In Your Arms by Rebeca Ruiz

Tanner knows this.
                  My brother was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was seven, and since then it's been a battle. He's spent more time in a hospital than anyone ever should. He finally achieved a year in remission in July, so we're happy we finally got this illness beat.
                  “I'll just see you at the party, Tanner.” I walked away from him.
     
                  I knew Tanner arrived at the party before me, my friends texted me to ask what was wrong since I wasn't with him.
                  I took two steps and someone shoved a drink in my hand. I looked to see Alex. He was smiling at me, and I took a step back.
                  “Hey, Ashton.”
                  “Hi.” I took a big gulp of my drink and walked away. I'm pretty sure he was waiting for me since this beer was stale and warm. I took one more sip and put it down next to the table near the staircase. I went on my toes to see if I could spot Tanner.
                  “He's on the other side, if you're looking for Tanner.” I hear Alex say. I roll my eyes but walk the other way. I spent ten minutes looking for him, and I was afraid he was in a room upstairs with another girl.
                  Suddenly, I couldn't see straight. Everything was moving very slowly. I felt sluggish. This couldn't be good.
                  Someone grabbed my hand and I was being pulled upstairs. My head felt heavy, so I couldn't see who it was. My brain couldn't send the signals to speak, so no words were coming out. Slowly, I was realizing that I had been drugged by Alex.
     
                  I must have passed out from the walk from the staircase to the bedroom he took me to. Next thing I see is him pulling his clothes off. I felt cold, and I'm pretty sure he took off my clothes. I tried to move, and he just laughed as I made some incoherent sound.
                  “You're not going anywhere, and you won't remember this.” I closed my eyes.
                  Where the fuck was Tanner? Even he couldn't handle being in a fight for longer than a couple hours. Someone must have seen me go upstairs with Alex, they'll tell Tanner. I hope. I pray.
     
                  Beeps were becoming louder. I managed to groan, and I felt someone grab my hand. I felt so groggy, I didn't want to wake up, but I knew I had to.
                  Slowly, I opened my eyes. My friend, Sarah, was there. Her eyes widened when she realized that I had woken up. I started crying, remembering what happened to me. It was waves of emotions, and I wasn't sure what to feel.
                  “I didn't know if you wanted me to call your parents-” She began to say. I shook my head and looked at the petite girl who I grew up with. We were friends, but not best friends. I never got along enough with people to call them that. But if I had to choose my closest friend, it'd be her because she's always been there through the ups and downs.
                  “No. Please, tell me that you didn't.”
                  “I didn't, but I did have a plan that if you were out for more than one day that I would. That creep drugged you enough to tranquilize a horse.” I took a deep breath.
                  “Where's Tanner?” I ask.
                  She diverted her eyes away from me, and I knew that I did not want to hear what was about to come out of her mouth.
                  “Sarah. Where is Tanner?” she looked down, and answered.
                  “He's being held at the police station.”
                  “What?” I sat up, but started to feel nauseous. I laid back down. “Why is he at the police station?” Something inside told me that  I already knew. I may not remember it all, but I knew. He found us.
                  “He beat