Philophobia [Hayes Grier]

Part 8

I heard the sound of bodies hitting the ground. I opened up my eyes and realized I was still standing. I quickly turned around and saw both men on the ground, blood pouring out of his back. There was a shadow standing above his dead body.

Hayes.

The leader was standing there, pointing the gun at Hayes. The leader grabbed me and I screamed. He held the gun to my temple and wrapped his arm around my neck. I tried to pry his arm away but he'd just choke me tighter.

"We wouldn't want your little girlfriend with a bullet through her pretty head of hers, would we?", he said, cocking the gun as Hayes took a step towards us.

"Let her go and you can have me.", Hayes said, instantly giving himself up. I looked at him in shock.

Did he really just say that?

Hayes lowered his gun and dropped it onto the ground then put his hands up.

"You're weak little boy. You haven't learned anything from your brother's mistakes have you.", he smirked. Hayes's eyes shot open. I heard another loud bang and my ears started ringing. It felt like the world was spinning and it was really bright. I fell onto my knees and held my head. The ringing hurt so bad. I looked at my hand and there was blood on it. The ringing died down and I heard Hayes yell.

"FUCK! ETHAN YOU SHOT TOO CLOSE TO HER.", he yelled, looking at him then running up to me. I looked around and saw the leader on the ground. There was a puddle of blood around his head. I covered my mouth to try and stop the feeling to throw up.

"We have to go.", Hayes grabbed my arm, pulling me up to my feet. I was still really dizzy so I almost fell but Hayes caught me. His arm was around me, leading us to his car.

"Gizell...", I noticed her breathing was still heavy and she looked like she was about to pass out. Grayson instantly turned towards Gizell and asked what was wrong. She couldn't speak. When she tried, it got worse.

"Pills in her backpack.", I said weakly as I regained my senses.

Grayson rummaged through her backpack and found them then gave it to her. I wiped the blood off the side of my face.

This isn't my blood.

I looked at it staining my fingers. I quickly wiped it off my face, along with some tears, both dried and fresh. I held my head because it was still pounding.

"What just happened.", I looked at Hayes, in the front seat. He looked at me from the mirror and gripped the steering wheel tightly. He stopped the car without saying a thing. The doors slid open and a few guys, around their age, took me and Gizell back into my house. The car skidded off and the guys eventually left.

I ran to the bathroom to wash my face and change my clothes. I threw away shirt when I noticed there were spots of splattered blood on it. Flashes of the leader laying on the ground. His lifeless body, staring at me. I splashed water on my face and left the bathroom. Gizell sat in my bed, hugging her legs to her chest. I sat next to her and turned on the TV.

"You okay?", I asked Gizell.

"Besides having a gun pointed at my head, having another attack, and my boyfriend breaking up with me, I'm completely fine.", she snapped, crossing her arms.

"Sorry...", I mumbled.

"No its fine, I'm sorry. I'm just...tired", she said quietly.

-

A few days passed by and everything was back to normal. Almost.

We would walk to school and everyone would stare. Gizell had gotten usually depressed and I felt...empty. Our days would consist of going to school, barley eating anything, and going back home. We were always sitting in silence. It seemed like there was a dark cloud hanging above us wherever we went.

"Mia?", Gizell said quietly while we went sitting on the living room couch watching American Horror Story.

"Yeah?", I looked at her.

"Do you like Hayes?", she asked taking a deep breath in before she spoke.

I sat up and pulled my legs to my chest then cleared my throat and looked at the tv, trying to avoid the question.

"Mia.", she said a little louder, wanting an answer.

"I- um... I don't-...I mean...no.", I hesitated.

You don't like Hayes.

C'mon Mia. Don't ignore it. You know you felt something in that kiss.

You don't wanna get hurt again do you?

I got a phone call and quickly picked it up.

'Mia get out of your house.'

"What?", I said as the line went dead.

I hung up the phone and looked at Gizell. Her eyes shot open.

"Mia move.", she said and pushed me off the couch. Half a second later, there was the sound of a gunshot and shattering glass. I looked at the couch and there was a bullet hole in the cushion where I was sitting.

"Holy shit", I said under my breath. I got up and ran. There were more gunshots behind me. Gizell was right next to me and we dropped and covered in my room.

"MIA!!!", Gizell screamed as more shots were fired through my window. Glass shattered everywhere and cut us. We stayed quiet until the gunfire stopped. I glanced out the window and they were gone. I grabbed a backpack and ran to my dad's room where he stashed a handgun. Gizell and I ran out the front door and ran to Gizell's house a few minutes away from mine. There was a black mustang that pulled up right next to us. The window rolled down and Grayson was driving.

"Get in now.", he ordered.

Gizell and I looked at each other.

"Now!", he yelled. There was a black van racing down the street towards us. We quickly got in and Grayson stepped on the gas.