Chapter 6 - Trying to live a little

"The people who were attacked… Who are they?" I asked him, even though I already knew the answer.

"I have no idea, but they were coming from Springville. I'm not sure, but they're not locals. If you want to go to that area, you're not going alone, and if you're going for some hush-hush business, take my truck. You're not going on that road on two-wheelers now." My mind had already started processing all the scenarios that could happen in my future.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," I told him and disconnected the call. I took the bike's keys and drove towards the woods. I wasn't driving at high speed to spot the place where all this happened, but when I finally reached the spot, I understood why Drake was freaked out. There were two police cars on the side of the road, and the policemen were looking at something on the corner of the woods that I assumed was a body or bodies.

On the corner of the road, there was a lot of blood, so I assumed that whoever was attacked parked his bike on the side when the animal attacked him. I went near the police officers, and I could see the bloody drag marks from the corner of the road into the forest.

"You can't come here, miss," one of the police officers said. "The bodies are still here." He came towards me and blocked my view, so I could not see anything.

"Sorry, but my friend was going to visit me at my place today. I just wanted to check if my friend is safe," I told him. 

"The identity of the people is still unknown. We didn't find any identification cards with them, and the bodies are unrecognizable," he said, and this was enough for me to know that my fears were justified. I nodded and went towards my bike. I didn't waste a second and drove back to the room.

I called the nurse who had helped me many times. She answered my call after a few rings. "Can I talk to Mom, please? It's urgent," I asked her. She initially denied it, but she agreed after a few more attempts.

"Why did you do that?" I asked her directly.

"Don't act like you didn't know I would do that," she replied coldly.

"I expected you to treat me like your daughter and not as something to fulfill your ulterior motives in at least the last few months of your life," I said to her, and even though I didn't want my voice to shake in the end, it did.

"I am the one who birthed you. I didn't want a child like you. My child should have walked on every path that I told him to," she shouted and instantly coughed.

I closed my eyes and remembered all the things that had happened to me only because I wasn't the child my mom expected me to become. "I don't think you need me. I will not show you my face from now on," I told her and disconnected the call.

After ten minutes, I called the same nurse again and told her to take care of Mom properly. Mom had borne all the hospital expenses until now, but her savings will not be able to pay for more than a month now. So, I told the nurse to call me whenever payment was needed. She asked me many questions, but I lied easily, like every time I did.

Many things are going on in my mind, but one thing that I am sure about is that I am not safe in Greenville either. I groaned due to all this overthinking and took a painkiller before going to bed. I needed to clear my mind so that I could think of something.

When I woke up, it was dark outside, and I could feel the wind directly on my face. I got confused because I did not remember opening the window before sleeping, but as I was not in my proper senses, I shrugged and got up from the bed. For a few minutes, I just sat on the bed thinking about what I should do, and in the end, I decided that loud music and alcohol were something that could stop me from thinking about all this for now. I wore my usual jeans and a crop top and slid into an unbuttoned shirt, and as my hair was already short and wavy, I did not have to put much effort into them.

When I entered the club, my heart also started thumping with the beats of the DJ, and I smiled. I went towards the drink counter and ordered vodka shots. After gulping the shots, I felt that familiar burning sensation in my throat and instantly felt good. I turned and looked around the whole club when my eyes automatically landed on the very same figure that made my heart beat faster in the diner today.

He was directly looking at me, and even in the darkness and neon lights of the club, I could clearly see the features on his face. I tried to turn my gaze away from him, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing helped. I felt as if I lost all control of my body at the exact time our gazes met. His jaw was clenched hard as if he was angry or irritated by something or someone. Am I making him mad? Is he thinking that I am staring at him?

I instantly removed my gaze from him, but I could still feel his gaze on me. I tried not to look at him again and focused on losing all the worries that I was feeling a little while ago. I have already started feeling a little light-headed and calmer than before. I walked towards the dance floor, and my body started swaying on its own. I was enjoying myself when I felt someone behind me, which spoiled my whole mood. Why can’t people understand that I need some time alone right now? I decided not to cause any scene and was about to walk away when the person grabbed my waist from behind.

I rolled my eyes and turned to face the owner of that hand. When I turned around, I found a guy who was too drunk even to understand what he was doing. People should really not drink to the extent to which they lose their senses. "Hey, why did you stop dancing?" he complained while swaying on his spot. I really don’t know if he was really dancing or if it was just the effect of the alcohol. I removed his hand from my waist and stepped backward. I went towards the bar again and ordered drinks for myself. These stupid people are the reason why I can’t enjoy clubs. I like partying and clubbing, but I don’t like these perverts hovering around me.

"Hey," I recognized the voice instantly and swiftly turned towards the very strange yet familiar man. "Hi," a reply escaped my lips instantly, without even my knowing, and a smile automatically found its way to my lips. Although I have always considered myself a person who is good at reading people's facial expressions, his very first expression does not look pleasant to me. His eyebrows are furrowed, which is making a troubled frown on his forehead, while the constant twitching of his ears is telling me that he is surely troubled. I was really not expecting these types of expressions on his face after some cheerful "hey" that he said a few minutes ago.

"Well, I was not expecting these expressions," I said while faking a smile towards him. What is the profit of this handsome face when the facial expressions are this grumpy?

"Huh," he said as if he had not heard every single word that I said.

"No need to be confused. You heard right, but what is it?" I asked him directly, coming to the point. There is no need to overthink about a guy when I already have many things to overthink. He seems a little uncomfortable and nervous now.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else"... {well, ouch}

"It's alright," I said with a tight-lipped, forced smile and turned towards the bar, where the bartender had already served the second round of vodka shots. I gulped them down in a few minutes, and the burning sensation in my throat helped me forget about the handsome man's ignorance towards me.

I turned to look at the dance floor but found the same man blocking my view. "What's your name?" I asked him, hoping to learn more about this man.

"Diego," he replied. His name rolled off his tongue, fluttering my heart. It seemed like love at first sight, or maybe extreme attraction in this case.

"Okay, Diego, since I'm not the person you were looking for, could you give me a little space to enjoy myself?" I asked sweetly. He seemed embarrassed and coughed before nodding and shifting away. I passed a last smile towards him and looked at the dance floor, where I luckily couldn't spot the guy from before on the stage. I looked around and found a couple of couples dancing together. I smiled and headed towards them to enjoy my night a little. I always spot couples dancing on the dance floor whenever I feel like dancing because they never intended to try their chances with other girls, especially not in front of their girlfriends at least.

After dancing for almost an hour, without any creeps this time, I felt my muscles easing a little. Vodka had already started having its impact on my brain, which I was glad about. I finally decided it was time to head home. I had a great time till now, and I really didn't want anyone to come out of the blue and spoil my night.

I went outside and was about to head towards my bike when I heard a voice from the back of the club. My mind gave me a warning, but when I heard a second sound louder and clearer, I cursed myself and went in the direction of the voice... {yeah, I am mad, officially}

When I arrived, I saw a couple of guys beating a man mercilessly. I was about to call for help when one of the guys looked in my direction. I immediately turned to go away, but he was faster than me. He grabbed my neck from behind harshly and threw me towards the wall, causing me to crash my already injured side into the wall. I shrieked in pain while feeling his grip tighten around my throat... {fuck}