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the ground effortlessly, holding my elbow to keep me steady, as we headed to my front door.
    “Don’t act like you’ve never done it before,” I replied, remembering how he and Tanner would go out with the guys on the football team on school nights to have “nightly practices.” Then they’d call me late at night to sneak them through the back door. Tanner would always wobble to his bedroom, and I’d usually make Dawson something to eat to help sober him up.
    He laughed, fishing a key from his pocket, and sticking it into the doorknob. I forgot he had a key to our place. I was surprised he wasn’t walking in when no one would answer the door. The door squeaked open, and we walked up the stairs to my bedroom without turning on any lights. I fell into my bed without pulling down the blankets as my bedside lamp flickered on. Suddenly I was being rolled over. Dawson brought down my blankets, rolled me back, and tucked me in tightly.
    “Be right back,” he whispered and disappeared into my adjoined bathroom. He came back with a small glass of water and two white pills. I grabbed the pills, looked down at them, and then back at him. “What?” he asked. “You didn’t have any aspirin in there, so I figured these would do the job, too. It helps with pain and moodiness, right? You’ll need both of those tonight and tomorrow.”
    “Do you even know what Midol is?” I asked.
    “It said relief for menstrual symptoms on the bottle, so yeah, it’s for pain and moodiness.”
    “Menstrual means your period.”
    “I know that. You complain about headaches when you’re on your period,” he argued, handing over the glass of water. “And you’re moody as hell. It’s also better than nothing. I checked the ingredients, and they’ll help you not be as hung over in the morning.” I popped the pills in my mouth and swallowed them down. “I’ll be here in the morning to take you to school.” He kissed my forehead and turned off my lamp.
    I blinked against the sudden darkness, wanting to stop him, and beg him to stay with me. I didn’t want to be alone, but I bit my tongue to keep the words from falling out of my mouth. I was terrified of his rejection. I’d been able to handle it before, but I was too fragile now. I only needed one more hit with the hammer before I completely shattered.

 
    Dawson
    I’ d been pissed off a lot. I couldn’t count the times I’d wanted to shove my fist through the drywall in my bedroom or scream out in frustration for the irresponsible choices my mom makes. I’d had a pretty shitty childhood, so those moments, those pissed off, dry-wall hitting moments, were endless. But the most heart wrenching was seeing Tessa’s drunken, disheveled body collapsed onto the ground as an anxiety attack forced her to tears.
    That was the worst. And I wanted to kill whomever had let her drink that much and then let her wander off alone. They hadn’t even gone looking for her. I grinded my teeth together, feeling my jaw tick, and I was certain I knew who the culprit was. Why was she even talking to that asshole? I didn’t know the guy, but I knew of him, and while I usually wasn’t one to pre-judge someone, what I’d heard wasn’t shining. It was dark. He was known for his partying, womanizing, and drug dealing. He was the last person Tessa needed to get involved with. He’d use her, rip her apart, and then leave her on the side of the street to rot.
    The horn on my steering wheel blared as my fist slammed into it. Flashes of her defeated, lonely face seared through me. The pain she was going through killed me. Everything she was feeling, I hated it, and I hated how she wasn’t letting me help her. I’d wanted to stay with her tonight, smooth her messy hair away from her face, and hold her until she fell asleep. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t do that to my best friend. I’d made the promise to always protect and look out for her. I’d also made the promise to never date her or touch her and