The Nerds And The Gang Leaders.

Chapter 29

His eyes found mine and my scowl deepened.

"Lighten up." He said with a smile, knocking my elbow with his fist.

My face remained sour.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for a while." Mom said with a smile.

She opened her arms, I made no move towards her. She wrapped her skinny arms around me and I swallowed down the urge to push her away from me.

My father bent down to my level so he was staring me straight in the eye.

"I hope you can forgive me, for how I've acted towards you. I've asked this of you way too many times but I just...I'm sorry kiddo."

I blinked away the tears that gathered in my eyes and forced him into a hug. I clung onto him for dear life.

"Don't let them take me, Dad." I cried into his ear.

He pulled me away from him but kept his hands on my upper arms.

"You'll be fine, no in fact, you'll be excellent."

He and my mother gave me one last smile before turning and walking away. My anger rose into my chest and I took deep breaths to calm myself down.

I sat down in the seat furthest away from the group.

"You okay?" The girl asked.

I shook my head and pressed my lips together.

 She sat next to me. Her perfume smelled sweet, she looked it as well. She wore a tie dyed shirt and light coloured shorts. I felt uglier in my leggings and long sleeved shirt.

"I heard about what happened. I just want to throw it out there. These guys are the most friendly bunch you'll ever meet."

Her accent was thick Australian. It humoured me slightly, along with her calming aura I couldn't help but give her a small smile.

"You'll love it. Don't worry, I'll look after you."

She put her arm around my shoulder and gave me a side hug.  She left to join the other boys, I made no movement towards them. Even though I really hated being left alone with my thoughts.

I thought about Mom and Dad. Could I ever forgive them?

Chelsea could in a heartbeat, but I'm not like her. Why can't I get over this? They blamed me for her death and constantly made me feel like an outsider. She was such a peacemaker and I held such vicious grudges. Now, I felt useless. I felt like an attention seeking monster that was ruining the trip of a lifetime for these people.

My head desperately pounded as I over thought.

"Do you want a drink?" 

My head shot up to see a guy with dark hair and piercing green eyes.

"Sorry?" I asked.

"Do you want a drink?" He asked impatiently.

"N-No thanks."

He turned around and walked back, everyone gave him harsh looks as he sat down to which he ignored.

"Her best friend has just been murdered, she's lost so much Daniel, have some sympathy." 

I heard him mumble something. I pushed my knees to my chest and waited for this to be over. I just wanted to skip to the part where her bloody body wasn't in my head, where I was free of the evil that surrounded me on a daily basis.

I shut my eyes and rest them on my knees.

Before I knew it I had shut my eyes in a feeble attempt to gain some rest.

"Our flight's ready." Harvey said with a poke to my side.

I blinked open my eyes and met his concerned gaze. 

"You haven't told them about what I tried to do...right?" I said quietly.

He shook his head and I nodded.

I dragged my suitcase behind me as we boarded the plane. I wasn't overly impressed when Harvey chose the seat next to mine.

I dug my earphones into my ear and shut my eyes. I focused on the steady beat of the music to calm me down, and soon enough the plane started with a jerk. I kept my eyes shut until I found myself lost in the music.

I felt someone nudge my shoulder and opened my eyes with an irritated sigh. 

"Are you okay? You're zoning out a lot." Said Harvey. 

It seemed that all he ever did was ask 'if I was okay'. He knew I wasn't.

"I'm fine." I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

"You can talk to me about it you know. I lost someone close to me too." 

I turned my head to face him, he stared forwards as if he hadn't spoken.

"Who?" I pressed.

 He chuckled.

"It's funny. You haven't spoken a word all week and now you're back to your inquisitive self."

I sat back in my seat and stared at the window. I dug out my phone to press play when his voice interrupted me.

"I lost my sister a couple of years ago. She was terminally ill. I was so busy I didn't notice she was slowly slipping away." 

His voice was clipped, he sounded like the old Harvey. The violent, secretive Harvey that never let anyone in.

"My Mom went crazy. We had to take her to a hospital, it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. I lost the two people that meant the world to me. She's over-protective sometimes. But that's the thing, I can't stop loving her. She's my mother." 

I watched him as he spoke. He looked like he was in so much pain.

"I'm not helping you because I owe it to Chelsea. I'm helping you because I can't let you turn into my Mom. You've got such a wonderful future ahead of you. You deserve a happy future." 

I wiped away a stray tear that I hadn't realized even fell from my eyes. Harvey put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me to his side where I tucked into him.

It didn't feel like an intimate act. It felt friendly and comforting. I knew that I could really use a friend right now.

And as I looked out of the window, I realized I needed to at least try to move on. 

No matter how hard it would be.