“There’s no way I’m letting you stay here when he’s acting like that!” I argued, throwing some of his clothes into my bag. “Grab your things. We’ll go to Easton’s. Or somewhere else. Just not here.”

Cam shook his head. “I can’t leave.”

“Bullshit you can’t.” I zipped up my backpack. “You’re 18. You can leave. He can’t stop you.”

He stepped forward, placing a hand on my chest gently, right on my heart. “No, Arian. I can’t leave. You can. You SHOULD. Go to Easton’s. I have to stay here or it’ll just be worse when I get back.”

Why was he so persistent? Why did he want to stay so bad? I looked at him, I really truly looked at him, and saw the pain, the sadness, the absolute and utter defeat lay in his eyes. If I left him here, Travis would hurt him. Break him. Leave him on the floor close to dead, just as he had many times before. Cam would feel worthless again- worthless, broken, and weak. I couldn’t let that happen. It had to stop.

I dropped my bag to the floor. “I’m not leaving unless you are.”

That’s when we heard the glass break downstairs. I flinched, not expecting it, but Cam went into a an anxiety attack. He began to shake, his fingers tugging roughly at his sleeves as he bit his lip.

“Arian,” he finally said, his voice low. “Please go.”

“I’m not-“

“I’m not asking.” He sounded so stern and serious, the complete opposite of what he looked like right now. His face was pale with panic and he gave a nervous gulp, still vigorously twisting the ends of his sleeves.

Travis’s voice began to float down the hall, and there was no mistaking the anger in it. It even scared me- maybe because you could tell he had some alcohol in him. His voice was loud and rough, but you couldn’t quite make out what he was saying just yet. I glanced at Cam’s window. We could leave-go out the window and never turn back. I turned back to Cam, and there were anxious tears in his eyes. I reached for him, and he allowed me to gently grip his forearms with my hands.

“Cam,” I begged, knowing that once Travis reached this room, we were both in big trouble. I knew better than to try and fight him, he was much bigger than me. I would lose and Cam would take the fallout. “Please. I have my car, we could jump out the window and head somewhere far away from him, and he never has to hurt you ever again.”

Cam blinked a couple times, clearly trying not to let the tears spill over. I felt my heart break for him again. “Babe, you’re not listening to me. If I leave, it’ll be worse when I come back.”

“Then don’t come back!” I pleaded. “We can find some place to go- if you think I’m just going to sit back and let him beat the shit out of you, you’re out of your goddamn mind.”

Thudding footsteps. “Camden! You in your room, boy?”

Cam’s eyes hardened as he pushed me. “Go.”

“Absolutely not-“

“Go!” Another shove, this time to the chest. I stumbled. My boyfriend looked at his door and back at me. “Go, Arian! Go! I will never forgive you if you stay.”

I planted my feet. “I will never forgive you if you push me away when you need my help.”

Travis was close now, but you could hear him stumbling drunkenly through the hall. Cam looked at me, tears in his eyes, before he leaned over and kissed me. I was shocked and caught off-guard, but by the time I had regained myself, he had pulled away. A tear fell down his face.

“I guess you’ll never forgive me, then.”

Cam opened his door and shot out, slamming it shut behind him. I raced forwards, my hand on the doorknob as I heard the lock click. My heart thudded straight to my stomach.

“Cam!” I yelled, banging my palm against the door. “Camden! Open the door!”

All I heard as an answer was Travis yelling, “There you are, you worthless piece of shit!”

I tried the knob again to no avail. My mind filled with panic as I started to hear noises outside- the sound of Travis beating my defenseless boyfriend. There was no way in hell I was going to let this happen. I dove for my backpack, thinking I’d grab my phone- before remembering that I had left it in the car when I ran back inside for Cam.

I heard a whimper and tears began to cascade down my face. What was I supposed to do? I felt so fucking helpless, so fucking useless-

The window. His window was unlocked.

I have never moved faster in my entire life. With speed I didn’t know I had, I opened the window and jumped out of it, immediately noticing that Ben and their dad were outside spraying off their car. The sense of relief that I felt for one hot, flashing moment as I ran over.

“Ben!” I yelled. Ben looked up, frightened, as I ran into their driveway. I had to look absolutely deranged in their eyes.

“Arian?” Ben’s dad said, turning off the hose and straightening to look at me. “Are you okay-?”

I hastily wiped my face of tears and pointed back towards Cam’s house. “You gotta help me. Travis- Travis and Cam-“

I hated how I stuttered, but my brain was moving ten times faster than my mouth could.

Thankfully, Ben understood immediately. “I’ll call the cops. You stay here. Don’t do anything stupid. Dad, come on, I’ll explain inside.”

I immediately disregarded what he said, because I wasn’t leaving Cam inside that house with that monster. The second their front door shut, I bounded back to Cam’s house, bursting my way through the unlocked front door.

It was way too quiet. Why was it so quiet?

I ran towards the kitchen, vaguely noticing the back door was open, but I wasn’t too worried about that right now. There was no noise. Was Cam okay? Where was he?

I turned into the hallway.

I screamed.

My boyfriend was still here- but in a puddle of blood. I raced over, not caring about the blood getting on my shoes and pants and I lifted his head up into my lap, my other hand frantically looking for a pulse in his wrist.

“Cam?” I sobbed. “Cam, please wake up, please answer me.”

Nothing. There was nothing. I didn’t even know what I was doing anymore. My throat was too clogged, my vision was too blurry, my mind was running in too many directions.

“Please, please, please,” I begged. “Please wake up. Please talk to me. Please, baby, please.”

I slumped over his limp form.

“Please, baby. I love you. Please wake up for me.”