"Charlie? Are you okay?" Liam asked over the phone.

"I... I don't... I don't know what to do." I sobbed over the phone.

It was Wednesday night, and I saw Owen earlier today at his dad's house. When I got home, my mom was there. I wasn't sure how, but she knew that I was with Owen. At first she played it off like she wasn't mad, but maybe it was the fifth vodka she had that changed her mood.

"Why are you fucking lying to me?" She screamed and slammed her hand on the counter across from me, making me jump.

"I'm not!" I yelled back. She kept asking me weird questions about Tyler that I didn't know.

"Are you sleeping with him?" She yelled.

"Ew. What the fuck?" I asked. He was ten years older than me. And my brothers dad. Why would I sleep with him?

I tried to keep my distance from her by staying in the small makeshift dining room at our table while she stood in the kitchen.

"You're such a little whore." She finished her drink and walked out of the kitchen. Her words hurt, but I was glad it wasn't physical.

Moments later, I heard crashing sounds, and I ran towards my room.

"Mom! Stop!" I yelled as I watched her rip my room apart. Clothes were flying out of the dresser drawers as if she were searching for gold in there.

She looked at me and started coming for me. I put my arms up to cover my face, but she ripped them down. Her grip on my wrists stung.

"You're so ungrateful." She yelled.

"For what? Having a piece of shit mom? My bad!" I screamed back at her, ripping my hands out of her grip. I knew I would regret the words as soon as I said them, but I was so sick of her.

Her hand flew to my neck. She spit in my face as she tightened around my throat. I instantly felt lightheaded. It seemed like hours before she loosened up. "Fuck you." She removed her hand only to strike my face.

I sucked in a deep breath and held my hand over my stinging face. I felt a thick, warm substance coming from my cheek, pulling my hand away to see blood. She had never slapped me so hard before.

She took a clump of hair and pulled it. "Just remember who is in charge here." She had a gross smile on her face, making my stomach turn even more than it already was. She pulled my head down and pushed me to the ground before walking out of my room.

"Where are you Charlotte?" Liam asked on the other line.

I tried to catch my breath. I looked around me. Tears blurred my vision. Before leaving, I packed a bag of clothes and grabbed my keys. I wasn't sure where I was gonna go. Maybe Jo's, but after leaving I noticed my mom stole my car key from my lanyard. At least she left the apartment keys.

"Charlotte?" Liam yelled.

"Can you come get me?" I couldn't talk between the hiccuping tears and burning throat, so I hung up the phone and sent him my location. Somehow, I had walked about a mile down the road to a nice park near my apartment even though I didn't remember getting here. Munsinger Garden's was right along the river, and it was filled with flowers and walking trails. It was weird how my neighborhood so quickly turned from trash to nice. I found a bench and sat on it while I waited.

Liam tried calling me again, but I declined it. He sent me a text letting me know he'd be there in seven minutes.

It was warm for an October night in Minnesota, but I was glad I had been wearing a sweatshirt and leggings with the slight breeze. I looked up and tried to stop the tears. The stars peaked through fast moving clouds above. I tried to calm myself by focusing on the beautiful scenery I was surrounded by. There were a few concrete steps leading to a large fountain in front of me. On top, a naked boy spitting water from his mouth. I thought about the inspiration for the monument. I closed my eyes, pretending I was the little boy, running around with not a care in the world. Perhaps he was running through a sprinkler with his friends on a hot summer day.

I held on to the image until I heard my phone ring a few minutes later. This time, I answered as my mind was more at ease. I heard Liam's truck pull up, but I didn't have the energy to stand up. Thankfully, he spotted me with no explanation. With the phone pressed to his ear, he ran up to me.

"What the fuck Charlotte." He said and wrapped me in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know who to call. I don't know what to do." Tears began spilling over my eyes again once the realization hit that I was not a young, carefree child, but a broken young woman.

He let me sit there and cry for a few minutes before I finally pulled away. "Sorry I'm an ugly crier." I tried to make a joke.

"You look beautiful either way." He took my face in his hand and examined it. There was a large scratch from my mothers slap. She must have been wearing a ring. His eyes moved to my neck, and he pulled the neckline to my sweatshirt down to see the bruise. "Please always call me."

I nodded. I held my finger up to him signaling for a minute, feeling bile rise in my throat. I stood up and ran to the nearest garbage, throwing up whatever was left in my stomach. It was not a surprise to me as I had felt it coming since the strangulation. I felt Liam pull my hair back for me as vomit filled the bin.

"I'm so sorry." I said through another round of tears. The park was empty for the night, giving us privacy for the scene I was causing.

"Don't apologize. This is not your fault." His voice full of comfort.

I pulled my head up, but I was too embarrassed to look at him.

"Come on. Let's go to my truck. I have water there." He grabbed my hand and led the way. It felt as though my body was lifeless. Liam was pulling a shell of me. My spirit nowhere to be found.

He opened the door for me to his still running truck and helped me climb in. His glovebox was filled with napkins which he handed me to wipe my mouth with. Then he reached into the back seat and grabbed a water bottle from the 24 pack he had. I remember him telling me once he always has some and usually goes through a pack a week. I suggested he invest in a brita filter instead of killing our planet.

"Thank you." I took the bottle and quickly drank the whole thing. I guess I killed the planet too. "Can you give me a ride home?"

"Are you serious? Charlotte, you can't go back there." Liam was still standing next to me on the passenger side. Even though I was sitting in his truck, and he was standing, his eyes met mine at the same level.

"Where am I suppose to go?" I asked.

He sighed, breaking eye contact with me momentarily. "Come stay with me tonight."

My eyes widened with shock. "What about your parents? And school tomorrow?"

"Are you sure you wanna go to school?"

"I kinda have to, don't I?"

"No. We can skip. It's just one day."

"Don't you have basketball practice? I heard you're kind of a star or something."

He stayed silent for a minute to think. "Okay, I'll have Peter help sneak you in tonight. My parents both leave early in the morning, so getting you out will be easy. Can you stay with your dad after tonight?"

I laughed at the thought.

"Seriously Charlotte, you cannot live with your mom. I know you don't have a good relationship with your dad, but is living with an abusive mom any better? I mean look at you." He waved his hand up and down my body to prove his point.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll talk to him." I sighed. How do I even bring that up? Like "hey dad, I know we see each other like once a month, but mom is beating the shit out of me, so can I move in with you and your new picture perfect family?"

"We can figure it out later. Let's just get you out of here." He finally closed my door and went around to the drivers side.

On the way back to his place, he called Peter to figure out how to sneak me in. Surprisingly, Peter was all for it. He didn't even ask questions. Liam did mention how many times he helped him sneak Maggie in. It was already 9:30, so luckily, Liam's parents were in their room watching a movie and getting ready for bed. Their bedroom was on the main floor, which was the tricky part. The plan was Liam would go in and talk to them. When he left, he told his mom he had to give a friend a ride, but didn't offer much information. While he talked to them, Peter was going to sneak me upstairs into Liam's room through the back door.

I was nervous when we got there, but it was my only choice. Liam told me to wait a minute from the time he went in. It was the longest minute of my life. I grabbed my small bag and walked around to the back patio door where Peter was waiting for me.

"Holy shit." Peter mumbled when he saw me.

I looked away, and he avoided saying anything else. He quietly shut the door behind me and locked it. I followed him through the dining room and up the stairs. We walked down a hallway and to Liam's room. The house was decently big. Definitely bigger than my apartment, but not quite as big as Tyler's house. I think Liam said it was four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Peter and Liam's rooms were upstairs, along with a guest bedroom and a bathroom. Thankfully, Liam's room was on the opposite side as his parent's, so they most likely wouldn't hear us talking or walking around.

"Are you okay Charlie?" Peter asked, and for the first time ever, sounded like he actually cared.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I tried to force a smile. I tossed my bag on the ground and sat on the futon in Liam's room. His room was clean. There was a large tv hanging from the wall which was connected to a PlayStation. He must have been in a game when I called him because they were both still on. His bed was kind of made. It looked like he half assedly pulled his comforter over it to make it look somewhat nice.

Peter sat on the bed in silence. Neither of said anything, but I could tell he didn't want to leave me alone. A nice gesture really, especially coming from my bully.

Finally, Liam entered the room with some water bottles and snacks. He would be the one to bring a full charcuterie board for a bed time snack.

"Sorry. I was talking to them about basketball." He looked at Peter, "thanks man."

Peter gave him a nod and left.

"Do you wanna get cleaned up? Are you hungry? Cold?" Liam set the board down on his night stand and sat next to me.

"Is it possible for me to take a shower?" I asked. It felt weird showering in someone else's house, especially Liam's, but I knew there was blood, snot, tears, and vomit all over me.

"Whatever you need. Okay?" He said.

I tried to give him a smile. We walked across the hall to the bathroom, and he helped me set everything up. He apologized for only having boy products, but I honestly just wanted to feel hot water against my sore body.

"I'll be right across the hall." He grabbed the door knob and started walking out.

"Wait." I stopped him. "Could you maybe... nevermind." I cut myself off as I was suddenly aware of how weird it would be to have him stay in here with me while I showered. I just really didn't want to be alone.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked.

"You don't have to." I looked down at my fidgeting hands.

"Charlotte, I said whatever you need. And I meant it." He pulled me in for a hug and kissed my forehead.

"Thank you." I said. "Can you just turn around?"

"Is it too soon to make a joke about how I rather just take a shower with you?" He smirked at me.

"Yes." I said but laughed anyway and playfully pushed him.

"Fine. I swear I won't peak. But I might think about what you look like." He turned around and covered his eyes with his hands.

I quickly stripped down and threw my hair into a bun. There was no way I was washing it with 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/body wash. I felt my heart rate quicken. Nobody had ever seen me naked before, other than my mother. Liam didn't see me naked, but him being in the same room as me while I showered was close enough.

"Okay. You can look." I said once I closed the shower curtain. The shower was much bigger than the one in my small apartment. The head had multiple different settings, and the pressure felt amazing on my cool skin. I watched the water turn from clear to red from the blood on my face and back to clear. I noticed the red rings around my wrists from where my mom had held on. The two of us were silent, but I felt safe knowing Liam was there.

While I cleaned my body, I wondered if Liam's parents knew about me. Liam and his mom were closer than most kids and parents, definitely closer than me and mine. I couldn't imagine Liam coming home after a date and spilling his heart out to her. I wasn't much to talk about.

I also wondered if Peter knew about Liam's dad. How could not? They've been step brothers for years. It must have come up. Was he able to put together that my mom is the same monster Liam once had in his life? Maybe that's why he was nice to me tonight.

When I was done, I wrapped a towel around my body, and we walked back across the hall. I looked through my bag of clothes and quickly realized I didn't bring anything of use. I packed two pairs of jeans, six pairs of underwear, a brush, and lotion. I could wear my leggings to bed, but I wasn't sure I wanted to put my sweatshirt back on which had vomit on the right sleeve.

"Do you need pajamas?" Liam asked once he noticed I had been staring in my bag waiting for something else to appear.

"Yeah, remind me never to pack an overnight bag in a rush." I said. I felt bad taking Liam's clothes. He had already done so much for me tonight.

He went to his walk in closet and found some black basketball shorts and an orange "tech" shirt. I was glad I at least brought clean underwear.

Liam turned on Bob's Burgers for background noise while I changed in his closet. The clothes were massive on me. I had to tie the string on the shorts as tight as I could and fold them over to get them to stay up.

"What?" I asked him when I noticed him staring at me after I stepped out of the closet.

"Fuck babe. Just look at you." He said.

I nearly choked on my heart at the sound of him calling me babe and tried to hold back my smile. "Babe?"

"Is that okay?"

I bit my lip to try to hide the huge smile on my face and nodded. I caught a glimpse of myself in his closet mirror and couldn't help but adore the way I drown in his clothes. I was tall for a girl, about 5'8, but Liam was at least 6'3.

"Are you tired?" He asked. It was ten o'clock, and I knew we'd have to wake up early for school and for Liam to bring me back to my place to get ready.

"Exhausted." I said.

"You can sleep on the bed, and I can sleep on the futon if you don't feel comfortable with me sleeping in bed with you."

"No, it's okay. You can sleep with me."

"Okay, but you should know I sleep naked."

"Oh. Uhm..."

"You just make it too easy." He laughed. "I normally sleep in boxers, but I'll keep clothes on for you." He went into the closet and when he came back out, he was wearing basketball shorts and a T-shirt as well.

"Awe we match." I smiled and crawled into his bed. Everything smelt like Liam. If you would have told me three weeks ago that I would be sleeping in Liam's clothes and bed, I probably would have pissed myself, but I felt so safe with him. He made me more comfortable than I have ever been.

"You look a lot better in my clothes than me." He crawled in next to me.

He pulled my body into his, and I could feel his heart beating through his shirt. I was glad I wasn't the only one who was nervous. I was laying on my back looking up to Liam, who was laying on his stomach with an arm laying across my body.

"Good night." I smiled up to him.

"Good night, Charlotte." He leant down and pressed a small kissed against my lips.

My eyes were immediately heavy, and I fell asleep faster than I wanted to.