The Things You Did For Me

Chapter 1: THINGS YOU'VE TAKEN

Of all the people in their small little town, it had to be her. The signs were there. Alex had known for quite some time. But he kept avoiding it—denying it every second the thought came up. She was his best friend. He couldn't tell her how he truly felt. It would ruin their friendship. And he needed her. She was his only stability. He couldn't lose that. To him, it wasn't worth the risk. They only had each other. Both their father's were abusive, their mother's checked out. Alex didn't have any siblings. Norma did, but it was as if she didn't. At least that's what she taught herself to believe. Alex was the only person she needed him in order to survive. And she occupied his loneliness. She was his source of happiness. She was his world.

He had just turned eighteen, and his life was already a mess. And it had been for a while now. He tried to close his eyes and fall back asleep, but the thought of her clouded him. He couldn't focus on anything else. It was always only her circling his thoughts, wrapped around his brain, squeezing tight until he burst. He had fallen in love with her a while back. He'd never admit it though. It was the one thing they could never talk about. It was Alex's greatest fear—her knowing truth. He stood before her unbreakable, but she was his weakness. He cringed at the sound of her faint knock at his bedroom window. This was something she did regularly. She's lived next door to him since they were kids. Every now and then he'd find her in his room, hiding from her life. He was her sanctuary. He was the one place she was safe. He turned his back to the window, desperately trying to ignore her presence. But his heart couldn't handle it. She won—she always won. He got up with a sigh and quietly slid the window open, helping her climb inside the room.

She pushed a few hairs behind her ears before finally looking at him. Her eyes dropped to his bare chest. "Sorry," he muttered, grabbing a shirt from the growing heap he left carelessly on the floor. He hadn't expected any visitors, but he should have known better by now. He pulled the shirt over his head and turned around to face her, his heart clenching at the sight of her bruised face in the moonlight. The pain of it all began to seep in, drowning them both in a wild sea of blue. There wasn't anything he could do. He didn't dare bring it up. She never liked to talk about it. Who would? She came to him for comfort not a therapy session. "I heard about you and John Massett," he stated, walking back towards his bed. He secretly didn't like John—and it wasn't because he knew how Norma felt about him. It was because Alex knew people. He could read them from a mile away. And John Massett was bad news.

Norma smiled innocently and walked over to the bed to climb in on the other side. John made her feel special. That was something she longed for. She was a quiet girl who didn't have many friends. She didn't have any friends actually. Just Alex. He had always been there for her. Their friendship meant everything to her. He was the only person she could rely on. He was the only person who didn't treat her like shit…except John, of course. The smile never left her face as she ducked under the covers. She tickled Alex's side, making him laugh softly. She climbed back out to meet his eyes. They warmed her. They were her sense of security—her way home. She smiled at him again, this time causing him to smile back. "Who told you?"

He chuckled softly, allowing his eyes to drift back up to the ceiling. It was a constant reminder of where he was—trapped in the confines of his father's home. He got lucky when the Calhoun's moved next door. He met Norma. She was his means for a happier life. He owed everything to her. He turned slightly to view her face. He thought she was beautiful, though he'd never tell her that. She was his only real friend—he couldn't lose her. "Big news travels fast in a small town."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Big news?"

He smiled teasingly. "Little Norma Louise has a boyfriend." He huffed as she punched his side then turned to face her. He stared at her for a moment, the amusement still potent in her eyes. "Martha Anderson told me," he admitted, his eyes softly stroking the delicate lines of her face.

She rolled her eyes, but still maintained the same feverous smile. He watched her for a while. She let him. She let him discover every blackened bruise surfacing on her skin. It was the only way to keep him from asking. He never asked. He never had to. The evidence of her father's doings was painted ever so hideously across her face. Yet Alex found her beautiful. She never questioned why. Her gaze dropped to his after the long period of silence. She stared at him sadly. "I was gonna tell you myself."

She didn't owe him that. She didn't owe him anything. He loved her more than life itself. She'd never have to prove herself to him. She already had him won over. She secretly had everyone won over. There was something about her no one could deny. She was beautiful in every way. But she belonged to someone now. And it wasn't Alex. She would never belong to him. He didn't deserve her. No one deserved her. She was too good for the world. Everyone knew that, especially Alex. He was her protector—that was his job. He leaned in and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "I know."