I was selfish to enjoy sleeping without fear and feeling safe. But Rock being there gave me both those things. Relying on that scared me. I didn’t know why he was doing this or when he was going to grow tired of it.

When Fandora had come into the house to find me on the sofa tucked in with a blanket watching television, and Rock sitting in the recliner, she had been furious. The shades of purple her face turned were impressive. I didn’t move. I just lay there in horror, waiting for her to lose it.

“You need to go buy groceries,” Rock informed her as he stayed relaxed in the chair beside me.

I stopped breathing. What was he doing? Did he not know this woman was crazy?

“Get out of my house or I’m calling the cops,” Fandora screamed at him.

Rock didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch. He couldn’t stay there forever, and at some point I would be left alone with this woman again. She would take this out on me.

“Rock, don’t—”

“I’m not going anywhere. You call the cops and I’ll be sure that they know you haven’t been home to check on your kids for three days. They’re running out of food. Trisha can’t take care of herself right now. So please, Fandora, call the motherfucking cops. I’d love to talk to them.”

Fandora was frozen. She was furious, but she was also unsure how to handle this. No one had ever been here to correct her or demand anything of her before. As for threats, she wasn’t used to those, either. Except for Krit threatening to run away if she kicked me out.

“You will not stay in this house,” she hissed.

Rock shrugged. “Don’t see how I can leave. I leave and you will end up killing Trisha, and I won’t let that happen. ’Cause I swear to God if something happens to her, I’m going to the cops. And let me warn you, they love me. This town loves me. I think you got a taste of that at the hospital.”

Fandora looked at me and pointed at the door. “Out. Get out. I’m done letting you mooch off me. I’ve let you stay too long. Krit won’t leave me—he can’t, he’s a minor. But you get your ass out of my house. I’m done with you.”

Rock moved then. He was up so fast Fandora flinched. “You kick her out and Krit will leave too. Don’t f**king kid yourself, woman. That boy adores her and you know it. He hates you, though. He’ll leave too, and when they’re both gone you won’t get that monthly check from the state.”

Fandora threw her purse on the floor and screamed. “I hate her! She’s a slut and I want her out of my house!”

Rock scowled at her, then just looked disgusted. His gaze turned to me and softened. There was reassurance in his eyes. “I’ll go pack your clothes. You rest.”

Where was I going to go? What about Krit? Rock was right that he would leave. He’d demand to be where I was, and I didn’t know where I was going to be.

“Don’t speak to her. Don’t touch her. I’ll have you behind bars so damn fast you won’t know what hit you. When Krit leaves too, I won’t have anything keeping me from having your sorry ass locked up. I can get both your kids to go to the police and incriminate you enough to get you put away for a while.”

“You can’t do anything!” Fandora yelled at him. “I’ve given them food and a roof over their heads. They are both lazy and won’t work! I should be given a f**king award for keeping her trashy ass as long as I have.”

Rock stalked toward her, and I watched as she backed up. Her eyes were finally showing fear.

“You call her one more name and I’ll deal with this shit myself. She’s the sweetest, kindest, most amazing girl I’ve ever met. So shut your filthy f**king mouth.”

The door opened behind her, and I moved to sit up. Krit was standing there, taking in Rock in his mother’s face looking ready to murder her.

“What’s going on? What did you do?” he asked, glaring at Fandora. “Did you touch Trisha?” His voice raised in a panicked tone.

“No. She’s just kicking your sister out. I’m going to pack her things,” Rock replied calmly.

Krit looked at me, and I tried to plead silently with him not to say or do anything stupid. I didn’t think she’d really hurt him, but she might start if I wasn’t here.

“I’ll go pack my things too,” Krit said, not even looking at his mother.

“You can’t leave. You’re my son,” Fandora screeched.

“The hell I can’t. I go where Trisha goes,” Krit informed her.

“NO! You can’t leave. I won’t allow it,” she continued.

Krit let out a hard laugh. “I don’t give a FUCK what you allow.”

Then he walked to his bedroom. Crap. He was packing to leave too. Where were we going to go? I had seen Rock’s dad. We sure wouldn’t be welcome there.

Rock shifted his attention to me. “Don’t get up. I’ll get everything you need.”

But where was I going?

Rock

I was almost to Trisha’s bedroom when Fandora’s words stopped me.

“FINE! She can stay.” She wasn’t happy about it, but she was giving in.

I turned back to look at her. “You going to touch her? Because I’ll be checking in all the damn time. One finger on her and I swear I’ll call the cops.”

Krit slammed his door open and walked out looking reading to kill someone. “You ever touch her again and I will go to jail for life because I’m going to kill whoever puts their hands on her. Including you,” he warned in a tone that most kids his age couldn’t pull off.

The kid was growing up fast. He had to.

Fandora’s eyes went large. “Are you threatening to kill me?” she asked in disbelief.

“I will kill anyone who touches Trisha. I am done letting shit happen to her. She doesn’t deserve it. No one deserves it. I won’t let you anymore.”

“I won’t be attacked in my own house. If she hadn’t been flirting with my boyfriend, this wouldn’t have happened. He got angry and made her shut up and stop touching him. That’s why she’s laid up right now. I didn’t touch her.”

Krit let out a hard, furious laugh. “What the f**k ever! He had his hands all over Trisha, and she was fighting him off. She doesn’t want your sick, disgusting men. She’s got him.” Krit pointed at me. “What would she want with greasy, fat old men?”

Fandora stared at her son like she’d never seen him before. I expected this side of him was a first for her. He was a man now. She’d forced her little boy to become a man because of her actions. He was going to protect his sister no matter what.

“Krit, don’t. Just . . . go to your room and work on your homework. Okay?” Trisha’s soft voice broke through the tension in the room.

Krit looked at her, and a tenderness in his eyes replaced the hatred that had been there. “I love you. And because I love you I am done doing what you tell me to do. I won’t let you protect me anymore. I’m bigger than you, Sis. It’s time I kept you safe.”

I really liked that kid.

Trisha’s eyes filled with unshed tears as she looked at her little brother. “I’m okay. Just don’t do this to yourself. Go calm down and focus on your homework.”

“Oh, for f**k’s sake. I’m done with this bullshit. I’m going to bed. Don’t bother me,” Fandora snarled as she walked to the hallway and toward her bedroom door. As she passed Krit and me, she stopped and shoved something at Krit. “Here’s a fifty go get whatever food you need.” Then she slammed her door.

Krit held the fifty in his hand and looked at me, then Trisha. “We leaving or staying?”

“We don’t have anywhere to go. We need to stay. I’m just going to focus on figuring out where we can go sooner rather than later. I need to get a job as soon as I can.”

Krit frowned. “You don’t have a license or a car.”

Trisha shrugged. “I will figure it out. You just worry about your homework. I’ll also get the groceries.”

Like hell. She wasn’t going to go do anything. She needed to heal.

I took the money from Krit. “I’ll go get the groceries. You watch over her until I get back.”

He nodded and headed back into the living room. “I’ll do homework in here,” he told both of us.

“Rock, you have to go home. You need to get caught up with school and get to football practice,” Trisha said, sounding worried.

She was right. I did need to do those things if I wanted to survive going back to my house. My dad was going to be furious. But she was more important than any of that. “I have it under control,” I reassured her, which was sort of the truth. Dewayne had been getting my work every day, and his dad had written me an excuse for missing school. I had the flu as far as anyone else knew.

Trisha sighed and leaned back on her pillows. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because you need me,” I replied, then headed for the door. I wasn’t telling her anything more than that.

“Get milk,” Krit called out to me.

Trisha

After missing a week of school, I was ready to go back. Fandora ignored me completely, treating me as if I didn’t exist, and this was a wonderful thing. She hadn’t been at the trailer much. She stayed gone most of the time. Rock left school and came home to check on me at lunch every day and after practice. He was pleased Fandora was staying away. He’d also bought so many groceries I knew it wasn’t just fifty dollars’ worth. He’d added money to that. When I had tried to argue with him about it, he just blew me off like I wasn’t talking.

When Krit had been so excited over corn dogs and grapes, I decided to forgive Rock for spending his money on us.

This morning Rock was coming to get me for school. Krit wanted to ride the bus with Green, but he was insistent I ride with Rock to school. I was also not to carry my book bag or my books. Rock was planning on doing that until my ribs healed. The idea of walking through Sea Breeze High with Rock Taylor at my side all the time was exciting and intimidating. I knew girls wouldn’t see me as a reason to stay away from him.

“Bus is here. See you after school!” Krit called as he ran out the front door. Fandora hadn’t come home last night. So luckily she wasn’t here for us to worry about. Krit had carried my book bag to the living room and made me swear not to pick it up, to wait on Rock till he arrived.

I felt helpless and I hated that.

When the gravel crunched beneath tires outside, my heart fluttered. Silly heart.

I walked over to the window to see Rock open his truck door and step out. He was dressed in jeans and his practice football jersey. They wore them on Mondays after winning Friday night’s game.

It looked real good on him.

He knocked once and walked inside. Having him in the trailer made me remember how safe I felt when he had stayed with me. I liked that feeling. I liked him being here.

“Morning,” he said in a sexy drawl.

“Good morning,” I replied, feeling my face heat. I had to get control of this. Rock was my friend. He hadn’t flirted with me again after the night he’d picked me up on the side of the road. Our whole dynamic had changed. We were . . . friends. Just friends. That thought made me sad.

Shaking it off, I knew this was all we would ever be. I needed to be thankful for that. He was a great person to have as a friend. His protective nature was a major plus.

“You ready to go back?” he asked, picking up my book bag.

Not really, but it was better than being here. “Yeah. I have to catch up.”

He nodded, then held open the door. “I’ll help you.”

He was always helping me. It was going to get old for him soon enough. I was going to become a burden.

“You’ve got your own work to catch up on. I’ll be fine,” I assured him.

Rock just chuckled behind me. I didn’t glance back at him. My cheeks were warm and I wasn’t even sure why.

He stepped around me and opened the truck door for me, then held out his hand. I glanced down at his hand and frowned.

“Take my hand. I need to help you up so you don’t strain yourself,” he explained, clearly amused.

I wasn’t sure touching his hand was a good idea. My heart was already all fluttery and my face was warm. Rock was suddenly causing my body to react in crazy ways. “Okay,” I said almost too softly.

When I placed my hand in his much larger one, his closed around mine, sending warm shivers through my body from the contact. I was losing it.

“You good?” he asked me when I still hadn’t moved my hand from his once I was seated in his truck.

I jerked my hand away, feeling like an idiot, and nodded. “Yeah, thanks,” I muttered, and didn’t look at him.

He didn’t move right away, and I was finding it hard to breathe knowing he was looking at me. Finally I turned my gaze to see him staring at my legs. I glanced down and realized that my shorts had ridden up even shorter than they were. I had to get some bigger shorts. Not getting exercise was not helping me lose weight. I tried to tug on them. Rock cleared his throat and closed my door.

I took several calming breaths before he opened his door and climbed inside. I didn’t have a shirt loose enough to cover the fact that my ribs were wrapped either. My clothes seemed to be shrinking.

He started the truck and Tim McGraw’s voice filled the space. Rock grinned and reached over to turn down the music. “I blare music to wake up in the morning,” he explained.

I nodded. “Good idea.”

He looked at me a moment longer than necessary, but I wouldn’t meet his gaze. I was afraid my feelings were all over my face, and I needed to figure this out and protect that. Rock wasn’t asking for something more with me. He wanted to be friends and I had said yes. I needed to respect that.