My eyes scan over the crowd and land on a familiar face - Austin. I wave at him, giving him a friendly smile. We've spoken once or twice but never had a full on conversation. Austin is good looking with his caramel toned skin and large brown eyes. His lashes are long and fluttery, much to the dismay of every girl in here. He's never short of female attention and I watch as he wonders over towards me, shooting me a cute grin. His eyes drink in my appearance and I find myself blushing, a red tint covering my cheeks.
"You look cute when you blush!" He laughs, pointing at my cheeks. I gave him a shy smile, feeling my cheeks heat up further.
"I look like a tomato when I blush, don't lie to me." I say playfully, taking another sip of my drink. Austin throws his head back and laughs, his eyes lighting up.
"Are you enjoying the party?" I ask him and he nods, taking a step closer with the same wide smile on his face.
"I haven't seen anyone I like the look of, until now." His words are suggestive and I can feel the blush deepen on my cheeks. I don't reply and instead nibble on my bottom lip nervously. Austin takes a step closer towards me, resting a hand on my waist.
"You look great Emily! Do you want to dance?" He asks eagerly, I don't respond for a few seconds as I think about his question.
Hey, why the hell not?
"Yeah, let's dance!" I respond, following him towards the crowd of dancing bodies. We both begin dancing carelessly with each other and I close my eyes, feeling free. I feel a hand on my waist and I open my eyes to find Austin very close to me, his body dancing against mine. I let out a little nervous giggle, glancing around warily for a familiar face.
His hips press into mine and I shuffle backwards, feeling uncomfortable. Austin's hands settle on my hips and I pause, my body stilling. I suck in a breath as he massages the area where Trevor beat me. My body is still tender, covered in bruises.
Austin's hands are directly above the bruises.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...
I lean towards his ear, a frown fixed on my face from the dull pain in my sides.
"I think I'm going to go find Trish!" I yell into his ears, placing my hands over his in an attempt to move them. His hand's tighten, causing an instant flare of pain to shoot through my body. I yell out, yanking myself away from him.
"Stop." I tell him, my hands beginning to shake. He's staring at my body with hunger in his eyes and I watch as they turn shades darker. Austin takes a step towards me and in return, I take a step back. I'm trapped between sweaty bodies, caged in like an animal. I find myself struggling to breathe, my throat tightening. The nauseating smell of alcohol hits me and Trevor's face instantly flashes through my mind.
The last person I want to think about tonight is Trevor.
Austin doesn't seem to hear or see my discomfort. He pushes his body into mine and I shove hard at his chest, hating the way he feels against me.
"This isn't fun anymore Austin!" I protest, my words doing little to slow him down.
"Please get — "
I don't have a chance to finish my sentence as he's ripped away from me in an instant. I blink and step back, stumbling into a few other people behind me. Austin was lying on the floor, his eyes wide with surprise and fear.
"Oh my god," I gasp however I could feel the relief run through my body. My sides are throbbing painfully and I can't help but wince in pain every time I move. Jake stands over Austin, his shoulders squared defensively. My eyes travels down to his fist that is tensed, ready to strike.
"Jake, don't!" I cry, lunging towards him as he leans down to hit him. One of Jake's friend picks me up in one swift move and pulls me back in the crowd, not allowing me to get in between Jake and Austin.
"You don't want to get in the middle of that sweetheart," he mutters in my ear, holding me back.I continue to watch in horror as Jake grips Austin by the collar and drags him to his feet. He makes it look effortless despite Austin being the same size as him.
"The girl asked you to get off her. She shouldn't have to ask twice."
His words are icy, dripping with danger.
"She was enjoying it." Austin spat back, his eyes burning with hatred and fear. My own widen in surprise at his words and I shake my head, protesting. Jake didn't turn around to ask me if he was right, he already knew the answer.
"If you try that again, you can enjoy my fist in your face." Jake hisses, leaning down to his ear. He doesn't make an effort to quieten his words down, everyone could hear his threatening words. Austin simply chuckles at Jake, challenging him to hit him already.
"She isn't yours to protect, get the hell off me."
Jake makes a low sound in protest and it almost sounds like a growl coming from his throat. I watch in horror as he swings his head back before smashing it into Austin's face. A scream escapes my throat and I want to squeeze my eyes shut so I don't see the blood pouring from his nose. Jake's head snaps towards me and I almost recoil backwards from his eyes.
I immediately grow silent, frozen to the spot.
His eyes
