Young Writers Society

**Gr, me either.**

Ivy felt Colton grab her hand. His thumb ran up and down the back of her hand, soothing her.

She smiled at him and rested her head against his arm. She felt so relaxed...so happy. She didn't know she could feel happy. Not after her father died.

She looked up at him and when he looked down at her, smiling softly her body warmed. Not because she was blushing...she didn't know what she was feeling, honestly.

She looked away quickly and towards the door. Her eyes started to widen. She saw the guys who had started to shove her around before and might have even tried to rape her.

Ivy grit her teeth, angrily. Let them try to even talk to her. She would show them that just because she was a women, she would not be pushed around.

**Funny, I'm ticked at my dad as well. Mostly because he wouldn't let me go to the football game with my friends. Ugh! Why are you mad?**

Colt felt her tense up and he followed her gaze. "Don't worry, they won't be stupid enough to try anything in here." He said softly.

"I'm not worried." She smiled up at him. "I kind of want to give them a peice of my mind." She smiled. He laughed and shook his head.

"Well, they will probably stay clear, if they're smart."

"Yeah, well, they don't look to smart to me," Ivy mumbled.

Colton laughed at her. "It's alright, Ivy," he assured her. "Don't think about them."

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, I guess," she sighed. Colton rested his arm around her shoulders. Goosebumbs rose as he lightly ran his fingers up and down her arms.

"Beside, you're doing a pretty good job of distracting me," she told him.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, his hands dropping to his side. Ivy shook her head.

"No, not really," she admitted. She held back a yawn. "How long do these things usually last, anyway?"

"There will be one more dance, and then it'll be over." He said as the music stopped. "Come on, one more." He helped her up and led her onto the floor as the slow song started.


**All I had, sorry**

Ivy smiled and followed him. She wasn't nearly as shy as she was before. She actually wanted to dance with Colton.

Colton held his hand out to her and Ivy took it. She pressed close up against him, putting one arm around his neck. She smiled up at him and rested her head against him.

**Ugh! I'm so brain dead!**

Colt smiled as he danced with her breathing in the sweet smell of her hair. He touched his lips to the top of her head as they danced. He didn't want it to end. He wasn't sure when, or how, she had captured his heart, but she had.


*mee too*

Ivy couldn't believe the weightless feeling. How could she care about Colton so much...and have only met him a month ago? It was all too good to be true.

It is too good to be true, a voice nagged her. Just wait until you have to go back home. When it's safe for you to go back, you have to leave him.

Ivy closed her eyes. No. Why hadn't she thought of it before?

She stepped away from Colton, even though her whole being needed his touch right now. She couldn't. Eventually they would be seperated.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Tears pricked at the corners of Ivy's eyes. She couldn't stand it.

She shook her head. "I-I just don't feel like dancing," she told him, turning to go sit. Colton followed.

"Ivy?" He asked. She looked away from him. He took her hand in both of his.

"Tell me," he said, soothingly. "What's wrong."

Ivy swallowed hard, knowing that what she was about to do was going to hurt them both. Deeply.

"I can't stand this, Colton," she told him. "We're not meant to be. It's not possible. We're different, you and I."

Colton laughed. "You can't possibly believe that," he replied.

"But I do," she insisted.

Colton looked deep into her eyes and for a second, Ivy almost caved, ready to tell him everything. "No you don't," he whispered.

"Fine," Ivy responded, jerking her hand from him. "I don't want to be with you."

It felt as if the whole world stopped. The dancers still smiled, but moved in slow motion. Colton looked so hurt...so heart-wrenchingly hurt that Ivy wanted to cry and tell him what she really felt.

Instead, she ignored her feelings and fled from the barn. She knew she had to end it early. She knew it.

Ivy ran outside, away from it all, out behind the barn and tripped over a tree root. She lay on the dusty ground and sobbed. She couldn't help it.

Then, she heard movement behind one of the trees. Ivy wiped her eyes and stood. She didn't feel confidant or strong.

"W-Who's there?" She called.

"Don't you remember me, sweethart?" A cold voice asked. Ivy froze. It was the drunks. She narrowed her eyes, her despair turning to rage.

"Get away from me," she growled. One of them came up behind her and grabbed her arms, binding her.

"Aw, we're just playing," he laughed. The other man walked up to her slowly. He leaned down, his rancid breath making her gag.

"What you goin' do, princess?" He asked. Ivy jerked one of her legs up, kicking him in the groin...again.

He fell. "That's what I'm going to do," she growled. She felt the man behind her shift and she took advantage of that, elbowing him in the stomach.

"Now stay away from me," she ordered. Then she felt a hard object hit her in the back of the head. She fell to the ground, unconscious.

Colt stood there for a few minutes before he walked outside and sat on the wagon. She had to come back, right? He ran a hand through his hair. Why did it hurt so bad? He'd just realized the feelings, it shouldn't hurt this bad, but it hurt horribly. He sighed. When she didn't show up when most of the people left he got a lateren and found her small foot prints following them. he frown when he saw two other foot prints and then where she had been drug off. He checked his guns and then ran following the tracks. If they hurt her, he would kill them.


***UGH***

Ivy

She was aware that someone was carrying her. It wasn't the same feeling as when Colton carried her, though. These hands weren't gentle and strong. They were located on parts of her body that she didn't think was gentleman like. At all.

"Get off me!" She screamed. The man clamed a hand down on Ivy's mouth.

"She's waking up," the other man laughed. He through her on the ground. Ivy squirmed, knowing what was coming next.

"Calm down, sweethart. It's more fun if you just go with it," the man with the dark hair laughed. Ivy thrust her leg up, but that man caught it, shaking his head.

"You ain't gonna get us a third time with that," he growled. He shoved her dress up and Ivy squirmed some more.

Ivy bit the hand still clamped over her mouth and the man jumped back, yelping. Ivy scrambled to her feet and started to run. She never thought she would actually call for Colton's help, but she had no choice this time.

"Colton!" She screamed, running.

The black haired man caught the back of her dress and Ivy fell, biting her tongue hard enough to make it bleed.

"I'm through playing games with you, you little witch," he growled, slapping her hard. "I'll teach you something..."

Ivy's head lolled to the side. Her ears were ringing and she barely even noticed that the man was stripping her down.

"Colton!" HE heard Ivy yell. He took off at a full run as he got closer to where the voice came from. He saw the man pulling her clothes off and rage filled him as he slammed his fist into the back of hte man's head before grabbing hold of the other guy and throwing him away and into a tree. He pulled his jacket off and quickly wrapped her up in the it before running back to the wagon before they woke up.

"COlt." He heard her whimper.

"I got you, it's ok." He said softly pulling her against his chest. "It's ok."

She shivered slightly. She refused to cry. Not in front of him. This was cruel. So, so cruel to be with him after what she did.

Still, Ivy strained to get closer to him. To let him wrap his arms around her. He deserved better than this. He deserved the truth.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him.

"Later," came his gruff response.

"No. You need to know the truth," she insisted. She was about to sit up but her head still hurt too much.

"Ivy," Colton sighed, lightly laying her back down. She frowned when he got farther away from her. She wanted to stretch her arms out and have him hold her close. So close.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"I got that," he sighed. "What's going on?" Colton finally scooted closer to her and rubbed her hair away from her face.

Ivy, realizing that she had few clothes on, blushed. She made sure Colton's jacket covered her.

"I didn't want to hurt you, honest," she sighed. "But it dosen't matter what I do because we're both going to end up hurt anyway."

"What are you talking about, Ivy?" He asked, confused.

"Haven't you thought about it?" She qquestioned. "When it's safe for me, eventually I have to go back home. And then....and then I'll be miles away from you."

She whispered the words sadly. It was unfair and this was unevitable. Colton had to know this. They couldn't be together. The longer they stayed together the more it would hurt.

"We can figure something out when that time comes." He said looking at her. Why couldn't she understand?

"You don't get it, it doesnt' work like that." She sighed.

"Why can't it?" He asked looking at her. "Why not?"

"Colton," she grimaced. Everytime she just said his name her body trembled with delight. "I'm going to have to leave."

"Not yet. We won't have to worry about that now," he smiled.

"It'll only hurt more the longer we stay together," Ivy replied. "Don't you see? Even now, once I go home, there will never be a boy like you. I'll probably never marry because there is no one like you."

She sighed, exasperated. She had gotten past the sadness. She was angry at him now. "Just imagine how bad it will be if we keep seeing each other. Colton....you just don't get it!" She yelled, upset. "I'm falling for you and now we're both going to suffer because of it."

Colton sighed and shook his head. "If I had to follow you back east to persude you otherwise I'm pretty sure I would." He replied looking at her. "Please, just give it a try."


**UGH**

"I-I," she started, looking into his sad face. Ivy sighed. Why not, she asked herself. It's going to hurt anyway, why not be with him as much as she could.

"Alright," she smiled, softly. "I didn't really stand much of a chance anyway."

*Ugh! So brain dead. This always happens. **