What is Trevor doing here? I feel the nausea swoop through me like a hawk catching its prey. My hands grow clammy, cold and begin to shake with fear. Trevor stumbles toward me holding a beer in his hand. His dark eyes are narrowed and the ghost of a smirk plays on his lips. I release a shuddery breath. It suddenly feels like I'm back at home, cowering on the floor while Trevor smirks down at me. The colourful lights around me begin to blur in my vision. The feeling of joy turns to dread, and it feels like the carnival music begins to mock me. I can't tear my eyes off Trevor. I feel his pull on me as he drags me back into the darkness I've been trying to claw myself out of. All rational thoughts fly out of the window and my mind turns blank. Empty. A vast space filled with nothing but cold fear.

Trevor places his beer down on the bench before taking a seat opposite me. His knee roughly bumps mine underneath the table and I recoil in disgust. My breathing shallows. I want to move but it feels like my body has been weighed down to the spot. Trevor leans forward until his hot breath invades my personal space. My hands grip onto the edge of the bench, turning white due to the force of my hold.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Trevor hisses at me. His lips curl up with disgust, and he looks at me like I'm the most disgusting sight he's ever laid eyes on. I feel my confidence shatter to the ground and a soft whimper rolls through the back of my throat. His dark eyes flash with approval when he realises he still holds an immense amount of power over me. A few weeks away from him doesn't banish the years of torment. I'm back to being a scared, powerless and timid little girl.

"What do you want?" I whisper, unable to tear my eyes off him. The rest of the carnival around me blurs into one, and I feel disorientated with haze. "Do you have any idea of the stress you've caused your mother? Huh? You selfish little bitch." Trevor hisses at me. I open my mouth to protest, but I'm left feeling like a fish without water. I snap my mouth shut before dropping my gaze to the table with shame. I shouldn't feel shameful for leaving when I did.

Trevor's hand suddenly grabs hold of my arm and he roughly yanks me up to my feet. "You're coming home with me. You have plenty of explaining to do." Trevor's grip tightens around my arm. I release a strangled cry when his hands begin to dig into my skin. "Stop it. You're hurting me!" I tell him, just like I've told him a thousand times before. I dig my heels into the floor to stop him from dragging me away. I don't want to go anywhere with him.

"This is nothing. Just wait until you get home. I'm going to teach you a lesson," Trevor hisses down my ear. My vision blurs with heavy tears. I pull at his hand to release me, but it doesn't work. He begins dragging me away with him when I hear an angry voice rip through the atmosphere. "Get your fucking hands off her," Jake's presence surrounds me. The tight hold on my lungs begins to loosen when I remember Jake has been with me all along. He's standing several feet away holding two hotdogs, fries and a milkshake. His eyes are focused on Trevor's face, and his jaw twitches with anger. Trevor's head snaps in Jake's direction and a deep frown covers his features. "Who are you?"

Jake ignores his question before carefully placing the food on the table. He takes a small step forward with his hands balled into tight fists on either side of him. His eyes ignite with anger as he takes in the sight of me trembling inside Trevor's hold. "Are you okay?" Jake asks me quietly. My bottom lip wobbles unsteadily and I shake my head in protest. I'm not okay. I don't know if I'll ever be okay when Trevor is around. My response causes Jake to inhale a deep breath and his eyes turn several shades darker with fury. His gaze slowly travels back to Trevor's face.

"You have one last chance to take your filthy hands off her." Jake spits out. His voice is dangerously calm, but there's a chilling undertone to his words. Trevor tightens his grip on me before releasing a laugh of amusement. He looks down at me with a glint in his dark eyes. "How adorale. You found yourself a boyfriend. Do you think he's going to save you?" Trevor taunts me. He suddenly drops his tight hold on my arm and I stumble backward in shock. Trevor takes a threatening step toward Jake before rolling up his sleeves. I've seen his actions before. He's preparing to fight and the thought of him fighting with Jake makes me feel sick to my core.

"Don't hurt him!" I yell out. Trevor continues to approach Jake while pushing out his chest to intimidate. Jake tilts his head to the right as he studies Trevor. His face is expressionless, and he makes no attempt to back away from him. The interaction between the two men is beginning to cause a scene. Crowds linger around the benches, watching Trevor and Jake with uncertainty.

"This is none of your business. Get out of here." Trevor hisses at Jake. My hands begin shaking profusely as I watch Trevor grow closer and closer to the boy I'm in love with. The fierce instinct to protect him washes over me and I take a brave step forward. "Don't hurt him, Trevor." I yell uneasily. Jake's gaze snaps over to me and he looks amused at my words. I want to scream at him to tear his eyes off me and focus on Trevor instead. Doesn't he realise Trevor is zoning in on him?

As soon as Trevor is within distance to Jake, his arm flings back and he punches Trevor in the face. Gasps erupt in the crowd. The one swift punch causes Trevor to crumble to the floor. Jake shakes off his hand before looking down at Trevor with clenched teeth.

"Stand up." Jake barks orders down at him. My eyes suddenly grow wide when I realise Jake isn't scared of the man who tormented me for years. The monster who starred in all of my nightmares is standing to his feet to retaliate, and Jake doesn't seem to hesitate once. Trevor takes his time to stand up, no doubt because he's dazed from Jake's punch. Jake releases a sigh before grabbing hold of Trevor's collar. He yanks him up to his feet before throwing another punch to his face. Trevor falls to the floor with a loud groan.

I've never seen him cower away looking like he's consumed by pain. It's usually the other way round. Jake bends down before grabbing hold of Trevor's shirt. He shakes his limp body, forcing his head to roll back so he's looking up at Jake. His blue eyes burn with hatred and he leans down to hiss in Trevor's ear. "I promised myself if I ever met the person responsible for hurting Emily, I'd break every single bone in his spineless body." Jake begins quietly. Trevor's eyes grow wide with fear. For the first time since I've known him, there's fear etched into his face. I cover my mouth with my hand in disbelief.

"Do you want to know something about me, Trevor?" Jake asks him, his grip becoming more tighter with every passing second. Trevor stares up at Jake in silence. A slow smirk spreads across Jake's face, and he looks like he's enjoying every second of seeing Trevor trembling on his knees. "I always keep my promises," Jake finishes before grabbing the back of Trevor's head. He smashes his face into the floor before dragging him to his feet. Blood covers Trevor's face. Screams erupt in the crowd and I feel my stomach churn uneasily. Parent's drag away their children whilst other people record the fight. Can it be labelled a fight if it's entirely one sided?

"Stand up and fight me. Fight somebody your own size, you coward!" Jake screams at him. He drops his hold on Trevor and he immediately folds down to the ground. The impact of Jake's punches has left him with no strength at all. I expect Jake to walk away from him, but he isn't finished. He isn't satisfied and I quickly realise he's gunning for more blood. Jake drops down to his knees before ploughing into Trevor. His punches are quick, blurred and forceful. Trevor groans in pain as he fights to stay conscious.

I want to scream at Jake to stop, but Trevor deserves this. He's finally discovered what it feels like to be on the receiving end of uncontrollable anger. The distant sounds of police sirens can be heard in the distance, and it snaps me out of the shock I'm in. I stumble forward to pull Jake away from a bloodied and beaten Trevor. His eyes are swollen shut, blood covers his entire face and he's breathing in slow shallow breaths. "Jake! We need to go," I cry while tugging at his arm. Jake grabs hold of the back of Trevor's head before staring down into his eyes. His voice turns cold, emotionless and filled with detestation. Trevor's gaze flickers between me and Jake. Jake shakes his head in protest before forcing him to look directly into Jake's eyes.

"Don't look at her, look at me. This is the last face you're ever going to see." Jake hisses at him. Pure fear travels through Trevor's body, and he begins pleading for Jake's forgiveness. "No, please..." Trevor spits out blood in desperation. His cries for help fall on deaf ears. It's strange to hear the man who tortured me beg for forgiveness. How many times did I beg as a child just for Trevor to ignore me? Jake gives him one last look of disgust. "Goodbye, Trevor." Jake says before smashing his face into the cobbled floor. The crunch of the impact causes a fearful silence to settle in the carnival. A strangled scream slips from my lips and I grab hold of Jake to drag him away.

"We have to go. The police are on their way," I choke out in disbelief. My eyes flick over to Trevor and he's lying completely still on the floor. Did Jake kill him? Jake slings one arm around my shoulders before reaching for his milkshake with the other. He takes a long sip of it before heading for the car. The crowds of people around him watch with fear, awe and disbelief. Jake doesn't look phased at the way people recoil away from him. I guess I finally witnessed why Jake Melvin has a reputation.

We scramble into Jake's car before he turns it on. He screeches out of his parking space and begins hurtling toward the exit of the carnival. The music has been turned off and the sound of sirens grows louder with every second. Jake's car skids onto the road and he presses down on the gas pedal to get away from the scene. I grab onto my hands when I realise I'm shaking uncontrollably. My gaze flickers over to Jake's hands that are swollen and covered with blood... Trevor's blood. Bile rises to the back of my throat. "You killed him," I whisper, feeling like the air is being sucked straight out of the car.