the yard. Ashton was standing on the other side of the bonfire with Zach. I wondered where Aiden was.
Zach gave me a small wave.
I waved back.
Ashton’s head snapped up. He scowled.
I frowned. Asshole.
I quietly excused myself from the group and made my way inside the house. I had only been in it a couple of times. I was thankful that the old house no longer existed. As much as I was sorry that it happened at the expense of almost losing Gigi and Vince, it was as if the house had been cursed.
Even though their home, looked nothing like the one I had shared with the girls, memories of that night came rushing back. It had been the last time I hung out with my friends. The last time I had seen Jaron before he was taken from me.
My feet carried me down a hall that led to the bathroom but before I reached it, I stopped in front of a closed door. Placing my hand on the doorknob, I took a deep breath and opened the door. Glancing into the room, I saw that it was Hannah’s bedroom.
My thoughts took a dark turn. It didn’t make sense as there was nothing there to trigger me. Memories shouldn’t have hit me like they did, but I had learned from the little research I had done, that anything could be a trigger. From a touch, to a scent, to something that happened so damn quickly, you couldn’t control it, it could all bring you back to that certain trauma.
When I closed the door, I was brought back to that night.
“I like you, Piper.”
I ran around him and jumped onto my bed when my feet were pulled out from beneath me. I cried out, struggling against him. I kicked and fought with all of the strength I could muster. My foot landed against Brody’s crotch, making him grunt, but it didn’t stop him from ripping at my clothes. His fingers dug into my sides, his knee pushing into the small of my back.
No matter how much I fought him, I couldn’t get him off me. It took Jaron breaking into my room for that to happen and even then, it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
Brody still touched me. He still put his hands on me when I never wanted him to.
“Brody, please stop this.”
But he never listened to me.
“I will make it so you never forget me.”
He was right. He was right this whole time. I never forgot him. I tried to. Lord knew I tried. But it never worked.
Even though the house no longer existed, I was still brought back to that night. Leaning against the wall for support, I tried to forget. A night that had changed everything. I had been pregnant with Brynlee at the time. Brody’s punches could have killed her, but they didn’t. She was strong and I knew once it was confirmed that I was in fact pregnant, that she was a fighter and would do amazing things for this world.
My mind was playing tricks on me as I continued making my way to the bathroom. Even though I knew this wasn’t the house I used to live in with Gigi and the other girls, that sense of fear still slithered over my skin like I was back there. Back in my old room. Back in my old bed with Brody on top of me.
The room that had held so many happy memories was tainted by one fucked up night. And then Jaron was taken from me and that night became even worse.
A sound at the end of the hallway made me spin around. Jaron stood there with his arms crossed under his chest and a deep scowl on his face. He was pissed. Not at me. I knew it wasn’t at me. But he was mad at the situation. He was mad that I went into the house without him. He was mad that I was losing myself and he couldn’t do anything about it. He was mad that the simplest things triggered a memory of that horrible night. He was mad. Period.
My heart raced, my blood pounding in my ears. “I just…I had to…I…”
I shook my head, Brody’s words from that awful night still ringing in my ears. My head suddenly started pounding, remembering the many times he had punched me in the face.
“Piper.” Jaron closed that final distance between us, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
“I had to pee,” I told