Page 75 of Rules

Silence falls over us, both at a loss for the right words to say. Maybe there aren’t any?

I can see her delicate throat bobble as she swallows, wetting her lips. Her hands wrap around her shivering body in hopes to warm up, but there is no possibility of that happening while she’s like this.

Blue fingers are rubbing against her upper arms. Her legs are bent and pulled all the way to her chest, goosebumps covering all that exposed, creamy skin.

My mouth goes dry.

Why is she even wearing something like that? It’s the middle of the winter, for fuck’s sake!

“Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death.” I offer her my hand, but she refuses, getting up on her own.

Her rejection stings, but it’s not like I can blame her, not really. The girl was assaulted not even half an hour ago.

Keeping a healthy distance between us, we walk up the steps. The front porch is lit, and it takes me a moment to find my keys and open the door.

The ground floor is covered in darkness. Not that I expected anything different since it’s close to two-thirty in the morning. Closing the door behind me, I make sure it’s locked before I turn on the light to the staircase so that Brook doesn’t fall on the way up.

I motion for her to keep quiet so that we don’t wake the whole house. The last thing I want, and I’m sure she would agree, is to have to explain what happened and why Brook is here.

The upstairs is much the same. Quiet and dark. When we reach the top, I tilt my head in the direction of my bedroom and wait for her to go first. Once she’s safely inside, I turn off the hall light and follow behind.

Closing the door behind me, I face her. Brook has already turned on the light inside, and the bright glow lets me see all the small details I hasn’t seen before. My throat closes up as I observe her. Pale cheeks covered in smudged make-up and tears. Her hair is a mess, her whole body trembling.

“W-we need to warm you up.” I force the words out as calmly as possible. Going to my closet, I start digging around until I find the thickest pair of sweats and hoodie I own, along with some underwear and socks.

“I think this should do.”I can still feel their hands on my body.Her words ring in my head, making me swallow hard. “Do you want to take a shower?”

Green eyes snap up, wide like a deer caught in headlights. The relief and gratitude shining in those bright irises is so overwhelming, my chest squeezes painfully.

My hand itches to cup her cheek, but I force myself to hold back.

What the hell is happening to me?

She doesn’t want you to touch her, dude. I think she was pretty clear about that.

“T-that would be great. Thank you.”

Nodding in understanding, more for my sake than hers, I turn around and lead her to the bathroom.

* * *

BROOK

I tilt my head back, letting the hot water pour over me. I’ve already scrubbed my whole body—twice—but it didn’t change anything. I could still feel their hands all over me.

Standing in the shower, safe from them, yet exposed, only makes things worse. I am vulnerable, a feeling I know all too well. A feeling I hate from the bottom of my heart, but apparently can’t escape because it always comes back to haunt me. However, not showering wasn’t an option. Not when their sweaty hands had been on my skin. Not when I could feel their alcohol-tainted breath brush against my flesh.

Your skin is so soft, baby doll. Soft and pink.

Even though the room is filled with steam and the water falling over me is burning my skin, I shiver. Memories I’ve been trying to push back—memories of the past mixing with the new ones forced upon me—still try to break free. But I couldn’t let that happen. If the dam breaks, I’ll overflow. Overflow with memories and feelings that don’t belong in the present.

I’m not sure how long I stand there with my hands wrapped around my naked body. Long enough that the water runs cold, forcing me to turn off the shower and get out.

Grabbing the fluffy dark gray towel Max left for me along with a change of clothes, I wrap it tightly around my body, enjoying the soft warmth.

“You’re safe here,” I whisper those words over and over again, but they can’t stop my still rapidly beating heart.

Doing my best to avoid the mirror—God only knows what the reflection will show me if I do—I put on the borrowed clothes, stashing my own into my already full backpack.

---