A Place Of Hope And No Pain (Avenged Sevenfold)

Chapter 24

Matt's POV

"Do we have group?" I asked Chloe, walking out into the living area and looking at her.

She was sprawled across the couch, where she'd been for the last four days. That damn race had taken it out of all of us, but poor Chloe, she'd torn a ligament in her knee, well technically Carmen had a torn a ligament in her knee and well Chloe hadn't really left our room since.

She looked up at me, rolling her eye's. "I guess we should make an appearance."

"Well you should." I said watching her sit up. "I mean I went yesterday." And I had gone yesterday but mainly because I'd been bored shitless.

Yeah we were supposed to attend group daily, but because of Chloe's knee we'd actually been given a free pass to not attend for a week, so yeah, you know I was bored if I attended group of my own free will.

"I know." She muttered, struggling with her crutches, grimacing as she stood up. "Let's just get this over with."

I frowned following her out. She hadn't quite forgiven me for the whole bet thing yet and well her mood was pretty bad in general.

I let her lead, following her as she struggled down the stairs. I was going to offer her my help but I was pretty sure she'd bite my head off.

At last she struggled to the bottom and I watched her hobble to the dining room, grabbing a coffee.

"Problem?" I asked her, trying not to smile.

She was standing there, trying to work out how to hold her coffee and use her crutches all at the same time.

"No." She muttered, hobbling off, coffee slopping everywhere.

I was smiling to myself, well until we walked into the room where group was being held.

"Fuck me." Chloe groaned and I nodded.

Fuck me was right. Sitting in there, waiting for us was Bruce. He looked unhappy, but the worst part was the fact that Clay, Carmen, Jerry and Caitlin were sitting there too.

"Nice of you two to join us." Bruce said as we sat down.

Damn, I thought everything was okay after the race, I thought Bruce had given us that little lecture and that was it, it was over, but as I glanced around the room I realised it wasn't over.

"Whore." Carmen hissed at Chloe.

Chloe swung her eye's around, facing her. "What the actual fuck have I ever done to you?" She snapped.

"Now look." Bruce interrupted, but it didn't matter, the girls ignored him.

"You're the reason we're in this mess." Carmen snapped. "You flirting with everyone, making them all want you."

Chloe's eye's just about popped out of her head. "Um what?"

"Um what?" I repeated.

"You heard me." Carmen snapped.

"Please." Chloe snapped. "You're just jealous cause you fucked Clay."

"What?" Now it was Bruce's turn to snap.

"What?" Clay also added.

"This is great." Jerry chuckled and I glared at him, daring him to say something else.

"Alright." Bruce yelled over the top of everyone. "I don't really know what's going on with you all, but that race, it was disgusting, I've never seen anything like it in my life."

"He made the bet." Jerry said, pointing at me.

I shook my head. "Nope, he did." And I pointed at Clay.

"Who cares." Chloe yelled. "The bet should never have been made."

"Exactly." Bruce agreed. "Now there seems to be some sort of rivalry going on between you all, I don't know what it's about, but enough." Bruce told us. "We're almost at the half way mark, you're all doing great, well except for this. So what the hell is your problem?"

I realised Bruce was looking at me.

"Um." I muttered. "I don't have one, it was all just a bit of fun."

"Yeah exactly." Everyone else chimed in.

I really wanted to tell Bruce all about Jerry but Chloe was there, glaring at me, so I didn't dare.

"Fine whatever." Bruce said. "I know you all feel great and you think life is grand and all that shit, but I'm here to tell you, over the last half of this things are going to get tough and confrontational and you all need to start thinking about what the hell you're going to do once you get out of here."

"What?" Jerry asked, frowning. "Confrontational?"

"Yeah confrontational mate." Bruce snapped. "Did you think it was all going to be easy sailing from here? No, you are going to face some things you probably don't want to, here and when you get home, the only problem is when you get home you won't have Caitlin to fall back on. You." He said pointing at Carmen. "Won't have Clay and you." He said pointing at me. "Won't have Chloe to fall back on."

I frowned. What did he mean by facing things we probably didn't want to?

I glanced at Chloe. I'd never really thought about what I was going to do when I left here, I mean I figured I'd go to AA meetings, but still, no Chloe.

"I'm sure we'll stay in touch." Carmen said smiling at Clay.

"You idiot." Jerry snapped. "Do you actually think any of these clowns will want anything to do with us when they're not getting paid for it. Carmen, Clay is nice to you because at the end of all of this he get's a big fat pay check."

I watched Carmen's eye's widen at the realisation that what he was saying was true. They got paid to do this.

"Now look." Chloe said softly and everyone looked at her. "You make us sound money hungry."

"If the shoe fit's." Jerry snorted.

"Shut up." Caitlin suddenly snapped. "I am so sick of you and your self righteous attitude, god no wonder you have no fucking friends, you're just an asshole."

I put my hand over my mouth, smirking.

"What the fuck are you laughing at pretty boy?" Jerry snapped at me.

"She has a point." I chuckled and she did, he was really an asshole.

"So what." He snapped. "Yeah I'm an asshole, what of it, I don't pretend to be something I'm not and yeah, when I leave here I'll get on with my life being an asshole."

"You sound so damn happy with that." Caitlin snapped back at him.

He just smiled and nodded.

"Look." Bruce yelled over the top of us. "This conversation is getting us nowhere, obviously for some reason you don't like each other, whatever, keep it out of here, I don't want to see that the kind of shit you pulled the other day again. Do you understand?"

We all nodded, none of us game to say a word.

"Good, now fuck off out of my sight." Bruce boomed. "Except you two."

He pointed at Chloe and Clay and I watched as Chloe opened her mouth to object, but quickly shut it again, seeing the look on Bruce's face.

I stood up quickly. "I'll wait for you in the dining room." I whispered to Chloe before I left.

She just nodded, looking down at her hands.

I walked out, heading into the dining room, hoping to myself that those two weren't going to get in trouble because of us.

I grabbed a drink and sat down, ignoring the other's who had followed me in.

Confrontation? What the hell had Bruce meant by that? I was clueless, but I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't scare me a little.

I frowned thinking about leaving here, not having that support system and Bruce was right, it was something we needed to think about, only I didn't want to, I kind of relied on Chloe.

Maybe I relied on her a little too much, but surely we would remain friends when all of this was over?