''So, what are you now? A senior?'' Jonas asked with a smile.

''Yup. Ugh, I don't know why I'M hanging out with lame little kids like you.'' She teased, rolling her eyes playfully as Jonas defended himself.

''We're not kids, we're in high school now.''

''You have no idea how much I missed you guys.'' She said.

''Lizzy.. I'm bored.'' I heard a young kid's voice whine through the car window. I turned to look at Lizzy's parked car and noticed 2 kids in the backseats.

''Alright you guys, you can come out.'' she walked over to her car and opened the car door to let them out.

"Yo, is this Dylan? Your little brother grew up, the last time I saw him he was like 5.'' Jonas chuckled.

"And who's this other squirt ya got with you?" Jonas asked, gesturing his head towards the other boy, who looked like he was Blake's age.

"William." Lizzy said.

Jonas' eyebrows rose. "You mean your baby brother?"

I looked back at the kid. Was that really her baby brother? Wow, I remember him being just a baby when we hung out before she moved away. Time really does fly.

She smiled as the two walked to her side. "Say hi, you guys. These are some old friends of mine."

"Hi." Both of them said in union.

I noticed the older kid, Dylan staring at me as Jonas and I had a conversation with Lizzy.

Noticing her brother's prolonged staring, she gave him a soft slap on the shoulder. "You know it's rude to just stare at people, right Dil?" She asked him.

"Yeah sorry Liz. Your friend just looks a lot different then the last time I saw him."

He tippy toed a bit to be Lizzy's height before whispering in her ear. "Is that.. Is that really that one fat boy you hung out with when I was little?"

"You know I can hear you guys, right?" I butted in their conversation.

Dylan turned a light shade a red.

"Dylan!" Lizzy snapped with a glare.

"No, no let him. I don't really care. Yeah, it's me." I said as I looked at Dylan.

"Wow, you lost a lot of weight." Dylan blurted out, Lizzy elbowing him. She shot him a small glare, before giving me an apologetic look.

"Sorry Zack, Dylan's a pretty straight forward kid. And it's always getting him in trouble." She spoke with gritted teeth as she glared at him.

"But it's true, Lizzy!" Dylan said in defense.

"That's a good thing though, he's a good looking guy!"

"Psh." I snort. I never really knew how to take compliments, I usually ignored them cause most of the time I didn't believe them.

"Dill's not lying Liz. This dude's a total pussy magnet." Jonas chuckled, leaning his elbow on my shoulder.

"Jonas shh! There are children here." Lizzy laughed, covering Williams ears.

"Meh, I don't really care. Kids always cuss in my class." Dylan shrugged.

"Do you mean cats?" William asked innocently. "Are you saying he attracts cats?"

Jonas ran his fingers through his hair. "Uh.. Yeah?" he said, more like asked.

"Alright that's enough you two, go back to the car. I'll be there in a bit with you." The little one William nodded and obeyed his sister's orders, heading back to the car.

Lizzy started talking again, until she looked at Dylan who was still next to us hearing our conversation.

"What do you think you're doing here? Go to the car with your brother, mister." She ordered, arms crossed.

"I don't want to. I want to stay here." Dylan whined.

"Trust me.. You're too young to be hearing the shit we talk about." Jonas told Dylan with a chuckle.

"Didn't you start doing 'shit' at a young age though?" Dylan shot back, leaving Jonas quiet. Damn, for someone his age, he sure had a lot to say.

"Well..I.. You got me there." Jonas managed to say after some seconds of stumbling on his words.

"He's right, Liz. We were already doing lots of shit at his age. I'm sure he can handle it." I added to the conversation. Dylan smiled proudly..

"Yeah.." Jonas jumped in.

"Anyway look at this; this kid's what, 11 years old? He's 11 and already almost Isaac's height." Jonas teased. Lizzy laughed along with him.

"Fuck off. You calling me short?" I glare at Jonas as I grabbed shirt.

"Chillax dude. I'm just sayin'." Jonas rose his hands in surrender still laughing.

"I may be shorter than you, but I can still fuck you up if I wanted to." I stated as I let go of him.

I looked back at Lizzy's brother, who watched in amazement.

"When someone talks shit that isn't your friend, you fuck them up." I said to him.

Dylan nodded.

"That's good to know.. There's this one kid in my class that calls me stupid cause I'm not good at math. I'm gonna teach him a lesson, since Lizzy always told me to defend myself from people."

"That's the spirit Dil." I said, as I fist bumped him. I honestly liked this kid, and I didn't like most kids.

Lizzy smiled and shook her head.

"Alright that's enough. I'm taking Dil to the car before you guys corrupt him completely." She joked as she walked him to the car before walking up to us.

I just chuckled, feeling my phone vibrate against my pocket. I took it out and read the newest text message I got.

Where the fuck are you?

Sent 8 seconds ago.

Get your ass back here if you don't want things to get ugly when you're back.

Sent 1 second ago

I let out a loud sigh.

''Who's it from?'' Jonas asked.

''It's from him, isn't it?'' he said to me.

''Alright, I think you've had enough of that old bastard's shit don't you think? You should just let me and the guys fuck him up once and for all. We'll fuck him up so good he'll-''

''No. Don't you remember what happened the last time when Chase....'' I cut myself off, feeling a lump in my throat form, but I swallowed it down.

Jonas' rage disappeared.

Lizzy looked at us, her eyes horrified.

''Is Chase.. Is he still-?" She started to say.

"Yeah... I.. Let's not get there. I hate reliving those memories of the past." I stare down at my vans, getting lost into my own world.

My dark... World.

5 yrs earlier

I gulped down saliva that was forming on my throat as I noticed my dad bring in some friends over the house for the night. They were smoking and getting drunk like they usually did when they came over. I ran upstairs and went into my room. I coughed as some of the smoke went into my lungs.

I sighed as I stared into the ceiling.

I miss you, mom.

I thought, as I felt my eyelids start to get heavy, before I knew it, drifting off to sleep.

About a hour later, I woke up when I heard the door open.

I turned and saw one of my dad's friends standing there, a bottle of beer in his hand.

"Shhhh-" he hissed as he shoved a finger up his lips.

He started walking up to me.

"What-what are you doing in my room?" I asked the man.

"Shh- don't be too loud. Why so nervous kid? I'm just here to play a game with you."

A game?

"I'm fine.. I just want to sleep.."

I covered myself under the sheets.

Hopefully the man would leave soon.

After a few moments, I peeked through the covers.

He was still there.

"Can you go?" I said, quietly.

He snatched the blankets off of me.

"Aren't you a cute little guy?" he slurred.

I backed away.

"Oh don't be afraid of me. I'm going to be making you feel really good."

"You can do that by leaving.."

I say.

He grabs my arm, and drags me closer.

"Let me go! Or I'll scream." I warned, trying to free from his grip.

"Scream, and you'll be very sorry." He threatened. I could smell alcohol as he breathed out.

"Wh-what? Go!! Get out of my room! Help! Dad!!!" I screamed, my screams were muffled as he covered my mouth.

"Dad! Dad!!" I kept yelling until my voice was hoarse, and I could no longer scream.

I felt myself being stripped out of my clothes.

I struggled to fight back, since this was a 9 year old boy vs a 40 something year old man.

I couldn't do anything but just cry and lay defensively as the man did whatever he wanted with me.

~

I got up unsteadily when the man left, after doing awful things to me.

My body ached..

I slammed the door shut and locked it as I cried into my pillow.

Why me??.. Why...

After who knows how many minutes of crying, I quietly trodden downstairs, my father too drunk and distracted by his stupid friends in the party to notice me leave.

I run, hiccuping from all the crying from earlier.

Once I get to Jonas' house, I knock hard until someone opens the door.

Surprisingly Lizzy was at his house.

''Isaac, what-"

She was interrupted by me just crying into her arms.

She hugged me back, confused but still returning the hug.

''Isaac, what's wrong?''

''Isaac?'' Jonas said as he walked over to us with Chase, his older teenaged brother.

''Isaac, please, try to calm down.. I-I can't understand what you're saying.'' Lizzy said gently.

''What happened?'' Chased asked, walking up to me.

I suddenly just had a meltdown, my emotions just churning together and taking over.

''I don't want to be alive anymore.. I don't wanna be alive!!'' I just shouted, tears running down my face.

Jonas tried calming me down.

''Isaac. Did someone do something do you?'' Chase questioned.

''Because if they did, you can tell me right now who they are and I'll kick their ass.''

''One of my dad's friends...''

''What about them?''

''He-he did awful things to me.. Nobody was able to help me.. He..'' Was all I managed to choke up.

Lizzy's eyes widened.

Jonas was oblivious, as was I, since we were young but I knew for sure that what happened was one of the worst experiences I've had dealt with. 

Without even having to go onto full detail Chase already seemed enraged as humanly possible. He looked angry enough to punch something.

He growled as he kicked down a table.

"Why that piece of fucking shit."

"Jonas, let Isaac stay over today." He ordered before he started walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Jonas asked.

"Don't worry about it." He said through gritted teeth.

I sniffled quietly as both Lizzy and Jonas were hugging me.

I don't know where Chase was going but I hope he got back soon.