Page 86 of Keep Me Safe

“I’ve been waiting for this,” he says right before his fist connects with Zach’s face. Unlike my punch, this one sends him to the ground. He spits out blood, bewildered.

“What the fuck, man?”

Noah’s eyes meet mine for only a moment, and the violence in them makes me pause. His fist pounds into Zach’s face yet again.

Is he going to stop? Do I want him to?

“Dad, what the fuck?” Jared yells, sprinting from the front yard.

Noah freezes for a second before fisting Zach’s collar and pulling his face to his.

“If you ever lay a finger on her again, I will fucking kill you,” he warns, shoving him back to the ground. Noah stands right as Jared approaches him.

“What the fuck happened? Zach, are you okay?” Jared asks. His concern for this monster makes my stomach twist. I have toremind myself that he doesn’t know.

Noah ignores the questions, striding toward me. He pulls me into him, his hand brushing through my hair. His heart pounds as I hold him tighter, a tear slipping down my cheek. The rest of the world dampens, and it’s just us. I take a deep breath, his body guarding me from the chaos. Noah will keep me safe. That knowledge feeds a confidence deep within me.

“Regardless of what happens, know that this isn’t your fault,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to my head before loosening his grip.

“Dad, answer me!” Jared shouts.“Jared—”

But it’s not Noah’s question to answer. It’s mine.

“He raped me.”

I take a deep breath, channeling all of the conviction I have left. “Four years ago, at a party, Zach raped me,” I say as quickly as possible, hating how the words sound coming from my lips. I look over at Jared, his face flipping between outrage and confusion.

“She’s lying!” Zach’s nostrils flare as he yells. “That bitch is a fucking tease. She wanted it.”

“Watch your mouth,” Noah growls, and Zach visibly shrinks.

Jared’s eyes finally meet mine, and I can tell he’s trying to figure out who to believe.

“Go home,” Jared says, his gaze falling on Zach. “And don’t fucking come back.”

I allow myself to breathe again, tears still falling as I try to process the weight of everything that’s happened. Noah’s arm is still around me, my back to his chest, offering the only stability I can cling to right now. But then I hear Jared’s voice—a sharp, frantic edge creeping into it that sends a shiver through me.

“Why did he know and not me?” His voice is frantic. “Wait. Why is he touching you like that?”

It’s like being submerged in freezing water. My whole body tenses, a shock of guilt and confusion coursing through me. The realization hits me slowly, creeping up my spine with each word Jared speaks. It’s as if the world tilts, and everything I thought was safe, secure, is suddenly spinning out of control.

“Oh my god, are you two…” he trails off, interrupting himself. “No, that would be so fucked up.”

I feel the ground shift beneath me, my chest tightening with every inch of space that opens between us. I push out of Noah’s arms, instinctively reaching for Jared, but he stiffens in my arms, pulling back just enough to let me hug him reluctantly. He looks so broken.

“Tell me you two aren’t fucking. Please, tell me he was just comforting you because of what happened.”

The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. I can’t look at him. The weight of everything we’ve both been through, the guilt, the choices I’ve made—it’s too much. I want to scream, to make it all go away, but I can’t. He deserves the truth. He deserves honesty, even if it breaks us.

I take a slow breath, my chest tight, trying to steady myself as my gaze meets his. I can’t find the words at first, but then, they slip out in a shaky whisper.

“Jared, I’m so sorry.”

chapter twenty-six

noah

“It all makes so much sense now...” The dejection in his voice cuts deep. We did this to him.I did this to him.He shakes his head and pushes her away, not saying anything as he rounds the house, and his car starts in the driveway.

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