack really was a great person. Despite all of this, he still could see logically. For the most part, I mean. I didn't exactly want him to run off and marry Amber just for the sake of this child, but he was going to be there. If he needed to be, he'd be the person that couldn't be blamed.

"That is what makes you a good person," I told him and he smiled.

"I have to go in tomorrow. I... wanted to know if you would come with me?" He asked, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, like he was nervous to ask me. I laughed at how childish it seemed.

"Of course I'll go with you. Someone has to keep that bitch in check, and keep your head on straight," I smiled.

"I really don't know what I would do without you," He smiled and I leaned forward and hugged him.

He'd be fine without me. It's me who would be lost without him.