Crazed Minds | ✔️

thirty six

"Life does get tough."
-Revofev, Kid Cudi
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Alec

Evening falls on the school slowly, until darkness slams into the sky and the moon comes out to play. I skip dinner, having no appetite.

How can I be expected to watch Liv get hurt? Is it even possible? But she needs me there. As much as it's going to hurt seeing Naomi hurting her, I have to be there.

I sneak out my window and ease it shut behind me before treading carefully along the ledge and climbing down the pipe. I land on my feet and jog towards the front of the school, owls hooting in the distance. The woods engulfs me while the darkness engulfs the woods.

I know the way, and the pounding of the music guides me until I make it to the clearing, where a huge fire is burning. It's extremely crowded, maybe the most crowded a gathering has ever been.

I run my hand through my hair like I do when my thoughts are stressing my mind, and approach the crowd.

Seth appears at my side, face so serious I barely recognise him. "You made it."

"You think I'd miss it? This is Liv we're talking about," I mumble, the realisation stabbing me in the stomach.

Seth shrugs. "I just know how much she means to you. If I was you, I wouldn't want to see her get hurt."

"It's because she means so much to me that I'm here," I deadpan, looking around for Liv.

When I can't see her, I weave in and out of the crowd. Many move out of the way when they see it's me, others give me pitying looks. And one thing I hate more than conceited assholes like Bailey? Conceited assholes pitying me.

Seth follows right behind me, and I still can't see Liv anywhere.

I finally break out of the crowd of excited Fighters, and something inside me cracks. This is my fault. This is all my fault.

Liv has her arms tied around a pole someone has planted into the ground. She's sitting limply on the floor, head hanging forward so her soft brown hair falls in her face.

This isn't the girl I met on the roof that night. But I know I did this. And I hate myself for it.

I stumble to her side, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her to my chest. She looks up and murmurs, "Alec?"

"Liv, I can't let them do this to you," I say, trying to stop how much pain is filling my heart from corrupting my voice.

"Alec, you need to leave. You can't watch this," she says in that gentle, soft voice. She's calm. How is she so calm?

I look down at her and loop a stray strand of hair that had fallen into her dark green eyes around her ear. She gazes up at me, eyelashes long and eyebrows defiantly angled.

"I'm not leaving you," I say resolutely.

"You shouldn't have to see this," she says, her voice cracking a little.

I grip her tighter, to reassure the both of us. "I'm not leaving you," I say again, softer this time.

She stares at me for a moment, then looks down again and nods.