My fists pounded against the heavy bag that hung from the ceiling. The cloth wrapped around my knuckles was discolored from the sweat escaping my body, as well as my cut off shirt. It's light grey color turned dark from all the sweat leaving me.

All my stress was being exercised on the lump of weight in front of me. Not even taking one break, one punch after the other, I kept myself busy pushing the thoughts away.

Tomorrow Sabrina would know a lot more about me, and I wasn't emotionally ready for that yet. My worried state continued to be expressed through my punches as I gave the bag all I had. When it started to sway I'd steady it and then continued the pattern.

Once I was finished I rubbed my knuckles, relieving them of their worn out state. They were sore, but I didn't care. I needed to get out those pent up feelings that would tear me apart if I didn't let them out.

There were still so many unresolved emotions spinning through my brain, but I couldn't get them out, no matter how many times I brought my fists against the punching bag. The fear of Sabrina not looking at me the same again was eating away at me more with every second that past.

I unwrapped the cloth from my hands and threw them in the bin and left for the door. After I brought my shirt up over my head, I grabbed my water bottle and let some spill over the side of my mouth as I drank. Cool beads of liquid fell over my chest as I continued to down the bottle.

The thought of showering was the only thing that occupied my mind at that moment. Exercising was to bring my feelings to the surface, now I had to shower to wash them away.

Grabbing a towel from the rack, I left the fitness room and went straight towards my bathroom. I tore all my remaining clothes from my body and jumped into the shower after turning it to the coldest setting, cherishing the way the water separated my body and mind. My whole frame relaxed as I took a deep breath.

I never felt more at peace with myself than when I was here, relieving my body of all the poison in my life. When you're the type of person to keep everything built up inside of you, you had to let it out somehow. It used to be sex and drugs, but I had to break the vicious cycle if I had any chance with Sabrina.

The girl who would want nothing to do with me by tomorrow.

Leaning my head on the titles of the wall opposite the showerhead, I let my mind relax as it emptied all the unwanted emotions that tore me down inside. Time was no longer on my radar as I felt myself let go.

When I finally could feel clean again, I turned off the faucet and let the water fall away. My brain was no longer crowded with unwanted emotions, but the memories were something that could never be washed away.

For that, I needed a miracle, and those didn't exist in the real world.

I wrapped a towel around my waist and stood in front of the mirror. There was no fog covering it since there was no steam, leaving my reflection clear instead of fuzzy.

My dark brown hair that was usually styled upwards now fell against my forehead, hanging over my eyebrows a little. It curled a little at the end which usually wasn't noticeable when gel held it in place.

The fierce look in my hazel eyes was one of determination that I'd never seen before. I was a determined person in general, but I knew this was different. This look was for something that I never thought I'd care about.

The look of determination to keep the person that meant way too much to me.

When I first met Sabrina Williams, I didn't ever think she'd be girlfriend material. Although, I never pictured anyone as girlfriend material. I didn't have girlfriends. They weren't my thing, but she broke the barrier.

That fine wall that kept me and others from getting hurt fell away and I was held prisoner in the viewing of my own destruction.

Trying not to care is pointless when there is so much to care about.

A deep sigh left me as I grabbed my toothbrush and continued getting myself ready for the day. The clock said it was only nine in the morning so I still had plenty of time until I had to meet Sabrina at her house for pictures.

I felt bad for dreading hanging out with her parents for even just a little bit, but they were huge on Christianity. This wasn't a problem, but when you were a guy like me around people like that, you always are terrified they'd see right through you.

They'd see the demons lurking in your past.

When I finally made my appearance upstairs, it was nearly noon. To my luck, Father was out for some sort of meeting downtown and would be there all weekend. Now my only concern was the woman who was already pouring herself a martini in the kitchen.

I walked past her, trying to keep from having a conversation. Usually we never said much more than a word or two to each other since she ignored my existence. Unlike usual though, she acknowledged that I was there and offered me a drink. I took it without further question as she poured herself a new glass.

"So," she started awkwardly, "any plans for homecoming tonight?"

"Yep," I kept my answer short as I took a sip. "I don't know when I will be back tonight though."

Sandra nodded and looked at the drink in her hand. "You don't have to worry about me interrupting anything if you two come back here. Just make sure I'm not a grandmother by morning."

"You don't have to worry about that," I told her truthfully.

"I'm serious, Austin. Don't make the same mistake I did all those years ago." Her warning almost angered me since she was talking about how I was an accident again. It seemed like every chance she got, she'd bring it up.

"Don't worry Mother, Sabrina won't let herself get pregnant just so she can gold dig her way to the Griffin fortune," I replied snarkily.

A deathly glare was shot at me as she drained the rest of the glass in one tilt of her head. She wasn't in the mood to fight which was probably a good thing. I wasn't in the mood to get slapped either.

Greeting Sabrina with a kiss, I pulled her body closer to me as I pushed myself through her front door, her along with me. Her parents weren't coming home with her brother for another twenty minutes, and I wanted to make the most of it.

"Whoa, slow down there horndog," Sabrina said after separating my mouth from her lips. I pouted at her while she smiled up at me. "Would you like something to drink?" She asked, walking into the kitchen.

A huff of annoyance left me as I said, "Some water would be nice."

Sabrina nodded and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, using the fridge's water dispenser to fill it. When she reached over to me to hand me the beverage, I grabbed her by the wrist and put the glass down on the counter. Securing my hands around her waist, I lifted her up onto the island in the middle of the kitchen.

At first she was almost resistant, but once my lips met hers, she let go. My arms moved towards her legs, separating them so that I could stand between them. I wrapped her legs around my waist. In response, she pulled me closer, her fingers tugging at my hair.

My touch traveled up the outside of her legs until they reached her butt, gripping one cheek tightly with each hand. Breathing was only the second most important thing at the moment as our bodies flushed together, going deeper into a forbidden paradise.

Her shirt lifted slowly off of her lower back as my left hand trailed up it, and my right hand stayed on her butt, holding her in place against me. Heat coursed through my lower portion as I started to ache down there with need. The more we went on like this, the more I could feel my self control lose focus.

There was no stopping me now.

Gripping the bottom of her t-shirt, I pulled it over her head, leaving her only in a sports bra. At that moment, she didn't seem to care, only getting lost in the sensation both of us so clearly were sucked into.

A heavenly moan left her lips as I buried my lips in her neck, leaving little bites on all the right places. I trailed my mouth all the way to hers, leaving little kisses along her jaw. Shivers racked her spine, and mine too as I brought my lips to her plump ones. Our breaths becoming more ragged as we continued.

When I was almost to the point of taking off her sports bra, the sound of the front door opening sent us both into a panic. I grabbed her shirt and fixed my hair as she pulled it back over her head.

I quickly made my way to the fridge, pretending that food was the only thing our minds were on at the moment.

Sabrina's mom, Katherine Williams, walked in with a bag of groceries right on que. "Oh! Hello Austin. You're early."

She looked at us skeptically until her daughter replied, "He just wanted to help me get ready." A sweet smile crossed her face as she grabbed the bag from her mother's hands. "Let me help you with that.

"Thanks honey, and that's nice of him." Katherine sent me a gratified smile, even though I was most definitely not helping Sabrina with anything unless it was getting her undressed.

A sly grin came across my face at the thought. Her in only underwear was definitely something I wanted to see. Shaking those thoughts away, I tried to concentrate. I didn't want her mother to see right through me.

I cared about Sabrina, but I couldn't always control my urges.

"I don't feel comfortable with you two being alone in the house." That was Sabrina's Father, Trenton. He always was a protective one. Most of the time he scared me. Not because he was intimidating, but it always seemed like he knew my game plans.

Lots of them were not something most parents would want going through the boyfriend's mind of their daughters. Or through anyone's mind for that matter.

"Sorry, Daddy." Sabrina put the last of the groceries away before turning to Trenton. "He didn't know you weren't home. If it's okay with you, Austin was going to help me get ready for the dance."

"Not when-"

Sabrina let out a small laugh before taking over his words. "Not when I'm getting changed. I know."

I had to look away from her father's gaze as I pictured that going down. Him knowing it was something I'd like to see would definitely not get him to like me.

When Sabrina and I first started dating, he knew about me and my past. He was more than aware about the parties I threw and the way I did drugs like it was no problem. It was something he'd always held against me, but I never blamed him for it. It was my own fault for letting myself get into all of that in the first place.

The moment he found out that we were dating, he told me to stay away from his daughter. Things between us were always tense, but they were getting better.

"Austin." He nodded at me, acknowledging that I was there, but that was it.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Williams." I was about to ask how he was doing, but he was already gone. A huff of annoyance left me, but I didn't let that stop my good mood. Sabrina's flushed cheeks still reminded me of how far she let me go just a moment ago.

"Where's Troy?" Sabrina asked her mother. I also wondered where he was. It was unusual for her brother to miss out on an opportunity to play overprotective brother.

Since he was a couple years younger than us, it was almost adorable. Freshman really thought that they were so tough. He was lucky that he was Sabrina's younger brother, or else I would have talked Rodney out of letting him on the team.

"He's staying at Joey's house for the night," Katherine explained. "They've been getting unnervingly close lately."

I didn't know much about Joey Ried, but I did know that he was a typical bad boy. His motorcycle always ended up taking over two parking spaces, just to be an ass. Selling drugs was also something he did often. That kid was more than capable of being some sort of crime boss sometime in the future.

Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Sabrina's brother, I still didn't like him getting involved with Joey. He was a bad seed. I knew this, because I used to be him.

"I'm sure it's just a phase, Mom." Uncertainty was in her voice, but right now she didn't have time to worry about that.

When she grabbed my hand and started dragging me out of the room, I knew that I would have to sit through the most boring couple hours of my life.

I couldn't keep myself from trailing my gaze over Sabrina's body. The dress she had picked was more perfect than I expected.

Stopping at mid-thigh, the blue dress clung tightly to her like a second skin. Her beauty always left me speechless. When she walked down those steps earlier tonight, finally ready to take pictures with her parents and me, I swore my breathing had stopped for a moment.

A small smile crossed my face as she grabbed my hand as we were walking to the school. As silly as it sounded, there was nothing more calming.

Flashing our school passes, we were let in through the front doors. The people who collected the tickets were waiting patiently only a couple feet after entering. I pulled both our tickets from my pocket and handed them to our history teacher, Mr. Finnick.

"You two have a wonderful night," he said, smiling happily at us. Finnick was one of my favorite teachers, and I knew that he favored me towards his other students. For some reason I had a love for knowing about things that happened in the past, which was why I was so great with history class. The mistakes of those people often made me feel better about my own.

We both sent him a smile before we entered the cafeteria where the dance was being held. Different colors bounced off the walls as the bass from the music vibrated the ground, creating a tremor in my ribcage.

Sabrina's grip on my hand grew tighter as she spotted our friends and guided me through all the other dancing teens. It was easy to get lost in this crowd of people, there being so many.

Finally once we got to group of friends, Sabrina got hugs and compliments from hers and I greeted mine.

Rodney and Courtney showed up together, which didn't surprise anyone. Every year they went together. Of course, everyone knew the pattern. They'd dance for a while, get into a fight, and then they'd leave early for some make-up sex. The two of them became more predictable than anything when it came to dances.

Brett showed up with Candace. Bradley was with Charlette and they seemed to be having fun. Amber with Cole Atless, Rodney was with Courtney, and Maddie with Paul.

The group didn't stay together for long though. Not even twenty minutes later, everyone was going their separate ways, but I didn't mind.

Having Sabrina all to myself was what I wanted in the first place. The party music was slowly starting to fade into something more slow paced, and for once I did something I thought I'd usually pass on.

I grabbed Sabrina's hand, and pulled her to me. Both our fronts collided gracefully as I wrapped my arm around her waist. A look of shock came over her face and I only smiled and brought her closer to my chest. I could tell that at first she didn't know what to think, but eventually her body relaxed and she wrapped her arms around the back of my neck.

Looking down at her, she gave me a quizzical look. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to be romantic." I smirked down at her. "So shut up and enjoy it."

Sabrina's eyes sparkled as she let out a small laugh, and pulled herself closer to me. She hugged me while we danced, me gripping her tightly as she did so. There was a weird feeling coursing through me. Something that I had never felt before started to knot my insides like crazy, but sent warmth throughout my whole body at the same time. It was scary and it made me want to pull away.

But I didn't.

I held on to her like she was my life force, and there was no way I'd be letting her go anytime soon. The way her fragile frame was holding me, it almost made me feel like I was the fragile one. My heartrate was only increasing the longer she was pressed against me, but it was almost like she was the one thing that kept it beating.

Even though I knew that having her near me was making me weak. Vulnerable. I didn't care. Not right now, anyway.

Right now, all I cared about was the girl in my arms that was making me feel like anything was possible. The girl that had been there for me more than anyone in the past couple years. Before the day I asked her to be my girlfriend, she spent months trying to get me on the right track. Everyone told her to not waste her time on me, but she refused to listen to them.

She saved my life, and I didn't even know it at the time.

"Sabrina?" I didn't even realize I whispered her name in my ear until she moved her head off my shoulder so that she could look at me. Words escaped me for a moment, not knowing quite how to say this. Being caught in the moment was clouding my judgement. "Sabrina, I-"

No. I couldn't do it. There was no way that I'd say those words if I didn't even understand what they meant. Putting so much power into words was always dangerous if they weren't said wholeheartedly.

Sabrina wasn't like any of the other girls. She was special, and I wasn't about to say anything that would lead her to some kind of conclusion that wasn't one hundred percent sincere. I couldn't do that to her.

She looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue the sentence I left unfinished.

Before she could question my speechless state, I did the only thing I knew that could distract her. Bringing her mouth to mine, all my nerves disappeared. I was able to let go once again. My thoughts from before were replaced with my normal state of mind. All the knots in my stomach were gone, and I could think rationally again.

When we parted her eyes were still closed for a few seconds before opening. They were glazed over when she looked deep into mine, sending shivers down my spine.

What was going on with me?

"Austin?" She looked up at me with concern, loosening her hold around my neck to get a better look at me. "Are you okay?"

I was about to answer, but the slow-dance song faded, and dance music was blasting through the speakers once again. This shook me away from what I wanted to say as I cleared my throat and said, "Just fine. Now no more talking. This is a dance remember?"

Sabrina shook her head, laughing a little, but I could tell she knew more than she was letting on. Luckily, she didn't push her question and decided to let it go.

Grabbing her hands, I twirled her around so her back collided with my front. She was a little taller in her heels, but her body still flushed against mine perfectly. We both let go of everything and swayed to the music, pretending for once that nothing else was going on.

At first I was having the time of my life. Sabrina was grinding against me and it felt better than I thought it would, but for some reason there was nothing I wanted to do more than to slow dance with her again.

A smile formed on my lips as I got an idea.

"Come on." My breath tickled her neck while whispering in her ear. Gripping her hand tightly, I pulled her through the crowd of dancing teenagers and into the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Sabrina finally asked, once we were halfway through the hallway. She laughed as she tried to keep up with me in her heels. I shushed her knowing full well that we weren't allowed to wander around the school. The last thing we wanted was for the teachers to catch us.

"Stop laughing," I said, not able to laugh since hers was so contagious. "Do you want to get us thrown out?"

Before she could reply, I abruptly yanked her around the next corner. We both breathed heavily, our diaphragms going up and down as I pulled her to my chest, kissing her deeply. I chuckled when we pulled apart.

"Okay, we're here," Sabrina said. "Now what are we doing exactly? This isn't some sort of elaborate plot to rape me, is it?"

Laughing, I said, "It's not rape if you like it."

I didn't even have time to wink at her before she slapped my shoulder. "Shut your hole, Austin."

My smirk didn't go away as I stepped closer to her, she instinctively backed away until her back hit the wall. I pressed my body close to hers, leaving her no room for movement. "I like it when you talk dirty to me."

She couldn't keep herself from giggling that time. "Stop being a pig and tell me what we're doing here."

"I wanted to dance with you."

"We were dancing."

"No," I told her, lightly brushing my hand through my hair. "I mean like really dance."

I looped my arm around her waist while holding her other one in the air to our side. Our faces were less than an inch apart once I brought her to me. Her breath hitched for a second as she looked up at me. I only smiled down at her.

Who could have known that all the gala dance lessons my private elementary school taught us would actually pay off someday.

"There's no music," she point out.

"Whoever said you needed music to dance?" The smile I had on my face widened as she looked stumped on the question. "Exactly. Now shush, we are having another romantic moment."

Sabrina's smile was brighter than ever as she rested her head on my shoulder again. I had no idea that this kind of dancing felt so amazing. With grinding, the only thing you're thinking about is your dick, but with this kind of dancing, you're thinking with your soul.

Too bad you don't have one, I thought bitterly to myself.

"Have I ever told you how much like you?" I asked, not really sure where I was going with this. "No one has ever really been there much for me as much as you have. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate it."

She stayed quiet as we swayed to no particular tune.

"It's not that people haven't tried making me a better person," I continued, "but you are the one person that is still fighting to save me."

"Everyone's worth saving," she mumbled, her warm breath fanning my neck as she spoke. "Especially the people we love."

Something deep inside me froze as she said this. I didn't know what to say to that, so I just stayed silent.

Was that her telling me that she loved me? No. Someone as pure spirited as Sabrina couldn't love someone like me. Not after everything I'd done. There was no way she'd actually feel so strongly for me. Even if she did, I wasn't so sure if she'd feel the same tomorrow.

I tried not to think about this now, wanting such a beautiful moment to remain that way.

"This is nice," I finally said, kissing the top of Sabrina's as we continued to dance. "I actually kind of like it better without the music."

"You're a weird one."

I laughed and rested my head against hers, losing myself in the calm of the moment, wishing things between us was always so peaceful. That wasn't the way life worked though. It was a messy world where the ugly took over all the beauty in it.

Not a moment went by where I wished that my life wasn't filled with all the crap that brought me turmoil. Too bad all of that was a pointless dream. Times like this were one in a million, and often didn't last long.

There was only one constant one in a million in my sad existence, and I was planning on keeping her.

Thanks for reading ch. 6! Hopefully it wasn't as bad as I thought it was...

Don't forget to leave a comment if you have one, or vote on the chapter if you think it deserved it!