Bad Habits

Chapter 22

It's around two in the morning when I get woken from my deep sleep by my phone vibrating against the bedside table. The noise of it hitting my glass of water  sending a shrill noise to enter the room.

I groan and roll to my side and blindly grip the device with my hand.

"Whoever it is, this better be a damn emergency or have bacon involved or I'm going to gut you like a fish and feed you to my pet crocodile." I grumble highly irritated into the phone when I answer.

"I'm so so sorry Stells," Maddox's voice breathes down the line.

He sounds in pain.

I toss the covers off my body, now fully alert as I hear the desperate plea in his voice and switch my lamp on, my eyes squinting from the harshness of the light. "Maddox? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I'm so sorry to wake you, but I need your help." I hear him hiss and curse in Italian before he speaks again."I swear I wouldn't of called you if I had a choice. I tried to call Noah but there was no answer and I didn't want him to have to leave Poppy on her own." He rushes out before he curses again and I hear the sound of gravel crunching.

I place a hand to my beating chest and shake my head."Maddox I don't care about that, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm on the other side of town,   I think I've broken my arm or my shoulder. Either one. I need you to come down and get me. I can't drive the car with my arm like this." He explains, I can hear the wince in his voice as he pushes the words through gritted teeth.

"I'll call a cab and get there as soon as possible. Just stay where you are. Do you think you can text me the address you're at?" I ask slipping shoes onto my feet and grabbing my hoodie. If I take my car I'll have to leave it wherever he is and drive his back home, I pace my bedroom floor a few times as I think it through. A cab is definitely the answer right now, I'll just leave a note for Oliver in case he wakes up earlier than usual and wonders where I am.

"Yeah, yeah I can do that. Fuck. Just try and be quick. Please." He pleads sounding like he's on the verge of tears. My heart breaks for him right now. I've never known Maddox to cry before so it must be pretty bad for him to be almost crying right now.

I nod mutely then realise he can't see me."I promise. I'm gonna hang up now to call a cab, text me the address as soon as possible."

"I will, thank you Stell, honestly you're the best." He says, his voice sounding pained and relieved all in one.

"I know I am," I chirp jokingly hoping to ease the situation right now."I'm gonna go now, stay awake and I'll be there in no time." I promise shoving the house keys into my hoodie pocket.

"Okay, be careful, I'm not in a good part of town." He warns his voice more of a grunt than anything.

I halt my breath and then sigh as if I was expecting him to be anywhere else right now. I hang up on him after saying bye and call the cab company who let me know there's a cab just heading my way a few blocks away. Thankfully the stars are in my favour tonight.

I peek my head around Oliver's door to make sure he's sleeping. The only sounds in the quiet house are his soft snores echoing in his room as the light from the moon grazes through his curtain and lights up his sleeping face. I close the door softly and pad my way downstairs where I grab some water bottles and cereal bars as well as some chocolate. I place them all into my backpack and then unlock the front door, making sure it's securely locked up after me.

I wait on the edge of the curb for the cab to pull up, my foot tapping impatiently as I glance at the time again. A text comes through from Maddox stating his whereabouts, with directions on how to get to him and a warning that the cab probably won't travel that far into the small town due to its reputation for being unsafe.