The school gave me a week excused after the trauma with Todd and I was going to use it. I still had to turn in assignments due online, and there would be a test in one of my classes as soon as I made it back, so I would need to study. I packed up some things to go home and be with my family.

"I wish you weren't going to be gone a whole week," King said to me as I prepared to drive off. We stood by my car which was packed and ready to go and King held me in his arms. It was the most comfortable feeling, but still, I was on edge.

"We can Facetime every day."

"That's not the same. But I want you to be safe. I don't want what that idiot did to cause you unnecessary stress. Think happy thoughts."

If only it were that easy. I still had nightmares. I did not get any sleep last night. I could still hear his raging anger screaming at me. I still felt chills even standing there with King, as if he was watching me.

I hoped getting away would clear those thoughts.

"I'll be fine." I kissed King before I got into my car.

I sat there for a moment, not even knowing what to do. My anxiety level was at ten. I kept clearing my thoughts, then it would hit me again. I hope I did not have a panic attack while driving home.

A knock on my window startled me and made me jump.

It was King, so I let the window down.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I will be."  As my fingers nervously started the car.

King reached in and grabbed my hand. "You're in no shape to drive right now."

I almost was in tears, but I held it in. "But I can't be here."

"Then I'm driving you."

What? My heart raced a bit. Was this a good thing or a bad thing that King was being so overprotective? I did not know what to say to him.

"I'm serious Rayvn. Let me drive you home. Let's stop and get my car, and we can make it to your place, then I can come back to school."

It was Tuesday around five in the evening. King had class tomorrow and should not be making that long trek back. I could not let him do that. I felt like such a burden. Nothing in my life could ever go right and I hated that.

"Rayvn, give me your car keys."

I gave King my keys, got out of the car and he grabbed me in another hug. I walked over to the passenger side of the car, and he got in the car and started it. We stopped at his residence hall and parked near his car. He grabbed my bags and we went to his car.

I still said nothing, just let King take charge.

"You good? You should just try and get some sleep while I drive. I'll put your address in and not have to bother you."

I nodded. I told my father not to worry, but I was coming home and that I would tell him all about it when I got there. Of course, he worried and kept texting me about what was wrong. I was not going to tell him over the phone. I sent him another quick text telling him my estimated arrival time. I told him not to worry Angel about it, but of course, he would.

I fell asleep and King must be a great driver because I did not wake up until he exited the highway near Six Flags, close to my home.

My home. It really was not, having never lived there permanently but it felt like home to me. I would never go to my mother. Any breaks from school, this was where I wanted to be. I would live with them forever if they let me. Right now I need to be with my family, even if I could not talk about what was happening.

"You good Rave?" King asked me as I rubbed my eyes and stretched.

"Yes."

He took my hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it. I smiled. I could not believe King had done this for me. Drive two hours away from school, to make sure I was okay. Considering how drained I felt, I would not have made it safely.

"Can you stay and meet my parents?"

"If you want me to."

"I do."

I texted my father I was pulling up as King drove down my street. I did not know how he would feel meeting King, but I was not too worried about it. If I told my father everything that was going on, King would be the least of his worries.

King had not put the car in park yet and my father came out of the front door and over to my side of the car. I let out a small groan and opened the door. My father grabbed me in a hug, pulled me away, looked me over, then hugged me again.

"You okay? Are you hurt? What's going on?"

"I'm not hurt."  Not physically anyway, my mental was taking a beating.

My father glanced towards King taking my bags out of the car, then back to me. "Is your car okay? Did you have an accident?"

"No. King thought it best I did not drive because I-" I stopped myself because I was not ready to tell everything right now. Especially not with King right there. I did not want him to see me as a weakling.

"Come on in the house and I want to know what's going on." My father had yet to let me go. "And you too," he added to King.

"Daddy, King has to get back to school."

"No, he doesn't, come in."

I whispered "Sorry," to King.

"No problem," King said to me.

As soon as I walked inside the house, a little of my uneasiness went away. I was home. Todd could not find me here. I was safe. And even if he did show his face at my place, I knew my father knew how to deal with him.

"Daddy, this is King...my boyfriend."

"The one you went on Spring Break with?" he stated.

"Yes."

"Nice to meet you, sir," King said as he dropped my bags in the foyer.

"I need to have a conversation with the both of you. Have a seat."

I said a silent prayer that my father did not embarrass me. I sat on one of the couches in the living room and King made sure to sit not too close to me on the end. My father stood there in front of us, arms crossed over his chest. He was upset.

"Soon as you texted me that you were coming home I knew something was wrong so I left work. I didn't tell Angel because you're right, she does not need the stress, but as soon as you tell me, young lady, we will have to tell her."

"I know...but dad...it's fine, I think."

"No, it's not," King stated. "Rayvn tell your father about Todd."

"Who's Todd?" my father asked.

"This boy. We were friends at first. He helped me study last semester to get better grades. But he wanted more and tried to kiss me. But I didn't want to...and then I started dating Diallo. So then he said he had a girlfriend and that was that. Soon as I-"

My father interrupted me. "Who's Diallo?"

I slapped a hand on my forehead. "Umm...he was the boy I dated last semester. That did not work out, and as soon as Todd found that out, he started harassing me. Said he faked having a girlfriend. He would follow me everywhere, trying to get me to go out with him. He started showing up at my dorm. I had to tell the school and he was banned from coming around me. He showed up anyway last night."

"Did he hurt you?"

I did not know how to explain that. I felt hurt, even if he never touched me. "Not physically, campus security escorted him away."

"Who do I need to talk to so that punk doesn't try anything else with you?"

"I don't know. He's leaving the school. The school said I can take some time...I just need some time to...unwind." My head started to pound, I felt woozy, and I hated talking about this. I wanted it over, done, forgotten, a part of my miserable past. "Daddy, we can talk about it more later, I'm really tired. King needs to get back to campus."

"I need to have a conversation with him before he leaves." My father eyed King down. "Go on to your room, I'll be in and check on you later."

As if I was a kid, but I didn't say anything. I snuck a quick hug from King and headed upstairs. I peeked into my father's room, Angel was asleep. I closed the door before I woke her and then went into my room.

I did not even undress, kicked off my shoes, and crawled under the covers.

I wondered what my father was saying to King. Asking him all the tough questions. I never brought a boy home, so how bad could it be? What if King said something that turned my father off and he forbade me from dating him? What if King saw that I was a basket case and dumped me after this?

It was hard to imagine last week I was on Spring Break and I had to come back to this. I needed another vacation.

A/N: Well Rayvn will get the vacation she needs staying home. I wonder what her father is saying to King.