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Chapter 13 - "So what do we do?"

"Where do you want to go?" Donovan asked.

"I don't know," Link said.

After the day, Link looked physically drained. He didn't meet Donovan's gaze, only stared listlessly at the ground. Not knowing where he'd take them but knowing they need to get away, Donovan opened the passenger side door and nudged Link to get in.

With one last look at the school that held the single person responsible for Link's current state inside, Donovan started the car and drove off. Neither of them spoke as Donovan drove through the city and out of it. Donovan never looked at Link but felt overly aware of his every move, or lack of them. Link sat completely still in the passenger seat, head turned towards the window.

The further away they got from the school, the further Donovan got from his emotions and thoughts. If he let himself dwell on what Carter had done, he wouldn't be able to focus fully on Link. And that's what mattered: Link. That was his job. That was who he cared about and wanted to protect.

Donovan gripped the steering wheel and then forced himself to loosen his hold.

Protect Link. He'd failed to do that. Emotional damage hurt as much as physical. He'd wanted Link to have a friend, someone to feel comfortable with. But maybe Donovan should have done the smart thing and kept them away from Carter.

Donovan dragged a hand through his hair and let out a breath. Leaving it behind, he needed to leave his thoughts behind. For now, nothing mattered but Link. He could beat himself up later and analyze every decision since coming to Hamilton another time.

Over an hour later, Donovan stopped the car at a lookout point. It held everything he felt Link would need, quiet, nature, peace, and solitude. Where they were, Link could scream at the top of his lungs and it wouldn't cause a disturbance. Donovan had found this point his third year in DC. He knew from experience screaming wouldn't bring attention.

When he opened his door, he looked over at Link who still sat unmoving. Swallowing down the emotions that surged up, Donovan climbed out and rounded to Link's side. He tapped on the glass and Link blinked as if he hadn't realized they stopped. Slowly, he pushed the door open and dragged himself out of his seat. Following Donovan's lead, he took a spot on the trunk of the car, taking in the forest view.

The air smelled fresh and the only sound to be heard was the ones of nature, creatures living small unbothered lives. No cars could be heard. Nothing but rustling trees. For a while, Link sat staring out but with glazed unseeing eyes. Donovan sat beside him, his confidante when Link needed him. The sun edged its way toward the horizon, haloing the treetops.

"She called me a bastard," Link said eventually.

Donovan kept everything inside, letting his exterior be nothing but calming and attentive while inside he swore viciously. That word. That title. That was the one she'd thrown at him. Well if she'd intended a piercing blow with that knife, she'd done an astounding job.

"She said it as an insult," Link said. "But it's true. It's what I am."

Donovan clasped his hands together, squeezing them tightly while keeping his face neutral. He would not let his own emotions take control.

Link shook his head and wiped his cheeks with his sleeve. "I feel stupid. I just wanted a friend and I feel like it's my fault for... forgetting what I am. That at the end of the day I feel like I'm constantly living a lie when it comes to being friends. But with Carter, it felt..."

Link blinked hard and roughly wiped his face again as if he hated the way his emotions were betraying him.

"She didn't like Mason. That was why I liked her, he didn't like Mason, and she... she saw me. That felt so nice. It felt so good to be seen. And despite how she seemed kinda angry, defensive, and abrasive I honestly thought she was a safe person. She felt like a safe person. Right up till she pushed me to admit who my dad was."