"Everlee!" I turn my head to the voice that calls me. He is a fellow gang member but I don't actually know him. He stands a couple of feet away from me and yells,"Declan wants you in his tent!"
He doesn't wait for me to speak and runs to the other side. I hold my head in my hand and groan loudly. I don't want to see his face, I haven't in the last two weeks. The last time I saw him was on Ash's birthday and it's been more than two weeks now. I have had a peaceful week after school got over and was still having it tonight but it won't last long as always. I start walking towards his tent with my eyes downcast.
Why is he even here today? He never comes on Mondays.
I pull myself together and enter his tent, my eyes still lowered. Not beacuse I'm scared but beacuse I'm disgusted. I feel him briefly glance at me and continue signing some papers.
"You can sit." I jolt a little as his voice speaks through the silence.
I slowly walk to the chair in front of him and sit on it. I hold both my hands together and wait for him to say something. He doesn't look up and continues looking at some files. Finally after a long and agonizing five minutes he closes all his work and looks at me.
"So, how's life? I hope you are getting along with people," he smirks at me.
I shrug and look down at my hands, gritting my teeth. He knows what his words are doing to me,"Why am I here?"
"Oh, nothing much I just wanted to know your answer." His smirk flatteres at my confused expression,"The papers, your answer is obviously yes, right?"
I suddenly remember about the papers he is talking about. It completely slipped my mind. I swallow lightly and speak,"Am I still not supposed to know what those papers are about?"
He gives me a laugh,"You are never supposed to know."
"Why? What do I have that is so important to you?" I narrow my eyes at him.
His face locks and he glares at me. I don't back down though, I'm not that person anymore,"What if I don't sign them?"
He gets up from his seat and so do I. He takes a deep breath, probably trying to control his anger,"You know what happens if you don't."
From the look on his face I know those papers mean everything to him. I shrug and continue,"Okay, I'll accept everything that happens but I won't sign the papers."
"You don't want your freedom? Don't you want to live happily ever after with your boyfriend?" He sneers at me.
I scoff at him,"Freedom? He was the reason I wanted freedom. He gave me something to imagine after I leave this hell hole. But guess what? You took it away from me and now I have nothing to lose."
In a single stride he comes in front of me and wraps his hand around my throat. He turns me around and pins me to the desk, taking hold of both of my hands behind my back. It happnes so fast that I feel dizzy. Struggling to breath, I try to free my hands.
His breath fans my ear,"You are signing those papers. I will make sure of that." With that he threw me across the room,"Now, get out before I kill you."
I look at his murderous glare and scurry to get up from the ground. I rush outside and take a lungful of breath. I don't stop though, I keep walking to get as far away from him as I can get. I did challenge him but I'm not strong enough to take him down, I wouldn't survive if he actually decides to kill me.
"Ah!" my body collides with some other and I look up at the stranger.
Instead it's not a stranger,"Ash?"
He looks the same as two weeks before. I feel like it was just yesterday when I kissed him and said I love you.
He looks at me worriedly,"Hey, are you okay? You look terrified."
I pant slightly and assure him,"I'm okay. I'm okay."
His eyes move to my arms,"You have goosebumps all over your arms."
I rub my hands along my arms,"It's just the cold." His face doesn't change, knowing well that I'm lying,"What are you doing here today? You don't even have a race."
He scratches the back of his neck,"I'm actually here for you. I had the time to think and now I feel like I'm ready for whatever you have to say."
I blink at him, once, twice taking in his words,"What, how?"
He sighs,"You know, Blake said something to me that night, he asked me if my feelings were real or I was forcing them on myself." I frown not understanding him,"I know the answer now. I was hurt, I felt like shit. But that was not the reason I didn't talk to you. It was because I felt like I needed to act that way. But the truth is that I don't care about whatever you do, all I care about is you and you only. So can we talk?"
I smile at him, trying not to cry,"Yes, I mean sure we can talk." I look at my surrounding, people everywhere,"Uh.. I'm still working..."
"I can wait." He suggests,"I'll find you when you're done."
I nod eagerly,"Yeah, sounds great." I play with my fingers awkwardly,"Okay, I should...." I turn around but stop when I hear him say more.
"I missed you." I look at him again and couldn't stop the smile on my lips,"I missed you too, a lot."
He smiles softly and walks away. I give out a disbelieve laugh when he is out of sight. My heart is beating erratically. I can't believe that just happened. Fuck, Ash is the most understanding and caring person in the world. How is he so fucking considerate? I walk towards the tracks grinning widely. My day didn't go well but the night is going to be the best.
********
I rub my hands together to keep myself warm. I look at my watch and sigh in relief. Just ten more minutes and I'm done here. I scan my surrounding to catch a sight of Ash. He isn't visible, but I'm sure he is somewhere. He said he will wait. He won't back out.
My eyes lock at the tents, a frown taking up my face at the scene. All of the VIP's are rushing into the woods, along with some important gang members. A loud bang startles me and screams fill my ears. Everyone starts running around, pushing each other in the process. I spot the cops at the other side and my eyes widen. I run to the other side, getting shoved by people. I look back to see the cops but bump into a hard chest.
"Ow!" I gasp and turn to see them.
"It's just me." Ash says holding my shoulders,"Let's go, run!" he says hurriedly.
He takes my hand in his and pulls me into the woods. We run on a narrow pathway and reach his car. We both climb in swiftly and he starts driving.
I pant holding a hand against my chest,"Is this even a road to get out of here?"
"I've always used this one, trust me." I slump agaisnt the seat in relief.
Not more than five minutes later we get out of the woods and onto the road,"Relax, your hands are shaking." I notice my hands quivering in my lap.
I hold them together and say,"What just happend?"
He gives me a glance and looks back at the road,"Someone snitched."
Doubt settles in my mind,"Did....did you?"
He huffs,"Of course not! Not when you were right there!"
I shut my eyes and groan,"Yes right, I'm so sorry. I'm-I'm just," I gulp and speak,"I'm just shocked and terrified. If you wouldn't have been there, they would've got me."
"Lee, you are safe don't worry. Just breath, okay?" His soothing voice calms me down and I take deep breaths.
He stops the car after a while and turns to me,"You wanna get some air?" I look behind the car consciously,"We are too far from that place, they won't get us."
I nod at him and we both get out. I notice we are on a cliff. I round the car and lean against the hood, whereas Ash walks ahead, gazing down the cliff. We sit in silence, looking at the town lights twinkling. His shoulders slump and he walks towards me. He sits beside me on the hood, leaning back on his hands.
"I was ten, it was like any normal night. I ate dinner, I played for sometime, then changed into my pyjamas, read some book and drifted off to sleep." I voice out cutting off the silence.
I turn my face to him and he sighs,"We can talk about this later Lee. You don't have to do it now."
I shake my head,"No, I need to. I can't keep it to myself anymore." He stares at me for a moment and nods,"The next day, I woke up in a dingy room, it reeked. I was just awake for a few minutes when..... Declan came in. He told me that my parents exchanged me for money," I chuckle dryly,"I was so confused, I didn't even know what that meant, they never exposed me to anything like that before. How was I supposed to know!?"
I cross my arms across my stomach and clutch my shirt,"I wanted to go back, I protested, a lot. Days went by, months, I became more aggressive every passing day until..... Declan decided it was enough." I bite my lip, my eyes clouding over with unshed tears,"He showed me every single day what I would endure if I don't listen to him." My voice cracks at the end.
Ash slides off the hood and rubs my back with his hand. I release a shaky sigh,"I accepted my fate, I know I was weak, I know I didn't fight back enough. But I couldn't, I didn't wanted to get hurt, I was tired of treating a new wound every other day." A few tears slip down my cheeks and I brush them away,"I went to school and no one liked me. Percy didn't let anyone talk to me, he hated me for some reason. I never had a friend, no one to talk to."
I sniff and face him,"Then I came here. I met you guys the very first day. I was surprised that you all wanted to be my friend, I was sceptical but I was more scared, of Declan, of Percy." I chuckle lightly,"But you guys still managed to enter my life, become my friends. I wanted to push you away but my heart didn't agree. As the days went by and I got more attached to you, the fear of loosing you all was growing. I decided to be selfish, but deep down I was dreading the inevitable day where all of you will find out."
I lick my lips and look down,"You made me my own person Ash. You made me feel emotions I never thought I would get to experience in my life. You became the most important person in my life and I didn't wanted to let you go. I wanted to be happy for a little longer and I ended up destroying it. I'm so sorry." A sob to finally breaks out and quickly rub my eyes to stop the tears.
His hand cups my face and lifts it to look at him,"I'm sorry. I was impulsive at that time. I should have listened to you." He clenches his jaw,"You went through so much and I was so insensitive. You never asked for any of this, I'm so sorry. I wish I could change everything for you, I wish I could take your pain away, I wish I could make your scars disappear, I wish I could give you all the happiness in the world."
His other hand holds my other cheek and he rests his forehead head on mine,"You are so strong and so beautiful and selfless. I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise."
I sob again and he pulls me against his chest, wrapping his hands around my shoulder. I clutch his shirt and cry. Not beacuse I'm in pain but beacuse I'm relieved. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It feels like I'm free. I told him everything, finally. Even if things don't go back to how they were, I still would feel satisfied.
Beacuse, I've finally opened my heart to him.
********
Woah that was a lot of emotions.
It finally happend you guys, he finally knows everything!
What do you think would happen next?
Also, you are not ready for the next one😶
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-Love ❤