Braxton's POV:

It had been a week since I had seen Casey and it was absolutely killing me. I haven't been more pissed at myself in my whole life. Why couldn't I have just asked for her number, or at least her last name for God's sake! Hell, I didn't even know what school she went to and I couldn't seem to grasp the fact that I may never see her again. Something was wrong when i last saw her at the meet, I could feel it. But she was gone before I could ask her if she was okay, and I'd known I had lost my chance with her.

"Braxton, princess, you coming?" James asked teasingly with a chuckle. I was currently hanging out with one of my best friends, James, from a couple of towns over. I needed something to get Casey of my damn mind and I didn't mind finding some people to get drunk with to do it.

"Yeah. Sorry I've been kind of out of it," I sigh while getting up from the couch and grabbing my phone.

"It's cool man. You alright though? Is it a girl?" James says with a knowing smirk.

"No." I say harshly and I feel my cheeks slightly warm up. Damn it Braxton, quit being a girl.

"Okay, okay, what ever you say loverboy," James says with his arms raised in the air innocently before turning to go out to the truck. I huff in frustration and follow him out to the truck. "Shit. I need to get some gas in town before we head to the party," James says grumpily.

"Alright," I say nodding my head before looking out the window. I spot a silhouette of a figure running on the sidewalk beside the truck, and I couldn't help but stare. It was definitely a girl. Her hair ripped in the wind as she sprinted further into town, not caring to look over at the vehicle now somewhat beside her. What the hell was she doing running so late by herself? She quickly makes a turn at the next corner and I can't help but feel the need to follow her. Not even a minute later James pulls into a gas station to fill up the truck.

"James, I'll be right back," I say not waiting for a reply as a quickly hop out of the truck and jog over to where the mysterious girl turned.

An ear splitting scream resounds in the street and before I can even think I'm sprinting towards the sound. I finally make it to the alley where the scream came from and what I saw made my blood boil. The girl who had been running was now being held by a greasy middle aged man, who had recently ripped off her sweatshirt and T-shirt, leaving her only in a bra. The man's slimy hand is placed over her mouth stifling her plea for help as he whispers wicked words into her ear, making silent tears run down her cheeks.

The man hasn't noticed me, but the girl seems to feel my presence as her red, swollen eyes make their way to mine. My heart stops in my chest and all I see is red. Casey.

I sprint towards the man holding the girl I couldn't get out of my head, and throw a punch so hard that you could hear the crack of his jaw from a mile away. He lets out a groan of pain and finally lets go of Casey. How dare he touch her? That was all I could think as I pound my fist into his bloody face. I hear a soft whimper from behind me, making my rage immediately turn to concern.

Casey.

I quickly rush over to her and bring her fragile form into my chest as I wrap my arms around her shivering body. Sobs rack her body and I rub small circles on her back while whispering sweet things in her ear in an attempt to calm her down while I checked her body over for any injuries.

After about 5 minutes, she had seemed to calm down a little and I lift her chin up to look at me. Her right cheek was scratched and bloody, and her hazel eyes were puffy and red from crying. She looked so broken and I couldn't believe this was the same girl who had teased me at the track meet about getting my autograph. I softly wiped the tears that were still freely running down her warm cheeks with my thumb.

"Braxton?" She asks in a hoarse voice, finally recognizing me in the dankly lit alley.

"Shh, it's alright. I've got you now, no ones going to hurt you anymore," I say comfortingly as I tuck her mangled dirty blonde hair behind her ear before pulling her into my chest once again. She lets out a shaky breath and clutches onto my sweatshirt with her fragile hands while shivering. I look down to remember that she's only in her bra. My face immediately heats up and I look around for her sweatshirt and T-shirt, only to find them both laying in a dirty puddle of water.

I gently unwrap my arms around Casey before pulling off my sweatshirt and handing it to her. "Here put this on."

She nervously takes my sweatshirt before pulling it over her head. "Thank you," She says so quietly that I almost don't hear it. Her lip quivers and I know that she's trying her hardest not to break down again in front of me. I can't stand to see her like this, and my heart seemed to break every time a tear escaped her captivating eyes.

I give her a small reassuring smile to let her know that I would have done it a million times if I had to.

A low groan beside me catches me off guard though and I see the man that attacked Casey shift in pain on the ground. Casey's eyes grow wide and her chest rapidly falls up and down as her hands start to shake.

I walk over to the man and glare at him while clenching my fists. I've never been more angry in my entire life at a man. He hurt Casey. And he deserved to get the shit beaten out of him. But I couldn't do it when Casey was there watching and needed someone.

"Don't ever touch her again, you hear me?" I spit at the writhing man. He looks up at me with a scared and pained expression and slowly nods his head. I turn around to see Casey hugging her knees to her chest and closing her eyes tightly. I quickly walk over to her and bend down, rubbing her shoulder to give her some comfort. She opens her eyes and my heart breaks again to see them filled with unshed tears.

"Come on let's get you cleaned up, okay?" I say while helping her up. Her knees immediately buckle and she clutches onto my arm to try and stay standing. I hold her around the waist and look at her with concern. She blinks rapidly while slightly swaying and I swiftly scoop her into my arms before she passes out. She lightly placed her head on my chest and lets out a content sigh. My heart warms and I pull her even closer to my chest while slightly tightening my grip.

No ones going to hurt Casey ever again. Not while I'm around.

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Hey readers!

Ahhhh!! It's already chapter 4?! Braxton seems like he might have a little crush.. I guess you'll have to see what happens next in The Runner! Please make sure to vote and comment so I know you want me to keep writing! :) Also let me know if you like having the story told from Braxton's POV. The next chapter will be up sometime soon so stay tuned!

-Cait ;)