NEVERLAND

Never slap a criminal

Winny's P.O.V.

I have been crying for 4 week nights. I've been moping everyday. I'm missing something.

Well, someone.

I haven't seen Patch ever since that night he sneaked into my window. Did I regret not telling him that I wanted to run away?

No, Patch respects me. He wouldn't leave me just because I didn't want to go with him and live with him somewhere.

But where the hell was he?

I walk to Teddy and see that he is hesitating to look at me. Ever since Patch had went and enrolled in this school, the Lost boys had studied here too.

"Hey Winny. You look pretty today. How are you?" Teddy says in a shaky voice and I sigh.

Where the hell was he? I knew Teddy knew and Patch probably told him not to tell me.

"Stop it, Teddy. I know you know where Patch is." I tell him and he shrugs, shakily.

He lets out a forced laugh and pretends to check around. Why the hell did he have to pretend? I already knew about him knowing Patch's location.

"No, I haven't seen him. Do you know where he is? Because I don't." He tells me and I roll my eyes again.

Oh Teddy, just tell me where he is.

"Look Teddy, I've been crying myself to sleep for a month. Just tell me where he is, please. I have to tell him something important. I miss him so much." I tell Teddy, almost tearing up and Teddy sighs.

He shakes his head and wipes my threating tears away. Patch always wiped my tears for me. That made me cry even more.

"Don't cry Winny. Patch wouldn't want that. I miss him too you know? He's my best friend and all." He tells me and I nod.

He then looks behind me and gasps.

I turn around and see why he did. I see the worst thing in the whole world, a bruised and scarred Patch in the hallways.

Who did this to him?

His eyes finally meet mine and I roll my eyes, walking away. He's been gone for a month and he didn't tell me anything? Maybe I could make him wait too.

"I'll be going to class now, Teddy." I tell him, completely ignoring Patch behind me and quickly walk away.

No, before we reconcile and exchange "I miss yous" I was going to know why Patch left in the first place.

I walked to art class and saw Patch was already there. He eyed me with a soft expression and I sat in the seat that was farthest from him.

I was at the front row and he was at the back.

We weren't supposed to be seen together in school anyway. I was just doing what principal D told me.

"Hey can we switch seats, I can't see a lot with this black eye." I hear someone say beside me and I turn to see my seatmate nod.

"Sure, anything to help." My seatmate says casually and gets up, transferring.

What the!?

I see that Patch has now occupied the seat next to me and is looking at me obsessively.

What happened to him?

I feel a tear fall but quickly wipe it away when I hear our teacher walk in.

"Hello everybody. Please face your canvases and think about what's on your mind. Now I want you to paint that and let's get started!" She says and I sigh, quickly getting some paint.

I was going to paint what I felt for the past month. I slowly began to paint the lines of my hair, face, clothes, darkness and tears.

The painting was of me, staring out the window, waiting for somebody to come back.

"Oh my, Winny! That looks great." My teacher says and I give her a quick smile, nodding.

She then passes by Patch and gives it a smile, patting his back. What had he painted? I couldn't see it clearly.

Everyone was surrounding him, trying to get a glimpse of his art and here I was, not being able to look at it.

When the crowd subsided I finally got to see what it was.

There were two birds leaving their bird cage. They were free and the painting was lovely. Was this how Patch had pictured us running away together?

I was finally going to give him my answer.

. . .

"Patch! Wait up!" I say and he turns around, looking at me.

I give him a shy smile and he looks at me without expression. I could see his face clearly now. He had a black eye, a scar on his lip, more bruises on his neck.

"What?" He asked me, expressionless and I sigh, looking at everyone in the cafeteria.

Wow, we had a huge crowd.

"I liked your painting in art. What was your inspiration?" I ask him and he shrugs.

There was no inspiration? How the hell did he think of two birds randomly?! He always called me birdy and there were two birds leaving their cage. Wasn't that a picture of us running away.

"You were my inspiration." He tells me silently and I look up to meet his eyes again.

Finally, he gives me something to talk to him about.

"Were my inspiration." He says and his eyes darken.

What?!

"What do you mean, were? Do you still want to run away with me?" I ask him and take his hand as he flinches and releases his hand from my grip.

"No, Winny. That was an insane idea. You know what, I think principal D was right. We can't be together." Patch says and my eyes widen and my heart breaks into a million pieces.

What?!

"You want to break up with me? After we just had our relationship fixed again?" I asked him and he nods.

"We can't be seen together anywhere so I suggest we break up, Winny. You aren't even hot anyway. Who would want to run away with you?" Patch says and I gasp, my rage growing quickly.

Patch really had the nerve to break up with me at school? Did he have no decency?

Tears ran in my eyes and I realized that I wasn't sad, these were tears of anger and I could see that Patch's eyes had softened too.

If Patch didn't care if he broke up with me infront of everyone, then I could do this.

I reached up his face and slapped him as hard as I can.

"If this is what you want, then fine. Have fun being a wuss Patch, but promise me you'd fight for what you want next time. I've given you enough chances, and it looks like your chances have run out. Quit playing with my heart." I tell him and place another slap to his other cheek.

Goodbye, Patch Peters. I would've said yes.