Since learning that the basis she was pinned against for cheating wasn't in play anymore, Pippa was put one step closer to graduating Sophomore year with her scholarship still to her name.
But since learning that Anthony had been in a fight, just him against three other people, Pippa was put one step farther from her healing process. Especially after she found out it was Caleb starting this fight. They had started going for her friends too.
"You poor thing." Jasmine said with a sigh, kneeling before Anthony.
"Hey, I don't need pity." Anthony told Jasmine as she moved a nearby chair over to elevate his foot. 'I'm not even hurt that badly."
Jasmine looked up at her friend for a moment, and then back at his wrapped up foot. "I was there with you and Groff. They said that you could've easily broken it. It's a pretty bad sprain."
"Well, still." Anthony looked down at his foot.
"And your eye, Honey." Jasmine's finger grazed over Anthony's cheek, right below his black eye. His right eye was borderline swollen shut.
"I'm alright, Jazzy. I went down for Pippa's sake. She didn't deserve any of what she got. And if he was going to hit me for keeping one of my friend's safety, then that's fine."
Jasmine smiled. "That's why we all love you." Anthony looked back at Jasmine. "Alright, I'm going to head out. Are you alright by yourself? Lin and Pippa said they're going to come over and see you sometime soon, they'll probably bring food."
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Text if you need anything at all."
"You got it." Anthony nodded.
"Bye, Love." Jasmine kissed his cheek, on the opposite side than the one with the black eye, and waved.
Anthony smiled as Jasmine walked out. She was so sweet. He turned on the TV and got involved into some episode of LivePD, and two episodes later, Pippa and Lin were knocking on his door.
Anthony: Key under picture. Come on in.
Pippa looked at her text and lifted the picture of all of them at the Silver Brick show from his door to see a key indeed taped under there. She opened the door and Lin followed here inside. "Hey, Anth. We brought you some--" Pippa froze when she saw the state her friend was in. His black eye is what scared her the most, mostly becasue the last time she saw a black eye that bad, it was her own. "Anthony..." Pippa whispered before setting the food on the nearby countertop and running to hug him. "I am so sorry. I am so sorry. I am so sorry." Pippa repeated, her words falling into the fabric of his tshirt.
"No, no, don't be sorry. Don't be sorry, Pippa." Anthony whispered in return. She lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled through the tears that were running down her cheeks. She stepped out of the way so that Lin could ask a, "how are you doing, man?" and give him one of those hugs where they grab hands and pat each other's backs.
"I'm so sorry that you had to go though all that for me." Pippa whispered once more, now as they were all eating dinner that Lin and Pippa had brought. Anthony sighed and set his fork down.
"Pippa, you're apologizing like someone died. I'm still alive, I can walk. They just put a boot on me, I'm okay. And sure, this eye is black, but I'm okay." Anthony held both hands up in front of Pippa. "I did it for you because you didn't deserve any of this." Anthony put a finger down as he counted off his reasonings. "You don't deserve Matt, you don't deserve him taking advantage of you, you don't deserve the handprint on your ribcage, you don't deserve the nightmares, you don't deserve the bumper this whole thing put in your studies, you don't deserve the panic attacks, you don't deserve Caleb taking advantage of you, you don't deserve him hitting you, you don't deserve him pushing you against a brick wall, and you sure as heck don't deserve anything both of those men told you about yourself because they are both dead wrong." Anthony sighed once again and picked his fork back up. "And-And if I can't get that through your head, maybe Lin can."
"Pip, he's right." Lin added to the conversation. "And I can also count ten more things on my hands, and if we had anymore fingers to count off on, then we could count off all of those too." Lin sighed. "Remember that night I came back all bruised and bloody, the night I walked out? Remember how Matt hit me then for standing up for you? You cannot feel sorry for things like this because we don't go through anything. We fight them right back because they deserve to feel the pain they gave you."
Pippa looked up at Lin, then at Anthony. "And what did I do to deserve either one of you?"
"I think we should be asking that about you." Lin said as a smile grew to his face.
~~~~~
A/N: Hey! For anyone concerned, I'm alright, I just fractured my toe, not my foot, so I can still dance, just carefully.
Well, I hope you enioyed this one!
Xx. ❤
-Katherine
