Endless

Parachute

ANGEL'S POV

I ran from the lecture hall, legs burning, chest tightening, eyes welling up.

I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming. This is a dream. More like a nightmare.

I burst the door to my dorm open. I stared blankly into the empty room, a tear slipping from my eye as I clutched onto the doorknob so tightly my knuckles were turning white.

My heart deflated as I recalled Carlos' voicemail.

Hey. I just wanted to let you know that Terry and I ran out to grab some pizza for tonight. We'll meet you at Sage's in about an hour. See you there.

My feet were moving. My skin was cold. My cheeks were red.

Somehow, I ended up at apartment 216, knocking weakly with my arms wrapped tightly around my uncoated body, shivering, teeth chattering.

The door opened moments later, Leo turned away from me and towards the apartment as he spoke to someone.

"Ben, don't you dare put chocolate on that popcorn!" A maniacal laugh sounded from the kitchen and Leo rolled his eyes. Turning to me, those same eyes widened and his smile fell.

"Angel," he said softly and my gaze averted.

"I... I'm sorry, I don't want to... I just... Is Sage here?" Leo nodded quickly.

"Here, come on, get inside." He stepped out of the threshold and I sulked inside, slipping out of my shoes.

Leo led me to Sage's room and met my eyes. "Are you alright to go in alone? Do you need anything?" I shook my head softly, eyes watery, cheeks tear stained.

"I'm-I'm okay. Thank you." He sighed softly, squeezing my shoulder gently. I knocked softly when Leo was gone.

"Come in." Sage's back was away from the door as he unplugged his phone charger from the wall. "Angel should be here any—" He faced me, a small 'Oh' emitting from his lips. He scanned my face and I wiped my cheeks quickly.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't know where else to go. Carlos and Terry are out and I-I needed to-to be somewhere with someone." His head was shaking and I let out a slow and shaky breath.

"You don't have to apologize." My eyes filled with tears and he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me softly as I burst into tears. "It's okay, you're okay. I'm here, come on." He lead me to his bed, arms still holding me.

It felt like hours before I was finished crying. I was so drained.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He'd spoken so softly, it felt like a blanket was covering me.

"I just wanted him to take another look at my paper," I whispered.

Sage frowned a little, confused.

"Who?"

"Mr. Hensley. My professor." His lips parted, eyes flooding with misunderstanding. "God, I should've left sooner." I shook my head softly, eyes falling shut. "I could tell, I could just tell, you know?"

"Angel, I don't know if I'm completely understanding what you're saying?" I sniffed softly, taking a deep breath.

"I wanted him to reread my paper." Sage nodded slowly. "So, I went to talk to him about it. And I could tell something was wrong... off, about him when he sat next to me, t-too close to me. I tried to ignore it and just-just subtly move away some. But then he moved closer again. And I was uncomfortable, I knew I was uncomfortable, but I-I didn't say anything. God, why didn't I say anything? I should've just left then."

When my eyes fluttered shut again, more tears fell, coating my cheeks again.

"I just figured if I could hurry up and get the meeting over with, it'd just be done. B-But then he..." I let out a puff of air. "I was in the middle of talking and he-he kissed me." Sage's eyes widened, mouth turning down in a frown. "And I pushed him off, I pushed him off, and he tried to kiss me again, and I said no. I told him no." I squeezed my eyes shut. "And then he-he tried to grab me, and I was so scared, I-I thought he was going to hurt me. And he-he said that it would be an easy A. He wouldn't even question it. And I felt so sick." Sage was frowning.

"He tried to use sex as a way to give you a better grade?" I tugged at my hair.

"And then I slapped him." Sage's mouth fell open. "He was trying to climb over me and push me back and I-I didn't want him to-to touch me, so I slapped him. And he got really, really mad, and threatened to fail me. And so... so I pushed him off of me and ran away." Sage was staring at me, eyes unreadable, and I dropped my head to my hands. "What do I do? What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?" I whispered repetitively into my hands, rocking back and forth on Sage's bed.

His arms were back around me once again, and I didn't even know I was sobbing again until he rested his cheek on my head, holding me so tightly that it felt like he was gluing me back together. I'd felt shattered seconds before, and he put me back together. No one had ever made me feel that way before.

Shaken up, I sat up slowly.

"You can stay here tonight," he said softly. Meeting his eyes, I shook my head quickly, so quickly it made me dizzy.

"No, wait, what if Mr. Hensley finds me here? He'll hurt me, and then-then he'll hurt you. Oh my God, he's going to—" Sage cut me off by cupping my face in his hands. I met his green eyes and froze.

"Angel. He will never touch you again. You're safe here. You're safe with me." I didn't even question whether or not I believed him, his eyes so sincere and warm and honest. I nodded softly and Sage released his gentle hold on me. "You just want to go to sleep? I can tell them we'll do this another night." I bit my lip.

"Can you? Please." He smiled softly and nodded.

"Of course. Here, my top drawer has pajamas in it, you can pick something out." He left the room then and I sighed softly. I undressed, searching for a tee. When I found one, I tugged it on and looked down at myself. It was a bit past my hips, the neckline hanging below my collarbone a little. I decided to borrow a pair of pants, too, pulling out a black checkered pair.

I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Sage.

"Terry and Carlos are already here." My eyes widened.

"Did you... Did you tell them?"

"No, no, of course not. I did tell them you can all sleep here tonight." I bit my lip.

"Do you have enough space? I don't want us to intrude." He waved me off.

"We have enough room. Leo's going to bunk with Ben tonight and Terry and Carlos can take his room." I sighed.

"Thank you, Sage. You're being... really sweet, and you don't have to do all this." He smiled warmly.

"I want to." I smiled, flushing a bit.

After he changed, we climbed beneath the covers and I lay my head on the pillow. I turned onto my side, now facing Sage where he was lying. He was facing me, too, and I looked over at our pinkies, nearly touching. I wanted to hold his hand, to lock his fingers in with mine and keep him close, but I was afraid he'd only pull away.

I turned on my back, away from him, frustrated with myself. Get a hold of yourself.

"I meant what I said, Angel. You're safe now," he promised. I nodded weakly and listened to his figure shuffle, turning to face the other direction.

My eyes involuntarily filled with tears again, and gosh, I was so sick of crying.

But I was sad. I knew where this was heading, where my heart was going, and I couldn't help it. How could I, when he was so him?

I was falling — hard and fast, with no sign of a parachute — for Sage. And there was nothing I could do about it.