Bad is an Understatement | ✓

Chapter 23

"P-please! Dad! Please! He was stupid just give him another chance! Please!"

"You need to learn that every mistake comes with a price Riley." He pulls the trigger.

"NO!" I cry as the bullet hits Jack near his heart. I run over to him. I lay his head on my thigh,"J-Jack? I'm so sorry. P-please talk to me."

"R-Riley I-I l-love you. Pr-promise me y-you'll move on. A-away fr-from this." I look at his eyes which were forced open.

"Jack," I sob," I promise. I swear, okay? Just stay with me. Pl-please."

"Princess! Stop! Prin-" I turn around and punch someone in the jaw with full force.

"Fuck!" Heath groans. I look around and breathe heavily. I was in the gym?

"Riley? Are you..." Logan starts off and Heath looks at me like I'm crazy.

"I-I'm f-fine." I stutter. Logan passes me my water bottle. I chug it down till the last drop. "I'm sorry Heath." I apologize after a couple of minutes of calming down. I hope he forgives me because I can already see the bruise forming on his jaw.

"I'm sorry that you have a hard punch." He groans. "What happened to you? It was like you weren't even here."

"Nothing I just had a little too much adrenaline."

"Damn right. Look at your hands." He says. I lift my hands up my trembling hands. My hands were still balled up. There is fresh blood all over them and I can't feel a single thing. I tried to uncurl my fingers, but it stung like a bitch.

"I-I'll be fine." I try to get the words out without stuttering, but I utterly fail. How did I not feel this? Logan looks at me worried. "Uh Heath can I talk to Logan alone?" He nods.

"What happened to you? I thought you said they stopped." Logan exclaims.

"Th-they did." I say. He raises his eyebrows," I-I swear."

"I believe you, but there's something you're hiding." How well he knows me sometimes gets on my nerves.

"They started again during the second week I came here, but I've only had them like three times."

"Do you know what triggers them?"

"I don't know."

"Think about all the things those days had in common."

"Uh, today I talked to Jen, messaged Kylie and Kat. Uh, went out to lunch with Luke and trained. The first time I-I..." I try to remember," I was at a party dancing wi-with Luke." No it c-can't be.

"And the third?" Logan asks.

"I was in Luke's bedroom with him." I say. "Holy shit." I whisper to myself as tears build up in my eyes.

"Riley. You have to stay away from him." Logan's words came out slow and gentle.

"Like I haven't heard that one before." I scoff.

"Riley I'm serious," he scolds.

"And so am I. But Logan I can't, even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because he makes me feel happy genuinely, truly, happy. Whenever I'm with him I forget about everything else all I can focus on is him. His smile, his eyes he's just amazing."

"Are sure about that? Because if he made you happy. You wouldn't have those scars right now." He says referring to my hands. A tear slips down from my eye.

"What's happening to me?" I ask. " I was suppose to be happy."

"I wish I knew." Logan says. " I think you should rest for the day. Get your hands cleaned up." I nod. " I'm here for you Riley. I just wish you had told me sooner of what was happening." With that he leaves the room.

I get up and punch the bag hanging from the ceiling as hard as I could," UGH!" I fall onto my knees. What's wrong with me?! How could one person, unintentionally do this much damage to me?! I have to be in control. Riley you need to stop seeing Luke. I sigh.

"I need to stop being friends with Luke."

*********

"What happened to you?" Jen asks as she cleans the cuts.

"Punched too hard?"

"Ya think? Did the bag make it out alive?"

"I think so." We both laugh." Hey! I totally forgot to ask you, when did you and Ian become a thing?" I change the topic.

"You know the day where we kind've went off on you about Luke. When you had a mark under your lips and around your neck?" I nod. I actually totally forgot about that day because the marks are completely gone now," Well, when I came back to the dorm that day he was waiting inside. He said he wanted to talk to me about something so we talked."

"Talked?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes we talked." She rolls her eyes," He told me that he was the guy I slept with at the party and I knew it was him because he had this glow in his eyes when he said I love you to me. It was so mesmerizing, I got lost in it."

"Oooo someone's in looove." I tease her," Ow!" She purposely pushes down on my wound. She dramatically smiles.

"We're done," she says.

"Hey Jen?"

"Yeah?"

"What does two thousand eight mean for you?"

"Two thousand eight?" She thinks," It was the year my parents were murdered."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, but why?"

"Heath got that tattooed in roman numerals." I say. She masks her emotions with a poker face.

"Oh. I'm going to work on my homework." She says," You should get some rest."

"Okay." I cuddle up into bed. I check my phone nine thirty three. I yawn putting the phone away.

I play with my bracelet that Heath gave me until I fall asleep.

A/N:

I'm skipping to the match for the next chapter stay tuned!

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