Olivia 

My second week at William Sterling Academy was pretty uneventful, as was my third. The May drama had mostly died down and I was having fun hanging out with Hayley. However, the calm couldn't last long. On the Friday night of my fourth week my father sent me a text message to come home. While I was terrified, I still went to the house on Saturday morning.

He was calm when I arrived. Too calm. He sat down on the couch across from where I stood.

"Dad? Is everything okay?" His eyes caught mine and I saw his stare intensify. There was an anger burning in his eyes that I had never seen before. Then, it simply disappeared. His gaze was blank and stared through me as if he was merely looking through a window.

"I killed her," he whispered harshly, a bone-chilling hollowness to his voice.

"What are you talking about?" I asked quietly. My heart rate had already picked up.

"Your mother didn't leave us. I killed her. I just couldn't help myself. Not after what she did." He gave a humourless laugh before falling silent. I backed up slowly towards the door, grabbing my father's keys off of the coffee table. "That's right, run while you still can," he hissed.

I threw open the front door and heard, "Darling, wait! Sit down, stay a while." His voice was sickly sweet and made my hair stand on end. As I ran outside I could hear him shouting. "Get back in the house you little tramp. I will end you!"

I fumbled with the keys when I got to his car. I was almost in tears as I tried to open the door, when I saw my dad walk out of the house. He saw me and ran to the car. I finally opened the door, got in, and locked the doors. The windows were cracked and I could hear him talking.

"Olivia, don't leave now, you just got here," he said sweetly. "Come in, have something to eat." I put the car into reverse, and slowly began to move until I heard, "I'm your father! You have to love me."

"I'm going, Dad. You're scaring me," I whispered.

"NO! No!" he screamed. "I won't have it! Get in the house, Victoria!"

My mother's name.

"Victoria?!" I yelled back, tears streaming down my face.

"Run," he whispered, reaching into his pocket. I backed out of the driveway. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw what was in his hand—a black handgun. I slammed on the gas pedal drove as fast as I could.

My hands shook against the steering wheel and my vision was blurred with tears. I realized I was in no state to drive, so I made my way to the bus terminal. I parked the car and tried to collect myself before getting on a bus leaving to the campus. I sat in the back and tried to focus on seeming normal; not letting anyone notice the crying girl on the bus.

When I arrived at school, I ran towards my room, choking back sobs as tears to rolled down my cheeks. There I could fall apart and pick up the pieces when I was ready. I burst through the door only to find Hayley and her friend, Lola, staring at me in surprise.

Hayley took one look at my face and frowned in concern. She started getting up from her spot on the sofa, but I backed away, shaking my head.

"D-dont worry," I mumbled, turned on my heels and went into the hallway. It was so quiet, I was't sure she'd heard me. I closed the door behind me and slumped against the wall beside it. Without thinking, I took my mobile phone out of my pocket and started texting.

Within moments, I had a response.

"Yeah, come to my room. West dorm—third floor—room 332."

I tucked my phone into my pocket and briskly walked that way. I tried to keep my crying under control, and avoid the curious stares of the students I passed by on the way.

When I made it to the boys dormitory, I found the lift, which took me to the third floor. As I walked, I read the room numbers until I stopped out side of 332. I knocked on the door and it swung open shortly after. Tyler was smiling—until he saw my tear-streaked face.

"Liv! What happened?" he asked, bringing me inside.

"I-I," I gasped.

"Come here," Tyler said as he took my hand and guided me towards the sofa that was placed in front of a television set. We sat and I brought my knees up to my chest. "Okay, what happened?" He searched my blue eyes.

"I – I can't tell you," I cried looking down.

"Olivia, you know you can tell me anything," Tyler insisted.

"We're in so much danger... I – I shouldn't have come here. It was selfish," I sobbed.

I couldn't seem to get any oxygen to my lungs. Tyler rubbed my back softly, slowly, allowing me to follow the circles he drew with my breathing. When he noticed I was calmer, Tyler stopped rubbing my back, and put his arm around me.

"What happened Liv?" he asked again.

"You have to swear not to tell anyone. Promise me," I begged, staring into his eyes. "If you do, we could both be killed."

"I promise," he said. "I would never do anything to hurt you." If I hadn't been so shaken up, I would have smiled at that.

I took a deep breath and told him everything about my dad – from him being abusive to what happened today. While I spoke, I watched as the emotions on his face changed, slowly getting more upset. However, by the end, I couldn't read his expression. A moment of silence passed, as I wrung my hands nervously waiting for him to speak.

"Tyler?" I whispered timidly, avoiding his eyes. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

"Sorry, I'm just shocked. You must be—wow." He pulled me into an unexpected hug. "I'm sorry you've been through so much, Liv."

I gently pulled away from the hug and Tyler ran his hand gently down my cheek, running his thumb along my jaw line softly. My cheeks heated immediately at the contact and I looked down.

"Sorry to burden you will all of that. I—I just . . ."

"Liv, please don't worry – you have enough to worry about." He smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. I blushed. "Thank you for trusting me with that. I'll always be here for you."

We talked lightly about other things for a while, before turning our focus to the television. We watched show after show and I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep until I felt someone shaking me gently.

"Liv? Wake up."

"What? Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I blushed. "I must be a mess!" I hopped up. "May I use your bathroom?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling and pointing to where it was. I ran over to it and went in. I ran water through my hair and washed my face. I made sure I looked presentable before walking back into the room.

"Hello," I said, walking out of the bathroom.

"Hey," he said with a smile.

"So . . . I should probably go," I told him. His smile slightly faltered. "I have to make sure Hayley knows I'm okay. I walked in there bawling my eyes out, and backed away before I could explain. But I'll definitely text you." He his smile got wider and I smiled back at him.

"We should hang out sometime," he suggested, following me to the door. My back was faced to him, so he couldn't see the nerdy grin that spread across my face. I composed myself before glancing at him.

"Yeah, I'll see you around," I replied coolly, mentally high-fiving myself for actually sounding suave. I stopped at the door and turned around. "Thank you Tyler... for everything."

"Anytime Liv," he responded. "By the way, you're cute when you sleep," he grinned. I blushed a bright red and looked down at my feet. I quickly turned my back to him.

"Bye, Tyler." I said, hearing the smile in my voice.

"Bye, Liv." He laughed.

Author's Note: A jam packed chapter!! :o

What are your thoughts on the big reveal by Liv's dad? How cute is Tyler being there for Liv? What do you think will happen next?! Let me know in the comments! xoxo