An hour ago..
"Hello little mouse, it was so easy to get you up here, all I had to do was take that morons phone and text you, and you came running to him without any questions asked," Dylan said, his breath fanning my neck as I attempted to remain still so he wouldn't notice how afraid I was."Where is Leo? If you don't let me go, I'm going to scream bloody murder," I managed to say, but my trembling voice betrayed me, showing my fear."Oh, don't worry about him, little mouse; after all, when his old friend is finished with him, your boyfriend will wish he hadn't crossed me," Dylan said, and I could tell he was smiling."What are you talking about? You sick fuck, where is Leo?" I cursed, causing his hold on my shoulders to tighten."If he ignored you like everyone else and minded his own fucking business maybe you wouldn't have even thought of fighting back then and now""Shut up! You're sick, you made my life miserable""Ever since he arrived, you have been acting like you own the place, that has to stop, because I miss my obedient little mouse, she is more fun to play with," Dylan Said as he kissed my neck."Fuck you! Dylan let me go," I screamed as I struggled against his grip, repulsed by his bulge pressing against me."Watch your mouth, little mouse; I'm already irritated, so don't make it worse unless you want your punishment to be far, far worse." Dylan said, and as I felt his grip slack a little, I took advantage of the chance to headbutt him in the face again, just like the last time."Fuck you, Dylan," I cursed as his hands left my shoulders and pushed me forward, allowing me to see the face of my bully for the previous few years as i turned to face him, and he didn't look happy; he was clutching his bloodied nose and gazing at me with a murderous expression."This new found confidence isn't working for me, you're nothing but trash, you're lower than me, your life isn't worth shit, Athena, and I'm going to make sure you remember that." Dylan said as he let go of his nose and slapped me across the face, causing me to tumble to the ground. He was faster and stronger than me, so I couldn't avoid the hit,"After James's little brother beat the shit out of his freak of a brother, I thought he'd take the hint and leave you alone," Dylan growled, his gaze falling on me before continuing, "and if one hero wasn't enough, that ex-convict had to take your side too, what in the hell did they see in you? To want to protect you this much, it's not like you're worth their efforts.""What the fuck did you just say?" I yelled, my voice deathly calm, as my mind replayed what he had just said, Zack and his friends beat Shane up because Dylan was trying to get Leo to stay away from me,So that the little innocent boy got wounded because of Dylan's twisted fixation with me, what the fuck was wrong with him to do that to him?"You didn't know, little mouse, you're the reason his brother got hurt, James on my command told his little brother to teach Shane a lesson as a warning to Leo to stay away from you," Dylan grinned like a maniac as he stared at me, he was a fucking physcopath.He hurt Shane because of his unhealthy obsession with me, how was I going to face Leo now? How was I going to face Shane? I thought as shoved him backwards without thinking,"Fuck you! You're do fucked up in the head, how could you hurt Shane because of me" I yelled before I started throwing punches at him, I didn't care if they didn't hit their mark, I threw the punches anyway.In my indignation, I didn't even realize that James and Tom had left the roof, leaving Dylan and me alone; we were perilously close to the roof, but I was too blinded by rage to notice."Get off me, you fucking bitch," he yelled as he fought to keep me from hitting him. We exchanged sides, and I was now on the edge of the roof.Dylan then pushed me too hard, causing me to trip and tumble backwards. I reached for his jersey to balance myself, but he took a step back as I fell off the roof. As I fell, the last thing I saw was his smiling face before the darkness consumed me.Present…I could hear people screaming nearby, but I couldn't move. My body hurt a lot, as if a huge truck had hit me and then I was tossed down stairs. After the commotion quieted a bit, I could hear everything clearly. I recognized a voice – it was Austin, sounding scared. Why was he calling me? Did something happen to his mom? Why couldn't I move to reassure him?However, his voice got lost amidst the loud police sirens. We wondered why the police were at our school. Did someone get injured? Was that why Austin appeared frightened? He seemed to only care about Leo and me, and I prayed it wasn't Leo who had been hurt.I heard footsteps approaching, and a woman's voice asked, "How long has she been like this?""I don't know, I found her like this," Austin replied, his voice trembling."We should take her to the hospital," a man's voice said in an urgent tone.Then, they placed something around my neck. A few minutes later, I felt my body being lifted and laid on a flat surface. The surface started moving towards the sound of sirens.A few minutes later, we stopped moving. Among the loud sirens, I could clearly hear two voices – one was Austin's, and the other was the woman's from earlier."Make sure she stays awake," the woman told someone, likely the man from before. My body was lifted once more, and then I felt a hand holding mine, surrounded by his familiar scent."Athena, try to stay awake. I need you tonstay with me," Austin pleaded, his voice filled with pain. I wanted to reassure him that I was fine and he didn't need to worry, but I couldn't open my mouth or eyes.I began to wonder if I was the one who got hurt. Maybe that's why the woman was urging Austin to keep me awake."Can I sit in the back with you? Her guardian is coming, and my other friend is in the ambulance next to this one," Austin asked. My worst assumption turned out to be true – Leo was also injured. I tried to struggle, but it was futile.The woman spoke, "She has multiple fractures, a possible concussion, and some internal bleeding. We need to take her to the hospital as fadr as possible Mike," as she placed an oxygen mask over my mouth. I felt Austin's grip tighten on my hand."Did she fall on her own or was she pushed?" the woman inquired.Austin replied with a hint of anger in his voice, "You're mistaken if you think my friend is suicidal. Athena would never attempt to take her own life." I could sense the frustration in his voice. No matter how tough things got, I wouldn't have considered harming myself again, especially now that I had people who genuinely cared about me and causing them pain was the last thing I'd want to do."I'm sorry, but I have to ask," the woman said, her voice concerned. "Two students getting injured in a single day is unusual for our town." Just then, I felt a sudden pain in my arm, but it disappeared quickly."What about the other guy? Will he be okay?" Austin asked, his voice shaky. I could tell he was really worried, and I wished I could comfort him somehow."I don't know yet. We'll have to wait for the doctors to check on him. But between the two of them, the guy has a better chance of surviving than this young lady.""You're wrong. They both will make it. Athena and Leo are strong. They'll get through this," Austin insisted, gently kissing the back of my hand."I'm sorry for being insensitive" the woman said"They're fighters," he whispered softly. Suddenly, my head throbbed, and memories flooded back. Dylan had pushed me off the school roof after I tried to defend myself. He had tried to kill me.An incredibly loud alarm blared inside the ambulance, and I felt a flurry of activity around me. "She's in critical condition! We need to hurry, or she won't make it to the hospital," the woman's voice was filled with panic. Gradually, I began to lose consciousness. Austin was pleading with me to stay awake, but I couldn't. The drowsiness overcame me, and darkness took over as I slipped into unconsciousness. Just before I blacked out completely, I heard Austin say desperately, "Athena, please don't go. We still need you. I need you, Red. Don't die on me."It's been a week since Red and Leo were brought to the hospital following their accidents. Sophie, Shane, and I have been in and out of the hospital, trying to help them in any way we could by simply being here. When they were brought to the hospital, Sophia said I had a mental breakdown after the doctors informed us that both Leo and Red had slipped into comas and they didn't know when they would wake up. As a result, the doctors had to sedate me so that I wouldn't hurt myself.The news of my close friends, Leo and Red, falling into comas was devastating. Leo and Red were more than friends – they were like family to me. So I find myself constantly praying for their recovery, hoping that they will wake up soon and that everything can return to the way it used to be. Because the idea of losing them is incredibly difficult to bear.After the doctors assessed me and confirmed I was in the right state of mind, they released me. However, due to my recent breakdown, Sophie and Shane have b
"I can't believe this, Silas. This must be some twisted joke to get back at me, isn't it?" I heard my mother say, her voice filled with a mix of disbelief and anger but my focus was on my father who just revealed that he was going to die.Silas appeared unaffected by her emotional outburst, his gaze locked onto me. He took a deliberate step in my direction, pausing a couple of feet away. The soft glow of the light cast his silhouette, revealing his presence. As he stood there, the undeniable truth was clear: he was my father. The resemblance between us was striking—our eyes held the same hue, the lines of our noses mirrored one another, our hair colors complemented, and our physical builds were eerily similar.He broke the silence, his voice steady yet full of emotion as he began to speak, "I've been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. The chemotherapy hasn't yielded any results, and the doctors have given me just a few years to live.""Are you here to ask for forgiveness?" I que
The persistent beeping sounds beside me filled the air as I slowly began to wake up. I blinked my eyes open, revealing a sterile setting with white walls. As the beeping grew more intense, I tried to sit up, only to be greeted by a searing pain in my abdomen that elicited an involuntary groan.So I decided to remain still, scanning the room with my eyes. There, I saw Shane peacefully asleep in Sophia's embrace on a large couch at the foot of my bed. Meanwhile, Austin appeared uncomfortable, dozing off in a chair nearby. Fighting through the discomfort, I managed to croak, "Hey, Austin... What happened?" Since he was the lightest sleeper, I hoped to catch his attention first.I wondered where I was as I tried to wake up Austin, who seemed fast asleep. My eyes searched the room for clues, and when my mind became clearer, I realized I was in a hospital. But the question remained: why was I here?I called out for Sophia, and her eyes opened instantly, locking onto me. Tears welled up as
"Your father? I thought you said he was dead, " I asked as I stared at Austin in disbelief as I tried to make sense of the revelation."Well it turns out the one who died was not my biological father but my stepfather who was used as a means to an end because my real father's family didn't want me" Austin explained, his voice filled with emotion."Wow," I responded, unable to find the right words. It had only been a few days since I woke up, and so much had happened in Austin's life that I wasn't aware of. "How are you taking all this? Be honest with me, Austin.""I don't even know how to feel about all this," Austin said as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "the fact that she lied to me my whole life isn't what is pissing me off. it's the fact that she let that bastard who she called my father beat me up to the point that i had to go to the hospital every other week. ""I'm sorry, bro. That must have been tough. It takes someone who was raised by an abusive father to
"It all started when I was very young, we had a happy family, everything was going well, then eventually my mother gave birth to Shane, and it was the happiest day of my life. I swore that protect the kid" I explained as a smile made it's way to my face as my thoughts went back to the day Shane was born I was so fucking happy"I would be happy if I had that kid as my little brother. He is the best little brother ever," Austin commented as a smile made its way to his face"Yeah, he is," I added, my voice heavy with emotion. "As I was saying, everything was going great until my father lost his job when I was ten, and that's when our picture-perfect family came crashing down.""Damn," Austin cursed."My father began drinking to the point where he would pass out cold on the couch until the next day," I said, my hand clenched at my side as I remembered coming home from school and seeing him passed out on the couch. I took a long breath before continuing to talk. "My mother who would always
"Wait, so you're telling me the guy who owns the illegal fighting ring you where once a fighter at may be responsible for you getting shot," Austin repeated as he stared at me in shock"I'm not sure, but I think he might be responsible or might have something to do with it," I explained "Why do you think he might be the one? You said you were fighting in the void. You must have made one or two enemies who wanted revenge because you beat the shit out of them, " Austin said"That's another way to look at it. That's why I said I wasn't sure," I said as a frustrated sigh left my lips, then my thoughts went back to the strange texts I've been receiving. Austin probably needed to know about those, too, because they might be connected."You look like you might have something else to tell me," Austin said"Why do you think so?" I asked, causing him to roll his eyes at me"Maybe because you look guilty and are avoiding my gaze," Austin said in a matter of fact tone, "I hate and like the fact
Later that day, as Sophia and Shane came to the hospital to visit Athena and Leo, I took the opportunity to tell them about my father and extend an invitation for dinner, hoping they would like to meet him and help me decide if he truly was worth all the stress."How are you feeling, Leo?" Sophia asked as she took a seat on one of the empty chairs the nurses had provided for us in Athena's room"I'm doing well. How was your day at work? I hope Shane isn't causing you any trouble. I really appreciate you keeping an eye on him while I'm in here," Leo inquired while Shane cheekily stuck his tongue out in response."Work went well, though a bit stressful. Shane, on the other hand, behaved perfectly and even assisted me with some tricky documents. He is a smart kid; babysitting him helps take my mind off things," Sophia explained with a smile, casting a glance at Shane, who had a smug smile on his face"See bro, she called me an angel and said I'm smart. Maybe you should take som
"Did you really think we wouldn't be interested in meeting this man who suddenly appears and claims to be your father?" Sophia asked, her curiosity evident in her tone and eyes "I don't know what to believe about all this Sophia, so I need your help because I have no one else to turn to. But I also don't want to inconvenience you guys, or make things awkward, if you don't want to meet up you with him, i will understand" I said as Sophia glared at me but it's wasn't angry one, it was more like the 'are you kidding me' look "Of course we are going to help you through this, because we are your family and also I don't trust your mother as far as I can throw her and I trust this stranger even less, so until i can trust him, i don't want acting like you owe him something" Sophia said as she walked up to me taking my hands in hers, "because from the day you guys walked into my life and made Athena's life better, i swore to myself that I would take care of all of you like my own to the bes