“I can’t. I—”

“It wasn’t a question,” he demanded, and then he turned his back on me.

Axel’s attitude was short for the rest of the class, and he didn’t even try to hide his angry glower at me. I hated knowing how upset he was and not being able to do anything about it. We had exchanged a few text messages the day before, but I was unable to talk to him on the phone due to my mother’s watchful eye. He had no idea how distraught I was, and how I didn’t need to add his anger on top of it all. But being in school, my hands were tied.

I received a text shortly after his class, telling me to meet him on the corner across the street after the last bell and he’d pick me up. I didn’t want to meet him, but I knew we needed to talk. The rest of the day went by in a blur. I couldn’t focus in any of my classes, and I knew with the year coming to an end, this was the time to pay the most attention. But between my mom, and now Axel, my mind seemed bogged down in a heavy fog.

After school, I headed across the street and waited for his red Jeep to pull up. He didn’t even park before I opened the door and jumped in the passenger seat. The air inside the cab hung thick with tension until he turned down a side road and pulled over.

“What’s with the sweater, Bree?”

“I told you, I’m not wearing a bra. And I didn’t want people to notice, so I put the sweater on to hide it.” It wasn’t a lie. Every word I spoke was the truth.

He released a growl and slammed his hands against the steering wheel, causing me to jump in my seat. “Why does getting real answers from you feel like pulling teeth? Why aren’t you wearing a bra?”

I swallowed, wondering what my chances were of him believing me if I lied. But I decided against it, his frustration clearly mounting. “The straps on my back hurt too much.” I wanted to leave it at that, but his fierce gaze forced me to continue. “I fell into the wall unit. It had…it had glass doors.”

His lips pursed so hard, the edges turned completely white, which was a stark contrast to his beet-red face. His bright, icy blue eyes filled with an unreadable emotion as they glistened. Before I could stop him, he flung the door open, jumped out, and then slammed it shut before stalking to the other side of the street. I couldn’t move, stuck in my seat as I watched him crouch down and cover his head with his arms. His back shook violently while I did nothing but sit in his Jeep and cry.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he returned with tear tracks lining his face. “What… Fuck, Bree!” He pressed his forehead against the steering wheel. “When? When did she do this?” he asked with a broken and defeated tone.

“Saturday night.” My answer came out in a hushed whisper.

His head snapped back as his tear-filled eyes narrowed. “After we…? After you went home? From my house?”

“She didn’t know where I was!”

“I don’t fucking care! You think that’s what I’m worried about?” His loud voice filled the cab, making me shrink in my seat. “You left my house…where you were safe. And then… Dammit! I didn’t protect you! You were with me and then you got hurt.”

“You couldn’t have known, Axel.”

“You didn’t call me! Why didn’t you call me? I told you if something ever happened again…if she ever hurt you again… I told you to call…you didn’t call.” I’d never seen him—or anyone—act so distraught in my life. His tears, his quivering lip and hysterical tone, the pain that poured from him, killed me inside. It hurt me more than the lacerations on my back.

I reached over the console and ran my fingers through his hair, hoping to offer some comfort. “I’m sorry, Axel. I told you yesterday that my mom barely let me out of her sight. I couldn’t call you.”

“Saturday night, after it happened, you could’ve called. If not me, then you should’ve called the police. During any one of those texts, you had the opportunity to tell me something. Anything. But instead, you did nothing.” His voice was a mix between anger and despair, and I didn’t know if I should cower away or hold him close. “And then you sat here and told me that you fell into it. Fell! You lied to me as if I wouldn’t know any better! Why don’t you trust me? Me, of all people?”

“It would’ve only made it worse. I’ve never seen her that mad before, Axel. I was really scared. For the first time, after all she’s ever done to me, I was really scared.” My sobs finally broke free, unable to handle the weight of his disappointment. “I’m sorry, Axel. I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad.”

“Baby…” He pulled me to him by the back of my head, careful to stay away from my back. “I’m the one that’s sorry. I didn’t mean to make this about me. I just got so mad that she hurt you. And then I… It doesn’t matter. How bad is it?”

I pulled away from him and wiped my face, attempting to calm down. “You don’t want to see it. Just leave it at that. It hurts, and I don’t want you to look at it.”

“Let me see, Aubrey. Telling me that makes it worse.”

I shook my head. “Please, Axel. Just leave it alone.”

“Were you cut?” he asked, and I could only nod my answer. “Did you go get it taken care of?”

“I did my best with it.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Bree? You…? That’s it. I’m going to go pick up a first aid kit and then I’m taking you back to my house. You will let me see it, because someone has to take care of it. And if you don’t let me do it, I’m taking you to the hospital, and then I’ll answer their questions.” He pulled the Jeep away from the curb before I could argue.

He stopped at a local dollar store and parked up front, ending the silent drive. “I’ll only be inside for a few minutes. Don’t test me, Bree. If I come back and you’re gone… Just don’t test the lengths I will go to protect you. Right now, I’m barely holding back from calling every cop in this county until I find one that’s not in your mother’s back pocket. Get out of this car, and I won’t hesitate to start making those calls.”

“I won’t leave, I promise.”

His expression fell as he lightly stroked my cheek with his fingertips. “I’m sorry I’m so mad, and that I’m taking it out on you. I know it’s not your fault. Please, don’t misunderstand my anger. I love you, Aubrey, and the thought of you being hurt makes me see red. I’m not upset with you.”

I nodded slowly and then closed my eyes as he leaned forward, closing his mouth over mine. It was a gentle kiss, full of love, but it lasted longer than I’d expected it to.

He stepped from the Jeep and took one more look at me before closing the door and disappearing into the store. I tried to relax in my seat, but my back prevented it, so I turned my body and stared out the window, just in time to watch the car parked next to us back up.

Axel stayed true to his word and only left me alone for a few minutes. After he got back behind the wheel, he drove me to his house to dress my wounds. Fear bubbled up inside at the anticipation of his reaction. I hadn’t been able to see my entire back in the mirror, but what I could see and feel wasn’t pretty. It made my eye look like a paper cut.

“I’m not wearing a bra. How exactly do you want to do this?”

We stood in his kitchen near the sink. He spun around and said, “Just cover yourself with your shirt. I won’t look until you’re ready.”

With shaky arms, I took off my sweater, pulled my large T-shirt over my head, and winced in pain. I pressed the garment against my chest, and once I told him he could turn around, I held my breath, waiting for his reaction. But instead of words, I heard a harsh gasp, and then I felt feather-light touches along my shoulder blade.

“I couldn’t reach it all, but I did pour peroxide on it in the shower. I could only cover some of them with bandages.”

“Your mom didn’t offer to help at all?” he asked in disbelief. When would he ever understand? Someone capable of this doesn’t possess the decency to help clean it up. “Tell me, Bree, what happened? Please. And don’t even think about lying to me.”