𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠 𝐌𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 (𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏)

14

Song: Shallow - Lady Gaga ft Bradley Cooper

..............................

The questions about what I'd witness came to me after a while and by then I'd already lost the chance to get answers considering how things turned out in the end.

Who was M? Why did Bryce own him money? They said something about weed, but it was too shocking it escalated this much just for that... Who was that creepy mad man? Why was Hayden the one who had to 'punish' Bryce? They did say something about some deal, right?

I slipped my hand through my hair and pulled in frustration as I let out a groan. Everything was so fucking confusing. I witnessed something I clearly should and that freaked me out. And don't let me start with what happened after...

I couldn't believe Hayden actually threatened me. He tried to choke me! He's a fucking psycho!

Gavin'd let Sadie know I wasn't feeling well and then escorted me out Bryce's place, he'd managed my car home and made sure I was fine. Besides my hurt ego and the shocked scene I watched, all I had was a slightly sore throat. I cried all night, feeling lost and miserable. How did this shit happen? I felt like I'd stepped into a bad movie plot... and I was, like, a random extra no one cares about.

The very next morning Paris herself knocked on my door, to my utter surprise, and managed to convince me to not sue anybody.

"Bryce's already enough punished, don't you think? I'll make sure he won't do anything like that ever again."

"But-"

"Steelver, please." she almost begged and her tone bewildered me. "If it's known officially he do that stuff he'll get kicked out of the team and there will go his chanced tot get a scholarship for college." I'd gaped in shock, not expecting her to neglect something so atrocious we both had witnessed. " You really wanna ruin his future?"

"What about Hayden? And that M-guy? Who is-"

"NO. Stay out of this. Out of trouble." her head'd shaken vigorously. "Trust me, the less you know the better."

"But Hayden-"

"I'm serious, Arielle. This is not funny stuff. Stay. Out. Of. This."

I had furrowed my brows together and sighed in defeat. But somehow I realized then that if he'd almost chocked me after witnessing that, the consequences of knowing more might be terrible. It freaked me out and frustrated me equally.

"Fine." I'd grunted and her face immediately softened with relief. "But promise me you'll stay out as well. And Bryce too."

"Of course."

Pretending it'd never happen was harder that it looks. Firstly, because Bryce had been injured pretty badly and his wounds were there for all to see. And secondly 'cause two days later it was Monday, a school day, and I had to face them all again.

The first time I'd seen Hayden brought my heart nearly to a failure. When I spotted him across the hallway everything came back to me, I still felt his fingerprints on my neck. Rage and fear filled me and I hated it.

Lucky me he apparently had decided to fail chem since he never appeared in that class we had together anymore. Much to my relief, when it came to the last week of our punishment he stay true to his tradition and didn't show up as well.

My friends asked me about my sudden tension, but Paris and I had decided that it'll be better if we kept it down only for us to know. Safer this way. I hated lying, but if that spares them an attack from Mr Violent Outburst then I'll manage to live with it.