When Alex saw the bruises on my wrists, I almost shit my pants. How is it that my hero finds my flaws the minute we meet one another? That is not the impression I wanted to give off to him; I didn't want him to see that, at home, I was being hurt. But, when he asked me where the damage had come from, I felt like I could trust him enough to tell him. I am one to trust people too easy -- oops. His comfort towards me, when I explained to him that Cory was the cause of my bruises skin, was enough to make me melt. I couldn't believe he was doing this for me -- we just met for only an hour, and he was acting like my best friend!

The way he looked and treated me, though, was odd. Alex had so much care for me; he was treating me like a frail child or princess. Plus, he didn't even greet any other fan in the room. Alex only paid attention to me. I mean, yeah, I felt grateful and pretty-fucking-special to have Alex pay attention to me the most, but I didn't need any fans jumping me because 'I took Alex from them' or something like that.

---

Hailey and I stood at side stage as the concert went on. The sight was amazing; it was like we were practically on the stage with the band. As we stood beside the stage, jamming out, Hailey tapped on my shoulder. I looked over at her, and I could see the worry in her expression. She was probably still worrying from what she saw in the green room. No, she didn't see my bruises, but she saw Alex comforting me and me crying. In all honestly, Hailey never knew I was abused. She has no clue I was abused; I never thought she needed to know, nor did I want her to worry or yank me away from Cory. Because, I knew that would be hell.

Anyway, when she tapped my shoulder, I shouted a 'Yes' to her, so she could hear me over the music. "What happened in the green room, Krys?" she asked me. I sighed; I really didn't want to talk about it, so I just replied with,

"Nothing. I'll talk about it later, okay?" I doubt I would talk to her about it later, to be honest, but I knew, me saying that, would shut her up for the remainder of the concert. She gave me a quick nod before returning to her jam session. When I was returning to my dancing, I saw someone looking over at me. I wanted to screech when I saw that, the person who was looking at me, was Alex! He was singing 'Weightless' while his eyes were want on me with a smile. I literally froze, like his eyes were Medusa's, and I completely turned to stone, and my eyes widened. Hailey didn't notice my stiff figure, for she continued to sing out loud and dance.

---

After the concert was finished, around midnight, I decided to stand outside the arena while Hailey waited in the crowd of people to receive a few merch items. I rested against the wall of the venue with my hands deep in my hoodie pocket along with the hood pulled over my hat-clad-head. My teeth were chattering because of how cold it had gotten over the hours. I pulled out my phone to see if I had any messages from Cory, and of course, I had over a dozen messages.

Cory: Where are you?

Cory: Is it done yet?

Cory: You better not be out somewhere else, Krys.

He sent those in a matter of five minutes total. Like, he was too much, but I couldn't say that to his face? Why? You can answer that yourself. I was about to stuff my phone in my pocket when I received another text. I groaned, thinking it was Cory; however, to my surprise, it was Alex's number. It read:

Alex: Meet me by the parking lot where our bus is. I'm waiting for you there.

I seriously was a dream; I had to be. In reality, I couldn't have had texts coming to me from thee Alexander Gaskarth. Like, this couldn't be real life! I pinched myself a few times, true story, and no, I didn't wake up, so this was real life. Holy shit.

I texted Hailey saying that I was going to go to the parking lot for a bit, so if she could wait for me, it would be greatly appreciated. I walked over to the parking lot where Alex told me to go, and I saw their bus in plain sight. I could also see Alex's brunette hair shining under the massive parking lot lights. When he saw me crossing through a few cars, he smiled and waved. I couldn't help but do the same for him. "Hey, Krys." He remembered my name -- Oh my God. I blushed.

"H-Hey, Alex. What do you, um, need from me?" I asked. He walked up to me and put a palm on my shoulder.

"We, of All Time Low, want our fans safe, and I really think that, if you're being abused, you shouldn't be staying with your boyfriend. So... I think that maybe, you should stay with us for a night or two. Only if you want." Was I hearing him correctly? He was asking me to stay on the bus? I didn't know what to do. I would love to, but Cory would freak out if I didn't come home for a couple of days. And, I knew the consequences of being away from him and disobeying his wishes. Then again, I really needed this. It was worth the risk.

"Alex," I took in a deep breathe, "I accept."

Notes

Hey guys !!!

I haven't been able to update since school has begun, and marching band season has started as well. So, I'm kinda super busy. But, Bree is amazing and is handling my schedule well.

Hope you enjoy this update.

xoxo krys